LinkedIn expert Sabrina Lee joins me on this week's episode to discuss her top advice for building a business on LinkedIn and how vegan businesses can adapt to a changing marketplace. 

Listen to our conversation where we chat about: 

>> Selling on LinkedIn

>> Only focusing on one platform to get rid of the overwhelm when it comes to online marketing

>> How Sabrina used her fundraising experience to pivot into training plant-based business on LinkedIn

>> The importance of being yourself online

>> How to do video for LinkedIn when you don’t feel comfortable being on camera.

>> Why you need to get over yourself on LinkedIn to build your confidence

>> Being brave on LinkedIn

>> Why personal posts will always do better than sales posts on LinkedIn

>> The changing marketplace for vegan and ethical businesses

>> Why being vegan is no longer enough to be a USP

>>  And why your business may not be as green as you think.

>> How an experiment to share prices on LinkedIn came with some interesting results and why you should be doing this.

>> Why you need to think about posting content as only a part of a bigger strategy - plus what you should be doing on LinkedIn

>> Using your LinkedIn as a testing ground

>> The biggest mistake people make on LinkedIn

>> Sabrina’s top tip about creating a strong network on LinkedIn

>> And what you can do to stay organised if you don’t use a scheduler.

>> Plus Sabrina’s advice to stand out online as a vegan business

Find out if you’re using all the features on LinkedIn and what both Sabrina and I have discovered about Creator mode at the time of recording.

And we look at why businesses might need to start tracking their ethical data.

Plus, Sabrina shares some amazing tips on things you can be doing on LinkedIn from today so you can improve your networking on the platform.

All the links you need: 

The Impact Agency - https://theimpactagency.org/

Sabrina's LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrinajlee/

Sign up to get episode workbooks and helpful stories - brewtime.substack.com

Follow the podcast on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brewtimepodcast/

Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-brennan/

About Sabrina: 

Sabrina worked in international development organisations for 15 years before deciding to start up her own charity communications, research and fundraising consultancy.

When referrals and previous client leads began to dry up she turned her attention to LinkedIn to connect with her ideal clients. Not only did this work, she also really enjoyed the process!

Sabrina became a vegan in 2017, in same year she qualified as a personal performance coach. During the lockdown of 2002, she looked at how she could transfer her skills to support vegan and ethical businesses, as well as charities and social enterprises to grow and thrive using LinkedIn as a tool.

Sabrina has been successfully running LinkedIn coaching and training programmes, as well as running group coaching and 121 coaching since early 2021. She has facilitated several training courses for networks, colleges and training academies.

What is a content strategy? In this bonus podcast episode, I cover everything you need to know to create a content strategy that will work for your business. 

It covers all the bits you need to think about and what you need to have in place to pull together a content strategy that will bring you more clients. 

This bonus episode is part of a longer blog which you can read right here: https://indieessentials.co.uk/what-is-a-content-strategy/

 

 

Find out the difference between an SEO audit and a content audit. Plus, when you'd need to use each in your business. All in the time it takes you to drink a brew.

The conundrum of whether you need an SEO audit or a content audit. Can you even have one without the other? 

For 10 minutes of your life find out:

>> The difference between the two kinds of audit

>> Times when you'll only want to do a content audit

>> Why you probably should schedule in time to do both

>> The benefits it will bring to your business and set you apart from your competitors and peers

>> Examples of why you might not need an SEO audit or strategy

>> One test to determine which kind of audit you need to be doing and when. 

Stick on the kettle, have a brew, and listen to SEO or Content audit.

 

All the links: 

Read the content audit blog here

Listen to Victoria Tretis' episode here. 

Check out the More Than A Freelancer programme here. 

242 point SEO audit checklist

 Send me a message here: [email protected]

Come and find me on LinkedIn

Follow this podcast on Instagram

Get the Brew Time newsletter

This follows episode 33 where I talk about how to create a content audit and I explain what you need to do with your content audit once you’ve created it.

But don’t worry if you’ve not listened to episode 33 yet. This episode is still going to be packed with great tips that you can use in your business.

>> I give you three things you can do with your current content
>> What you need to look for in your content so you can stand out from your competitors
>> Why you need to deliver your message more often
>> And why you should question everything
>> Plus the actions you need to take as a result of analysing your content.

And I share my Why-Game method of getting to the heart of what your content should say.

All of this in less than 10 minutes. Stick on the kettle, have a brew, and listen to 3 things to do with your content audit.

All the links:

Read the content audit blog here: https://indieessentials.co.uk/content-audit/

And listen to episode 33 here: https://indieessentials.co.uk/simple-content-audit/

Send me a message here: [email protected]

Find me on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-brennan/

Follow the podcast on Instagram right here: https://www.instagram.com/brewtimepodcast/

Get the newsletter (and Actually Useful Shownotes) here: https://brewtime.substack.com/

 

In this short 10-minute episode, about the time to have a brew, I share everything you need to know about doing a simple content audit. 

This episode covers: 

>> The steps you need to take to create your content audit

>> How you should organise your content

>> Ways to categorise your content

>> Making decisions for current and future content

This will help you get a better overview, make your content work harder and give you a juicy to-do list for making your content better. 

It can even be part of creating a bigger content strategy so you can start creating less content and still get results. 

And there are Actually Useful Podcast Notes available on www.indieessentials.co.uk/podcast for free. No sign-up, no faffy emails. 

 

This week I chat with illustrator and visual storyteller, Amy Nolan about why we should all be creating our own visuals at least some of the time to have scroll-stopping content. 

Join our conversation where we chat about: 

>> How Amy got into doodling and creating content from these pictures. 

>> And how her creative release which was not to do with work brought her to new lines of work. 

>> Using doodles to feel comfortable on social media and represent yourself rather than trying to do what everyone else is doing. 

>> Ways in which images can be used as a means of communication beyond Instagram and cartoons

>> How you can practise your craft while training and use what you create as content

>> The curse of perfectionism when it comes to creating art and the dangers of self-editing

>> How Amy has brought more of her personality into her work and why this matters

>> Why professional doodling looks easier than it is to do professionally but why it is so accessible. 

>> Why content creators and business owners need to start creating their own visuals and how they can approach this

>> The power behind hand-drawn work and showing your imperfections. 

Amy also talks about her current project to create doodle stock imagery. And how this will help add personality to your business. 

Plus, how you can stand out by being more thoughtful about the artwork you use alongside your content. 

Why daily drawing can help you develop your skills and make you considerate of how you can apply this to your business. 

Why content repurposing took the stress out of content creating for Amy and resulted in better work. 

The emotional and energy ties you have to your work and why constant creating can be draining. 

“No one wants to turn up in the same dress to the party. Hand drawn stuff can do that for your content.” 

Get the Actually Useful Podcast Notes here

Check out VA Ink

Follow Amy LinkedIn

And on Instagram

 

Get the Brew Time newsletter right here

What is content marketing? 

At its very best content marketing answers the questions that your ideal audience is asking and helps you create a community around your brand. 

But how do you do this? 

And really, shouldn't this be the goal of all marketing? 

All covered in the time it takes you to drink a brew (or coffee)

Go get the Actually Useful Shownotes here. 

Listen to Episode 10 with Lottie Unwin

Get this in your inbox every week

 

Content Marketing is not advertising. And I explain why in this week's brew-length episode. I use the helpful analogy of different kinds of listening to explain why content marketing serves a different purpose to advertising your products and services. 

I also cover: 

>> The difference between disruptive and interruptive communication

>> Why broadcasting is not the same as content

>> What content marketing is at its very best

>> And why you need to be listening to your audience first before talking all over them. 

Plus, I've created some Actually Useful Podcast notes, which you can get sent to you every single week with the podcast newsletter. 

Get them here. 

Remember you can connect with me on LinkedIn here

And I sometimes remember to post stuff on Instagram here

But send your emails to [email protected]

If your strategy for Google Analytics is to ignore it or create a pretty spreadsheet so you feel like you're doing something, then this episode is going to give you the kick up the butt that you need to actually get up close and cosy with your data. 

I know that using Google Analytics is not the fun side of doing content. For most people, it's a thing they set up once and then forget about. But if you don't know whether or not your content is working for your business then why bother doing it at all? 

This episode I give you a cautionary tale about the dangers of ignoring your analytics and what you should be doing with all those numbers. Because who doesn't love a spreadsheet? 

In this episode you'll hear: 

>> My cautionary tale of epic prat-face proportions

>> Business as an experiment

>> What you really need to know BEFORE you look at the data

>> The data you need to track

>> Why tracking data is a pointless exercise

>> And why you can do to hold yourself accountable. 

Plus, I reckon I must say "the one thing you should take away" about three times so there's three take away messages in these 10 minutes. 

Get some actually useful show notes over here and do your Google Analytics. 

All the links: 

Come and find me on LinkedIn

Follow this podcast on Instagram

Brew Time newsletter

 

Extra things you might fancy reading or listening to:

Victoria Tretis

How to use data to create better content

Is content marketing replacing SEO?

What tools do you need to help you blog better? 

In this week's episode I give you a run down off the tools I use to help with my blogging and why I think they are awesome. 

These include: 

>> The app I use to stop me getting distracted online

>> Where I source and edit my images

>> And why you don't need anything fancy to blog. 

Plus, the importance of a cup of tea when it comes to writing a blog. Of course. 

Sign up to the newsletter here. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram here. 

Send your emails to [email protected]