On Wednesday 16th November, I was honoured to be invited to attend a special reception at Buckingham Palace by HM King Charles III to celebrate the contribution of small business to the UK Economy.     Little did I know what was going to happen!        

The King and I - A Special Event

Are you ready to level up your LinkedIn?  Join Louise Brogan for this weekly podcast where she shares her best advice and tips for using LinkedIn to make more profit in your business.   As the serious social media network, LinkedIn can help you to build a valuable network of contacts, clients and customers.  From LinkedIn profile tips, content creation, using InMail to articles, Company Pages and more.  Join Louise for the Linking in with Louise Podcast and find out how you can level up your LinkedIn.

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I would like to reset the room for you today. How do you currently view LinkedIn? Somewhere people are constantly selling to you? Does this sound familiar?   People are sending you spam messages. A lot of people seem to be using AI to write their posts You are tempted to download one of those third party plug in things others talk about - you know - they send automatic messages for you, find people and then all you have to do is get them on a call? You don't really have time to do this stuff so you just scroll through the feed and click the like button a few times    What if it could be different? What if you looked forward to checking your LinkedIn? Catching up with your network, reading some interesting posts and maybe even attending a LinkedIn audio once a week? We don't need to run before we can walk. I am not suggesting you start broadcasting a weekly live show yourself. But I would love you to feel comfortable posting once or twice a week. And every time you open the app on your phone, you recognise the person in the newsfeed and enjoy commenting on their content. Shall we do this? I am going to write a series of newsletters aimed at helping you. The individual.  And record these accompanying podcasts.    These newsletters are going to be based on a theme - how to approach LinkedIn as though it were your next in-person industry event. We are not eating the whole elephant today - let's just start with the first step - preparation.   To subscribe to the newsletter -  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/louisebrogan_linkedinwriting-newsletter-linkedinforrealpeople-activity-7162379067667795968-fFNl?utm_source=share&utm;_medium=member_desktop   www.louisebrogan.com 

Episode 248 - Introducing LinkedIn for Real People

Gus Bhandal, the founder of M Guru, a digital marketing agency in central England, shares his journey from studying marketing in 1996, through various roles and experiences, to starting his agency in 2017.   His unique approach to leveraging social media for business growth, especially LinkedIn, has positioned him as a go-to expert in the field (in Birmingham ;)) Gus discusses his pivot from running a popular pub to focusing on digital marketing, emphasizing the importance of social media in attracting customers. As the pandemic increased reliance on digital platforms, Gus's expertise in LinkedIn became highly sought after, marking his deep dive into the platform around 2020.   Throughout the conversation, Gus shares valuable insights on LinkedIn's power in building communities, personal branding, and the significance of attending industry events for networking. He also touches on Uplift Live, an upcoming LinkedIn-focused conference he's co-organizing, designed to delve deep into effective LinkedIn strategies with top experts in the field.   **Key Takeaways:** - Gus Bhandal's rich background in marketing and his transition from hospitality to digital marketing.  The impact of the pandemic on the surge in demand for LinkedIn training. - The essence of LinkedIn for professional networking and community building. - The significance of attending industry events for personal and business growth. - A preview of Uplift Live, the must-attend LinkedIn conference for deep strategic insights.     **For More Information:** To learn more about Gus Bhandal and his work, find him on LinkedIn or visit the M Guru website.    For those interested in attending Uplift Live and possibly securing a discount, visit [uplift-live.com](http://uplift-live.com) and mention being a friend of Louise. Join us in Birmingham on March 21st for Uplift Live for an immersive day of learning and networking with LinkedIn aficionados.

Episode 247 - The UK's No.1.  LinkedIn Trainer (according to his mum) Gus Bhandal

Join Louise Brogan and Mark Williams in a discussion on how to use LInkedIn in 2024   Mark Williams (commonly known as ‘Mr LinkedIn) is widely regarded as one of the world’s top LinkedIn experts. Following a career spanning 20 years in the recruitment industry Mark set up ETN LinkedIn training in 2008. Since then he has trained thousands of LinkedIn users from a diverse range of industries and roles. He is also an accomplished keynote speaker, author and award winning podcaster with his popular weekly show ‘LinkedInformed’. Mark’s passion for his niche subject shines through as he enthusiastically demonstrates why LinkedIn is such a key business tool. Mark shares his journey from a 20-year career in recruitment to becoming a leading voice on leveraging LinkedIn for business development and networking. He debunks common misconceptions about the platform and emphasizes its value beyond just recruitment. Join us as we explore Mark's insights on the evolution of LinkedIn, its untapped potential for professional growth, and the importance of understanding its nuances for effective use today.   we dive into the challenges younger professionals face when engaging on LinkedIn. Mark highlights a common concern: the apprehension among the youth about what to contribute, stemming from a perceived lack of experience. He debunks this myth by emphasizing the value of opinions and curiosity over experience. Mark encourages younger users to initiate conversations, ask questions, and be visible on the platform, illustrating that engagement is not as daunting as it seems. Furthermore, the discussion touches on the psychological hurdle of posting for the first time, sharing personal anecdotes to reassure listeners that taking the first step is the key to overcoming fear. This episode offers practical advice for younger LinkedIn users to become more active and confident in navigating professional networking online.  LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/mrlinkedin Email – mark@linkedinformed.com   Join our free webinar on March 5th, 2024 at www.louisebrogan.com/webinar 

Episode 246 - LinkedIn with Mark Williams

 Are you a professional looking to make the most of LinkedIn? In this episode, LinkedIn trainer and marketer Melanie Goodman joins me to talk about the world of LinkedIn and how to maximise your LinkedIn presence as a busy professional. We explore the benefits of Sales Navigator, the process for obtaining community Top Voice badges, and expert advice on professional posting strategies. Whether you’re a seasoned LinkedIn user or just getting started, this episode is full of valuable insights to boost your professional presence on the platform.   Encourage Your Professional Teams to Post on LinkedIn    Have a document or list in place that your team can refer to with posting guidelines  Make posting and spending time a regular event in their schedule  Explain that posting on LinkedIn is similar to in-person networking events    About Melanie Goodman   Melanie Goodman’s original career path involved practising law before emigrating to Switzerland in 2005. For the subsequent eight years, she worked in business development and social media marketing for both a large international law firm and a financial services company. This experience gave her the impetus to start her own LinkedIn marketing and training company, Trevisan. Trevisan assists businesses to achieve their goals by providing bespoke LinkedIn growth and visibility strategies.   How to Get The Badge   Melanie joins me to talk about how to use LinkedIn as someone in professional services. Solicitors, accountants, engineers, and anyone else working for large corporations – this episode is full of great tips relevant to your LinkedIn presence.   Before we dive into that conversation, we chat about the many benefits of LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator platform. It has so many uses, including creating targeted marketing ads and helping you find the exact audience you want to speak to.   We also talk about the process for obtaining community Top Voice badges on LinkedIn and why they’re of benefit. They stay on your profile for 60 days… then it’s time to work towards another badge. Unfortunately, we can’t help you get LinkedIn’s blue verified badge as we don’t know the criteria for that – it’s a huge mystery!   LinkedIn Presence for Professionals   Okay, back to professionals! It can be tricky to navigate and decide what to post on LinkedIn. There is a balance between writing what’s on your mind, what your professional company approves of, and how to properly network on the platform. Melanie gives some great advice on what professionals can post, and she has a great resource linked below that can help.   In fact, getting employees to post on LinkedIn can be a marketing manager’s worst nightmare. However, scheduling time to network on the platform and providing a set guideline can be very helpful. Another tip is to explain that optimising and posting can increase the company's LinkedIn presence and lead to more overall company sales.   Finally, we discuss some of our predictions for what features will come on LinkedIn. One of the features we’d most love to see is an option to toggle on a sponsored or affiliate collaboration, much like you’d see on Instagram.   Professionals, what do you struggle with when it comes to posting consistently on LinkedIn? Please let me know in the comments!   In This Episode    How LinkedIn Sales Navigator can help create targeted marketing campaigns [4:30]  What you need to know about Community Top Voices badges [8:45]  What the blue badges on LinkedIn are [15:30]  What professionals should post on LinkedIn [21:00]  How marketing managers can get their teams to post on LinkedIn [25:30]  Why companies who post on LinkedIn rank higher on search engines [28:45]  Some predictions for the features LinkedIn will introduce in 2024 [30:15]    Links & Resources   The LinkTank  Trevisan (LinkedIn Training & Marketing - CPD Accredited) on LinkedIn   Find Melanie Goodman Online Follow Melanie Goodman on  LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X   Find Louise Brogan Online Follow Louise Brogan on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube 

Episode 245 - Maximise Your Professional LinkedIn Presence with Melanie Goodman

 Do you want to write better for your LinkedIn audience? This is the episode for you. I’m joined by professional writer and LinkedIn writing coach, Lynnaire Johnston, to discuss writing for LinkedIn. From the dangers of using AI to write for you to Lynnaire’s personal tips for writing better, we dive into all things writing. It’s time to make personal connections on LinkedIn through the written word.   Tips to Start Writing for LinkedIn    Start writing whatever’s on your mind, and you will eventually end up talking about what you want to talk about.  Use short, simple words and sentences.  Don’t use jargon or marketing terms.  Have one idea per paragraph and one main idea per post.  Have white space and multiple paragraphs.  Don’t use hashtags in your post; it is confusing.    About Lynnaire Johnston   Lynnaire is considered to be a top 20 international LinkedIn expert and works with clients globally to help them leverage the power of LinkedIn to achieve professional success. She is the author of 2 books about LinkedIn, one a best-seller, the other listed by BookAuthority as a top LinkedIn book of all time. She is a regular guest on podcasts worldwide and hosts her own events – masterclasses, LinkedIn lives and LinkedIn audio rooms.    Lynnaire is the founder of the Link∙Ability members site for those wanting to be successful on LinkedIn. Lynnaire and her team provide done-for-you and coaching/training services to individuals and companies globally.   Coming from a journalism and broadcasting background, Lynnaire has been a reporter, feature writer, magazine editor and copywriter for the majority of her career. She has written for industries as diverse as automotive, beauty, local authorities and not-for-profit. She founded her copywriting business, Word Wizard, in 2000 and began specialising in LinkedIn in 2016.   The Dangers of AI Writing   Lynnaire Johnston joins me to talk about how to write for LinkedIn. Especially with the rise in AI writing technologies, it’s important for people to understand the importance of human writers. While useful in some situations, AI writing is full of long sentences and far too much jargon. As Lynnaire says – reading it just makes her eyes glaze over.   The rising use of and reliance on AI writing will inevitably make people worse writers. But, especially on LinkedIn, using AI to write your posts and comments defeats the purpose of the platform. “We’re here on LinkedIn to develop relationships, get to know people, and build the know, like, and trust factor. So, how is AI going to help us do that if we are not communicating directly with our audience?”   Tips to Write for LinkedIn   If you’ve been turning to AI to help you write because you don’t know what to say, Lynnaire offers some great advice. Get your inspiration from your life and some of the things that happen to you; even carry a notebook around to take notes about your day. Then, just start to write. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to write about, by writing about anything, you’ll eventually come to the point you want to make.   Lynnaire also shares the importance of consistent posting on LinkedIn. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what schedule you stick to. What matters is that you show up regularly. And, if you’re wondering how to become a better writer, Lynnaire says the best way to improve your writing is to read more.   How often do you post on LinkedIn? If you’re not consistent, what’s stopping you from posting regularly? Let me know in the comments on the episode page.    In This Episode    The dangers of AI writing [7:30]  How AI is going to make people worse writers [10:15]  How to get started writing [14:00]  Where to get the inspiration to write for LinkedIn [21:30]  The importance of being consistent on LinkedIn [27:00]  How to improve your writing [30:45]    Links & Resources   Linkability the Book Business Gold   Find Lynnaire Johnston Online Follow Lynnaire Johnston on LinkedIn | YouTube   Find Louise Brogan Online Follow Louise Brogan on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube 

The King and I - A Special Event

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