Breaking Best Practice as Brand Building

If you follow me on Facebook or have seen me speak, you know I like to share lessons in best practice and typical "dos and don'ts" around using social media successfully. One topic I find very important is the use of photos in social media profiles. 

Too many people still do not have a picture of themselves on their LinkedIn profile, and it really is of utmost importance these days. More than likely, if you don't have a photo, the viewer who found you will move onto the next profile if they can't see your smiling face along with all those great credentials. 

So, what if you can't afford a professional headshot? Well, you really don't need to hire a professional photographer. I'm sure you already know how easy it is these days to get a professional looking picture in a relevant setting with your mobile device.  Make sure you have great lighting, and you can easily get a usable headshot.  You want to avoid the following: 

1. Using a picture where you look great but your ex's elbow or shoulder is still making an appearance. 

2. Using a picture so outdated when a prospect meets you, they aren't sure it is you.

3. Party pictures including beverages, bar backgrounds or other people. 

4. Vacation pictures or other images that may be featuring a beautiful background instead of you as the feature. 

5. Animals, unless you are in the pet industry. 

Libby Proctor, Licensed Acupuncturist

But wait- what about exceptions to the rule?

Absolutely! I was recently working with a client and her story of earning business from someone who found her online was a great example of why breaking best practice can sometimes be a brand booster.

Libby Proctor, Acupuncturist and owner of Azara Health and Wellness was very excited to share news that a new client had found her via a Google search. 

When she asked what stood out to him when selecting her, he said that in addition to her story and experience, her picture looked very warm, welcoming, and that he was a dog lover. He appreciated that her photo also showcased her love for dogs. 

So, does this warrant "breaking the rules"? I think so! Your brand is a reflection of you as a person as well as a business owner.  What characteristics of your personality will engage your target audience and provide rapport builders to those who will be excited about working with you?  

Relevance is important.  Libby also knows how beneficial the pets in your life can be to your mental and emotional well being. She also can speak to Traditional Chinese Medicine as an alternative to heal the little furry loved ones in your life when in need.  

So, go ahead and break the rules!  Just make sure it is done in good taste, with relevance, and in a way that represents your brand.

How do I Find my Own LinkedIn Activity?

After my latest LinkedIn training class via Dabble, I was happy to see that my students were picking up their activity by doing status updates! I love to see people implement their new ideas.

Next, came the question- where do I see my own LinkedIn activity? Great question! We are used to seeing the LinkedIn activity of our connections going by on our feed, but what if we want to see a trail of our own? Below is my response to that question captured with a screenshot.

Note that you will not only see your latest status updates, but your most recent activity that your connections may have seen on their newsfeed. So this will include status updates you have liked, commented on, shared, new connections & profile updates you have made, etc. Have any other questions like this? Click below and share in the comments of the Facebook post!

Post by Soaring Solutions, LLC.

LinkedIn Media Links are Live! Or Coming To Your Profile Soon

So how do you like the new LinkedIn profile? I love it! It is a much cleaner designer, with many new benefits.  One of which is the ability to add media to your profile.  Historically, you had to do this through an app like SlideShare or Boxes.net.  Then, you needed to have a paid subscription to add video.  Well, no longer!

In the latest LinkedIn release, you can now add media links: files, images AND video, to your profile, under each segment.  The caveat: If you had media on your profile before, you have the ability to use this now.  If you did not have media on your profile before, you may not have had this portion of the update rolled out to you yet.  Don't fret, LinkedIn has you on the radar!  


Feel free to take a look at my profile for examples of media in both the summary and experience sections.  Here is a quick snapshot- while in Profile Edit mode, look for that square button in the middle.  Once there, just add the URLs to your media rich content, and you've got a savvy profile featuring your great works and insights!

I'll be sharing a how-to video on my membership site shortly!

New Standards for Stakeholder Communications with Social Media

Even before the days of social media (dreadful times...)  I remember receiving quarterly reports for a corporation I worked for or held stock in.  Often times having part in their creation, I still had no desire to sit and read through all the boring details, especially if next to me sat a periodical of like size called "Runner's World" or "Wired" (yep, it actually started in 1993, when we were a bit less wired).

Why the nostalgia?  Today I enjoyed how LinkedIn accompanied the release of it's quarterly financial results.  An executive summary, key stats, in an interactive forum.  That forum was Twitter.

Considering the technographics of your audience, what are your emerging leaders, the future C levels of your organization, and other stakeholders going to tend toward to gather these stats?  A mailed document, a PDF download, a press release? Or the social network of their choice?

Sure there are regulations and varied ranges of audience to consider in such financial reporting, but also consider how you can get creative to communicate with people where they already are.  Many businesses are working their strategic plans for the coming year right now.  Great time to include your CFO and Financial team in your communications and social media strategy!