All you need is LinkedIn love ??

I went to a wedding this Friday with the good lady wife. It was beautiful. Just getting away for an evening without the kids. We laughed, we danced, we sat and just talked to each other with no distractions. How often do we do that with our partners?

It reminded me how much I love her with every fibre of my being and to not take that for granted. The next day we got up had breakfast and headed into Hastings, we went for a magical walk through some woods along the cliff edge (the same route smugglers would take back in the day).

We then headed into Hastings old town for coffee and to people watch. Just being with her, holding her hand (sorry didn't expect to get this mushy) and spending that all important time just being in her company reignites that passion you have for someone.

And with your audience, on social it’s even more important.

Don’t take them for granted, they will give you more back than you possibly imagine if you treat them right. Like any good relationship they require trust, commitment, gratitude and love.

Here are my top tips for growing and nurturing your audience just like any good relationship.

1.Hang out with them?- Not just on their content but also in live rooms and podcasts. Ask them questions in their lives, be present for them and they will for you. Go find groups of like minded people and go nerd out with them (in groups). You’ll learn a lot about human behaviour by doing so.

2. Listen to them?- Sounds easy right. Engage with their content and really start to open up a dialogue with them. You could even go and engage with older connections or followers as well who you haven't had a conversation with in a while. But listen and I mean REALLY listen to what they have to say, so you can respond in an empathic and balanced way.?

3. Be vulnerable?- Not vulnerability for the sake of it (see the crying CEO) but rather admitting where your flaws and mistakes are. Being human and opening up develops trust with your audience.

Edlemans 2020 trust baramoter report says

• 81 percent?say personal vulnerability (around health, financial stability, and privacy) is a reason why brand trust has become more important

4. Surprise them?- Mix up your content, use images, text and video to keep them visually interested. Hang out in Linkedin audio rooms and begin conversations with them, trust is built through the tone of your voice and inflection. Confidence comes from doing it often, so push yourself out of your comfort zone and step into that public space and talk. Start small and work up.

5. Champion them?- Be there to support them and encourage them. Something which might seem a tiny task for you could be a gargantuan milestone for them, so show up and if you have some knowledge bombs which will help to elevate them. Drop them. They won’t forget in a hurry.

6. Be willing to learn?- Adapting, learning and growing from our audiences content and comments is all important. We aren't right nearly as much as we like to think (something the wife often reminds me of). Being open to growth will allow you to build much deeper relationships with people when we learn from them and show a willingness to learn.

7. Never take them for granted?- makes sure you continue to nurture that relationship as much as you can with the people that matter and never, ever take them for granted. Your network is?incredibly?powerful when they are fed with all of the above and just like love, there is no ceiling on what’s possible when the trust is there.

Do all of this right and you might just eventually earn the right to ask for that all important sale.

Just Like John Lennon and Paul McCartney Said -?

Nothing you can make that can't be made

No one you can save that can't be saved

Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time

It's easy

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need

See you next week kids for more Newsletter love ?? ??

#trust #gratitude #learning #audienceengagement