 Human vs AI
In a world that is increasingly AI driven, in our own use as an assistant or being bombarded by AI content, you can't help but wonder what's real and what's not. Your human-ness will be the driving factor in your success! I firmly believe that and advocate for it. Ways to Show Up and Be Human Let's review a few ways that really do make a difference.
No AI Shortcuts AI has its purposes, don't get me wrong. But don't AI prep all of your communications in posts, messages, or emails. Be real. Be YOU! Take just a few minutes to share the light inside you to help you ENGAGE with your clients! That is what folks are hiring—people want and need more Human in their lives right now. BE that human. BE YOU! How Have You Been Showing Up? Networking is especially challenging for the introverts of the world. There are many steps you can take to get out there in small doses or in friendly spaces. How have you been showing up? Attending events online or in person? Focusing more on messaging in the socials? Or is this on your 2026 goal list? Love to hear and grow together! Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn!
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 Do I NEED LinkedIn?
TLDR (Too Long Don't Read) - YES! LinkedIn should be part of your marketing and communication package to get your name, your company, your book, your nonprofit - get you - out there. How Is LinkedIn Useful? It's one of a few highly respected ways to be seen as a legitimate business and person to work with. Your first piece is your website as an anchor. Your second step should be to build your LinkedIn personal profile, then possibly a company page—a focus for your book or work. LinkedIn is considered the "professional" social site. Build Your LinkedIn Profile Your profile is your bio and can effectively be your resume, to the point where someone can get a pdf copy of your profile and have a general idea of your work history. This is your billboard.
Is a Company Page Useful? Yes! If you are a privately owned small business owner, this helps immensely with your visibility. It helps LinkedIn find you as a business entity. It enables you to use your business logo on your personal profile and note it as your current business! If you manage a nonprofit organization, a company page is crucial. Fellow volunteers or employees will be able to link to it, repost and share good content, and even contribute to the page by tagging the organization in posts. Authors or podcasters may use this as a way to focus on the project with its own account to then cross-post between company and personal pages. All of that being said, your personal page is your highest priority! For solopreneurs or authors, a company page may be no more than a place to repost your personal profile's information as a secondary way to get noticed. You may never post anything "new" on the company page. As a nonprofit, your company page may be your key focus to get that brand noticed! Unfortunately for the LinkedIn current business model, company pages definitely rank lower in visibility than personal profiles, but they have their uses. Develop your following and connections on your personal profile and find ways to connect to the company page to build that awareness. How to Build Presence on LinkedIn The next and biggest step is interacting with others on LinkedIn.
Resources for LinkedIn You're welcome to review a couple of prior blog posts here for additional information.
LinkedIn is Ready for You! It's a phenomenal tool to find your ideal client and job. It's an ideal place to showcase yourself! It's also a different personality and interaction than you'll find on any other social platform. The professionalism is generally a notch above all other socials. LinkedIn is a fantastic way to ENGAGE your audience! If you'd like a hand on the platform or to simply chat about your ideas, Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn!  Networking - The Key to Your Next Job That is not an understatement. Various sources indicate 70% or more of jobs are attributed to the power of networking. The number is hard to pin down but multiple sources agree with its importance. I've written about the value of events, volunteering, and LinkedIn. What IS Networking? Networking is simply meeting and chatting with others. This can be done in person, at events, virtually, online - however you meet people. I'm at local recent events in the photos. PHOTO: Three smiling women sitting around a table reviewing resumes.  WHY Network? Many employers tend to hire someone they know personally, are at least familiar with, or someone in their organization is familiar with. It reduces the "get to know you" factor to identify a fit for a corporate culture. Many jobs aren't even officially posted on job boards but are shared among employees to share with contacts. Employers may even have an incentive or bonus program to encourage employee referrals! PHOTO: Group photo at a local restaurant. Who is in Your Network?
Basically everyone you know, including those you only vaguely know, like those you connect with online. Anyone and everyone can become part of your network - you just never know!
How Do You Network? Simply begin chatting with folks - anyone and everyone! Have a ready smile and be prepared to make small talk. Play a game with yourself to find commonalities with who you're speaking with! Indeed offers a number of ideas. Introverts: Baby steps. Start online or wherever you're comfortable. Start with comments on socials posts. Begin the conversation by writing something - nearly anything! - about a topic that's easy and comfortable for you: gardening, something you did over the weekend, a special hobby or talent of yours. Then respond to comments. Then try it again. Attend LinkedIn events - lives or audio rooms - and simply be seen, react, comment if that's an option. Have business cards at the ready to continue conversations on socials or by email when you meet someone in person. Follow-up after chatting with someone if you have a way to reach out! That's where a business card can help provide email addresses or social profiles. Offer a way to demonstrate your skills and personality! Consider volunteering to assist someone or create a small free gift that fits with your business. A gift can be
Offer your Time if that's better suited to your goals. Volunteer at an event related to your field of interest or job. Get Focused! It makes a difference! Occupational Outlook Quarterly offers a resource that remains timely.
Getting Warmer? I'm a far bigger fan of the power of "warm" leads over "cold."
Do you network? Love it? Hate it? If you're looking for brand marketing or communication assistance, I offer a number of services for nonprofits, small businesses, fellow entrepreneurs, and authors - Let's Chat!  Amazing Business Networking
If you haven't tested out LinkedIn and you're a nonprofit, solopreneur, business leader, or simply looking for work, you are missing a bet. LinkedIn is the go-to resource for your business connections! Just Another Social? I suggest this platform is different than the others available.
How Often Should I Post? The short answer - as often as you have time for.
Ring the Bell LinkedIn recently changed how this little gem works. Whenever you Follow someone on LinkedIn, a bell appears at the top right corner of their profile. You now have options to decide level of notifications when someone updates their profile, similar to Facebook levels of interaction on groups or pages.
Company Pages - Followers I heard a magic number recently on a Gillian Whitney podcast with her guest Aoife Noone.
Groups on LinkedIn Groups here are very different from Facebook groups. There are less of them available, the interaction is often less, and vetting each is useful to filter out the more spammy or sales content groups, unless that's something you're after. Begin with some searches in areas or fields that interest you and expand your reach from there. It's hard to say what may pop up that interests you! Once you find a few interesting groups, see how the group interacts, then jump on in! It's easy to become a thought leader within a group as there is simply less commenting or activity here. The opportunity is rich for making more connections! Developing Your Feed The above suggestions are the best way to improve your feed or your Home page.
LinkedIn is one of my favorite platforms to connect with folks! We'll likely have more discussions on here about this powerful tool with ways you can leverage it for your own business. LinkedIn is seemingly always changing. Have you come across any great tips to share about LinkedIn? Love to hear them - Let's Chat!  LinkedIn Resources Available
LinkedIn offers a number of resources for nonprofits that can be found here. This is the most inclusive page to begin your quest for information. There's a LinkedIn for Nonprofits group available as a resource. LinkedIn held its first Impact Summit May 2024 that remains available for viewing. I'm looking forward to checking that out! LinkedIn has a pdf available, LinkedIn Pages Action Plan for Nonprofits. You can access the resource here by entering a few of your details. Claim Your Nonprofit Page Before you create a page, check to see if one exists already. LinkedIn "helpfully" created a company page for many 501c3's years ago. You may have one sitting around waiting for you! Search for your nonprofit's name and, if one exists, "claim" it when prompted. You can edit and build the page from there. Create a Company Page for Your Nonprofit Anyone with a personal profile on LinkedIn can also create a company page. Company pages can have multiple Admins. It's always advisable to have more than one to counter the "hit by a bus" potential. Once your nonprofit has decided who will initiate the project, create the page with your nonprofit's name, logo, and background header at a minimum. Be sure to add some way to contact the nonprofit in the page details, be it your nonprofit's email or website. Admins of a company page can toggle between the company page and their personal profile using the arrow under your name. Pay attention to how you wish to comment on posts - as your personal profile or the nonprofit page. Again, look for a toggle option by your profile image. Create Content! Now comes the fun part! Share your amazing nonprofit with the world! Posts can be simply copy/pasted across all of your social platforms for consistency and ease, or there are apps that will post the same information across your platforms. Ideas include sharing news of you upcoming events, shout-outs about stellar volunteers or staff, or sharing any news about your nonprofit, just as you would on any other social media platform. Video resonates highly on LinkedIn as with many of the socials currently. "Carousels" or "documents" (multi-image slides) perform well for engagement. Volunteers and employees can share or repost news of the nonprofit page and vice-versa, just as with other socials. Invite Connections to Follow Page Admins are eligible to invite personal connections to follow the nonprofit page if you feel it may be a good fit. Each Admin has 250 invitations available monthly, but you're granted a "replacement" invitation for every one that's accepted. It's highly advantageous to stick with the connections you think may actually be interested in your nonprofit. A timing sequence I heard recently is to use half of your invitations at the start of the month. Check on the status of those invitations at least by mid-month if you haven't looked sooner. You may have earned back some of those invitation credits from folks who accepted your offer. Share more invitations to use them all before the end of the month. Don't forget - these invitation credits renew monthly! LinkedIn Premium Discounts LinkedIn offers a drastically reduced price on two of its premium packages. Nonprofits providing confirming information may qualify for 75% off of Sales Navigator or Recruiter Lite. The advantage of both is definitely the higher messaging option available to expand your community. Learn more about these options here. Have you created a company page for your nonprofit? What's worked well for you? What are your challenges or frustrations? I'd be thrilled to help build or maintain your company profile. Let's Chat!  How to "Create a PDF" in Canva
We have a few things to consider for this question. * How do you plan to use the end product? * Where do you plan to share the end product? * Which template will serve your purpose? How Will You Use the Design? Are you aiming for a simple 1-2 page document? Consider searching Canva's "document" or "newsletter" templates. Hover over the design you're considering to see
Are you designing it to be a post on social media?
Where Do You Plan to Share the End Product? If this will be a "cookie" or free give-away on your website to encourage folks to sign up for your newsletter or next project, the more simple "newsletter," "document," or even "flyer" can serve your purpose. You'll really only want a 1-2 page style. You'll want to consider how saturated or colorful the design is if your target audience may print the item. You don't want folks "bleeding ink" with dark or highly colored backgrounds for your words. Test how your product will download into a PDF. Just because you can pack a lot of material onto what appears to be a one-page item, you may realize when you download as a PDF that it's actually 3 or more pages! If you'll be sharing this as a social media post, "carousel" works especially well on LinkedIn. The more colorful and saturated the background is the better, as long as the text shows well in contrast to be readable. This format is able to be downloaded on LinkedIn for your audience to retrieve. Do make sure to include your business logo, name, and a way to contact you someone on your project! Which Template Will Serve Your Purpose? The response to this is embedded in the earlier discussion. Each have their plusses with few negatives. Canva designs are highly adaptable, from adding and deleting pages, to adding and deleting features within a page design to customize it. You can change font size, style, and even colors. You can insert your own images. In all of your marketing, consider your business's brand style. This includes your color and font choices. You may be able to simply duplicate a template you're using elsewhere in your business to create your new items. If you have a Pro Canva account, you have the option to simply change the size or template style of an item you already created to maintain your brand look. Look to the top left corner for "Resize & Magic Switch." Canva does offer free 30-day trials of their Premium account! Keep an eye on the calendar if cost is a concern and focus your upcoming projects within that 30-day window. For as many free templates as Canva has, it's crazy how your eye is drawn to the premium template designs as "better!" Don't forget if you're a nonprofit, with just a little electronic submission, an EIN, and the right kind of nonprofit (political nonprofits don't qualify), you may qualify for a free Premium Canva account! Be sure to check on the option. Have these been your go-to template styles to "Create a PDF" in Canva? Do you have other template styles that work well? If you're looking for assistance to maximize your use of Canva or you're looking for someone to create some designs for you, Let's Chat!  How to Start Your New Business
Congratulations! You've just created your LLC or solo business and it's time to get some customers! Where do you start? That depends a lot on how much money and time you have to invest and your favorite learning style. I invested heavily in a marketing program to start. I had a general sense about "marketing" but no real training. I found an excellent self-study program, however I've since discovered a variety of less expensive options that can serve just as well to get started. Courses as Resources Louise Harnby has a number of amazing course resources for editors and authors. I invested in her 6-course Editorial Bundle for the full marketing spectrum. She has a payment plan to ease the price a bit. Ed Gandia has a variety of courses to help you start a business, which are offered separately or a special bundle price. Newsletter Ninja (Tammi Labrecque) offers a series of courses, two books, and a valuable Facebook group to help you set up an email newsletter. Books as Resources I noted Louise Harnby. An easier and less expensive way to get a lot of her marketing information is to simply buy her book, Marketing Your Editing & Proofreading Business, which is really comprehensive. The concepts apply beyond editing and proofreading businesses. Louise also has an extensive blog and podcast library for reference. The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib covers many of the topics Harnby does, is a bit lower in price, and includes great added resources including a 1-page worksheet to develop your marketing plan. The Freelance Content Marketing Writer by Jennifer Goforth Gregory is a comprehensive marketing plan to hit the ground running along with business tips and sample marketing plans included. Her focus is on writers but much can be generalized. She has an amazing blog of resource material as well as a Facebook group. Andy Crestodina has a fabulous blog and book, Content Chemistry, covering general marketing topics and is a leader in the field. If you need insights on website building, Debbie Emmitt has an amazing resource - two really - books for authors and editors. Her material easily translates to most other businesses. You can find her editor's book here. She also has many marketing tips on her blog. Looking for books to figure out LinkedIn? Got'chu covered!
Podcasts as Resources One of my favorite low-cost resources! There are a lot of great episodes out there. Some may also be on YouTube (captions may be your preference) and many have transcripts for episodes if you prefer to read. Many noted have multiple resources available.
Podcasts recommended by others I have not heard yet:
LinkedIn Trainers as Resources I've been fortunate to have connected with some wonderful LinkedIn experts who are eager to help you succeed! All links will take you to their LinkedIn profiles. These will get you started but there are so many resources available!
Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear of any additional marketing resources you've found helpful. If I can be of assistance to connect with your customers, Let's Chat!  Podcasts for Education and Connections
I adore podcasts. That's likely clear as this is my third and likely far from final post about amazing podcast discoveries. I "binge" listen to podcasts when I make a new discovery. Podcasts make it easy to listen on my daily walks or during chores. While listening, I learn a ton from these talented folks sharing their own experiences or interviewing others. I also pore through show notes to connect with the podcaster and guests by signing up for their newsletters, checking out websites, and connecting on LinkedIn and Facebook. Freelancer Focus My latest favorite podcasts are Deliberate Freelancer by Melanie Padgett Powers and The Content Byte by Lynne Testoni and Rachel Smith. Both of these podcasts focus on the life and improvement of all types of freelancers, although they tend to particularly focus on content writing. Even if you're not a writer, there is a lot to learn from all of these ladies. All of them have a fun, no-nonsense approach to their material and businesses. Deliberate Freelancer Melanie will periodically stop to review her quarterly wins, challenges, and goals. I learn from these by gathering ideas of ways to improve my own business. She'll interview industry leaders that are way beyond my income level, but they all offer ways to improve your business. Dream UP, right? The focus topics are relatable to many freelancers, from SEO on websites to email and social media strategies. A particularly practical recent episode was an interview with Brian Hall with ways to easily optimize your website with a lot of great resources available through his website. The Content Byte I'm just beginning to work my way through these episodes. My first episode was an interview with Bernadette Schwerdt, a leader in the copywriting industry. So many great ideas here, and she has her own podcast! Another very practical episode was about social media with Anfernee Chansamooth. These ladies held a Summit in September which has received nothing but rave reviews for the talented folks brought together as speakers. They're considering holding another event, but it's too soon after the last to be sure. This was held virtually as well, making it high on my future conferences to attend! Have you found any inspiring podcasts or mentors? Love to hear who you follow! I'm always interested in building my network while learning from others. Have a project you're considering? Let's Chat about specifics or we can collaborate on a Pick My Brain session! |
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