Passionate products, passionate people&hellip;..
Commitment, passion and a desire to deliver more than we promise, that&rsquo;s the philosophy of our inspirational founder, the one-and-only Jemma Lea Bevan.&nbsp; When we look after your marketing, you get a commitment and &lsquo;can do&rsquo; attitude that&rsquo;s enough to make you doubt our sanity.&nbsp;
But sanity is pretty over-rated, don&rsquo;t you think?.....
If you are looking to promote your business on social media, you&rsquo;ve come to the right place, because we&rsquo;re mad for it!
SocialJems is here to help you and your products stand out and SHINE!
&nbsp;
Content creation
<img src="/images/blog/2.png" alt="" />
Or as we like to say, some produce content, we create euphoria&hellip;..
Content for all circumstances from posts and tweets to blogs and articles, whatever the length, whatever the style, we&rsquo;ll create copy to get you and your brand noticed.
Content that draws customers to your personal and corporate accounts through to articles and blogs that boost your SEO so enquiries lead to web hits that result in sales!
&nbsp;
Personal branding
<img src="/images/blog/3.png" alt="" />
People are far more likely to buy your product or service if they have bought into you.&nbsp; We work with you to enable your audience to get to know the person behind the product.
We can engage on your behalf on posts to make sure you are communicating with your target audience and create messaging campaigns that reach them in a way that makes them say buy rather than goodbye!
&nbsp;
Corporate branding
<img src="/images/blog/4.png" alt="" />
Creating a consistent message across SM is essential for successful marketing campaigns, we make sure your company message is promoted effectively, whatever platform(s) you use for promotional activity.
Corporate or more informal in style, whatever style you want to use, we&rsquo;ll make sure your business presents itself in the way that most appeals to your potential customers.
&nbsp;
Website design
SM marketing can be let down by a tired, neglected website.&nbsp; Our web design service breathes new life into a tired website, showing you are a vibrant company that&rsquo;s up to date and ready to do business with.
&nbsp;
LinkedIn training
<img src="/images/blog/5.png" alt="" />
The platform where it all started, we offer LinkedIn training that really helps you get the most from your personal and business accounts.&nbsp; Whether you have a basic or Sales Nav account, Jemma can help you get better results through her tried and tested formula for LinkedIn success.
&nbsp;
How can we help you?
When you work with us, you&rsquo;re far more than &lsquo;just&rsquo; a client.&nbsp; You&rsquo;re a &lsquo;frolleague&rsquo;, a colleague that&rsquo;s also a friend, we create long-term relationships and work hard to make sure that they&rsquo;re as fun as they are profitable for all of us!
&nbsp;
SocialJems &ndash; making your SM marketing shine!

A warm welcome to our fun factory, the place where creativity and laughter collide to produce social media marketing magic!

Welcome to SocialJems!

You&rsquo;ll have had to be stuck in a cave if you haven&rsquo;t noticed how the way we work is changing.
&nbsp;
The use of social media as a sales tool, for example.&nbsp; Done properly, a very useful weapon to employ.&nbsp; But if you get it wrong, you can be left wondering what all the fuss is about.
&nbsp;
So let&rsquo;s give you a few pointers to help make sure you get it right!
<h2>How we buy has changed</h2>
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s no longer just about getting a few quotes and settling on the cheapest price.&nbsp; These days people respond far more emotionally in their purchasing decisions, people buy something from a person or company they have bought into on a person level.
&nbsp;
If someone doesn&rsquo;t know you and trust you, why will they buy from you?
&nbsp;
They won&rsquo;t.&nbsp; They buy it from someone they do.
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a slower process, but building rapport and trust takes time.&nbsp; But if you don&rsquo;t put in the effort, you are losing potential sales to competitors who are prepared to get to know potential customers before pitching at them.
&nbsp;
<h2>Connect and engage</h2>
&nbsp;
One of the biggest SM turn offs is the person who sends a sales message hot on the heels of a connection being accepted.&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t ever do it!
&nbsp;
Send a friendly message thanking them for the connection, let them know what you do if they need your help in future and that you&rsquo;ll look forward to seeing them on posts.
&nbsp;
Comment on their business posts; add value to them.&nbsp; Have a laugh with them on light posts, sympathise with the bad times, get to know them.
&nbsp;
If you met at a networking event, you&rsquo;d have a chat, you wouldn&rsquo;t go straight in with a sales pitch, would you?
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s just the same on SM!
&nbsp;
<h2>Personality-led marketing</h2>
&nbsp;
The greatest weapon in your sales arsenal is YOU.
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s difficult to stand out in a crowded marketplace, the way you do so is by showing the real you.
&nbsp;
Your home, your family, the things you hold dear, your hobbies, what makes you laugh, what makes you angry, be upfront and tell people about yourself.
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t listen to the &lsquo;this isn&rsquo;t Facebook&rsquo; brigade.&nbsp; No it isn&rsquo;t, and different platforms have different techniques, but the basic tactic remains the same.
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s SOCIAL media, after all, and being sociable involves far more than purely talking shop.
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t be afraid to take risks, shoot videos, if it isn&rsquo;t the most polished performance you can work on it and improve.&nbsp;&nbsp; Be a splash of colour in a sea of beige and you&rsquo;ll be the one that gets noticed because you have been prepared to stand out and maybe not take yourself too seriously!
&nbsp;
<h2>Not all about you</h2>
&nbsp;
You might feel uncomfortable at first about opening up about yourself.
&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ll get over it. you don&rsquo;t have to talk about anything you&rsquo;re uncomfortable with, but showing personality enhances the credibility of both you and your brand.
&nbsp;
Remember, you might feel uncomfortable but people are only going to be comfortable having the sales conversation with someone they have met and bought into!
&nbsp;
Relax, enjoy it and you&rsquo;ll actually have some fun in the process!
&nbsp;
<h2>Show your purpose and ethics</h2>
&nbsp;
Successful SM marketing is all about showing your audience your business purpose and ethics, people are very keen to d business with people who share their values.
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s the companies that show their purpose both internally with their team members and externally with their potential customer base that get the leads flowing into their pipelines!
&nbsp;
<h2>Your people, your ambassadors</h2>
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t muzzle your employees on SM, they are the best ambassadors you could possibly have.
&nbsp;
If you trust them enough to work with them, let them promote your business through SM too, especially if you struggle in this area yourself.
&nbsp;
It really empowers people when they are trusted to network, because that&rsquo;s exactly what it is, it&rsquo;s additional relationship building and shows you really get what SM is all about.
&nbsp;
Happy staff, happy company, isn&rsquo;t that the sort of business that attracts people?
&nbsp;
<h2>The sales pitch</h2>
&nbsp;
Leave any direct sales messaging until you have engaged with your prospect for 3 weeks.
&nbsp;
Keep it friendly, but don&rsquo;t be afraid to ask the question if you might be able to help them.&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t assume you can, ask!
&nbsp;
But the fact you have engaged with them and are not just trying to sell to a stranger will get a far better response, even if an immediate sale isn&rsquo;t imminent.
&nbsp;
You are laying the foundations for the future because you are talking to a person, not just a faceless prospect.
<h2>Personality, personality, personality</h2>
&nbsp;
Just because you show personality doesn&rsquo;t mean to say you aren&rsquo;t being professional, it just makes you a person with hopes, fears and dreams like everyone else.&nbsp; Be open, honest, sincere and approachable with your connections and good things will follow, it really is as plain simple as that.
&nbsp;
<h2>And if you struggle&hellip;..</h2>
&nbsp;
We hope you have found our tips useful, try them and see for yourself!&nbsp; But if you are struggling to come up with a strategy that works or to clearly express your personality and purpose, we&rsquo;ll be pleased to help you with it, just ask!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

How we buy has changed. It’s no longer just about getting a few quotes and settling on the cheapest price. Now you have to sell something better, you have to sell who you are as a person.

Social Media Selling, People and Personality

Is LinkedIn Sales Navigator worth your time and money? -In short, Yes.
Sales Navigator allows you to get more advanced features and effectively target accounts and generate leads. It gives you the opportunity to extend your sales reach outside your direct network.
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re new to the world of LinkedIn, you&rsquo;re probably wondering&hellip;
What is Sales Navigator, I&rsquo;ve never heard of it!
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t worry, we&rsquo;ll cover that first&hellip;
&nbsp;
<h2>What is LinkedIn Sales Navigator?</h2>
&nbsp;
In a nutshell. LinkedIn Sales Navigator simplifies the process of finding, connecting, and staying up to date with prospects and customers.
It&rsquo;s a sales management tool designed to use LinkedIn&rsquo;s network more effectively.
&nbsp;
<h3>There are THREE tiers to the LinkedIn Sales Navigator:</h3>
&nbsp;
<h4>PROFESSIONAL</h4>
<ul>
<li>With Professional, you can save up to 1,500 leads and keep track of company updates.</li>
<li>20 InMail messages for each lead.</li>
<li>Advanced lead and company search</li>
<li>Custom lists</li>
<li>Lead and account alerts</li>
<li>Notes and tags</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4>TEAM</h4>
<ul>
<li>With Team, you can save up to 5,000 leads and keep track of company updates.</li>
<li>Get 30 InMail messages each month for potential leads.</li>
<li>TeamLink</li>
<li>CRM integrations</li>
<li>25 out-of-network unlocks per month</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h4>ENTERPRISE </h4>
<ul>
<li>With Enterprise, you can save up to 10,000 leads and keep track of company updates.</li>
<li>Get 50 InMail messages each month for potential leads.</li>
<li>Get exclusive access to LinkedIn Elevate alerts.</li>
<li>TeamLink Extend</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Please note, each one comes with different features and costs, and the option to <a href="https://business.linkedin.com/en-gb/sales-solutions/cx/linkedin-sales-navigator?src=go-pa&amp;trk=sem_lss_gaw&amp;veh=LSS_EMEA_T1_UKI_Search_Google-Brand_DR-PRS_Contextual_SalesNavigator-Beta_All_English_Core_SA360Control_267058189668__%2Bsales%20%2Bnavigator_b_c__&amp;mcid=6625793832262914055&amp;cname=LSS_EMEA_T1_UKI_Search_Google-Brand_DR-PRS_Contextual_SalesNavigator-Beta_All_English_Core_SA360Control&amp;camid=12574728898&amp;asid=118186020943&amp;targetid=aud-1100675414345:kwd-311473811468&amp;crid=267058189668&amp;placement=&amp;dev=c&amp;ends=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwybyJBhBwEiwAvz4G72cNurEjUHRGi373HMG-519Fr-8cHafrG47XkJL89_P0UNXeCqn_NhoC_G8QAvD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">trial it for free</a>.
&nbsp;
Once you learn how to use Sales Navigator more effectively, you&rsquo;ll find yourself enjoying the benefits and reaping the rewards of your improved sales results.
If you are struggling to make the most of LinkedIn, Social Jems offer LinkedIn training, <a href="https://socialjems.co.uk/#contact">send us a message</a> to find out more.
Now that we have discussed the three tiers and what Sales Navigator is, let&rsquo;s talk about the advanced search function.
&nbsp;
<h2>The advanced search filters</h2>
With the advanced search function, you can narrow down your target audience and discover relevant connections.
You can choose from a number of filters to search for people or companies, including:
<ul>
<li>Keywords</li>
<li>Geographic location</li>
<li>Job title</li>
<li>Company name</li>
<li>Company size</li>
<li>Company type</li>
<li>Group membership</li>
<li>School</li>
<li>Years of experience</li>
<li>Industry</li>
<li>Job opportunities</li>
<li>Number of followers</li>
</ul>
This premium search helps to save you time and to find the most relevant connections.
<h2>Insights</h2>
Let&rsquo;s not forget the added benefits of insights. The more you use Sales Navigator, the more date it can use to deliver those valuable insights.
As you save leads and make connections, Sales Navigator will keep you informed of any updates in your network.
This includes:
<ul>
<li>Job Changes</li>
<li>Company Updates</li>
<li>Relevant Connections and Warm Leads</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
So, are you using Sales Nav?
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Follow us on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-jem-s">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thesocialjems/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SocialJems">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SocialJems-101615632043764/">Facebook</a> for more useful and insightful social media tips.

Is LinkedIn Sales Navigator worth your time and money? -In short, Yes. Here's why.

What is LinkedIn Sales Navigator and is it worth it?

&nbsp;
The best way to get seen on LinkedIn is by producing a variety of content, from polls, personal posts and video content. Here are our top tips for posting content on LinkedIn.
&nbsp;
<h2>How do you make your content stand out on LinkedIn? </h2>
LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network on the internet, and now has almost 740 million members with over 55 million registered companies.
With so many LinkedIn members posting regularly, you want to create content that will get you noticed.
Here are our top tips on creating LinkedIn content:
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>
<h3>The Personal Posts</h3>
</li>
</ol>
It&rsquo;s all about <a href="https://socialjems.co.uk/blog/social-media-selling-people-and-personality">social selling.</a> Have you heard the phrase &lsquo;people buy people&rsquo;?
Well, it&rsquo;s true. If you have fully utilised your LinkedIn account, then your followers already know what you do. It&rsquo;s all over your profile!
They want to know WHY they should choose you over a competitor.
Why should they trust you?&nbsp;
Showing an insight into your personal life is a great way for a potential client to get to know who you are, the person behind the business.
Share the good, the bad and the ugly.
Include photos of your pets and your family, or anything exciting going on in your life.
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h3>LinkedIn Polls</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Polls are a great way to boost engagement. It&rsquo;s a great way to get your content seen by a wider audience.
It gives members the opportunity to vote and have their say.
In fact, <a href="https://www.tribalimpact.com/blog/how-to-use-linkedin-polls">Tribal Impact</a> have experimented with polls and found the organic impressions of posts have been significantly higher than their average post impressions, 115% higher.
You can add between two to four options for voters to choose.
Make sure your poll options are clear and easy to understand.
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>
<h3>Create Video Content</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Videos are still the most engaging type of content; they stop those fingers from scrolling past! They help build trust and show another side to you and your business.
Videos don&rsquo;t have to be serious, have fun with them.
For example, GLProUK created a <a href="https://www.glpro.co.uk/when-salespeople-go-too-far/">video</a> about selling on LinkedIn to the tune of Call Me Maybe.
Videos don&rsquo;t have to be professional, so don&rsquo;t worry about buying all the latest equipment. As long as your phone can record, you are good to go.
Still not convinced. In one year, <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-video/">LinkedIn videos</a> generated more than 300 million impressions on the platform.
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>
<h3>The Business Post</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Let&rsquo;s face it, the majority of people are on LinkedIn to promote their services or products.
If you&rsquo;re creating a variety of content (we really can&rsquo;t stress the personal posts enough), you will notice your business posts will do far better.
Don&rsquo;t over do it though. Stick to the 80/20 rule.
Sales posts don&rsquo;t usually gain more traction compared to personal or fun posts, so don&rsquo;t feel disheartened. If you post a variety of content, those sales posts are likely to get a lot more impressions.
&nbsp;
<h2>Posting isn&rsquo;t enough!</h2>
You&rsquo;re creating a variety of content, that&rsquo;s great!
Don&rsquo;t stop there. LinkedIn is a NETWORKING platform; you need to network. Engage and comment on posts besides your own.
The LinkedIn Algorithm will reward you for it.
If you&rsquo;re still struggling to get LinkedIn to work for you, we will be posting more useful LinkedIn tips.
Or alternatively, get in touch with us and let&rsquo;s see how <a href="https://socialjems.co.uk/">Social Jems</a> can help you make the most of your LinkedIn.
&nbsp;
How are you getting on with LinkedIn?
&nbsp;
Follow us on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-jem-s">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thesocialjems/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SocialJems">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SocialJems-101615632043764/">Facebook</a> for more useful and insightful social media tips.

The best way to get seen on LinkedIn is by producing a variety of content, from polls, personal posts and video content. Here are our top tips for posting content on LinkedIn.

How to create content on LinkedIn that's going to get you noticed.

LinkedIn is the Holy Grail for B2B. So, let&rsquo;s talk about how you can make the most of LinkedIn for your business, generate leads and how to get started.
&nbsp;
First of all, let&rsquo;s not assume that everyone is on LinkedIn&hellip;yet!
&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re going to cover the basics along with how you can utilise LinkedIn for your business.
&nbsp;
The platform was founded in 2002 and now has over 690 million members.
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a big achievement but that doesn&rsquo;t mean that everyone is necessarily using LinkedIn, and If you are new to the business platform, then we are here to help.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>So, what is LinkedIn? </h2>
&nbsp;
The <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/111663/what-is-linkedin-and-how-can-i-use-it-?lang=en">company</a> describes itself as &lsquo;the world's largest professional network on the internet. You can use LinkedIn to find the right job or internship, connect and strengthen professional relationships, and learn the skills you need to succeed in your career.&rsquo;
&nbsp;
And that&rsquo;s it!
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a B2B platform that helps you to build genuine professional relationships.
&nbsp;
 <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/storage/uploads/2022/01/04/61d49a82c8d04Picture1.png" alt="" />
<h2>How do I get started?</h2>
&nbsp;
Like any social media platform, the first step is always:
<ul>
<li>Setting up an account.</li>
<li>Fill out your profile section.</li>
<li>Get connecting. Get talking!</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>
<h3>Account</h3>
</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Once you&rsquo;ve signed up to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a>, it&rsquo;s time to fill out your profile. You&rsquo;ll want to include your work history and experience along with an &lsquo;about me&rsquo; section.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;If you don&rsquo;t know how to start your &lsquo;about me&rsquo; section or other areas of your profile, LinkedIn have provided <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/112133/how-do-i-create-a-good-linkedin-profile-?lang=en">resources to help you create a good LinkedIn profile</a>.
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h3>Photos</h3>
</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re serious about using LinkedIn, then please please PLEASE include a picture of yourself on your profile.
A lot of accounts without an image are often perceived as a fake profile.
Plus, profiles with photos are more likely to be viewed than those without photos. <a href="https://executivecareerbrand.com/does-my-linkedin-profile-really-need-a-photo/">Does your LinkedIn profile need a photo?</a> Short answer: Yes.
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>
<h3>Conversations </h3>
</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t expect to be a LinkedIn Superstar overnight. Like any relationship, online or in person&hellip; it takes time to build trust. It takes time for people to get to know you.
&nbsp;
Start by having a conversation. 
Engage with other peoples&rsquo; content. 
&nbsp;
You can do this in your feed or target them through specific hashtags. Don&rsquo;t just comment &lsquo;great post&rsquo;, get to know the people in your feed by adding genuine and meaningful comments.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>
<h3>Connections</h3>
</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re already having conversations on LinkedIn, you&rsquo;ll find it easier to connect with more people. Commenting shows that you&rsquo;re interested in talking to people and not just focusing on your own content.
And remember, when you see posts in your newsfeed, you will see the most popular comment too.
Don&rsquo;t be afraid to send a connection request.
&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s a tip from us: It helps to engage with their content before you decide to hit the connect button. It shows that you aren&rsquo;t just connecting for the numbers.
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>
<h3>Messaging</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Before you send your first message, we want to warn you.
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t do this!
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t connect with someone and immediately message them with a sales pitch.
You&rsquo;re going to be ignored.
You wouldn&rsquo;t go up to a person at a networking event and immediately start selling after shaking hands, would you?
Instead build rapport.
If you want to message someone, ask them how they are. Use one of their recent posts as a conversation starter in the DMs.
But don&rsquo;t do this&hellip;
&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/storage/uploads/2022/01/04/61d49a9bbedffPicture2.png" alt="" />
<ol start="6">
<li>
<h3>Content</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Another way to stand out on LinkedIn is through your own content.
The best way to get seen on LinkedIn is by producing a variety of content.
Including:
<ul>
<li>Polls</li>
<li>Personal posts</li>
<li>Business posts</li>
<li>Video content</li>
<li>LinkedIn Articles</li>
</ul>
Show an insight into your personality and expertise by posting great content. If you&rsquo;re not sure where to start, we&rsquo;ve created a blog that covers how to <a href="https://socialjems.co.uk/blog/how-to-create-content-on-linkedin-that-s-going-to-get-you-noticed">create content on LinkedIn to help you get noticed</a>.
&nbsp;
 <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/storage/uploads/2022/01/04/61d49a9ec2718Picture3.png" alt="" />
&nbsp;
<h2>PEOPLE BUY PEOPLE</h2>
&nbsp;
Now that you&rsquo;re using LinkedIn, Remember, people buy people.
Why would someone want to work with you if they don&rsquo;t trust you?
That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s important to build relationships. Have conversations that aren&rsquo;t all about work. Don&rsquo;t just talk about yourself.
<a href="https://socialjems.co.uk/blog/social-media-selling-people-and-personality">Social Selling</a> is incredibly important and impactful!
&nbsp;
<h3>Company Page</h3>
&nbsp;
Great! You&rsquo;ve set up a personal account on LinkedIn. Now you&rsquo;re wondering if you should set up a company page for your business.
We&rsquo;re not here to tell you what to do but we will highlight the reasons why you should create a LinkedIn company page.
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s another way to add to credibility to your personal profile. 
&nbsp;
When people visit your personal page, they can see the link to your company page.
Don&rsquo;t forget about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). When someone searches your company name, the company page will show up along with anyone employed by your company.
On LinkedIn, members can search for companies by keyword.
&nbsp;
To put it simply, a company page is a great way to build your company brand and online credibility. 
&nbsp;
Want to find out more about building your LinkedIn Company Page? Hubspot have created <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/linkedin-company-pages">a guide to LinkedIn Company Pages.</a>
Follow our <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-jem-s">LinkedIn Company Page</a> for LinkedIn tricks and tips to help.
&nbsp;
 <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/storage/uploads/2022/01/04/61d49aa0b9f63Picture4.png" alt="" />
<h3>Sales Navigator</h3>
&nbsp;
One thing we haven&rsquo;t mentioned, is another route of generating leads.
And that&rsquo;s Sales Navigator.
Sales Navigator allows you to get more advanced features and effectively target accounts and generate leads. If you want to know more about Sales Nav then check out this <a href="https://socialjems.co.uk/blog/what-is-linkedin-sales-navigator-and-is-it-worth-it">blog post</a>.
&nbsp;
<h2>WHY CHOOSE LINKEDIN?</h2>
&nbsp;
If we haven&rsquo;t made it clear yet:
LinkedIn is the Holy Grail for B2B. 
&nbsp;
Business owners, Directors and everyone in between are actively scrolling through the news feeds looking for valuable content to read.
&nbsp;
They&rsquo;re looking to connect with profiles that can transform the way they do business.
&nbsp;
These are people you would potentially have no other way of communicating with directly. You certainly wouldn&rsquo;t be talking to them on Facebook.
LinkedIn is the bridge that connects professionals in a social capacity. 
&nbsp;
By showing up on LinkedIn every day, you&rsquo;re networking with your target audience.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Remember&hellip;
If you want to succeed on LinkedIn (or any other platform):
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Get Commenting</li>
<li>Get Connecting</li>
<li>Get Talking</li>
<li>Get Posting</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/storage/uploads/2022/01/04/61d49aa0f217cPicture5.png" alt="" />
&nbsp;
 Follow Social Jems on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-jem-s">LinkedIn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thesocialjems/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/SocialJems">Twitter</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SocialJems-101615632043764/">Facebook</a>&nbsp;for more useful and insightful social media tips.

LinkedIn is the Holy Grail for B2B. So, let’s talk about how you can make the most of LinkedIn for your business, generate leads and how to get started.

How to get LinkedIn working for you

&ldquo;I want to do it; I&rsquo;m going to do it, I can do it!&rdquo;
&nbsp;
&ldquo;Ok, I will do it tomorrow.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Does this sound all too similar?
&nbsp;
Have you gone to post but been held back by fear?
&nbsp;
Do you want to make you and your business more visible but, you&rsquo;re not sure where to start?
&nbsp;
You&rsquo;re not alone.
&nbsp;
Stepping out on LinkedIn can be daunting&hellip;
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s why I often liken it to standing on a stage as the pressure some feel can be exactly the same as this, as it&rsquo;s completely out of most people&rsquo;s comfort zones.
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not something that most people have ever done before, and for that reason&hellip;
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s scary!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Now we&rsquo;re not saying it&rsquo;s the same for everyone. It&rsquo;s not. We think self-worth and the person in questions confidence levels also plays a part in how hard taking those first steps can be.
&nbsp;
But, what we&rsquo;re here to do is to make that first step just a little bit easier&hellip;
&nbsp;
So here&rsquo;s our top ten must do&rsquo;s when trying to generate those all-important leads and business connections through the wonderful world of LinkedIn.
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>
<h2>Can they actually see you?</h2>
</li>
</ol>
Have you made sure your profile is visible to all?
&nbsp;
If you haven&rsquo;t, there are a few quick and easy steps for you to follow to do this, which we have detailed out below!&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Settings &amp; Privacy &gt; Visibility &gt; Edit Public Profile &gt; Your Profiles Public Visibility &gt; on
&nbsp;
When your profile isn&rsquo;t visible, people can&rsquo;t see your profile picture outside of your network. If people can&rsquo;t see your profile view, they&rsquo;re less likely to accept a connection request from you!
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h2>What does your tagline actually tell them</h2>
</li>
</ol>
When people set up accounts on LinkedIn, the tag line is often missed, so it automatically gets populated by your current job title, which only tells people what you do for a living. It tells people nothing about you and your business.
&nbsp;
So use it to give them a taster of you, and you&rsquo;re offering and keep it deliberately illusive&hellip;that way, they need to get in contact if they want to know more.
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>
<h2>Big up your business on your banner</h2>
</li>
</ol>
Your banner. The bit above the profile pic and the tagline, yeah, that bit! It&rsquo;s prime marketing space.
&nbsp;
So use it.
&nbsp;
Tell people who you are. Tell people what they need to do to get in contact with you. Showcase a little of your personality. SHOW people why you&rsquo;re different.
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>
<h2>Shorten that URL. </h2>
</li>
</ol>
Get it shortened, make it easier to share the links to you and your account&hellip;
&nbsp;
It also looks better on business cards, too; if you still use them, we dunno. We&rsquo;ve been in lockdown, so we haven&rsquo;t needed them for a while.
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>
<h2> Creator mode, have you enabled it?</h2>
</li>
</ol>
Creator mode allows you to ensure your content is reaching your ideal target market; it also enables you to have a short 30-second promo video on you and your business that flashes up like a little beacon behind your profile picture.
&nbsp;
So specifically the areas you focus on. Narrow down your target audience by adding those hashtags on your profile that tells LinkedIn where you want to be seen!
&nbsp;
<ol start="6">
<li>
<h2> It&rsquo;s not all about you</h2>
</li>
</ol>
It&rsquo;s not! So many people focus on content creation, on taking that perfect selfie that everyone is just going to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.
&nbsp;
But, it&rsquo;s only a small part of it. Yeah, sure, you need to create engaging content but, you also need to engage with others!
&nbsp;
So start liking and get commenting! Share your views, share your experiences and knowledge on others posts and allow them to get to know you.
&nbsp;
It also helps ensure your content is being pushed into the newsfeeds of the people you&rsquo;ve been engaging with, enabling you to get more eyes on your posts!
&nbsp;
<ol start="7">
<li>
<h2>Block out your time</h2>
</li>
</ol>
Dedicate time to LinkedIn, post when you are free to engage with not only your post but other posts too.
&nbsp;
it helps your post reach more people and the more people who see it&hellip;
&nbsp;
The more people know who you are and what you offer!
&nbsp;
<ol start="8">
<li>
<h2>No boring content, please</h2>
</li>
</ol>
Create engaging content, not just content about your business, your network, connections and your offering but, about you as a person too!
&nbsp;
Oh, and write like you speak!
&nbsp;
If you have a bit of sass, add it in! If you use colloquialisms, ass them in there! It all helps paint the picture of who you are as a person!
&nbsp;
<ol start="9">
<li>
<h2>Don&rsquo;t be afraid to reach out and connect but, engage first</h2>
</li>
</ol>
Sending a connection request without getting to know someone is like skipping foreplay, and we all know how painful that can be!
&nbsp;
So ensure your conversations aren&rsquo;t as painful as this. Fo a little research, check out that person activity on LinkedIn look for some common ground. Find something you can relate to and start a conversation based on that!
&nbsp;
<ol start="10">
<li>
<h2>Messages, they&rsquo;re not all bad</h2>
</li>
</ol>
Messages on LinkedIn get a bad rep ater all non of us want people dropping in out Dm&rsquo;s with a sleazy sales message but, that&rsquo;s not the only way to reach out. A simple hi and an introduction goes a long way. A conversation continued on from a post that person has written. There are so many ways to get in contact. You just need to keep it meaningful and not salesy!
&nbsp;
And that&rsquo;s it, folks, that&rsquo;s our top ten tips for stepping out on LinkedIn!
&nbsp;

Beat procrastination and fear with these ten essential tips to get you started on LinkedIn properly.

Top Ten tips for stepping out on LinkedIn

Engagement or engaging is getting involved in other people&rsquo;s conversations on LinkedIn by liking
and commenting on their posts and company updates.
&nbsp;
If you're looking to get noticed on LinkedIn, then engagement is key.
&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ve compiled a list of engaging dos and don&rsquo;ts to help you become a master of the game!
&nbsp;
<h2>Who should I be engaging with?</h2>
&nbsp;
<h3>Existing customers.</h3>
&nbsp;
Who better to start with than people you already have a relationship with?
&nbsp;
Engaging with your customers on LI takes your relationship to a whole new level, it&rsquo;s a great way to maintain regular contact with them without appearing to be all about the sales and nothing more.
&nbsp;
<h3>Colleagues.</h3>
&nbsp;
Engaging with your colleagues helps both your posts and theirs and is a very effective way of showing your company is a good place to work.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>Potential clients.</h3>
&nbsp;
By engaging on their posts you are taking the first steps in getting to know them.&nbsp; If you subsequently pitch them they are far more likely to respond favourably if you aren&rsquo;t just hitting them cold.
&nbsp;
<h3>Company pages of the companies who are in your ideal target market.</h3>
&nbsp;
Company pages are often neglected compared to personal ones, if you engage on the company page you will definitely be noticed!&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Company page posts are normally more business focused so it is a great opportunity for you to add value and show off your industry knowledge!
&nbsp;
<h3>People in your sector with a large following.</h3>
&nbsp;
Never be afraid to engage with the opposition.&nbsp; A collaborative approach is far better than remaining aloof from them.
&nbsp;
Not only will your comments be seen by a larger potential audience, you will also have the benefit of seeing what sort of posts work best for them.
&nbsp;
Just as you add value to your competition, they add value to you!
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also worth remembering that if a competitor can&rsquo;t fulfil a brief themselves, they may well recommend a friendly rival on the understanding you&rsquo;ll do the same for them.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Searching for the right content</h2>
&nbsp;
The right content for engaging on won&rsquo;t just pop up in your field just like that &ndash; you have to search for it!
&nbsp;
This is easily done, you type the subject you are looking for in the search bar and press &lsquo;enter&rsquo;.
&nbsp;
Clicking next onto &lsquo;posts&rsquo; brings up a range of posts in your chosen subject area, you can engage on the posts on the right hand side of the page.
&nbsp;
<h2>Business or personal?</h2>
&nbsp;
Both, of course!
&nbsp;
Personal posts often get higher traction than the best written business-related posts, but this is because their subject matter appeals to a far wider audience.
&nbsp;
The personal post is an ideal way of sparking up a conversation on a shared interest or belief.&nbsp; Business posts are perfect for showing knowledge and adding professional value.
&nbsp;
However tempting, don&rsquo;t lurk unseen &ndash; contribute!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>How often?</h2>
&nbsp;
You need to be engaging with people daily.&nbsp; &nbsp;If you don&rsquo;t make a regular commitment, you won&rsquo;t be around enough to be remembered!
&nbsp;
Set 10 mins aside on a morning and afternoon to engage with other people&rsquo;s posts.&nbsp; Successful engagement, just like successful posting, is all about consistency.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
And keep an eye on your profile views as they will start to increase when you start doing this...
&nbsp;
A well worded comment on the right post can get you just as much traction as a good post can.
&nbsp;
This is why it makes sense to be following people with large followings, because when you see posts in your newsfeed you see the post AND the most popular comment.
&nbsp;
If at all possible, make comments on these posts useful and informative, or memorable because they are funny.&nbsp; Add value to get full value back!
&nbsp;
<h2>Don&rsquo;t do that&hellip;.</h2>
&nbsp;
Most people know how to conduct themselves appropriately on SM. &nbsp;However, it&rsquo;s worth pointing out that the following are best left avoided
&nbsp;
The un-necessary argument
&nbsp;
If you have a busy day ahead, the last thing you need is the distraction of a full-scale argument with a stranger with all the anger and stress it brings.
&nbsp;
Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, take a deep breath and scroll on.&nbsp; There are better things you can do with your time.
&nbsp;
Plus if you contribute, you&rsquo;re boosting the post&rsquo;s engagement and doing them a favour into the bargain!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
No sleaze, please
&nbsp;
There are dating sites out there to cater for your darkest fantasies.
&nbsp;
LinkedIn isn&rsquo;t one of them.
&nbsp;
Play nicely, don&rsquo;t get a reputation for being a creep by commenting inappropriately on posts or direct messaging.
&nbsp;
Ask yourself, have you ever met anyone who it worked for?
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Trolling
&nbsp;
Maybe you&rsquo;ve had a bad day and want to lash out.
&nbsp;
The post might be terribly written and you disagree with every word of it.
&nbsp;
Buy a dartboard and get practicing!
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t take it out on someone&rsquo;s post.
&nbsp;
If you can&rsquo;t think of anything nice to say, why bother saying anything at all?
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>DIY or managed account?</h2>
&nbsp;
In an ideal World you have the time to manage your own engagement, but sometimes it&rsquo;s difficult to spare the time to achieve the necessary consistency.
&nbsp;
Under these circumstances many businesses opt to have their engagement outsourced and managed on their behalf.
&nbsp;
This is a service that we offer as part of our SM account management, we can help you if you can&rsquo;t spare the time.
&nbsp;
<h2>Engage away!</h2>
&nbsp;
Now you know the rules, what&rsquo;s stopping you?&nbsp; Take the plunge, add value, show some personality and have fun!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Engagement or engaging is getting involved in other people’s conversations on LinkedIn by liking

and commenting on their posts and company updates. If you're looking to get noticed on LinkedIn, then engagement is key.

Successful social networking. The rules of engagement

Hashtags are a key driver of organic reach on SM, here we analyse the use of them on the main platforms and show how you can use them to your advantage.
&nbsp;
<h2>What is a hashtag?</h2>
&nbsp;
Quite simply, it&rsquo;s the hash # symbol followed by the name of the hashtag, as in #SocialJems, our company one.
&nbsp;
There should not be any gaps between the letters, use of the &lsquo;space&rsquo; bar immediately ends the hashtag.
&nbsp;
You can embed them within the post itself, but this can disrupt the reader&rsquo;s flow so we recommend that they appear at the end of your body text.
&nbsp;
<h2>Aren&rsquo;t they all just a bit un-necessary?</h2>
&nbsp;
If that&rsquo;s what you think, think again!&nbsp; They aren&rsquo;t just there as an afterthought or decoration to your posts.&nbsp; You can, and people do, post without them.&nbsp; But you&rsquo;re restricting the reach of your post by doing so, and who honestly wants to do that?
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Hashtag use on LinkedIn</h2>
&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ll focus on LinkedIn and deal with the different platforms individually later.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>The &lsquo;Rule of three&rsquo;</h2>
&nbsp;
We always recommend that you use three hashtags for every post, being as follows:
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>The subject matter of the post or a keyword relating to it</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>The market sector that you are trying to reach</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>Your company name</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
If this section was a post, we would hashtag it as follows:
&nbsp;
#Hashtags #Content #SocialJems
&nbsp;
We&rsquo;re discussing hashtags as the theme of a post about content creation on our SocialJems company page.
&nbsp;
If you go for more than three, you dilute the effectiveness of each individual hashtag chosen, so you are harming your potential reach if you pack your post with them!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Helping the algorithm to help you</h2>
&nbsp;
The use of hashtags enables the algo to understand the subject matter and context of your post.&nbsp; This enables it to recommend content organically into the feeds of those who follow the featured hashtags and therefore gain you access to people who will be interested in what you have to say.
&nbsp;
If the algo doesn&rsquo;t know what your post is about, it can&rsquo;t determine who will be interested in it, so it will appear in far fewer feeds as a result.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Maximising reach for small networks</h2>
&nbsp;
When you start out and are developing your network, your reach is inevitably small, which can be dispiriting if you aren&rsquo;t getting the engagement on your posts that you&rsquo;d like.
&nbsp;
By carefully choosing your hashtags you are maximising your prospects of gaining an organic following from people following the hashtag who seek to connect with you because they saw and appreciated your post.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Most followed hashtags</h2>
&nbsp;
You might be tempted to just put the most followed hashtags into your post in the assumption that this will maximise the reach.
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t because the algo doesn&rsquo;t work like that, it will actually harm your reach if you do!
&nbsp;
The algo likes relevance, if you use a hashtag with no relevance to your post it won&rsquo;t be read because the audience won&rsquo;t be interested in it.
&nbsp;
Because there will be poor engagement, the algo won&rsquo;t show your post to that hashtag because it won&rsquo;t see the content as being relevant.
&nbsp;
Always ensure your hashtags are relevant for your target audience!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h3>LinkedIn top 10 most followed hashtags&nbsp;</h3>
&nbsp;
Hashtag&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Followers
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>#innovation 37,683,010</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>#management 35,270,217</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>#digitalmarketing 27,286,973</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>#technology 25,231,754</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>#entrepreneurship 22,221,557</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="6">
<li>#socialmedia 19,541,326</li>
<li>#marketing 19,075,546</li>
<li>#branding 18,068,674</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="9">
<li>#personaldevelopment 14,062,346</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="10">
<li>#sustainability 12,913,868</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Twitter</h2>
&nbsp;
When it comes to hashtags, Twitter has a suggested limit on how many hashtags that you use for every tweet that you put up.
&nbsp;
They also state that using hashtags on Twitter ads can hinder your marketing success.
&nbsp;
Using hashtags with your tweets can increase their engagement by 100% for the individual, and 50% if you have a brand.
&nbsp;
The optimum number of hashtags to use per tweet is between one and two. If you follow this strategy, you can gain 21% in engagement.
&nbsp;
Tweets that use more than two hashtags can experience 17% less engagement.
&nbsp;
Tweets that only include a couple of hashtags have a 55% higher chance of being retweeted by someone.
&nbsp;
Less is definitely more when it comes to hashtags on Twitter!
&nbsp;
<h3>Top 10 Twitter business hashtags</h3>
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>#B2B</li>
<li>#B2C</li>
<li>#BizTips</li>
<li>#Business</li>
<li>#BusinessOwner</li>
<li>#Businesswoman</li>
<li>#Consumers</li>
<li>#DIY</li>
<li>#Entrepreneur</li>
<li>#entrepreneurs</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Instagram</h2>
&nbsp;
When compared with LinkedIn and Twitter, you get a lot more creative freedom with hashtags on Insta.
&nbsp;
You can use up to 30 tags on every post that you put up!
&nbsp;
However, before you go wild with your tags, ensure that you know what the best practices are, so that you can optimize your content for engagement.
&nbsp;
If you use just one hashtag on a post, it is going to get 29% more interactions.
&nbsp;
If you use more than 11 hashtags on a post, then you are going to have 79% more interactions!
&nbsp;
Longer hashtags are typically between 21 and 24 characters, and they do better than shorter tags.
&nbsp;
7/10 hashtags that are on Instagram are brand hashtags, it&rsquo;s worth noting.
&nbsp;
Apart from the number of hashtags you use, the engagement rate of your content is also dependent on other factors, including where the hashtags are placed and the size of the Instagram profile.
&nbsp;
If you place hashtags in your caption, profiles with less than 5000 followers are going to get 36% more reach on each of their posts, and if you have between 5000 and 10,000 followers, this number is going to be 20%.
&nbsp;
If you have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers, this number is going to be around 21%, and profiles that have between 50,000 and 100,000 followers receive an average of 21.43% more engagement per post.
&nbsp;
Profiles that have more than 100,000 followers are going to get 15.9% more reach on each of their posts when they place their hashtags in the first comment, compared to 14% for posts that include their hashtags in the caption.
&nbsp;
87% of profiles prefer to put their hashtags in the caption, compared to just 12% that like to put them in the comment section.
&nbsp;
The vast majority of posts &ndash; as many as 93%, include hashtags in their caption, vs. 6% that include them in their comments section.
&nbsp;
Hashtags in your caption will therefore serve you well!
&nbsp;
<h3>Top 10 Instagram hashtags:</h3>
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>#love</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>#instagood</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>#photooftheday</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>#fashion</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>#beautiful</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="6">
<li>#happy</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="7">
<li>#cute</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="8">
<li>#tbt</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="9">
<li>#like4like</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="10">
<li>#followme</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Facebook</h2>
&nbsp;
Hashtags on Facebook are a lot less clear cut, and the platform is reluctant to give too much away on the subject!
&nbsp;
In general the best principle to adopt is that less is more. &nbsp;You run the risk that if you use too many hashtags, you might come across as annoying and spammy with your posts.
&nbsp;
Posts that only include one hashtag tend to get the most engagement.
&nbsp;
They are helpful when you are trying to expand your reach with a Facebook campaign. Just make sure that your Facebook post is set to public so that even people who aren&rsquo;t following you can see your post with your hashtags.
&nbsp;
<h3>Top 10 B2B Facebook hashtags</h3>
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>#B2B</li>
<li>#Business</li>
<li>#Smallbusiness</li>
<li>#Startup</li>
<li>#BusinessTips</li>
<li>#Marketing</li>
<li>#Ecommerce</li>
<li>#Entrepreneur</li>
<li>#Businessowner</li>
<li>#Networking</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Now post with confidence!</h2>
&nbsp;
Now you have all the information you need to use hashtags effectively across a range of platforms.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Use them wisely and see how your engagement improves massively as a result.
&nbsp;
Now you&rsquo;ll never make a hash of your hashtags again!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Hashtags are a key driver of organic reach on SM, here we analyse the use of them on the main platforms and show how you can use them to your advantage.

Don’t make a hash of your hashtags. Successful hashtags for SM

Your LinkedIn personal account isn&rsquo;t really geared to serious marketing campaigns.
&nbsp;
Now don&rsquo;t get us wrong, personal accounts are great for driving traction and inbound lead generation but when you work in sales inbound isn&rsquo;t always enough!
&nbsp;
Every sales and marketing professional needs a way of tracking the success of their campaigns and there is no better way than having the facts and figures in front of you.
&nbsp;
However, you won&rsquo;t get such key information from your personal account.
&nbsp;
To create effective, targeted sales campaigns on LinkedIn you need to upgrade to SalesNav.
&nbsp;
This blog tells you how to use SalesNav effectively to build targeted lists of prospects and to transform your LinkedIn account into your very own personalised CRM!
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Counting the cost&hellip;.</h2>
&nbsp;
LI likes to reel you in by offering you a free month&rsquo;s trial for SalesNav.
&nbsp;
They do, however, like to grab your credit card details first!
&nbsp;
A little heads up for you, if you go to cancel after the first month, they will offer you the next two months at half price, so it&rsquo;s a tactic worth employing even if you wish to continue using it!
&nbsp;
They hope, of course, that you will love the features and will want to pay for it going forwards.
&nbsp;
It works out at around &pound;62 per month, but if you use it properly the cost will be more than offset by the leads and sales you will gain from it.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Creating targeted lists</h2>
&nbsp;
The great thing about SalesNav is that it enables you to save people as leads, which can&rsquo;t be done on the basic account.
&nbsp;
Your saved searches can be completely focused by using the filters on the left-hand side of your SalesNav home page.
&nbsp;
Select &lsquo;second degree connections&rsquo; as these are the ones you are looking to convert into first degree connections.
&nbsp;
Using the filters you can choose the type of business, geographical location, level of seniority as well as removing competitors or businesses you&rsquo;d rather not work with.
&nbsp;
The end result is a series of specifically targeted lists of prospects to focus on, for which a &lsquo;softly softly&rsquo; approach works best.
&nbsp;
This can create massive lists, but it&rsquo;s easy to narrow them down to people who are active on the platform.
&nbsp;
You can do this by selecting people who have posted in the last 30 days from the left-hand side of the screen.
&nbsp;
This not only guarantees that you have content to engage with, it also ensures that you are targeting active users of LinkedIn, meaning that your connection request has a far lower chance of being ignored.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Comment on their posts before asking to connect</h2>
&nbsp;
You will massively increase your connection success if you comment on your prospect&rsquo;s posts first.
&nbsp;
Simply click on your prospect and select a recent post that you can add value to my commenting on.
&nbsp;
This will ensure that when you send your connection request, the prosect will be more likely to respond favourably to someone who they are already familiar with rather than a request that comes completely out of the blue.
&nbsp;
<h2>Personalise your connection requests</h2>
&nbsp;
You are also maximising your prospects of a connection if you add a little informal message with it.&nbsp; Nothing remotely &lsquo;salesy&rsquo;, just a simple &lsquo;Hi (first name), I&rsquo;ve been checking out your content and I would like to add you to my network&rsquo; will do nicely!
&nbsp;
If you received a connection request with a pleasant message like that attached, you&rsquo;d be likely to accept it, wouldn&rsquo;t you?
&nbsp;
People like to connect with friendly, polite people, and you&rsquo;re being just that by showing a personal touch.
&nbsp;
<h2>Messaging your new connections</h2>
&nbsp;
Once a connection request has been accepted, send your new connection a brief thank you message.&nbsp; Again, nothing salesy, something along the lines of the following will do nicely:
&nbsp;
Hi (First name)
&nbsp;
Thanks for accepting my invitation to connect, it's appreciated.
&nbsp;
As you can see from my profile I work in the (insert your business type) space but, don't worry I won't bore you with the details...unless you want me to!
&nbsp;
Have a good day and I hope to bump into you on a post soon!
&nbsp;
All the best,
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Messaging people you have been connected with for a while&hellip;.</h2>
&nbsp;
It makes sense to always keep in touch with connections, if you haven&rsquo;t had any contact with a potential prospect for a while it makes sense to send something along the lines of the following to them:
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Hi (First name)
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We've been connected for a while but haven't really spoken so I thought it was worth popping you as message saying Hi to let you know I am here if you need me.
&nbsp;
I hope to bump into you on a post soon!
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All the best,
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Informal, friendly, not pushy, hopefully the way you would wish to be approached yourself!
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With all messaging, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you would be happy to receive the message you have just created.
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If you wouldn&rsquo;t be happy receiving it yourself, why would anybody else?
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<h2>Types of message to send</h2>
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Once you have established open communication with a prospect, make sure you keep in touch with them!
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Keep them up to date with offers, industry news, any blogs you have created, poll findings, newsletters, anything that gives you a reason for keeping in touch and adds value!
&nbsp;
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<h2>Creating the funnel</h2>
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SalesNav when used strategically is a complete CRM in its own right.&nbsp; By creating lists of second degree connections, commenting on their posts and sending personalised connection requests you are making sure your network is constantly growing in your chosen target market.
&nbsp;
Keeping regular contact with first degree connections through value added newsletters, industry news and offers puts you in the best possible position to do business with them when the time is right.
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&nbsp;
<h2>So is SalesNav for me?</h2>
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This of course is a decision only you know the answer to, but if you take your marketing seriously, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.
&nbsp;
The ability to save targeted lists saves so much time and effort compared to working purely off your basic account.
&nbsp;
The filtering ability means you can be certain you are targeting the right people at the right level for your campaigns, giving them a far better chance of success than just relying on your personal account.
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s the difference between just playing at marketing or treating your marketing with the respect that it deserves.
&nbsp;
<h2>The hidden part of the iceberg</h2>
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If you look upon your LI account as an iceberg, your posts and comments are the part that are visible above the waterline.
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But just as with icebergs, there&rsquo;s far more to LI than initially meets the eye.
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A SalesNav powered LI gives your platform presence its true substance.
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You&rsquo;ll hopefully attract enquiries and leads off the back of your posts, but the real marketing possibilities that SalesNav provides is the hidden, but vital component to success on the platform.

Your LinkedIn personal account isn’t really geared to serious marketing campaigns. To create effective, targeted sales campaigns on LinkedIn you need to upgrade to SalesNav.

Targeting your marketing with SalesNav

Everyone rightly bangs on about the importance of consistency on LI, regular posting and commenting on posts is key to successfully building your personal and business brand.
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But sometimes your creative juices can dry up and you look at your blank screen in a panic, wondering what on earth you should post about.
&nbsp;
<h2>I want to tell you a story&hellip;.</h2>
&nbsp;
Does it matter if you can&rsquo;t think of anything to post?
&nbsp;
Of course it does!
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When you post, you are telling your story, and stories have always been a great way to bring people together, think about it as spinning a tale around a campfire, it has gone on for as long as there have been people to tell them!
&nbsp;
Telling stories makes you more relatable in the eyes of your target audience, they build the rapport that is necessary to attract enquiries that can then be converted to sales!
&nbsp;
So we decided to help by coming up with a few ideas for when inspiration decides to take the day off!
&nbsp;
<h2>The client conversation</h2>
&nbsp;
Some of your best posting material come from the conversations you have with your clients.
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Whether it&rsquo;s an industry issue, a bitch about the colleague who always microwaves the broccoli and stilton soup, client conversations are a great source of post inspiration.
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Posting about conversations with clients helps showcase your knowledge, adds to your brand authenticity and, of course, shows that you have clients to talk to, which shows you mean business!
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You hopefully make notes when you chat with clients, revisit them and see what ideas for posts are there, you&rsquo;re bound to find a useful topic to post about!
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<h2>Solving the problem</h2>
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What problem(s) does your product or service fix?
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Posts that show you at your problem-solving best really add value for your connections to take advantage of.
&nbsp;
Case studies are a very effective way to show how you identified a problem and were able to come up with a solution to fix it.
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If you regularly share knowledge and best practice, people are more likely to contact you when they have problems of their own because they know you may well be able to help them solve them!
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<h2>Interesting industry facts</h2>
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You&rsquo;ll know your business and your industry really well, and hopefully you love the sector you&rsquo;re in.
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Why not share the love by coming up with some interesting facts about your industry?
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Serious or humorous, they showcase your knowledge and are a great way to get conversations with your connections flowing!
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<h2>Office banter</h2>
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A very effective way to show the human side of your business, it could be a serious topic or just something that a colleague did or said that cracked you up!
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Remember, it&rsquo;s SOCIAL media, and people buy people, so posts that show a great working environment make people both warm to you and those that you work with, and really help people to understand what makes you tick.
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<h2>Promotions in the team</h2>
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Everyone appreciates a good positive post, and what could be better than celebrating a colleague&rsquo;s promotion?
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People are encouraged by seeing others do well, celebrating success in your team shows you as a great, empathic leader who is happy to showcase the success of others rather than just banging on about themselves.
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<h2>Team birthdays</h2>
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A great excuse to discuss cakes, celebration meals and all things birthday related!
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If you work in an environment that is all about &lsquo;work hard, play hard&rsquo; it&rsquo;s always nice to be able to see a team enjoying each other&rsquo;s company and having a great time.
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If you show you&rsquo;re a good company to work for, it gives a compelling reason why you might be good to work with as well, for potential suppliers and customers alike!
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<h2>How would a client describe working with you?</h2>
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An excellent opportunity for you to have a think and spell out why you are a great business to work with.
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It&rsquo;s a great excuse to broadcast what&rsquo;s great about both you and your company, encouraging others to want to work with you as well!
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If you have some great client testimonials you can use these as the basis for your post, it&rsquo;s even better when other people sell you and your business for you, and that&rsquo;s just what good testimonials can do!
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<h2>Why did you start your business?</h2>
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People often post about what their business does, but why not tell people about what motivated you to start it in the first place?
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Was it because you love the industry and thought you could do a better job yourself?
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Or maybe a desire to have a better work/life balance and work on your own terms?
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Whatever your reason, it brings a real human touch to any business, and is a great way to show your drive and motivation behind why you do what you do!
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<h2>Something for the weekend?....</h2>
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All work and no play is a one-way-ticket to burnoutville!
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Why not post about your weekend plans, it&rsquo;s a great way to talk about your interests and give a glimpse of you and your family in non-work mode.
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<h2>Your business culture</h2>
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What&rsquo;s it like to work for your business?
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Your business culture is often key to whether a customer wants to buy from you or a supplier partner with you.
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If you&rsquo;re an empathy-led business, let people know about it.
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Are you a fun, approachable company where people enjoy each other&rsquo;s company as well as the work itself?
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Why not show your connections a glimpse of what it&rsquo;s really like to work with/for you?
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<h2>Furry/scaly/feathered friends</h2>
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Why are there so many pet-related posts on LI?
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For the simple reason, they are very very popular.
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Whether dog, cat, rodent or whatever, animal lovers warm to other animal lovers!
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There really is no better way to demonstrate that you are a caring person than showing how much you love your animal buddies, and they&rsquo;re such an excellent ice-breaker!
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<h2>Today&rsquo;s the day&hellip;.</h2>
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Anniversary-based posts, because it&rsquo;s always International this day or National that day, why not create a post based on what &lsquo;day&rsquo; it is?
&nbsp;
On a more personal level, if you get a Facebook reminder of what you were up to on this day 7 years ago, why not post around this, and how things have changed in your life since then?
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<h2>A whiff of nostalgia</h2>
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What sweets did you like growing up?&nbsp; What TV did you watch back in the day?
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Posts about the past, and how you lived in it, always strike a chord and encourage people to contribute their own experiences.
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<h2>Who needs an imagination now?....</h2>
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So long as you feel comfortable with the subject, you really can post about absolutely anything provided you aren&rsquo;t setting out to be offensive or alienate people, which is counterproductive anyway.
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But if your imagination has gone on holiday with your inspiration, hopefully these ideas will be enough to reinvigorate your content mojo and get you happily posting away!

Blogs tagged: social-jems