Communication
Welcome to episode 232. This week the focus is all about my favourite subject….communication.
If there is one aspect of using LinkedIn that fascinates me the most, it’s the art of communicating effectively. It’s also one area that most people get wrong according to my homepage feed and probably yours too!
So you can imagine how excited I was when I recently met Kim Arnold, a communications and marketing expert!
So this weeks episode is focussed on a chat I recently had with Kim about how we communicate on LinkedIn and how we could do it better!
but first…..
Interesting Stuff I Saw This Week
- Microsoft And LinkedIn Can Revolutionize Retail!
- LinkedIn Crossed the Privacy Line with Targeted Facebook Advertising
- The State of LinkedIn Profiles Today & Making Yours Even Stronger
Mike Winnet does it again and gets more comments on this spoof copy post!
Original post
Spoof post
LinkedIn Communication with Kim Arnold
Click on the image to view Kim’s profile
Here is a link to the video webinar we recorded (it’s not free I’m afraid!)
Key points
- Online communication is now a primary way to communicate so we need to pay attention to how we do it.
- Too much of our focus is on ‘what’ we type/post rather than how we do it.
- Is your online communication reflective of your true personality?
- Avoid being too ‘vanilla’, not everyone is going to like you but many will if you put out your genuine personality. This is as true in business as anywhere else.
If you aim at everyone you will hit no-one.
It’s great to be paid to be you.
- Your greatest advocates and business referrers will be those that have bought into your genuine character.
- It’s good to express an opinion but always ask others for their take on the subject (encouraging engagement)
- Post about things that people can easily relate to
- If a subject appeals offline, it will online as well.
- We don’t just have to give ‘5 tips’ or provide advice to offer value. People learn from posts that stimulate thought and by seeing others comments
- Be careful to avoid ‘paintballing’ your followers. Avoid blitzing people with ‘content’…..paintballs splatter and can’t come back!
- Be careful of the mirror effect. This means that you tend to communicate based on your own interest and desire rather than those you are looking to reach.
- Avoid talking (typing) about you or your company. Shift the spotlight onto your target audience.
- Effective communication is a trade-off. You have to reflect what you wish to get back in an authentic way.
- Don’t write that you are “excited to announce” be more granular and describe specifically what excites you.
- When communicating online, before posting ask yourself this simple question “So what?” Make it count and make a difference.
Examples of great communicators
That’s all for this week.
Don’t forget to get in touch if you have a suggestion for ‘post of the week’ or any questions about this episode or any aspect of using LinkedIn.
