Social Networking - Liz Lynch Smart Networking

Promoting Professional Services: 5 Unique Challenges

December 17, 2012 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

I’m just back from Atlanta where I squeezed in one last speaking gig before the holidays to lead a strategic discussion on social media for a small group of senior executives from some of the world’s largest corporations.

The focus was on getting them to think differently about how they can leverage “social principles” to improve operations and foster innovation in their organizations. It was an amazing experience to see the flashes of inspiration go off when they began to realize the possibilities. What a great way to wrap up the year!

Since I’ve been so blessed in my business this year with the up-leveling of opportunities I’ve received, I wanted to give something back and help more members of my Smart Networking community kick off 2013 with a bang.

On Tuesday, December 19th at Noon Eastern, I’ll be leading a special year-end Q&A call to share some insights and answer questions about converting more relationships to revenues. If you’re a consultant, accountant or financial professional looking to generate greater demand for your services and build a steady flow of clients, I’d love to have you on the call.

Here’s the link if you’d like to join me:
2012 Year-End Q&A Call

PLUS: Don’t miss the latest issue of “Smart Networking Success” where the feature article highlights:
“5 Unique Challenges of Promoting Professional Services”

Happy reading!

Filed Under: Building Your Business, Smart Networking Success Ezine, Social Networking, Teleseminars & Training Tagged With: building relationships, career success, networking, personal branding, smart networking

Special TRAINING Call – November 28th, 2012

November 21, 2012 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

“From Trusted Advisor to Thriving Rainmaker: 21st Century Strategies for Consultants, CPAs and Financial Planners”

Join me on Wednesday, November 28th at Noon ET (9am PT) when I’ll be revealing my strategies to help PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRMS build relationships that convert to revenues…

Are you getting clients online?

Only 15% of professional service firms generate at least 40% of their leads online, according to a study by the Hinge Research Institute.
However, those who do enjoy growth rates of almost 30 percentage points higher than their less active peers!

The data shows there’s tremendous untapped revenue potential for consultants, accountants and other service professionals willing to step out of their comfort zones and promote themselves online.

The small percentage of firms bold enough to embrace modern marketing methods and technologies receive a disproportionately larger share of loyal clients, prestigious assignments, and industry acclaim.

The remaining majority jockey for the leftovers, battle long sales cycles and cave to pricing pressures.

Which group are you in? Which do you want to be in?

If promoting yourself makes you nervous, that’s understandable. The tactics and techniques that work for consumer brands and other business providers may not be right for you. It’s vital that you preserve a professional, trustworthy image for the market you are trying to reach.

But doing nothing new and hoping that enough prospects will magically appear on your doorstep on their own is not the right strategy either. You’ve known this for some time, but have not known what to do about it.

I have the answer and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Join me on this special training call where I’ll be spilling the beans on:

The 6 things successful firms do to win more ideal clients and leave their competition in the dust
5 critical gaps to overcome to sell more engagements
The #1 resource many professional service providers fail to maximize
Why your current clients may be killing your business…and what you MUST do about it NOW
My 3-part formula for converting relationships to revenues TODAY

Get ready for some tough talk and some bold solutions to your client acquisition challenges.

The first step: Register for the call. It’s absolutely FREE. Then watch your inbox for the call-in details.

To your networking success!
Liz Lynch

Filed Under: Blog Networking, Building Your Business, Social Networking Tagged With: liz lynch, networking, smart networking

6 Ways to Streamline Social Media and Get the RIGHT Things Done

August 18, 2012 by Liz Lynch 2 Comments

A common complaint from business executives about marketing today is the time it takes to establish your brand online.

It’s a big issue, and a valid one, because responsibilities and goals of people in business seem to multiply every year, and everyone agrees that social media can eat up many precious hours.

Crafting effective content for updates can be tricky and time-consuming. And the multiple distractions that bombard you every time you go to a social network can be impossible to resist. You plan to post one tweet and end up spending an hour reading irrelevant but fascinating posts by others.

Truly profiting from social media requires strategizing and streamlining. Here are 6 pointers to help you along:

1) Be choosey. Carefully select the social media networks you will use, the content you will produce, and the time you will devote to marketing online. Consider engaging a consultant to lead you through a process for making these decisions.

2) Make a plan. Make a plan for content sharing that will be attractive to your targeted market. And commit to a specific amount of time each week. Steadily contributing to a small number of networks, sharing worthwhile content, and showing up regularly is a reliable basis for your online branding.

3) Work smart. There are two kinds of participation online: the 20% straight out self-promotion that you want to do; and the 80% listening to others and responding that builds your reputation and clout. Compose your promotional updates in a batch in advance may be composed and scheduled in advance, and take just ten minutes a day to write responsive posts in the moment.

4) Leverage the tools. Scheduling posts in advance is easy through Hootsuite. Here’s a previous post, as well, with five-tools-plus-a-bonus that make the job so much easier. How to keep it to ten minutes a day, or whatever time you allocate? Set a timer and obey it.

5) Use what you’ve got. As the executive or business owner, you want the right messages going out and the right relationships established. But that does not mean you have to do it all yourself. If you have staff, involve them in the everyday social media duties. Designate your most agreeable staffer as your online PR person. Invite colleagues to contribute. If you’re a solopreneur, consider outsourcing some of your content creation.

6) Reset your strategy. Measure results to make sure you’re not wasting time. Are the stats showing that your time spent online is paying off, as in more website visitors, more inquiries, and more sales? Take a look at them regularly. You don’t have to show huge gains every week, but some progress should be evident or it’s time to either modify your approach or switch to a new strategy.

Our next Smart Networking Shift expert interview with productivity expert and author Dan Markovitz will help you streamline your OFFLINE activities so you can find even more time in your day to get the right things done. Join us on Wednesday, August 22 at Noon Eastern!

photo credit: Tristan Martin

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: “Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, shows accomplished business professionals how to connect to the right people and attract the opportunities they deserve. To become a more visible leader in your organization or industry, visit www.LizLynchOnline.com.”

Filed Under: Social Networking, Success Principles

Nine Networking Tips for New Graduates

May 23, 2012 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

It’s graduation time! In honor of the thousands of new graduates – on whom our future is built! – I’m offering this post about networking for those who are just entering the professional workforce.

I hope you stayed vaguely aware during your previous years of education that this time of new beginnings would eventually arrive. You can never start too soon building your network. Hopefully, you’ve been connecting with leaders in your field(s) of interest and creating a solid personal brand all along.

But even if you’ve done nothing to date in terms of practical preparation for your career, there are a lot of things you can do, starting now. Don’t put it off any longer, though. It takes some time to build a network; and it’s a process that really can’t be rushed.

Here are a few action items to get you started.

1) Brush up your LinkedIn profile. Be sure your photo looks professional and your text is error-free. Ask previous employers to write recommendations. Also find some industry-relevant groups to join: read their conversations carefully before joining in. Don’t forget you can search on LinkedIn for industry leaders and use your connections to narrow the gap between you and potential employers or business partners.

2) Create a Facebook Business Page for the business that is You! Post links to articles and news of interest in your field. Encourage colleagues who share your passion to join you there for discussions and other sharing.

3) Follow people in your industry on Twitter, keeping them in a dedicated List, and respond to their posts as appropriate.

4) Research and write articles of 400 to 1,000 words that address key topics in your area of interest. Distribute these at four or five reliable distribution sites like ezinearticles.com and ideamarketers.com. Post regularly (two times a month, minimum) and your name will start appearing in searches for your keywords.

5) Better than writing articles, though best in tandem with it, is blogging. You can create a blog for free at WordPress.com or Blogger.com, and start establishing your expertise today. Define your topic(s) clearly, post frequently and consistently, and be attentive to commenters, and your community will begin to grow.

There’s plenty of networking to do in person, as well.

6) Talk to professionals in your community. Are there a few who might mentor you, or at least share an hour of advice? You’d be surprised how enthusiastic leaders can be about counseling newbies. It’s certainly worth contacting them and asking. When you do meet, be sure you are listening much more than talking.

7) Who you hang out with is also a key factor. Pay attention, and befriend those who share your interests, who will be supportive and honorable. Your closest associations are the foundation of your network.

.8) Go to conferences that relate to your industry. Bring with you business cards that feature your Facebook Business Page, and/or your blog. Think of yourself as a sleuth, gathering all the information you can lay your hands on about the field, its personalities, plans, and politics. Engage fellow attendees in thoughtful chats about key issues. Make friends.

9) If your networking is going well but you still haven’t found the right job, consider volunteering. Identify an organization that would give you good practice and connect you with influential people, and enquire about volunteer opportunities. If you’re a salesperson, for instance, if you help a nonprofit by using your skills, this experience can be the catalyst that finally brings you paying work. If you’re a scientist, can the local schools use your expertise in special workshops? What a great way to build your brand and come into contact with influencers in your community.

I hope these tips pay off handsomely for new graduates. If you want more help, please download my free Smart Networking Toolkit.

photo credit: Dave Herholz

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Filed Under: Career Advancement, Career Success, Social Networking, Success Principles Tagged With: brand building, careers, job search, networking, networking for new graduates, smart networking, tips for job searches

Social Media Productivity: Top 5 Tools for Maintaining Connections AND Your Sanity

May 21, 2012 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

“How do you find the time to manage all of this social media stuff?”

That’s one of the most common questions I’m asked whenever I present. And sometimes I get the sense that people are hoping that it’s so complicated and time-consuming that they’ll have a great excuse NOT to do it. Not to learn something new that could transform their business. Not to change their behaviors and actions.

Well, to help you make the mindset shift, I’m finally going to reveal the top 5 tools that I personally use to build a steady presence, enhance my credibility, and engage with my network all in minutes a day. And all of these are free (although some have premium versions with more functionality), and all are easy to use once you set them up:

1) Hootsuite.com: The real key with managing your social media is to have everything in one place when you’re ready to get to work. Hootsuite functions like a dashboard where you can see feeds from all your social media sites and take action. You can schedule posts in advance, retweet others, make comments, and be in and out in 15 minutes. I like to set up columns where I track (i) mentions of my username so I can respond; (ii) mentions of the word “networking” so I can see who’s talking about it and what they’re saying; and (iii) posts from 50-60 key people in my network so I can interact with them more closely.

2) iPhone: I have the Hootsuite app on my phone so if I’m waiting for a train or stuck in traffic in a cab (never in a car when I’m driving!), I can use the downtime productively.

3) Google Reader: One of my primary objectives in using social media is to be seen as a resource, so I frequently post links to articles that others have written. But instead of trolling the Internet for good content, I use Google Reader to bring that content to me! It aggregate articles from about 20 different blogs and websites that have great material, and once a week, I skim the headlines for anything that might be interesting to my followers. Then I share these posts using Timely (see #4).

4) Timely.is: This widget allows you to queue up posts which are then tweeted over time at the frequency you specify — 1 per day, 3 per day, and so on — across your different social media sites. That way I don’t flood my stream with too many posts at once (even though I’m queuing them up in one sitting for maximum efficiency) and I have an ongoing presence online (even though I’m not at my computer all the time). Another option is Buffer, but the free version allows only 10 posts in the queue at any given time.

5) SocialOomph.com: While lots of people use this site to schedule their posts in advance, I use it mainly as a monitoring device, like a Google Alert. Once a day, I get an email of all posts that mention my name or Twitter handle (@liz_lynch) so I can see what’s being said and respond back when necessary. I also monitor the handle @lizlynch, which does not belong to me, but which people sometimes use inadvertently and I can correct them.

6) BONUS TOOL – iTunes: This is a great tip I picked up from the audience during my TweetChat that I couldn’t resist adding to this list. Create a playlist of 2-5 songs that are fun and you enjoy listening to. Run the playlist while you’re doing your social media activities and when it’s over, logout. How simple is that?

The real trick with managing social media successfully, aside from the tools, is to have discipline. Decide when YOU want to engage. Make it an appointment in your calendar so it gets done. Have everything in one place. Get in and get out. In other words, work your social media, don’t let it work you.

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Filed Under: Marketing Yourself, Social Networking, Success Principles

Social Media Sharing: 3 Questions to Ask Before You Post

May 14, 2012 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

The good and the bad about social media is that there aren’t any firm rules. You can choose how you want to use it, post whatever you want, connect — or not– with whomever you want. For example, some use LinkedIn to connect only with those they already know, and some use it to expand their network and are willing to accept invitations from anybody. Both approaches are totally valid and the best one for you depends on the goals of your business.

But, just because there aren’t any firm rules, doesn’t mean there aren’t some best practices you should be following. If your intention is to use social media to build your business, then focus on activities that advance your cause, and stop doing or minimize everything else. If you’re killing hours of time playing games or watching videos of kittens, and then complaining that social media takes too much time and doesn’t work for you, you should re-evaluate what you are doing.

And this lack of rules leaves some people a little lost. In every social media workshop I’ve attended, those who aren’t active yet say they haven’t jumped in because they really don’t want to post what they’ve had for breakfast that morning. And yes, if you feel compelled to post things like that, then please don’t bother. But there’s so much information that you could be sharing.

What you need to do is ask yourself these 3 questions:

1) What can I share to enhance my credibility? The majority of your posts should be intended to increase your reputation as an expert in your field. That means sharing articles and resources — your own and from others — that your followers would find helpful. It’s perfectly okay to share something personal every once in a while, that’s what adds dimension to your profile and helps people connect with you on other levels, especially if they share your same interest.

2) What can I share to help me stay in touch? Social media makes it easy to keep in touch with so many people in your network in just minutes a day. On Facebook, you can see which of your friends is having a birthday. On LinkedIn you can see who just got promoted or changed jobs. It takes just seconds to say “happy birthday” or “congratulations” or to “like” a post. It’s like tapping someone on the shoulder and saying “Hi, I noticed you today.”

3) What can I share that will help someone else? Again, it takes seconds to share a link or retweet a post on social media, which means that in seconds, you can help someone in your network spread their message. No matter how busy they may be, they’ll notice you in a very positive way because you’ve helped them. Every little touch point helps strengthen your relationship over the long term.

Hopefully this simple but powerful framework will help you become more visible and relevant in your industry and to the people in your network, and spark many more opportunities to advance your goals.

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Filed Under: Building Your Business, Marketing Yourself, Social Networking, Targeting Your Audience

Social Media: 3 Easy Ways to Get Into the Conversation

February 3, 2012 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

Whenever I speak to someone about social media who isn’t actively using it, the main reason they give for not being involved is, “I don’t want to talk about what I had for breakfast and I don’t care what others had for breakfast either.”

OMG, we have moved so far beyond that! Taking a quick glance across the posts on my Hootsuite dashboard right now, I see tweeps sharing articles, announcing new programs, giving feedback to one another, asking questions, and sending words of encouragement.It’s a community of support, and conversations are how that support is conveyed. Which conversations you initiate or participate in are totally up to you.

In last week’s Smart Networking Shift call, guest expert Dabney Porte said conversations are happening all around, and you need to get in the game. So in other words, if you were walking past a room where you saw a group of businesspeople having lunch, you might think that all they were talking about was whether the pasta was al dente enough and you’d walk right on by. But if you actually stopped to listen to the conversation, you might hear about a brand new project they were putting together, something you could contribute to through your knowledge, expertise or connections. Or you might strike a rapport with one of the diners who could become a client or spread the word about your business.

I’m not the most chatty person in the world in real life so I don’t post random thoughts online, but I do love to share information that I find and I especially love to acknowledge and promote the good work of others. So I’ve found my groove with Twitter and other social media tools to expand my network, build meaningful relationships and yes, get new business! Here are 3 things that work for me that you can do too:

1) RELAY a resource. Share a link to a relevant resource, not your own, but someone else’s. I have my Google Reader set up to pull in feeds from about 20 blogs that I follow and it takes me 15 minutes twice a week to scan through the headlines, skim the articles that look relevant, and schedule the post through an online app like Timely that allows those tweets to go out evenly over the course of the coming week all throughout the day. Not only does this help me stay visible to my followers, but it also allows me to be seen as a resource AND to build relationships with the blog authors.

2) REPLY promptly. When someone retweets me or shares my articles, I do my best to say thank you, although sometimes Hootsuite misses some of the mentions, so I don’t catch them all, aargh!). Or when someone posts a “valid” question or comment, I do try to take the time to respond. I stress the word “valid” because sometimes my name will come up in a post that is completely irrelevant just so the person, usually a spammer, can get my attention. Yeah, mission accomplished, but not in a good way!

3) RECOGNIZE a milestone. Social media makes it super simple to congratulate someone when they share a success or celebrate an occasion like a birthday, engagement or anniversary. Don’t underestimate the impact of your acknowledgment just because it takes 2 seconds to do. We all enjoy getting positive feedback and it’s those little strands of ongoing connection that develop into strong bonds over time.

Just like buying a gym membership won’t get you into shape unless you go, social media only works if you know how to work it. If others are having success on social media don’t you think you can too? Time to get in the conversation and find out.

Do you have a social media technique that’s been working for you? Post it on my Facebook wall and let’s build a library of inspiration and resource for those still getting their feet wet. I’d love to hear your ideas!

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: “Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, works with professional service firms who have great expertise but fall short in generating all the business they deserve. To learn how to attract maximum clients with minimum effort, visit www.LizLynchOnline.com.”

Filed Under: Facebook Friends, Networking Aversion, Social Networking, Twitter

5 Social Media Shortcuts NOT to Take

January 16, 2012 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever lost half an afternoon on Facebook bantering with friends, browsing through photos, and clicking on links, you may be wondering how social media can be anything more than a big time sink. So if you’re trying to use it for business, you may be more than a little tempted to take some shortcuts with your interactions to save time and cut to the chase so you can get some “real work” done.

Well, I have news for you. Building relationships IS real work that is critical for the success of your business. And there are no real shortcuts to getting from POINT A (where someone doesn’t know you at all) to POINT B (where they’re interested in getting to know you) to POINT C (where they want to work with you and recommend you to the people they know).

There’s still a real person behind that social media profile. And as The Supremes, Phil Collins and the Dixie Chicks have all said, “You can’t hurry love.” While social media CAN save you time with your relationship building efforts, there are 5 shortcuts you absolutely should NOT take:

1) Don’t shortcut the INTRODUCTION. When inviting someone to connect with you for the first time, introduce yourself and explain why you’re reaching out. Don’t make THEM do the work to figure out who you are and why they should connect with you because chances are they won’t do that work. And even if they do accept your invitation, you’ve done nothing to move even a tiny step towards POINT B.

2) Don’t shortcut the KNOW, LIKE & TRUST. People I’ve NEVER spoken to before have asked me to to connect them to someone in my network. Listen closely…I value my network highly and if I don’t know you or your work, I won’t risk my reputation or my relationship with a blind recommendation. Build a relationship with me first, then we’ll see where to go from there.

3) Don’t shortcut the CONVERSATION. Even though you may want to connect with someone so they’ll help promote your book or website, that isn’t the first thing you should say. “Hello” would be a good alternative. Or “I enjoy your posts. Nice to connect with you.” You can’t jump to POINT C from a standing start. Before anyone will care about your agenda, you have to get them to care about YOU, and that usually only comes through interaction and conversation.

4) Don’t shortcut COMMON SENSE. Does it really make sense to tag me in a post that has nothing to do with me just so I’ll pay attention to you? Or poke me? If these tactics are shortcuts to anything they’re shortcuts to getting unfollowed and unfriended!

5) Don’t shortcut the VALUE ADD. What have you done for your network lately? Have you acknowledged them, thanked them, shared their posts or offered to help them in some way? Social media makes it easy to do all of these. BUT you have to be paying attention to find openings to contribute. Or better yet, why not just ask directly, “What can I do to help you?”

To learn some of the shortcuts that DO work and for more rules of the road for online networking, join me on my Smart Networking Shift call “Smash through the Myths and Create Social Media Success!” with guest expert Dabney Porte.

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: “Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, works with professional service firms who have great expertise but fall short in generating all the business they deserve. To learn how to attract maximum clients with minimum effort, visit www.LizLynchOnline.com.”

Filed Under: Social Networking

Market Your Business w/Facebook – Liz Lynch Interviews Dave Kerpen, CEO of theKbuzz (Live Teleseminar)

April 4, 2010 by Liz Lynch 2 Comments

If you think Facebook is just for connecting with family and old high school friends, you’re missing out on the incredible impact this community of 300 million loyal users can have on your company. More than any other social media site, Facebook can be an incredibly powerful tool for building your business on a shoestring budget.

Join me in the Smart Networking Inner Circle on Tuesday, April 6th at 1pm Eastern, when I’ll be interviewing Dave Kerpen, CEO of theKbuzz, a social media and word of mouth marketing firm. We’ll talk about how ANY BUSINESS can create a compelling Facebook presence that builds your brand, engages prospects, partners and customers, and helps you make more money.

You will learn:

The difference between your personal profile, public profile and a group page, and which you should use for your business
What types of content engage your fans and how often you should post
How to build your fan base
The right way to respond to comments — both positive and negative
How to leverage social ads without losing your shirt
The must-have applications you should utilize on your page
And much, much more!

This teleseminar is FREE for members of my Smart Networking Inner Circle group. Members also have access to the recording as well as the transcript.

Not a member yet? Learn how to get the first month for only $9.95 (new members only, please) and get access to monthly calls with top experts, monthly Q&A calls, recordings and transcripts of the calls, one-on-one laser coaching opportunities and other fabulous members-only benefits.

About Dave Kerpen

Dave Kerpen is one of the leading experts on social media and Facebook marketing. Dave and his work have been featured on CNBC’s “On the Money”, ABC World News Tonight, the CBS Early Show, The New York Times, and countless blogs. This past year theKbuzz has expanded with new offices in Boston and Chicago, and new clients including Heineken, Neutrogena, Cumberland Farms, Uno Chi
cago Grill, Verizon, 1800Flowers.com and Stride Rite. Dave now manages the presence of over 150 brands on Facebook and other social media sites.

Dave is proud of theKbuzz’s 2008 and 2009 WOMMY Awards from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) for excellence in Word of Mouth Marketing, but prouder of his two little girls at home — Charlotte and Kate.

CLICK here to learn more about the Smart Networking Inner Circle program and get access to this call, the recording and the transcript to add to your Success Library.