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Inside the Issue:
βοΈ LinkedIn Mistakes I Made In the Beginning
β Fill Your Cup: A New Name & Look:)
Hey there, Reader,
If you're new here, welcome!
I'm a 15-year ex-corporate marketer who chose this path for more flexibility to spend time at home with my kids.
This week is spring break.
No trip for us, but we're still running to practices, visiting family, and focusing on projects at home.
I'm trying to get up the nerve to clean out the garage if it gets above 60.
Is anyone else feeling the urge to pitch and donate things? (Too early?)
βοΈ LinkedIn Mistakes I Made
At a recent event, I met a woman named Margo.
She spent more than 20 years in the corporate world and, since leaving, has been trying to figure things outβjust like the rest of us.
We started chatting, and she asked me what I did.
I told her about helping female CEOs and founders build their brands on LinkedIn and how 100% of my business has come directly or indirectly from the platform.
And then she said, βWell, donβt look at my profile. Itβs horrible.β
I smiled and quickly reassured her, "We all start somewhere. I've totally been there, too."
Because the truth is that before I got serious about LinkedIn, my profile looked like a typical 9-5 professionalβs...
β No posts.
β A bare-bones About section.
β The occasional title update when I got promoted.
That was it.
But fast-forward to now? Iβve done a complete 180.
And here's the reality...
Valuable connections, friendships, and business opportunities have come from it.
I made several mistakes early on.
But if I could turn back the clock and do things differently, there are 5 things I would change immediately to grow faster.
#1. More Social Proof Evidence
The start of my content was a lot of what I would call "share your story" stuff. It was about my transition from the corporate world to building a business.
And I still talk about it because stories are important.
Stories connect us to people and help us stand out from the crowd.
However, social proof content can be woven strategically throughout LinkedIn, from your comments to your posts to your DMs.
βMy LinkedIn post from this past Tuesday is getting the most impressions of the week (539), and it's text-only. (No image!)
The hook is a statement from a client of mine...
"You follow through, do what you say, say what you do, and are sure to leave quality work and happy customers."
But then I go into my past experience in the corporate world and the core lessons I learned from those 15 years that apply to my solopreneur life now...
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Building trust
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Being reliable
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Following through with urgency
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Delivering high-quality work
The earlier you focus on social proof content, the quicker you can grab the attention of your ICPs and make those connections that grow your business.
#2. Weekly Coffee Chats
Admittedly, it took me a while to initiate a coffee chat with someone.
I call it a coffee chat, but it's often a Zoom or Google Meet meeting. I think of it as a 'get-to-know-you' virtual conversation for 30 minutes.
I talked about it as an underrated freelance hack in this video...
βSomeone had to ask me first if I was up for a call, and because we had been talking in the comments for a while, I said yes!
π Coffee chats are where you discover your collaborators, supporters, and sometimes clients.
I recommend you designate a day(s) in your calendar for coffee chats.
Right now, I go between Thursday and Friday afternoons for these. At the beginning of the week, I'm usually head's down on content work.
I've found that these conversations often lead to all kinds of things...
- Content collabs
- Guest appearances on podcasts
- New connections with others
- Project work
The underlying benefit is encouragement.
99% of the coffee chats I've had go onto fuel me in my work.
So, proactively scheduling these with others is a no-brainer these days. And again, I wish I had done it earlier!
#3. DMs Over Comments
I'll admit it - I bet for the first two years I was on LinkedIn, I spent 1 year and 9 months of it in the comments.
That's right. The DMs did not get my attention π
I did not make it a point to message people 1-on-1.
But I'm here to tell you...that was a BIG mistake.
The DMs allow you to get better acquainted, and often, it's the jumping-off point to organize a call off the platform to talk more about what you do and how you can help.
To the person just starting on LinkedIn or feeling a little stuck, I would tell them not to put off the DMs.
Make it a point to engage with several people every day. It will never be time wasted.
#4. Proactive Connection Requests
Following vs. Connecting.
Following someone is pretty passive. And it's a great way to pay attention to someone's content and engage as you try to get to know them.
I follow so many people that at this point, I know I'm not seeing everything - usually just the posts I engage with regularly.
But connecting is the more formal way of saying, "Hey, I absolutely want you in my network, and I want to support you."
This is a MUST for the ICPs you want to work with.
When you formally connect with someone, you also get visibility into their connections and oftentimes see other cool people like them that you want to add to your network.
It can be a snowball effect!
Don't put off sending connection requests.
#5. Doing LinkedIn Lives
Going back to #3, when you have coffee chats, you often find a few people you really click with.
And as a result, you start discussing how you want to collaborate.
A great way to do that is through LinkedIn Lives.
I did my very first one with Phil Shoreland this past December.
And I want to do more!
LinkedIn Lives are a great way to go in it with someone else, work through the tech pains, and reach new people.
The Takeway
I made some mistakes starting out on LinkedIn.
It's inevitable.
But you can learn from what I did/didn't do and do better.
- Incorporate those social proof stories into your marketing today
- Proactively schedule time to connect weekly
- Get into your DMs and start more conversations
- Don't be shy - send those connection requests
- Embrace LinkedIn Lives
β Fill Your Cup
Behind the scenes, I've been working with a great designer on a new brand look for LinkedIn and this newsletter.
In fact, be prepared for The Organic Freelancer to change to "The Content Cup" very soon.
Here's a glimpse...
Why the change?
Well, a few reasons...
The Organic Freelancer was created when I started building my business a couple of years ago.
The term "organic" was pulled from my focus on SEO content and helping businesses increase organic traffic with SEO, audience-obsessed content. And "freelancer" was how I identified myself.
But as with everyone, I've evolved.
I don't necessarily identify as a freelancer but as a solopreneur.
My audience isn't only freelancers. Quite a few are founders who want to create effective content.
And I don't want others to see my newsletter name and think it's only for freelancers - it's not.
Plus, something about "organic" also started to make me and others associate it with organic produce and farming.
And yep, that's not this newsletter π
So, channeling my "fill your cup" attitude and love for creating strategic-based content, especially for LinkedIn, I've landed on The Content Cup.
And I hope you can continue to join me every week:)
What's going on in your business? How can I help?
Talk soon,
How I Can Help You
βFollow me on LinkedIn if you aren't already so you can get daily posts! I love to engage there:)
I'm finding a lot of joy right now working with female CEOs to improve their LinkedIn profile pages and content.
If you're interested in seeing growth and connection this year, let me help. Send a reply now for more info on my package options.
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