LinkedIn: Four Tips to Build Your Business

We’ve all said the same thing at some point: I’m a member of LinkedIn, but I’ve no idea why, as I don’t get what it’s about. What’s the point of it? Is there some way to use it that I’m missing?

You bet there is, according to Susan Newman of Susan Newman Design in Jersey City, NJ, who says that LinkedIn may just be the best social media site out there at the moment. As people have become more and more frustrated with Facebook and its constantly changing landscape, they’ve been giving LinkedIn a second look, and have been amazed at the scope of its functionality. Newman offers four tips to understanding LinkedIn better.

Susan Newman

You can make your profile much more robust than you know.  Aside from putting in all the basics about your current stats and your work history, you can add imagery by connecting to free portfolio sites like Behance. Or you can add a Powerpoint presentation by connecting with Slideshare, which also allows you to insert a video into that presentation.

“When you click on my own LinkedIn profile, a video will immediately start playing, and it really attracts people," says Newman. "All of a sudden they hear me talking, so when they scroll down a bit, they’ll see a two-minute video of me and when I'm done talking is shows a slide presentation of everything I’d like to show to them. It makes a huge impact on viewers.”

She says that when filling out the places where you’ve worked, instead of inserting the company name, insert your role, as that’s the criteria people will be searching for. “I’m a brand identity designer,” says Newman. “People aren’t going to find me based on the name of my company. They’re going to find me under a search for brand identity designers.”

That’s how you’ll get found, she says, and once you do, seeing a portfolio and video in your profile will give visitors a much better sense of who you are both as a person and a business.

Join a LinkedIn group, then make use of the advanced search functions. Not many people know this, but on LinkedIn, there’s a group for just about anything you can think of…animal lovers, jewelry designers, “green” activities, etc. What makes this significant is that, because LinkedIn only allows you to connect with people you know, if you like a person’s comment in a group, you now have a reason to connect with him or her. You can see all of your groups’ discussion activities through daily or weekly email digests.

“Once you receive your digests, you look through the discussions to see if there are any you want to participate in,” says Newman. “You then go to that discussion, read what they’re talking about, then add your own comment. What’s significant is that if there are 500 comments, that’s 500 people following that discussion, so your own comment gets sent out to all of those people. You can reach so many people in such a simple way.”

Even if there are only five people following a discussion, all it takes is one golden connection to make a difference in your business, and that’s where LinkedIn’s search functions come in. When you load the LinkedIn home page, at the top right hand corner, you’ll see that the search bar is  automatically set on people. But if you click on “Advanced” to the right of the search bar, you’ll be able to search for people using just about any criteria you can think of via the keyword box.

“Let’s say that I was looking for creative directors,” says Newman. “Once I click on ‘Advanced,’ a whole load of criteria opens up on the left side of the page. I can then limit my search to location. Once I find someone I want to connect with, I click on that person’s profile and it will tell me what groups they’re in, and specifically if there’s a group that we have in common. If so, I can now send a message saying that we are both in this group, and it would be cool if we could connect.

“The great thing about LinkedIn is that it offers ways to get incredibly high visibility, which we’re not getting anymore with Twitter and Facebook, where there’s just too many people now and too much going on,” Newman says. “Seventy-five percent of people don’t even see your posts anymore.”

At one time, Facebook “Pages” were a hot topic, but with Facebook’s recent changes, Pages no longer offer the functionality they once did. Many users find the Timeline (which was forced upon Pages) confusing, and Newman has seen a drop-off in Page usage. For a time, many thought that Google+ would be a great replacement for Facebook Pages, but Newman believes Google+ is trying to be all things to all people and just isn’t delivering.

“Google+ tried to combine the best of both worlds of both Facebook and LinkedIn, but the two sites are just too different,” she says. “LinkedIn’s discussion groups are the best out there, which people are beginning to gravitate to as they become more and more frustrated with Facebook.”

Using LinkedIn’s “Question and Answer” section can set you up as an expert. It can also offer a wealth of information that you just won’t be able to find anyplace else.

To ask a question, in the top right search bar, use the pull-down menu and click “Answers.” On that page, you can ask anything you want, like “What should I charge for a dozen printed greeting cards on Etsy?” Once you read the list of answers, you’ll also have the opportunity to click on which was the best answer, which will then give a credit to that person as an “expert.” The more times you answer questions and get the “expert” credit, the more likely you’ll begin to show up in listings as an “expert” in your particular area.

“The best reason for joining LinkedIn is two-fold,” says Newman. “The first is that you want to have a place that stores your complete profile where many people will be able to find you. The second is that you’ll want to join the LinkedIn groups and participate in or start discussions in order to open yourself up to a huge amount of people.

“If a group has 30,000 members and you post a discussion there, that’s a lot of eyes on that topic. You no longer have to worry about 10% of your followers on Facebook seeing your photo. On LinkedIn, you could literally get hundreds of comments and have people connecting with you left and right. The whole key is visibility.”

Schedule your social networking, so as to not spread yourself too thin. Newman says that as there are so many social networking platforms available now, business owners should approach them in one of two ways: Either pick one or two platforms and focus on them exclusively, or stick to a tight schedule of when you’ll post to which platform.

“There are different types of audiences for each platform,” says Newman. “The people who follow YouTube are different from those who follow LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Google+.  With so much going on, people are in danger now of spreading themselves too thin. Personally, I focus a lot on Twitter, and as a result have seen my followers quadruple in one year.”

But she also follows a social networking schedule, meaning that on certain days she’ll be sure to post something to Facebook, while others she’ll work on LinkedIn. Of course, if she has something urgent going on, like a new seminar or a new blog post, she’ll “pollinate” across all platforms in order to get as many discussions going as possible. But her favorite for discussions is by far LinkedIn.

“People are finally starting to get the message of LinkedIn,” she says. “Yes, it’s a business-to-business site, but the discussion area is more of a community talking to each other. And very often that community is huge.”

Until next time!
Mary Ann

"Serenity" Wood Block Print Shop: maryannfarley

Look What I Found!

I'm usually one of those typical Capricorns...practical to the hilt. So when I volunteered to write for the New York Team blog, I decided that for each post, I'd interview some kind of expert in the marketing, business or SEO fields, as a means to better serve the team, and, of course, myself! Practical, right?

So far it's been great, as each expert has offered some incredible advice, but for today's post, I decided to take a stroll through the New York Team's items, just to see what would pop out at me. As I'm always on the hunt for inspiration, I just randomly clicked on a few shops, and these incredible finds spoke out loud and clear!

"Pink Rose" by Kelley Gudahl

How could I start my stroll without first stopping at the shop of our fearless team captain, Kelley Gudahl. Wow! What a wonderful springtime gift this rose from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens would make. It's an 8x12 matted photograph printed on high quality Kodak Endura Last paper in Lustre finish. Print is matted in an 12x16 antique white mat. Beautiful!

"Grasshopper" by Kim Piotrowski

Kim's avatar immediately caught me, so I had to look at her shop, Kipi, and it didn't disappoint! This piece, "Grasshopper," is an original gouache painting on antique book paper, measuring 7.5x5. Her whole shop is a color explosion, just like this one. It was hard to pick which one I liked best!

"Same Sex Wedding Card" by ShirlBCreations.

OK, I guess it's pretty obvious at this point that I like art. As with Kim, I couldn't resist Shirley's avatar and so had to take a peek into her shop, which is just stuffed with incredibly adorable images, like this one, her "Same Sex Wedding Card," which measures 5x7. Each piece is more whimsical than the next. Stop by for some unique finds!

"Purple and Pink Fun Owl Felt Hair Clip" by BrooklynOwl

This so-cute-it-hurts item is the "Purple and Pink Fun Owl Felt Hair Clip" by BrooklynOwl. Clip measures approximately 1.75in by 2.25in. and is entirely hand sewn with high quality USA made felt. Shop owner Annie Bruce says her items are a tribute to her little girl, who fell in love with owls at the Prospect Park Zoo. Stop by her shop and fall in love with THESE owls.

Wrist Cuffs from dslookkin

These wrist cuffs from dslookkin are just so original! I'm not even sure what they are or why I need them, but I want them. I'll let Dawn Stewart-Lookkin explain them: "Make a statement with this unusual cuff/bracelet for summer! I crocheted this original vegan acrylic pink and orange cuff with a 'rib cage' feel making it both light weight and stylish. This unusual cuff is connected in a circle though it appears to be made of multiple 'bangles' of various width. It's perfect for art openings, farmer's markets and work affairs. I made this one for medium/large hands/wrists and will stretch just a tiny bit."  Well said, Dawn. They're now in my favorites, as are all these other items! Thanks, ladies!


Until next time!
Mary Ann

The "Popgirl" Pendant by maryannfarley

Four Tips for Creating the Perfect Promo Video

Sure, you’ve got your web site, you’ve got your blog, you’ve got your Facebook page and your Twitter account, but do you have a promotional video?

You may be scratching your head with that one, wondering why an Etsy seller would ever create a video to promote his or her shop. But according to Michelle Lange of M Lange Media, a video is the perfect way a seller can tell the all-important story.

Michelle Lange

“We’re wired for story,” says Lange. “Think about your childhood; it’s the stories you remember like The Wizard of Oz or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We learn and take in information using stories, because stories will always be more memorable than facts. They evoke emotions, which is why it’s so important to integrate your personal story when promoting your business.”

While ideally, it would be wonderful to have a professionally shot video (a service Lange provides), one can do it using an ordinary camcorder and the help of a  trusted friend who has a good eye.

Here’s what to focus on when shooting your own video.

Prepare your lighting. Obviously, you need to be well lit so that your audience can see you. Lange suggests placing two lights on either side of you about three feet away at a 45-degree angle so that the face is lit up clearly. Japanese lanterns work well, as the lighting is very soft, but ordinary shop lights with fluorescent bulbs from Home Depot can work, too.

“Be sure to play around with your lights and watch your footage so you can make sure you are not over-lit or under-lit,” Lange says. “Your basic lighting has to be right.” Lange has a tutorial on lighting yourself with Home Depot lights created by photographer Curtis Judd in her blog article “The First C of Effective Marketing Videos: CAPTURE!"

Frame the image properly. This means that your head should have about a quarter inch of space above it when one is looking at the video screen. And viewers should only see you from the chest up.

“This makes the shot more up-close and personal, which helps establish a stronger connection with your audience and creates a greater impact,” Lange says. “Common mistakes entrepreneurs make are framing themselves with several feet above their head and filming themselves from too far away. This makes our eyes wonder around the room and not focus on the person speaking.”

Make effective wardrobe and make-up choices. Lange suggests wearing clothes that are simple and streamlined. As the camera adds weight to the subject, avoid billowy fabrics, layers and ruffles. Also, don’t wear black, as it can look drab on film, nor white, as it can throw off the camera’s white balance.

“Find out which colors look best on you and wear those,” Lange says. “If you have pale skin, avoid bright, overpowering colors. Go with the medium shades like medium pink, blue, green, or purple, and avoid pale colors, which will wash you out. If you’re making a website video, be sure the colors don’t clash with the colors of your site.”

As for make-up, Lange suggests wearing the same amount you would for a business meeting—simple and pulled together.  “The HD camera picks up every detail so wear the exact amount of make-up you would want to show up on video,” she says. “And be sure to powder your entire face before going on camera – including your eyelids and hairline. The lights produce a shine on the subject’s face, so using powder ensures that we pay attention to what you are saying and not to the shine.” .”  Lange also states that both women and men should use powder to reduce the shine. Lange’s favorite is the HD powder by Makeup Forever, available at Sephora – this is created particularly for the HD camera, although she says that any good quality powder will do.

Have a friend interview you. Most likely, you’ll be way too uncomfortable to just speak into a camera directly, so have a friend stand just to the side of the camera, and have the off-camera friend ask you interview questions, much like what one sees in a news program or documentary. Speak directly to him or her instead of looking into the camera.

Obviously, have those questions prepared ahead of time, and try to speak in a conversational style when answering.

“It’s best to write out all your answers before you’re actually interviewed so that you can hone down exactly what you want to get across,” says Lange. “Read through those notes a bunch of times so that you’ll know your talking points. That way, once the camera starts rolling, you’ll look very natural.”

Have your friend ask questions about your process, what inspires you to create your work, and the benefits your clients experience from your products or services. While you’re talking, cut away to some visuals of your items, which would most likely require the help of a video editor, or a particularly skilled friend.

“A camera is such an odd thing,” Lange says. “We’re not brought up speaking in front of an inanimate object, so an anxiety response is normal. Like anything, talking on camera is a learned skill, but the more relaxed you get with it, the more your story will come through. Art is at its most fascinating when we know the story behind it.”

Lange’s company not only creates videos for entrepreneurs, but she’s also a video coach. She offers a complimentary 30-minute video strategy session to help sellers find out how they can increase their visibility, credibility and revenue through video. Email: michelle@mlangemedia.com; phone: 310-876-1362.

Until next time!
Mary Ann

The Brooks Ring. The shop: www.maryannfarley.etsy.com.

How to Tell Your Story and Make the Sale

The warmer weather is finally here, which means many Etsy artists in the New York area will soon be selling their wares not just in their online shops, but also in the great outdoors—at street fairs, flea markets and crafts festivals.

Are you ready to interact with your public? Are you ready to tell your story in order to make that sale?

According to SpeakEtc.’s Robyn Hatcher, a communications and presentation expert based in New York, there are a few things creative people need to think about to communicate their message, and it doesn’t always involve your words.

Robyn Hatcher

In fact, when it comes to the elements that affect a listener’s tendency to believe or trust a particular speaker, a well-known study by communications expert Albert Mehrabian notes that what you actually say (the verbal element) counts for just 7%. The vocal element—how you say it—counts for 38%, and the visual element—what you look like—counts for a whopping 55%.

How do these numbers translate into how you present yourself?

Your work and your look should be consistent. “People believe what they see and hear before the words even come out of your mouth,” says Hatcher, “so dress in a way that’s consistent with what you’re selling.” If you dress conservatively, for example, and you’re selling soft paintings, people may not trust you as much as if you dressed in a softer style.

Conversely, if you’re an artist, that doesn’t give you license to look disheveled, either. “You want to look arty yet professional,” says Hatcher. “Make sure what you’re wearing is flattering to your body and figure. But most important, make sure that what you’re projecting is 100 percent consistent with your work.

“It may seem like a no-brainer,” she adds, “but I’ve met jewelry designers who don’t even wear their own pieces. Of course, you shouldn’t wear too much either, but wearing a touch of what you do is essential.”

Project confidence with your body language. There are things that we do naturally when we’re confident that can put our potential customers at ease, but these things can go out the window when we’re anxious about making a sale. Hatcher suggests remembering the following tips when nerves start to kick in.

• Greet people with a slight eyebrow raise. It’s a warm, inviting silent welcome.
• When possible, try a light appropriate touch, on safe places like the elbow, shoulder or hand. Touch creates a bond and makes people feel more positive about you.
• Use eye contact (5 to 10 seconds at a time). People will feel engaged and connected.
• Smile. 
• Keep from covering your torso whenever possible. It’s easy to assume a posture like crossing your arms, but the torso is the most vulnerable part of the body; showing it makes you seem trustworthy and confident.

Don’t think it’s about selling. When making your sales pitch, remember to talk about why you do what you do, not just what you do or how you do it. “Think about why you create,” says Hatcher. “Of course we all need to make money, but the moment we focus on making money first, we project desperation and/or frustration, neither of which is very attractive or engaging. Instead of thinking about selling, think about sharing. Every person who experiences you and your work is one more person you’ve impacted. You never know who they know or how long it might take for them to call you or engage with you.”

When Hatcher coaches her clients, she looks for the relatable stories or aspects of their work that they can use in closing a sale. If you can touch upon an emotional need in your customer—be it a sense of nostalgia, or making someone feel more attractive—then you’re much more apt to not only make the sale, but also a connection that turns the sale into a returning customer.

“Whenever someone is listening to you,” says Hatcher, “there’s always this tape in their head that’s asking—what’s in this for me? That’s what you want to hook into.”

If you’re a jewelry designer, for example, think about what drove you to create a certain design, then share that story.

“You want your customer to say, ‘Oh, I’ve been there. I know this person better because she shared this info with me,’” says Hatcher. “You want the customer to be able to relate.”

Of course, you may not even be aware of why you created certain things, as so much of our creativity is subconscious. But Hatcher says it’s worth it to dig down into yourself and find an answer that’s deeper than saying you created something simply because you like it.

“Ask yourself why you’re doing the work you do,” she says, “then ask what it is you want your customer to feel when wearing or using your things.”

A happy outcome of doing such an exercise might be not just more sales, but a spurt of creativity as well, as you become more aware of where your work is coming from.

“Proudly and confidently talking about what you do is not the same as bragging,” says Hatcher. “Fully sharing what it is that you do and the value your art might bring to perspective buyers is providing a service.

“Art is healing, art is therapeutic, art can change people, and by not fully sharing what it is you do and by not allowing people to fully experience you and your art, you are doing them and your art a disservice.”

Looking for a professional video for your web site? Hatcher and videographer Judith George will be presenting a two-day seminar May 19 and 20 titled "Telling Your BizVid Story." Participants will leave the  workshop with elevated communication skills, a clear and concise business story, plus a professionally shot and edited, ready-to-post video. Contact Hatcher for details.


Until next time!
Mary Ann
www.maryannfarley.etsy.com

A photo locket for your little secrets...

Four Quick Tips for Getting Those Google Hits

You’ve read every article, attended every conference, watched every video on how to get found on the web, yet you’re still not getting those Google hits. What’s an Etsy shop owner to do?

According to Susan Newman of Susan Newman Design, Inc. in Jersey City, NJ, there are a few basic things you could change this very day that could alter your results dramatically. And all it takes is just a little time at the computer.

Newman’s tips come from her years of experience in web design, branding and social media, and the use of these ideas herself in her own business. They’re just a part of what’s being showcased in her current Broadcast Louder seminar, a series of seven classes designed to help creative people brand themselves better. Here’s what Newman suggests:

Name your jpegs with keywords. (NOTE: Etsy renames your jpeg titles once they're uploaded. However, it's still a good practice to name your photos with keywords for when they appear in blogs or web sites.) Very often, we name our images with just numbers or our own internal coding system so that we can best find them quickly in our files. But Newman says this is a big no-no.  What you name your jpeg in your computer is what Google is going to search once it’s online.

Susan Newman

If you’re a jeweler, for example, and you’re selling a gold necklace with some colorful beads, you may want to name that photo “gold_necklace_purple_beads.jpg” so that the item will now come up in Google’s images search.

“The name you give that image is going to follow it wherever it goes on the web,” Newman says, “whether it’s on Etsy or Pinterest or Facebook. You want the image name to be the answer to someone’s query.”

One final tip: Be sure that there are no spaces in the jpeg name; use hyphens and underscores to divide words.

Create a blog…NOW.  Sure, everyone knows that blogging is a great way to draw customers to your shop, but the statistics on those who blog and those who don’t are staggering. And the numbers get even more astonishing depending upon how frequently you post.

According to marketing-software manufacturer Hotspot.com, people who blog daily are 90% more likely to generate a sale than those who blog monthly, who have just a 13% chance of a sale.  And the person who blogs multiple times per day actually has nearly a 100% shot at generating a sale. It doesn’t matter what the subject is…it’s getting your shop name out there on a regular basis that’s important.

“The more you blog, the more content you have streaming to the web,” says Newman, “and the more people you have coming to your site. Of course it has to be good content, but basically the more you blog, the more the return on investment becomes unreal.”

Newman stresses that a blog title needs to be rich with keywords. And if there is an area for a description, don’t overlook it as an opportunity for keyword exposure.

She also explains the importance of “long-tail keywords,” which more clearly refine and define your products. A web designer, for example, might use the keyword phrase “web design” to describe his or her business, but Newman said that would be of no use at all. In the case of her own company, if she used the keyword phrase “web design Jersey City,” she’d see more traffic to her site, but if she became even more specific, using the keyword phrase “custom Wordpress themes Jersey City,” her traffic would skyrocket, as would her placement in a Google search.

“With a phrase like that, I might now be on the first page,” she says, “and quite possibly even number one.”

So switch it up. If you blog just a few times a month, try posting twice a week and see what happens. It’s quite possible that you’ll double your sales.

Create a Facebook page.  Almost everyone has a personal page, but not all Etsy shops have a Facebook page, which are for businesses, organizations and brands to share their stories and connect with people. If a shop posts solely on their personal page, Google has no idea what they're doing.  Why?

“If Etsy store owners just have a personal profile, none of what they say or write is searchable on Google, because that profile is private,  provided they chose that option in their settings,” Newman says. “But a Facebook page is public. That means that everything is searchable…your galleries, your image descriptions, your bio information, plus the images you upload.”

Like your jpeg images, when it comes to your Facebook page, think “keywords” in regards to just about anything you write. By drawing web surfers to your Facebook page, you're in turn drawing them to just about everything else you do, provided you've linked to all of your other social media...your web page, your LinkedIn page, your blog, and, of course, your Etsy shop.

Create a YouTube channel.  As YouTube is the second most searched site on the web (Facebook being number one and Google being number three), if an Etsy shop doesn’t have a YouTube presence, an enormous opportunity is being missed.  Creating video content might not be the first thing an Etsy owner would think of, but Newman says it makes sense.

There are any number of videos shop owners could create that would be of interest to their customers: tutorials, themselves at work in their studios, or a photo stream of their wares (using sites like Animoto, a free video-making site).

“In having a YouTube channel, you’re giving your audience another way to find you and your work,” Newman says. "As with your jpegs and Facebook, be sure to tag your videos properly with keywords and good descriptions, then cross-pollinate your platforms by putting that video link on your Facebook page and your blog. The more variety you have in the formats you give people, the more you’ll be opened up to new audiences.”

Click here for more information on Newman’s Broadcast Louder seminar, a series of seven classes starting April 11 for just $97. And click here to be a featured guest in her Branding You Better series.

Until next time!...
Mary Ann
maryannfarley.etsy.com

For your little treasures... ******************************