Our London half day workshops are going down a treat so we wondered if we combined a morning session on LinkedIn with an afternoon session on better business blogging, how that would work out in the popularity stakes in Windsor.

Do Berkshire’s business people want to get their heads around blogging? As luck would have it, Mark White, who runs our LinkedIn workshops to rave reviews, spent 2005-10 creating the betterbusinessblogging.com website which attracts thousands of visitors every month.

So as with the LinkedIn top tips, you can sign up to the blogging top tips for FREE or you can come along and spend a day learning how to make the most of the two most important social media tools in your virtual tool box.

Keeping the model simple, you can attend either session individually for £145 + VAT, which includes lunch or you can attend the full day for just £245 + VAT.

Please pay via PayPal below or we can invoice, simply email billing details to jon@socialmediadirectors.co.uk and we’ll forward an invoice, payable before the course date. Thank you.

LinkedIn training plus Blogging workshop

LinkedIn training plus Blogging workshop 29th February £245.00 GBP LinkedIn half day Windsor 29th February £145.00 GBP Blogging half day Windsor 29th February £145.00 GBP

Please review the LinkedIn workshop details below and to get an idea of Mark’s extensive knowledge on blogging, visit his betterbusinessblogging.com website.

There are now over 135m business people worldwide and over 8m in the UK (let alone 150,000 within a 10 mile radius of Windsor) who consider LinkedIn to be the pre-eminent business networking platform online. A key place online where professionals have the ability to connect, develop their sales and market themselves, their skills, services and products.

Using live demos, the LinkedIn for Business workshop in Windsor is designed to ensure that you are best placed to use the power and opportunities of LinkedIn for you and your business, giving you the know-how to market yourself, increase your visibility & reputation and, most importantly, develop new business on it.

We’ll be covering:

• How to get the most out of LinkedIn
• Key considerations when creating a Profile which will market and sell for you
• Developing your network and integrating your current one
• How to best connect with people (and how not to)
• Tools on LinkedIn to promote you and your business
• Targeting prospects using the Advanced Search and other tools
• LinkedIn applications making your life easier
• A recommended weekly LinkedIn regime
… and many more key areas …

Questions are encouraged throughout – the format is a mixture of slides, used to introduce the key areas we are looking at, before then going online to demonstrate the capabilities of the site in live situations.

What you take away

The cost of the Windsor LinkedIn for Business Workshop is just £145 and includes:
• Half-day workshop covering Using LinkedIn for Business
• Lunch
• Handout pack containing slides for note taking
• Document covering LinkedIn Profile Setup & Optimisation
• 4 weeks email support (for any follow up questions while putting the contents of the session into practice)

LinkedIn for Business Windsor Workshop Overview

Our Windsor LinkedIn for Business workshop covers the following areas:

i) Introduction to LinkedIn
• Why LinkedIn is key and its place in the social media and business worlds
• Setting your LinkedIn strategy
• Getting your Settings right for you as a recruiter

ii) Creating the right profile: the cornerstone of your LinkedIn activity
• Developing your profile to attract new prospects and clients as well as acting as “social proof” for referrals and word of mouth
• Getting to the top of search results on LinkedIn for your target keywords
• Using the available applications to enhance your visibility and credibility

iii) Developing your network to increase your reach and visibility
• Methods and approaches to extend your network
• Using the advanced search facilities to find the right candidates and target new business
• How to approach and connect with people – and how not to!
• Opportunities with the ‘tagging’ function examined

iv) Raising your profile and marketing yourself, your company and services
• Developing and raising your profile to set you apart from the competition on LinkedIn
• Updates: how to use them best without re-inventing the wheel
• Groups: participating sensibly and establishing your own
• Answers, events, messaging, testimonials and other on site tools

v) Company tools and coordinating activities
• Setting up and developing a powerful set of Company Pages
• Listening tools and how to get the best from them
• Coordination at a company and team level
• Ensuring all your target areas are covered

vi) Establishing a LinkedIn routine
• Getting organised and making best use of your time
• Key activities and how to arrange them
• LinkedIn Tools to help you achieve this while managing your time

For the latest open social media and LinkedIn workshops and training event details click the link.

To discuss the opportunities further please contact

Jon Davey
Social Media Director
01753 852904

Or complete our enquiry form… Thank you.

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We will look at to how the social media opportunities marketing tools integrate with other marketing techniques and will take particular emphasis on Search Engine Marketing (with the main focus on Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click) and Social Media Marketing including blogging and the business use of social networking.

Overview

1. Social Media: coming ready or not

An overview of the major step change that social media has brought in terms of communicating with and influencing customers and other businesses. We look at the way it should integrate with your other marketing activities and introduce the tools that we will be examining in more depth later in the session.

Content:

• Overview of Social Media Marketing opportunities
• Fundamentals of Social Media
• Where it fits into the marketing mix
• Introduction to key Social Media Tools

2. The Business Blog and its uses

Examination of the implementation, use and development of business blogs as a key online marketing and PR tool including their integration with websites and their position at the centre of B2B social media marketing activity.

Content:

• Key Questions when setting up a blog
• The Green Cross code of Blogging
• Writing blog psost which benefit you and your readers
• Blog Marketing including SEO aspects of blogs
• Optimising blogs for your business

3. Social and Business Networking

We look at how companies are using sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to develop communities of loyal fans and increase both prospects and sales. We also evaluate ways in which you can use these and other networks to best effect and some advice on ways to ensure that you do so successfully.

Content:

• Identifying the best networks for your business
• Setting up and using the large networks successfully
• Developing reputation online
• Linking your social networking activities together

4. Twitter – getting the microblogging bug

Twitter is the current darling of the social media world. While better suited to some businesses than others, the opportunities are there in abundance for us to take advantage of in terms of networking, relationship building and soft selling. We examine the “why” and outline the “how” to getting the best out of Twitter!

Content:

• What is Twitter and what can it bring you
• Setting up on Twitter to get real results
• Examples from the Business world
• Your daily regime for a successful Twitter experience

5. Tapping into Video and Podcasts

We all take information in different ways and so it’s essential that we offer our content in ways that will appeal to all of our potential visitors, which means that we must include video and audio. We look at the ways in which this content can be used most effectively and how to follow those businesses which have made a success using these methods.

Content:

• Creating a YouTube profile
• Understanding how to optimise content for search engines
• Podcasts and spreading the word
• Developing our content to best effect

6. Measuring and Integration

Measuring the results of a campaign and acting on them is critical to developing further in the future. In the final section, we look at how best to look at integrating all the different strands of social media marketing and ways in which to measure their results.

Content:

• Integrating social media to optimise activity and content
• Using the tools available effectively
• Measuring activity, visitors and ROI
• Summarising the workshop

For the latest open social media and LinkedIn workshops and training event details click the link.

To discuss the opportunities further please contact

Jon Davey
Social Media Director
01753 852904

Or complete our enquiry form… Thank you.

Related posts:

1. Combining LinkedIn training with a better business blogging workshop in Windsor, Berkshire
2. What makes for great social media engagement, blogging ideas 2012

That was 12 days ago and yesterday evening I popped in to see what had been added, 4 comments, one with a request, “Great idea Jon. It will help get the discussion going if you can share your routines.”

This resulted in pen going to paper and 1000+ words later, this…

• Personally, my ideal day is to spend the morning talking to those who would just love to spend some money with me but don’t know it yet
• After lunch an hour or so ensuring existing projects are on track and all is balanced with the world
• Mid afternoon to put pen to paper and address key topics in my industry…
• Evenings comment on LinkedIn

But then life is never usually that smooth… kids need collecting from school / college “because it’s raining!” and interrupt the natural flow… dog gets an allergy and needs a morning bath with a £30 bottle of shampoo !

When I say blog I mean your own web space… this may be a bespoke content management system… personally I use a WordPress Blog for Social Media Directors and we have a bespoke CMS for 100+ of our own individual websites… many pages of which fly high on Google… generating 3 million page views last year for us and our clients.
What Norman says about practice making it so much easier is very true… and please don’t worry about spelling everything perfectly so not to be judged harshly by your piers… I tend to find that most of the clever souls who point things out are less than perfect and most others are relieved that you are human!

My ultimate goal is to be front and centre in the mind of those who know me when it comes to all things to do with business lead generation from the web… so I get asked first and then can recommend the best way to proceed.

For those that don’t know me then they need to find me via the search engines.
I want to work on projects locally but I also appreciate that for something to truly fly then it needs a national, if not international vibe.

Business in Berkshire is local and when something local catches my attention then I will scribble a few words, maybe lift bits from other media sources, if more than a few lines then giving credit by mentioning their name is the internationally recognised way of dealing with copyright issues.

Just before Christmas we launched our Social Media Business Awards and I wanted to big up our early sponsors… one writes The Marketing Blog, a chap called Will Corry who I have known for 5-6 years and has tens of thousands of readers who love his style of presentation… he’s been around the media for years and so knows a good story when he see’s it… go google marketing blog and the world renowned Seth Godin’s blog appears below Will’s… I had to put pen to paper as many of those interested in social media will be advised to search out Seth Godin’s Blog… go google and tell me where you find socialmediadirectors.co.uk/seth-godin

Google Jon Davey and under all, videos & pictures I get at least 3 listings… Google social media director and you get the same story, strategically I have the top two spots on the main listing… how did I get my LinkedIn account flying so high?

Social media directors same story, go check the youtube.com/jonblg and note how I have helped myself fly under social media directors… everything is a numbers game… having 12 videos around social media directors ensures I always have at least 2 listings, whatever mood google is in

When I write something I want it to be featured in Google alerts so that those people around the world who are interested in a topic may pick up a story and it leads them back to me… for this I publish via our own CMS under the relevant URL… for example socialmediaevents.co.uk, businessleadgeneration.co.uk, customertestimonials .co.uk, ilovewindsor.co.uk

If relevant to social media, I’ll also want it on the sociamediadirectors.co.uk website… so I will change the title and tweak the open paragraph but otherwise leave it alone… the site has strong SEO because it is all about social media and has been around a couple of years now… because of this, I may just write it for SMD.

We have the ability to share from all our platforms and so I may share a link with Twitter or LinkedIn… this gets the story out… for most stories I will select 1 or 2 groups to send it out to… others I will select all the groups and see what happens… usually not a lot… you need to build a connection with the readers and that doesn’t happen by blanket bombing… it happens because you engage in a LinkedIn group on a regular basis, not just posting discussions but more importantly adding to the discussions of others.

Most of the LI Groups I put energy into are open and so I can share my comment with my Twitter followers… not vast because I haven’t chased as I don’t really find myself engaging on there, I much prefer LI… and my google stats tell me people click through from there to my various sites… twitter followers aren’t really following!

Facebook to me has been about family and friends and since my family don’t really use it I may pop in once a week… but now that I am launching the Social Media Business Awards and many of the B2C organisations who are using the platform are on there… best get that sorted sharpish

I hope this gives a flavour for my approach… I am happy to answer any questions…
Recently I found a new web presentation tool which looks great and let’s you share… it is also getting found by Google, so I’ll be doing more with it, check out
http://www.scoop.it/t/social-media-awards

Thank you

Jon

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Will has extensive experience in building traditional marketing publications as MD of Thomson Publications in South Africa… in more recent times he created The Marketing Blog and with almost 100,000 pages indexed by Google he always has a great story to tell and is often invited to make speaking engagements to educate us mere mortals

The Marketing Blog promotes many of the UK exhibitions, driving visitors to boost the attendance. Will maintains the attention of senior Marketing professionals across the UK by ensuring his blog always contains a variety of interesting content, engaging with his readers and ensuring great click through rates.

The Marketing Blog has become our 2nd sponsor of the UK Social Media Business Awards 2012 and will decide the title of their Award after a Christmas spent down under with his family.

Enjoy the latest edition of The Marketing Blog…
http://www.themarketingblog.co.uk/

Thank you.

UK Social Media Business Award enquiries…

Jon Davey
UK Social Media Business Awards Organiser
Call 01753 852904
Or connect via LinkedIn

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We’ll now there is a solution to their addiction which has been released by Webroot, who offer the fastest, most effective online protection, without disruptions or conflicts.

The perfect social media Christmas present for those on every channel

The Webroot Social Media Sobriety Test… Click here all will be revealed…

Excellent idea, well done Webroot.

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I was just reading about the Social Media Buzz awards and how @WaterAid had won a commendation for their #WaterAid24 social media campaign…

Viewing their tweets I noticed one from Timberland about Ringo Starr Signed Timberland Earthkeepers Boots + Laces…

“What’s this all about I say to myself…” I clicked on the link and was taken to the EBay page and a bunch of boots, Aboriginal in style, with Ringo’s signature on them… “But what’s the campaign?”

Search for the above boot and you land on the Timberland website… search for Ringo Starr and there is no mention? Why not… guess it’s that corporate “keep it to the core products” thinking… but where is more info on the campaign that ends in 3 days… surely you have it front and centre?

I see a Facebook link, click and I’m presented with Timberland Earthkeepers but no mention of Ringo… HELP

Click on the latest, very entertaining, EarthKeeper’s advert video, and then on the Timberland YouTube Channel link… there’s Ringo, telling us a story and spreading peace to the world…

At last, I get to know what it’s all about… most would just assume that the Ringo Starr Signed Timberland Earthkeepers Boots are simply a new product line with his signature on them… but they are way more than that… they have been signed by the man himself and there are only 75 pairs for sale… the money going to WaterAid… not sure if it’s all the money… but whatever, for a Beetle fan these would make for the perfect Christmas present… especially a Beetle fan who loves walking… mind you they would need 6 pairs… bum, bum

It would be great to see a press release on the main site giving more details… this could easily be part of a blog element that shares this type of info… I would guess many folk will be searching for Ringo’s Timberland Boots over the next few days and they will bump into this Beetle fans blog… which sheds a little light on why the big man is signing items for good causes… excellent and good thinking Ringo you’re a Star

In fact, with a bit of thought, Freddie Starr could have walked into the jungle with a pair of those boots on to get the campaign started!

Happy Christmas

Jon Davey
01753 852904

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Are LinkedIn Groups that prevent access to external blogs cutting the value their groups have to offer members?

My response was:

I’ve taken two opposite approaches with my groups to see what happens

I now filter all the new discussion posts on my Business in Berkshire Group

Initially this was driven by competitors simply posting news of their events on my group which irked me but in the interest of openness I allowed it until a few greedy folk went a step too far.

I have found that actually people want to know someone is in control. They don’t want to be bombarded with sales messages taking them off to other websites so someone can simply add another visitor to their web stats…

If the link is off to content that has some real depth to it and it has been pointed out by a third party, not the owner, this adds great value for the group.

People want to learn and engage in real discussions… they want people to ask real questions and for others to respond with real answers and not simply keep telling us how great they are at whatever they do.

This seems to be working for the BinB Group…

In my Social Media Directors Group I have left the door wide open with the proviso that if someone just keeps posting links and doesn’t engage in the group conversations then they are asked to stop simply spamming the group… if they ignore the request they, as individuals, are blocked from posting further.

I also allow anyone to join the SMD Group whereas the BinB group requires some real connection to Berkshire, UK be that family or business related.

Ultimately to comes down to quality of the group and the engagement therein… setting up groups that just get full of people spamming is very easy and of little real value to anyone as nobody is really listening.

Jon
01753 852904

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Talking to people in real time is where the money is as we all live such hectic lives with messages coming at us thick and fast.

When we have a need for something we Google it or ask a friend. If you and your business are front and centre in someone’s mind when they have a need for what you do, you’ll get the call… if not the chap who is top of Google will.

Best social media tool you can put energy into is LinkedIn and then also ensure you and yours add regular content to your blog so your company is front and centre when folk are searching.

We can help you get on track… our How to use LinkedIn for Business workshops are proving very popular, with many finding out about the workshops through the search engines while we actively use LinkedIn to engage with new people through our Groups and then making phone calls in real time… enjoy the video…

And then book your seat for our LinkedIn workshops via www.howtouselinkedin.co.uk or call 01753 852904 to discuss your social media strategy, we’ll get you on track.

Thank you.

Jon Davey
Social Media Director
01753 852904

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Excellent article by Martin Zwilling on BusinessInsider.com entitled Too Busy for Social Media Marketing Could Be Fatal, read it for yourself…

He talks about how, when he suggested to a friend, whose business was going through a bit of a dip, they should add some social media to their marketing mix, their response was they were “too busy”… in his article he offers some excellent advice which will make you reflect.

Over on the San Francisco Chronicle Mark Riddix is asking “Why Investors Can’t Get Enough of Social Media IPOs” and the key factor shines through, the unlimited earnings potential. Social media websites have the allure of infinite earnings because of the medium in which they exist. Social media sites can earn money 24/7.

This is reinforced over at the Huffington Post where there is a story about Lady Gaga and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt teaming up to invest in Backplane… which plans to be a social media mash up that will allow celebrities to engage with their fans. Lady Gaga has a 20% stake and it is reported they have secured £1m of investment in the project. Read on… Lady Gaga Backs Backplane, Social Network For Celebrities

In my opinion, the key for most of us is to get some of the basics right. A good website, one you can be proud of when you give out your business card. A blog you can add to regularly to keep your brand in the media and last but not least, engage on LinkedIn, digging out opportunity in your market place.

We can help on all levels… call 01753 852904.

Thank you.

Jon Davey
Social Media Director
01753 852904

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I went from 200 to 1000 twitter followers on my @jondavey account in a few weeks which made me smile

At that time I had made a decision to follow anyone who followed me. Word got round and a colleague asked why I was following a bunch of ladies from Russia! Oppps, re-think was needed.

I decided to immediately unfollow all but 13 people and monitor what happened. Within 24 hours I lost 25% of my database, during the following week another third dropped away leaving me with half of what I had originally had.

More recent hands on research has shown me that although many may follow, only a few actually listen to what you have to say and many of those tend to be overseas!

With the launch of I Love Windsor and wishing to tweet regularly but not having the time you need to have a plan B. Revisiting Hootsuite and it appears to have moved on a peg or two with some nice added value. You can create multiple RSS feeds, plug in Google stats, plan, generate reports. A most impressive suite of tools for the budding online business apprentice of the future and the slightly older, less flexible, not so sure business person of today

I have signed up for a PRO account to gain access to the new features and will feedback the results of my engagement through this here blog and you can see for yourself the impact on the Tweets by tuning into @windsordaily and then obviously sharing this news widely with your followers.

Thank you, in anticipation of your first re-tweet

Jon Davey
Social Media Director
01753 852904

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