Thursday 28 May 2015

What Do I Say?

There's nothing quite as exhilarating  to me as writing a new blog post!

I used to cringe at the thought of writing blogs. Some of my thoughts were: What would I write about? Who would be interested in what I write? What could I write that my potential clients would be interested in?

Here's what I discovered: Most people have the same thoughts when they first start writing blogs. We tend to have our eyes focused on ourselves and how we feel instead of how we could potentially help someone else. Once I discovered that it was not all about me, I had a new lease on my "blogging" life!

When we focus on what is keeping our potential clients awake at 2:00 am, our creativity can soar.

So, what's keeping your potential clients awake at 2:00 am? What is the cause of their pain? I'm sure that it is not just indigestion.

First; think of a caption/title that will make your potentials want to click on to find out the rest of your story.

Second; think of how you can tell a story from your own experience, or someone you know that your potentials will relate to.

Third; have a compelling "call to action" that brings them to your website to register for your next webinar, or buy your book, or use your services.

Fourth; make sure that you have your website set up to capture all that money you will be making.

Now you know how to get started. Let's get blogging.

Click to discover how to put it all together. Click to learn.

Christine Till
The LinkedIn Marketing Mentress
marketingmentress@gmail.com
www.marketingmentress.com

780-904-9557

Why Do I Need A Blog?

The key to marketing online these days is to educate, inform and motivate.

All too often we witness posts that are just selling to our audience. Have you ever connected with someone on LinkedIn, for instance, thanked them for connecting with you and asked them how you might be able to help them in some way?

 Then in return did you receive this big, long piece of copy pitching their stuff? Did you feel like you had been slapped in the face?

It has happened to me many times. In fact I have gotten a little cheeky about it with these people. I simply respond back to them thanking them for all the great information, and then ask them, "So how is this working for you?" They usually say that it is working great because they have managed to get some clients as a result. I'll bet that if they changed their approach to being all about how many people they can help in some way, their results would be ten times what they are getting now...probably even higher.

Because our audience is crying to be fed with good information, we need to give it to them. When we don't, we lose.

The best way to educate, inform and motivate our audience is through a blog.

People also want to do business with people they know, like and trust. The best way to build this type of long lasting relationship is to blog from your heart.

Tell people about some of your challenges in life and how you came to do what you do. Share what inspired you to start your business. Tell your stories.

I look forward to reading yours.

My story can be found in "Fired at Fifty: Stop looking for work and discover what you were meant to do." This brought me into online marketing and social media.

LinkedIn Profile 101: Get Help Here

Christine Till
The LinkedIn Marketing Mentress


780-904-9557

Friday 8 May 2015

Which one are you?


Which one are you?

Excited to achieve your goals, or are you still "stuck in Peanut Butter"?

Which one would you LIKE to be?



Remember the story, "Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a land far-far-away, there lived a happy prince.....who meets his forever princess...and they live happily ever after. Amen!" 

How often have you wished that this was you?

When I was a little girl, I used to dream of being swept off my feet by a dashing prince on a white horse. Well, I found my dashing prince. . . he can't ride a horse. -But he's my prince.

Do we think life is a "fairy tale"? Do we have unrealistic beliefs?

We tend to look for the rosy things in the next shiny object or the next relationship, or the next new business we start, or the next political party. What the "fairy tale" does not share with us is all the hardship and hard work that went on in between. I have often heard it referred to as their "dash". (You know on a grave stone where it says 1890 - 1999. The dash in between the start and the finish.) The dash between the handsome prince and the happily ever after part.

The next time you find yourself complaining about how hard it is to build your own business, remember that it took Thomas Edison more than 1000 tries before he finally succeeded with the light bulb. You get my drift, right?

Building any business takes a lot...a LOT...of hard work, dedication and commitment. It takes a determination to stick to it until you finally succeed. It means that you will do whatever it takes to succeed with your business. This statement can be misleading, so My clarification on this is "I will do whatever it takes as long as it is legal, morally right, ethical and non-fatening.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. This too shall pass.

Here's help: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/linkedin-202-the-secret-is-in-the-groups-tickets-16906313238





Monday 4 May 2015

How do I Get My LinkedIn on Autopilot?

How much effort will it take to get my LinkedIn running on autopilot?

In my humble experience, I have met many people who have finally got their LinkedIn to an almost autopilot point when they give up... just before it begins to pay off. Just how much effort it takes to get to this point depends on whether you work with a LinkedIn coach or not.

When I was first introduced to LinkedIn, and for that matter, all my basic online social media platforms, I had a coach. This was back in 2009 when I was literally "dragged into the 21st Century kicking and screaming"!

In one day I signed up on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and my podblog site. Let me tell you, I literally felt like my head was going to pop off! The information that I needed to force into my head was challenged big time by the lack of space available. You get my drift.

My coach calmly and patiently walked me through what I needed to do with my online marketing systems and then patiently let me blunder a bit as I gradually absorbed the basics of "how to".

Part of my blundering on LinkedIn was being "I.D.K.'d. That stands for "I Don't Know You." I got on LinkedIn and saw that it was offering a lot of suggestions of people that I might like to connect with, so I started clicking at random for hours at a time. I must have invited several hundred people to connect with me. Then all of a sudden, one day, my profile was sent to LinkedIn Jail! I had no idea that if 5 people said they did not know me, my account would get frozen. I had to print out the terms of use from LinkedIn, sign them and scan them back to LinkedIn to prove that I was a real person. They even asked me to verify my Drivers License.

Guess what? I never did that again!

That said, I learned to ask before I do something for the first time. I also learned that I needed to avoid being a "lone wolf" and be teachable; to admit that I did not know something and ask for help.

Have you found yourself in this same position? Perhaps you are unaware that there is help available?

Because of the experience I had learning how to make my online marketing platforms work for me, I have since made it my goal to help as many people as I can with their online systems as well.

The basic three are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. My specialty is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is the key. Here's why:
1. The average age of people on LinkedIn is 43 years - more seasoned business people.
2. The average annual income of people on LinkedIn is $125K. - they can afford to buy our stuff.
3. Everyone on LinkedIn is there to do business.
4. LinkedIn is the most professional platform on the "net".
5. The secret to LinkedIn is in the groups.

For the Five LinkedIn Secrets, check out my next free webinar:
https://fivelinkedinsecrets.eventbrite.ca



Saturday 2 May 2015

Thriving at Sixty


Are you a 'Boomer', out of work, healthy, no dementia, needing regular income?

Are you wondering where all those years of your precious life went?

Welcome to the club!

Personally, I have discovered that most of the businesses started since 2012 in Canada have been started by people over 50. Are you one?

When I found myself in this position a few years ago, I thought I could just go out and get another job. However, much to my chagrin, I discovered that when we are over 50, most of the companies do not want us, and all our wisdom and experience goes unrecognized. We are right back in the "MacDonald's employee" category. All companies want to pay us is $10 an hour!

No, it is not discrimination. It is straight business. Companies want to hire employees who will stay with them long term. They want to find employees who are younger, who won't drive their monthly health premiums up. (Statistics show that the older generations use the extended health programs more than their younger cohorts.)

When I found myself in this situation, at first I was quite lost. I did not know what to do. I still had bills to pay, and no pension. -And like many others in my position, there was little or no marketing budget available to help with my predicament, either. What was I to do?

Did this happen to you too? Have you found yourself stuck in limbo trying to figure out where to turn next?

I have met many people who fit this category. Most of them will not admit that they have been "laid off" their job and cannot find another one. They usually gloss over what really happened. We do this because of embarrassment. We seem to think that there is something wrong with us if we cannot get another job, no matter what age we are. After all, I thought that age was only a number. Right?

Thank goodness for the experiences I had in my life that forced me into learning the tricks of using online platforms to help market my skills and help others do the same.

I also learned that I cannot do it alone. I needed a mentor...actually I had several mentors that I worked with. I cannot share enough how thankful I am for those wonderful people, who were there for me when I needed help. I would never have come this far today without them.

This experience in my life has inspired me to want to help others navigate the "tidal waves" of uncertainty through the gift of a podcast and online marketing tips.

Yes, I meant it when I said that I want to help you surf those tidal waves of building yourself as a business...finding your strengths and showing you how to market yourself on a shoestring budget.

Let's find the best one for you. Click


Christine Till
The LinkedIn Marketing Mentress


So! What's Keeping YOU Awake at 2:00AM?

Have you ever awakened suddenly at 2AM in a cold sweat of worry?

You lay there with your mind running all amuck thinking of "what if's". You have been working on overdrive for weeks, even months, and the success of your business is hanging on tender hooks. You have worked soooo hard putting all the systems in place. They HAVE to work! If even one step fails, it could mean the loss of your entire business because of the chain reaction it will cause.

Where is all that worrying getting you? Is it helping you be more productive?

A few years ago I had the opportunity of taking part in a Dale Carnegie course. As we were reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People", we were practicing each week implementing what we were learning, into our public speaking and our businesses. It was here that I learned about key elements of public speaking and how to implement these skills into my business.

It was also in the Dale Carnegie course that we read "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living". This book opened my eyes to all that worrying really is.

Think about it. What is the worst thing that could happen? If you can accept that, then the rest does not seem so bad does it...really? 

"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" helped me to understand what it was that was keeping me from my real goals in my business. We were introduced to "The Worry Chart".

The Worry Chart

40%    OF ALL THE THINGS WE WORRY ABOUT                             NEVER HAPPEN.

30%    HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED AND WE                                     CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THEM.

12%    NEEDLESS WORRY ABOUT HEALTH.

10%    PETTY MISCELLANEOUS WORRY

8%      REAL WORRIES ½ WE CAN DO LITTLE                                 ABOUT; THE OTHER ½ WE CAN.

TAKE POSITIVE ACTION NOW!

Remember what Charlie Brown says? "Worrying won't stop the bad stuff from happening. It just stops you from enjoying the good."

Starting today, think of all the things that you are thankful for. You might want to start a "My Thankfulness" journal. Each day take time to reflect on all that you are thankful for.

Start today to dwell on the solutions instead of the problems. Remember there are no 'problems', only 'challenges'. Challenges can be overcome.

How does this all relate to LinkedIn?

The next time you are online trying to understand how to make LinkedIn work for you and help bring you some business, remember to be thankful that you now have someone in your life who can help you with that.


Christine Till
The LinkedIn Marketing Mentress