"?? ?????? ???????????????? ???? ?? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ???? ??????????????!"

Whenever I run a LinkedIn strategy training I always ask those who attend "What's your objective from the training? What do you want to go away with knowing?"

And the answer to that is always how to use LinkedIn properly to generate opportunities. How DO YOU use LinkedIn to grow your business? ??

What better way to learn how to do just that than from people who are using LinkedIn successfully themselves for that very purpose.

So, it was great to chat with Rebecca Newenham, founder of the award winning and global Get Ahead franchise to get the inside track and Rebecca's secret sauce to LinkedIn success!

All through Rebecca’s journey, from start up to being recognised as a global franchise leader, LinkedIn has played a pivotal role.

Already a keen networker, Rebecca recognised that LinkedIn was a way for her to ?????????????????????? and let her valued network know what she is doing. As her franchise business grew, LinkedIn played a key role in in finding and researching new franchisees.

It’s helped her build a ?????????????????? locally and globally! She set up LinkedIn Local Guildford bringing LinkedIn alive in an informal way. And never afraid to connect, Rebecca has built and developed both a community and friendships thanks to LinkedIn.

Underpinning this is ?????????????????????? - committing to LinkedIn as a primary marketing tool and showing up on a regular basis.

Listen again to the LinkedIn LoveIn . . .

Now for those of you who did join me Live on LinkedIn for the chat with Rebecca, will know that 5 minutes in, LinkedIn decided to stop broadcasting ??

So, there’s Rebecca and I happily chatting away and sadly no one could hear us. Blooming LinkedIn . . . apparently, it’s not uncommon and a bug on their end. DOH!

But luckily, it still recorded and you can hear what Rebecca had to say. (NOTE: please skip between 4:47:23 - 08:42:26 where I'm going on about it not broadcasting to LinkedIn - I'm afraid it did flummox me ??)

Talking LinkedIn - what did Rebecca and I talk about?

Rebecca has been a LinkedIn fan for 12 years ever since she set up her Get Ahead business. Like most of us, she started networking as a way of getting her name out there and telling her network about her business.

LinkedIn is the NEW business card!

At the same time, LinkedIn became her tool for supporting her networking efforts, as a way of capturing all her connections together in one place. I have to agree, LinkedIn is fabulous tool for supporting networking.?You could say LinkedIn is the NEW business card!

I mean who doesn’t connect on with people on LinkedIn they’ve met networking?

The LinkedIn QR Feature allows you to quickly find someone’s profile on the mobile and send them a connection request, so LinkedIn really is the new business card!

As a result, I often work with people who just want a LinkedIn profile they can be proud of; one that positions them and supports their networking efforts.

And that’s all they need LinkedIn to do. To be working for them 24/7 while they do other marketing activity to support their business.

If this sounds like you and you just want to get your profile sorted to support your networking efforts, then check out my next online LinkedIn profile training and start getting your dream clients coming to YOU. . . For Free!

?A really hot, easy way to network

For Rebecca, the combination of LinkedIn and networking has been one of the most powerful activities for her business, strengthening her network beyond those she meets face to face. And the reason why she sees LinkedIn as a really hot, easy way to network without having to leave the office!

So, you may have guessed that what Rebecca and I talked a lot about networking in this LinkedIn LoveIn!

I always say LinkedIn is the closest thing to face to face networking you can get, and if you approach LinkedIn in the same way, you would a networking event you can’t go far wrong.

So your LinkedIn profile represents you going to a network event, who you connect with is your network. That's who you're networking with. And then posting and commenting are the conversations that you would have face to face with people.

One networking event Rebecca got involved in was LinkedIn Local, which was a worldwide initiative run by somebody who wasn't part of LinkedIn to help people get to know their connections better. Unfortunately, LinkedIn realised how successful it was, took over and it just kind of died a death, apart from LinkedIn Local Guilford which Rebecca set up.

?Q. Why did you set up LinkedIn Local Guildford?

"LinkedIn Local appealed to me with it being linked to LinkedIn. So, I set up LinkedIn Local Guildford about three years ago and ran it for a year before Covid happened so moved onto Zoom. Now we’re back face to face meeting in a lovely local location right on the river.

And there are so many people I've never met before. Again, it reiterated to me the power of just setting up a community and letting it make its way almost without my control. I've got a LinkedIn Local page and I simply use Eventbrite to put the event out and it just does its own thing.

It feels like my own party! You greet people as they come in and connect them with each other. Then I do a round up message on LinkedIn the next day. It works beautifully together, and my profile views just are amazing as a result of that.

What's fascinating is the collaborations. For example, two lovely ladies, Barbara Cosgrove who is a stylist and Hannah Pereira, who does videography met at one of the LinkedIn Local Guildford meetings. They then came together and were able to produce a package of offerings that they then exhibited at our local business exhibition. And that was all on the back of the meeting at the LinkedIn Local.

It really reiterated that power of just giving people an opportunity to come together. ?

?Q. Apart from networking how else do you use LinkedIn to support your business efforts?

I go to a lot of exhibitions. For example, we're exhibiting in Birmingham at the end of June. And I'd love to find a Birmingham Regional Director or someone to buy franchise there. So, I've gone through my connections, looked at who's in Birmingham, and then next week we'll message them and say we're first degree connections, I'm coming to this Birmingham exhibition, are you going to be there and tentatively build a bit of rapport that way.

Q. What’s your opinion on asking people for a one to one if you've only met them on LinkedIn?

I would recommend nurturing first, do a little bit of warming up so they know who you are. I always send a personalized invitation, then once connected will monitor my new connections content.

LinkedIn is quite clever as it comes up on your notifications that your new contact has put some content out and would you like to comment, so I will always try and engage or if ?we’re not connected I will respond to a post of theirs before sending them a connection request.

You could also tag them on some interesting content or send them a link via LinkedIn messaging that would be of interest to them.?

Then I’d say love a one to one, would that work for you, and then try and make that as easy as possible by sending them my Calendly link, for example, rather than expecting them to come up with a date.

?What’s your advice to new business owners starting their posting journey on LinkedIn

?

? Don’t get disheartened!

If you’re posting and engaging and feel like you’re not getting anyway or seeing any results. Keep going because you never know who is looking. There is a lot of stalking that goes on!

? Don’t think selling, think how you can help.

I use Google Alerts to find articles that will be of interest to my clients. I think about what kind of information they would like. I then write a post positioning the article and tag people in my community saying this might be of interest to them or even direct message saying I thought it would be of interest. It’s enabling them to take action if they want to plus it means I am raising my visibility by getting into their inbox

? Turn up on a consistent basis, make if part of your daily ritual!

Show up regularly on LinkedIn, at least two or three times a week is key. I've had connections say to me they only go onto LinkedIn once a month and wonder why they're not getting any traction or growing a community!

? Be open to connecting (but also saying no if it’s not appropriate!)

I've always been quite open to connecting as you never know where that connection might go. I will have a quick look at their profile to see what they’re talking about, in terms of what they're posting and if we've got some mutual connections, and I will generally accept them.?But I'm very quick at shutting it down if I get bombarded with requests and sales messages within minutes because that's just not acceptable in my book.

And have the confidence to connect with people. Make it part of your routine when you go to any events of thinking who can I connect with afterwards? ?

? Don’t just broadcast your own message.

The power is in commenting and engaging! Spend time connecting and actually commenting on people's posts. Not just reacting but actually proper sentences. The power is in the commenting as your comments get seen by other people and as a result so do you!

? Always respond to comments on your posts.

It’s rude in my opinion to leave people who have taken the time to comment on your post hanging, or just to ‘like’ their comment. It doesn't take much to like, love or celebrate their comment and just say thank you very much.

To find more about Rebecca and Get Ahead

Check out the Get Ahead website; follow the Get Ahead LinkedIn page or connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn. Make sure you personalise your connection request saying that you have seen the chat she did with me.

?Quizzes!

Rebecca also has a couple of fabulous quizzes. The first quiz is for business owners who are wondering what they could outsource. Give it a go and try the quiz here.

Rebecca is always looking for people who might be interested in buying the Get Ahead business in a box opportunity - take this quiz if you'd like to learn more.

?

I hope you enjoyed listening to the LinkedIn LoveIn with Rebecca. Please share your questions or comments below - I'd love to know what you think.

And keep your eye out for the next LinkedIn LoveIn on the 29th June at 12.30pm. I'll see you then!

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Want to attract more of the right clients using LinkedIn? Know your ideal clients are on LinkedIn and feel you “??????????? ???? ?????????? ????” but have no idea where to start?

?????????? ?????? ???? ???????? ???????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? - know exactly what to do, what to say and when to attract more of your dream clients to you ??

?? If LinkedIn isn’t working hard for you or you’re not sure where to start with using LinkedIn, email [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn to chat about how I can help.

Or book a virtual brew here and let’s make LinkedIn work for you . . . ?