We gathered eagerly for the tips that promised to make us Digital Superstars. Let’s face it …. few of us really ALL have the skills to do this, or if we have, have we made the time to prioritise this? Well, listening to Susan Hallam MBE last week at Lady Val Corbett’s networking lunch (and this essentially is a bring your own cuppa or fav tipple and settle down with your iPad instead of congregating in London’s Theatreland venue if Browns) it not only sounds vital but also do-able. (There is a summary and great list of resources at the bottom of the post).
Susan, founder of a leading digital agency, did not disappoint. Her powerful presentation which thankfully was recorded, took us through 13 areas where we most likely are missing out and inadvertently making blunders. I defy you to find a few where you are already shining! As Susan rightly pointed out, we are living in a post-pandemic world and this has changed where and how we work so our online presence is even more important than ever. The hour’s journey that Susan took us through is well worth the watch and here are the 13 areas highlighted for you to start attending to! Click here for the video and find Susan at 56 minutes in.
Susan was awarded an MBE for services to entrepreneurship and innovation in the Queen’s Honours 2018. That same year Susan was named a BIMA 100 CEO & Leaders shaping the digital industry, and she was made a Fellow of the Institute of Data & Marketing. She is a Freeman of the City of London, the chairman of Nottingham’s Creative Quarter, and a Trustee of Nottingham Castle. Born in the USA, Susan has resided in the UK since 1985. Susan employs more than 60 specialists with clients including the United Nations, Speedo, the BBC, and Suzuki Cars. In 2019 Hallam was awarded Google’s top agency accolade for EMEA, the Growing Businesses Online award. Who better to be our Digital Superstar guide for Lady Val Corbett’s event!? Her tips were brilliant.
- Your LinkedIn profile needs to be 5-Star
- No excuses. Get the basics right.
- A really good headshot photo
- Use the banner background with an image for your business. Don’t leave it blank
- Keep it up to date
- Use every section can to show your authority
- There is a section showing who people “also viewed”. You never know what company you are keeping so the advice here is .. turn that feature OFF
- Visual is powerful so include videos, images and PDFs
- If you don’t highlight good visuals, LinkedIn will choose some for you
- Use the Recommendation feature to the max; what others say about you is very powerful
- Increase your recommendations by leaving them for others .. think of who you can be grateful to
- Follow Up Afterwards
- Having gone to so much effort for an event, why waste that effort by not following up on there contacts you have made.
- Hubspot is a recommended site for listing contacts and seeing what they asked for or were interested in
- Create trigger emails and standard follow-up messages
- Measure the Results
- Again, you put in the effort but it’s good to know what works best and has the most impact
- When you share content check to see how many times it was shared, what engagement there was
- If there is a good piece of content re-purpose it for another site or blog
- make a few edits and perhaps change the image (but basically the same blog)
- Measure what is happening soon your website with Leadfeeder website tracking software
- Here you can see what companies visit, and who in that company in particular
- Learn more about how folks behave
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Leverage Google to the hilt
92% of searches are on Google!- Google have a number of free services and resources. Use them.
- Google My Business is a must. This presents the information on the right hand search panel.
- Keep the info up to date, add stories, add reviews
- Use this space to tell people what you want them know
- Don’t Forget to target specific Prospective Clients
- Create targeted advertising on platforms like LinkedIn with really detailed criteria .. when you know exactly who you want to attract. This can be very cost effective
- Explore Frictionless Marketing where the customer does not even have to fill in the form. Make it easy for people to respond and work with you
- Keep in touch with Existing Clients
- Don’t forget to communicate with your old and existing clients
- It can be tempting to put too much focus on new business and forget about them
- Do you have a Covid-19 statement at the top of your website showing how you are being helpful to clients? Tell your folks what are you doing differently in these times.
- Don’t assume all your customers know all about what you offer, and all your new services. You may have expanded so keep them up to date with developments.
- Social media does not replace Email Marketing
- Email marketing has the highest return of all digital techniques; there is a much higher conversion rate than social media marketing
- Even the auto-messages are very effective. Yes they may be transactional but they are good manners.
- They give a 44 times return rate!
- 21% of emails are read within the first hour. Know all your stats and use the knowledge
- Zoom meetings still need Good Etiquette
- Don’t subject others to views up your nostrils or the top of your head.
- Take care to be well-positioned in the centre of the shot
- Make sure your face is well lit
- Remember to create a good background, one that reflects your brand. Curate well what can be seen by others.
- Maintain eye contact in meetings and don’t leave the screen or get distracted by non-essential events around you.
- Daily Social Contact slot
- Don’t be anti-social on Social media
- People appreciate it when you engage with them
- Acknowledge when people comment .. say thank you .. engage. Liking and commenting is good manners.
- There is a lot that can be accomplished in just ten minutes a day if you have a disciplined routine
- Share the Love. Give back, share other people’s important campaigns and projects where you can make a difference .. highlight other people’s success and initiatives.
- Engage with people .. keep the conversation 2-way, don’t just put stuff and communicate one way.
- Me me me is not so god .. focus on others. It will have a huge impact on your effectiveness
- Engage and Personalise
- Taking the time to handcraft a personal message is important of you want a response.
- Don’t just invoice folks into a group with a general request .. they will leave the grouping by one and it won’t look good
- Avoid corralling people a spam-like way. It is not productive. Behave online in the same elegant way we do offline, in-person.
- Know what your Customers want
There is nothing like walking a day in the shoes of your customer. What do they want? What do they need?- What or who is the Persona you are selling?
- Research what questions people are asking so that you can answer them
- Answer the Public is a great free search tool to find out what people are asking about. Be a great digital warrior. Now you know what content to create or speak about. It comes from Google data, and is a collation of their research. You put in a word that relates to a product or service. It then brings up all the questions that are asked by potential customers.
- Don’t Forget Mobiles
- Ignore mobile at your peril. It could be that over half your targets reach your email or check your website from their mobile
- Do you know if your website is mobile-friendly?
- Google checks this out and if they don’t think so they will exclude you from a search. The Google mobile friendly test can be used to check that google thinks your website is suitable for google users. https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
- Plan for the Inevitable
- Remember Death and Taxes are life’s most certain events .. plan for your demise
- Who has your passwords to access you accounts?
- Who will access your Facebook account to manage the final postings? Grim idea but you need think about a Legacy Contact…. now. Facebook does have a legacy contact function. Somebody needs to be able to get access
SUMMARY of all the Resources Susan recommended are located here.
Great Links from Susan.
- How to Create an All-Star LinkedIn Profile
- Measuring your social impact using BuzzSumo
- Leadfeeder: tracking your website visitors
- Creating a great Google My Business profile
- Targeting your ideal customer using LinkedIn advertising
- COVID Marketing Hub
- Don’t forget to use email marketing
- Using Zoom well
- Be more social on your social media
- Creating your customer personas
- Using Answer the Public to research what your customers are searching for
- Focus on your mobile marketing
- Don’t forget the inevitable…. Facebook legacy contact
The Hallam Agency is a fantastic resource for guidance and tips .. do check it out
