LinkedIn Workshop for Roscommon LEO

Video Recording of Full Workshop

3 Pillars of LinkedIn

Your Profile – optimise all content (see below for details)
Content Strategy – what kind of content should I create?
Outreach Strategy – who do I connect with, and what do I say?

Positioning is Everything

Your profile is a sales page. You need to address your ideal customer and let them know you can solve their problem.
Postioning statement of “we help THESE PEOPLE solve THIS PROBLEM” or “we help THESE PEOPLE get THIS RESULT” – “we help THESE PEOPLE solve THIS PROBLEM by DOING THIS so that they can DO THIS”.
Example: I help “best-kept secret” experts & consultants to rapidly build authority by , so that you can command premium fees, cherry-pick the best projects, get off the gilded-hamster wheel of hourly-rate work, and never have to suffer a bad-fit client again.

AI LinkedIn Coach

Prompt: Can you write a headline and about section and suggest text/image/layout for my banner image. Here’s my positioning:

LinkedIn Banner Image

Here’s a link to my banner image – make a copy and edit in your own details.

Get help from the AI LinkedIn Coach by asking it to suggest what to put on the banner based on your positioning.

Prompt for AI: Here’s my friend’s banner image. I want to make a copy and then customise the text for my business. Can you help by telling me what text I should replace in each part of the image?

Style Guide

Content Strategy

Prompt:

I want you to help me create a simple content strategy for my linkedin based on my positioning and give me simple content pillars for the strategy.

Then give me 5 example content pieces I could create. Give me titles for each example, as as well as a simple outline.

Summary of the LinkedIn Workshop

This is a detailed breakdown of the RLEO Workshop on LinkedIn for Business, with key takeaways for each section.

Introduction & Introductions (0:05 – 18:04)

Purpose: This workshop focuses on utilizing LinkedIn as a powerful platform for businesses.
Attendees: A diverse group of business owners and professionals, including those new to LinkedIn.
Key Goals:
- Become an authority in their industry.
- Learn effective outreach strategies.
- Develop content strategies.
- Improve LinkedIn profile optimization.
- Gain practical, hands-on experience.

Understanding Positioning (18:04 – 45:45)

Positioning Statement: This is the foundation of all marketing efforts. It concisely defines who you help and the problem you solve for them.
Formula: “We help these people solve this problem.” or “We help these people solve this problem by doing this so that they can do this.”
Benefits: A strong positioning statement clarifies your target audience, messaging, and content strategy.
Importance of Niche: The more specific you can be about who you help and the problems you solve, the stronger your positioning and the more effective your marketing.
Positioning Evolution: It’s natural for positioning to evolve over time as your business grows and your understanding of your target market deepens.

Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile (45:45 – 1:41:29)

Sales Page Mentality: Treat your LinkedIn profile as a sales page that showcases your value proposition and expertise.
Headline: Your headline should be clear, concise, and directly related to your positioning statement.
About Section: This section should be tailored to your ideal client, addressing their problems and showcasing how you can solve them.
AI Tools for Profile Optimization:
- ChatGPT LinkedIn Coach: This custom tool can help you create your headline and about section using your positioning statement as input.
- ChatGPT Banner Generator: You can use ChatGPT to generate inspiration for your banner image.
- Canva: A user-friendly online image editor for creating and customizing your banner image.
- Claude: Another AI tool that can rewrite your about section.
Style Guide: Create a style guide for your brand, ensuring consistency across all your marketing materials.
- Key Components: Logo, colors, fonts.
- Benefits: Builds brand recognition and strengthens your visual identity.
Google Fonts: Use open-source Google fonts for your brand to ensure licensing rights.

Content Strategy (1:41:29 – 2:50:06)

Content Pillars: Define your main content themes to create a cohesive strategy.
Content Types:
- Text Posts: Simple and effective for sharing insights.
- Sharing Other People’s Posts: Highlighting others’ success stories.
- Comments: Engage with others’ content to increase visibility.
- Live Videos: Great for interviews and interactive content.
- Carousel Posts: Use images and text to create engaging presentations.
AI Tools for Content Creation:
- ChatGPT Content Strategy Generator: This tool can create a simple content strategy based on your positioning statement.
- ChatGPT Content Outliner: Generate outlines for your content pieces.
- AI Carousels: Create basic carousels for LinkedIn.
- ChatGPT for Writing: Use it for inspiration or to draft content, but always proofread thoroughly.
Frequency: Aim for creating content at least twice a month.
Value Over Self-Promotion: Focus on providing value to your audience and building relationships.
Engagement: Reply to comments promptly to boost engagement and visibility.
Analytics: Track impressions and engagement, but don’t get too caught up in numbers. Focus on the quality of your audience.

Outreach (2:50:06 – 3:02:23)

Avoid Sales Pitches: People are less likely to engage with sales pitches. Focus on building relationships and providing value.
Personalize Your Messages: When connecting with someone, add a personalized note that shows you’re genuinely interested in them.
No Spammy Messages: Don’t push your services or products too aggressively.

Additional LinkedIn Tips (3:02:23 – 3:24:08)

Open to Work Page: Turn this off for business owners to avoid appearing desperate.
Creator Mode: Explore Creator Mode to gain access to tools for growing your audience.
Company Page vs. Personal Profile: Post from your personal profile more often than your company page, especially for business owners.
LinkedIn Premium: This paid version offers more advanced features like advanced searching and outreach tools. It’s not essential for many users.
Verification: While verification can provide a boost, it’s not essential for most users.
The 3-Second Test: Make sure your profile and content are clear, concise, and engaging within a few seconds.

Resources:

The Recognize Authority Podcast: Search for episodes on LinkedIn, specifically episode numbers 8, 13, 19, 28, 66, 87, 90. These episodes provide valuable insights into LinkedIn strategy.
Quick Win Content Book: A guide to creating compelling lead magnets.

Overall Takeaways:

Positioning is Key: Focus on a clear positioning statement to guide your LinkedIn strategy.
Provide Value: Create content that helps your target audience solve their problems.
Build Relationships: Focus on building genuine connections and engaging with others.
Use AI Tools Wisely: Leverage AI for inspiration and efficiency, but always proofread and personalize the output.
Consistency is Crucial: Maintain a consistent brand style guide to strengthen your visual identity and build recognition.

This workshop provides a solid foundation for using LinkedIn effectively for business growth. It encourages a strategic approach that emphasizes value creation, relationship building, and ongoing learning.

Advice from Alastair's Podcast

Prompt:

I want you to extract key insights and simple step-by-step instructions from a podcast transcript.

Review the Transcript: Read through the provided podcast transcript thoroughly.
Identify Key Insights: Extract main ideas, important points, and noteworthy observations.
Write Step-by-Step Instructions: Identify and break down processes, methods, or actionable advice into clear, simple steps.
Organize Information: Present key insights in bullet points. List step-by-step instructions in a numbered format.
Summarize: Write a brief summary focusing on main themes and actionable insights.

Here’s the episode URL which contains the full transcript: [paste URL]

Episodes About LinkedIn

Key Insights from Krista Mollion

I used AI to pull out the following key insights from the transcript using the above prompt:

Key Insights:

1. Authenticity and relationship-building are crucial for social selling on LinkedIn.
2. Focus on engaging deeply with a smaller number of connections rather than growing numbers rapidly.
3. LinkedIn is now a content hub, not just a job marketplace.
4. The “three-second test” (photo, banner, title) is critical for making a good first impression.
5. Creator mode provides valuable tools for growing your audience and analyzing performance.
6. Content should be a mix of 70% value and 30% entertainment (“edutainment”).
7. Being unique and memorable is key to becoming a brand authority.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Optimize your profile for the “three-second test”:
a. Use a high-quality, well-lit headshot for your profile photo.
b. Create a banner with a unique value proposition (7 words max) and a call-to-action.
c. Front-load your title with keywords describing what you do in the first 6 words.

2. Activate Creator Mode:
a. Go to your LinkedIn profile settings and turn on Creator Mode.
b. This will give you access to LinkedIn Live, audio events, newsletters, and analytics.

3. Create a profile video:
a. Record a 30-second video explaining why people should connect with you.
b. Make it engaging and unique to stand out.

4. Develop a content strategy:
a. Plan to post content that is 70% value-driven and 30% entertaining.
b. Focus on teaching your audience about your expertise.
c. Occasionally share personal content to build relatability.

5. Engage with others’ content:
a. Identify 10 thought leaders or peers in your industry.
b. Regularly comment on their posts with thoughtful, value-adding insights.
c. Try to engage within the first hour of their posting for more visibility.

6. Utilize Creator Mode features:
a. Host LinkedIn Live sessions or audio events regularly.
b. Start a newsletter to directly reach your audience’s inboxes.
c. Use the analytics dashboard to track your content’s performance and adjust your strategy.

7. Focus on relationship-building:
a. Be selective about who you connect with, ensuring they align with your professional goals.
b. Engage in meaningful conversations in the DMs with your connections.
c. Provide value to your network without immediately pitching your services.

8. Develop a unique style:
a. Find ways to stand out from others in your field.
b. Be slightly polarizing or opinionated to create a memorable brand.
c. Consistently showcase your unique perspective in your content.

9. Create lead magnets:
a. Develop valuable resources (guides, whitepapers, etc.) that your audience can download.
b. Promote these in your banner and posts to build your email list.

10. Monitor and adjust:
a. Regularly review your analytics to see what content performs best.
b. Experiment with different types of posts and engagement strategies.
c. Continuously refine your approach based on the results you see.

By following these steps and incorporating the insights from the podcast, you should be able to significantly improve your LinkedIn presence and more effectively market your business on the platform.