What to do if you want people to ring your bell!

At one of my Speaking Club ‘Live’ sessions this week one of the members wanted to get some help putting together a LinkedIn post footer.?

Have you seen these cropping up?

I’m not a LinkedIn expert, but what I do know about is engaging an audience.

It’s really easy to see something new that other people are doing and just jump on the bandwagon and copy them.?

(We all love new and shiny, just look at how many people jumped on the new ‘threads’ app this week. Including me … if you’re on there come and say “hi”.)?

But, before you do anything new, I'd suggest taking a step back to ask yourself a few questions, like:

• Does this align with my marketing/business strategy?
• Is this a distraction that is going to be taking me away from doing something that will have a bigger impact?
• Will this connect with my audience?

Assuming you’re all good with those answers, then there is one more thing to do, and that is look strategically at how you’re going to make it work for you.

(This is a question you also need to apply to your talks and speaking.)

So, back to these footers … what are they for?

After my research and observations, in my opinion they have three jobs:

• Saving your audience time.
• Directing warm prospects to the next logical step.
• Giving them a flavour of your personality.

Let’s break these down for you.

Saving your audience time:

When I train people to create their elevator pitch, speaker bio, or indeed their signature talk - one of the big things I teach them is this …

“Don’t share who you are, until you’ve made people care who you are.”

What that means is you have to connect with and engage the audience AND add some value*, before you tell them who you are.?

(*by value I’m not talking specifically about information or ‘how to’ content - often the most valuable content is getting them to see something differently, breaking down a limiting belief, or just plain entertaining them.)

Let’s say you create an engaging and valuable linked In post, then your audience is likely to think? - “who is this person?”

Without a Linked In post footer, they will scroll to the top of the post, click on your profile and find out there… maybe… unless they get distracted.

With the footer, you are sharing who you are right when they want the answer to the question. This is saving them time, saving them from getting distracted from clicking on your profile and striking while the iron is hot!?

Chances are your content might also answer a problem and create a problem for them, which brings us to purpose two.?

Directing Warm Prospects to the Next Logical Step

For example … Let's say I did a LinkedIn post dealing with an objection that a lot of people have around creating a signature talk …

“I’m not ready to speak in front of a big audience.”

And in that LinkedIn post I dismantle the belief and story underneath that objection, by showing them that it’s not a question of being ready, it’s a question of ‘being committed’ to start the journey.?

And I share a little story about how I wasn’t ready to drive on the roads when I had my first driving lesson, but I was committed to learning how to become a driver.

And then I share a mini case study about someone who felt the same way, but was committed and got amazing results, (which is completely true btw).?

It’s very likely that by the end of this post, they are likely to have a shift in their view about speaking. I’ve solved the problem of them ‘not being ready’, and now they have a new problem, "how do I start the journey to becoming a speaker?”

That’s where the other purpose of the LinkedIn post footer comes in … guiding them to where they can solve the next problem. In this case, the next logical step would be to get a game plan for becoming a speaker, so I would share a link to booking a complimentary speaking game plan call with me.

OK, but what if the post was an entertainment based one, like a funny story, or a thought provoking quote … then the what they are likely to want to do is get more of your content - so the next logical step would be to direct them to subscribing to your linked in posts by hitting the notification bell.

For me you have to fit the proposed next step to the content of the post, rather than having a blanket and generic call to action.

And that is a big issue I’ve seen with people using these footers … they all feel the same!

Which brings me to the last piece of advice …

Give them a flavour of your personality.

When I work with speakers to craft their signature talk, although we work through a structure, every talk is completely unique and could only be done by them. We’ve designed in all the levers to move the audience, but it is in their voice and with their personality.

With these LinkedIn post footers you have an opportunity to showcase your personality and creativity, which will also add a touch of authenticity and hopefully will start to build that know, like and trust which is so vital in the client acquisition journey.

So … all that being said here’s a structure I’d recommend tailored to the content of each post.

A Suggested LinkedIn Post Footer Structure

1. Relevant emoji & your name (but make the most of this to make it memorable for them.

??I’m Sarah Archer (like in bow and arrow - or that peach drink)

2. Relevant emoji & what you do with a bit of personality, e.g.:

??I coach experts to create talks that are like the winning lottery numbers: unique, valuable, connected to their audience’s dreams and bring in the money!

3. Relevant emoji & connect with your target audience dislikes and doubts, e.g.:

??In way that no-one feels pitched to, and even if you think your subject is technical or not ‘sexy’

4. Emoji and call to action (changes depending on the post)

??Want to get a speaking game plan - head to https://bookme.name/thespeakingclub/lite/gameplan

???If you got value and you’d like more ring my bell! (Click the icon in my profile!)

And that’s my two pence on LinkedIn post footers.

Let me know what you think about them.

Sarah :)

= = = =

??I’m Sarah Archer (like in bow and arrow - or that peach drink)

??I coach experts to create talks that are like the winning lottery numbers: unique, valuable, connected to their audience’s dreams and bring in the money!

??In way that no-one feels pitched to, and even if you think your subject is technical or not ‘sexy’

??If you got value and you’d like more take a listen to my podcast The Speaking Club