Posts

What is Networking: A Way to Get More Stuff Done!

October 3/by JC

With the recent creation of the Junto on Facebook some members have started calling me “networking machine”. I don’t know about that particular title, but one of my joys is getting people and ideas together to do awesome things!

I guess you could call that networking. And if that’s the case, then yeah – I’m a networker. Or as I would rather call it – a Connector.

In this post originally written in August 14, 2012, I wrote about how anyone can be an effective connector. However, to start being a connector – you have to connect first!

So let’s look at how to do that more effectively in our day to day lives:

Identifying Puzzle Pieces:

Yesterday I was on a call where we were talking about the benefits of partnering with nonprofits to expand business. Normally, in the past, this wouldn’t have made sense to me to spend time doing. Why? Because, most of the nonprofits I’ve known about in the past were the type of people that are for a Nanny State. They want to take care of people (which, in theory, is great!) but do it on the dime of the taxpayer (not so great!). They live mainly on grants.

While many nonprofits can be described as this, there are many others that actually perform their own fundraising initiatives. Those were the nonprofits we were talking about – and it was interesting to learn how one might leverage people who you know to break into those nonprofits.

And it got me thinking, how do I network now compared to when I was in school? Even in recent years?

When I was in school, I just randomly met people with very little purpose. Nowadays, I’m always playing the role of HR director in my head.

(For what it’s worth, the call was with Mark Boersma and Tom Kunz)

Networking in Our Daily Lives

If you’re looking to get anything done, there is a list of generalized steps that you’re probably going to take whether you know you’re doing it or not:

Plan
Take Action on that Plan
Get Results
Re-evaluate the Plan
Adjust that Action
Get Different Results

Nowhere in those 6 steps did I mention that other people had to be a factor. Here’s the thing. There’s only so many hours in a day, and there’s only so many strengths that you have. If you spend your time working on your weaknesses to get things done and not on your strengths, you’re going to get a lot less done with your time.

Part of the key of being Great is being Effective. If you use Appreciative Inquiry in how you see the world, you see a lot more opportunities – including opportunities with other people.

Not part of a Traditional Organization?

So, what to do if you’re a solopreneur who’s not part of an organization like a Chamber of Commerce or a Rotary group?

Not a big deal – Just get out to other events and network. Get to know people. Build relationships. The more relationships you have, the more people that you can add value to, the more things will work out for you.

Zig Ziglar is well known for saying, “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.”

Start helping others out!

Who Are These People?

Generally speaking, I like to network with those that I can work with to get something done together. I feel the more productive people that I have in my life, the more, in return, I can get done. I actively think about and look for those people.

In doing so, I consider personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.

I consider personalities because I want easy people to work with. If you’re a particular type of personality, do you want to have similar people like yourself to work with or someone that might be more of a compliment in skills but you think is a complete ass? While having complementing skills can be useful, in the long run, if the personalities don’t mesh, it’ll have a polarizing effect and potentially kill what you both struggle to build.

As mentioned above, I consider strengths because I need people who fill in for my weaknesses.

But I also consider their weaknesses, because I want to make sure that I can offer them something that they don’t possess. And also, depending on what I’m looking for at the moment, I’ll ask them particular questions which I call key questions.

They can be your Potential Clients too!

These people don’t have to be JUST people you are looking to work with, they can and should include your clients. What kind of clients do you want? Whomever you’re trying to attract, you have to consider what they’re looking for. Do a good job with them, and they’ll recommend you to others!

Also, as a friendly reminder: you’re selling yourself all the time. So make sure you’re making a good first impression of yourself by dressing well everyday.

Just as you would dress up for a job interview, in meeting new friends, or going on a date (which is a form of networking), dress up when you are out and about. You should be prepared to meet that next big client!

At least if you dress well, you have a chance. If you don’t dress your part, you’ll surely miss out!

Action Steps:

First of all, join us in The Junto. Networking is the whole point of the group!

Secondly, let me know how you network. What are some of your secrets in making networking sessions effective? Do you have any key things that you’re thinking and/or wanting to know when you’re meeting with people?? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

Knowing When to Quit: Sometimes you have to Slow Down to Speed Up

September 19/by JC

I’ve been struggling with a question that has been making me think recently. Last week during my 9/12 rememberance, one of the things that I realized was that “things change”.

This has always been the case, obviously, with just about anything – but it’s especially true with online business and marketing.

When I first ran across the online entrepreneurial community, there weren’t nearly as many players as they are today. Facebook and Twitter were still becoming mainstream for businesses to use (I mean, I remember when the Twitter Marketing for Dummies came out. It was the first of its kind!)

Back then, blogs were still popular on the web and the good blogs had their own YouTube channel and podcasts.

In fact, at the time, Pat Flynn said the strategy that worked for him to get noticed was one he dubbed “Be Everywhere”.

And for the longest time, it seems that this strategy has worked for plenty of other folks out there – people who have had success building their popularity on the web.

But, as I said, things change.

Using the Web in 2017

When you think about how people use the web in 2017, how is it different than say someone using it in 2013 or even 2011?

For me, I know that more than half of consumers who used to use laptops and desktops have opted for something a little smaller – especially in their time off.

They’re using their phone.

Even more, they’re probably checking Facebook and other social media apps much more regularly than going to someone’s web page or simply checking what’s trending on Google.

Why?

Just like you want to make it easier for people to take as few left turns as possible to get to a drive-thru, Facebook has made it so that everything can be found under one roof. Much easier than navigating on a browser to a webpage… and then another.

Why leave Facebook?

So, it’s pretty easy to see why people are making a killing building sales funnels through Facebook. The eyeballs are on it all the time.

Sure, you can spend a ton of time becoming a thought leader and developing your own external brand, but why?

Things have changed. What worked 5 or even a couple years ago, might not necessarily work today.

Knowing when to Quit

So, here’s the plan, guys. As you might have heard on the podcast last week, I’m going to be more available on Facebook throughout the week as well as taking a few courses that I’ve been meaning to take.

After my initial posting of the Facebook Mega Group post, I’ve been thinking – why aren’t I building one of these groups myself?

What occurred to me was that I’m getting lost in the details of the work I’m doing. It seriously takes me like 2 and a half days of working time to produce a podcast episode based on my personal tastes. That’s half the week! Not to mention the time I put into finding and talking with guests, and then marketing the new episode.

By the time all is said and done, I easily have 3 days in each episode. The other two days are shot with meetings and/or researching and writing these posts.

Frankly, I don’t have much time, if any, to actually go through new courses or spend time engaging with you all!

So, last week, as per what Lisa recommended, I have to spend my energy more appropriately. I have to get higher. I can’t stay down in the weeds all the time.

Plus, I have to make sure I follow the recent advise that Brendon said. It went something like “If your current work isn’t going to get you to a place where you’re happy – then why continue the work?”.

Here’s the video of Brendon on when to quit.

Coming to a Solution – Slow Down to Speed Up

Here’s the thing, though. I don’t want to quit the podcast outright. It’s been my way of meeting great people on Facebook and at the same time, giving them a way to get their message out there. Personally, since I listen to podcasts as often as I do, I’d just feel weird if I wasn’t producing them all of a sudden.

So, that’s where the two a month solution came from. While it might not be new content each week – I get the chance to actually study other’s content again and apply new findings to my business and help you guys with yours as well.

Plus, I figure this might give some folks a bit of time to hear all the old episodes. Heck, it might even give me some time to remaster some of those old interviews!

Action Steps

So there’s my take guys. This why I need to change things up a bit. Hopefully it gives you guys some permission to change things up in your own business as well.

Ask yourself – is what you’re doing right now, the way you’re doing it, going to get you to happiness any quicker? Is there something else you could try to get there?

For Arne and JR – making a Facebook Group was the option they took to achieve the results they have today. Maybe it’s time for you to consider the same thing?

That said, stay tuned for specifics on the new group! I hope to have info out about it at the end of the week!!

Bonus:

Also, since we’re on the topic of slowing down to speed up. Check out this footage of a Bugatti Veron having problems with a speed bump:

JR Rivas – Leveraging Creative Marketing in Local Advertising: What a 23 year Old Did to Create a 6 Figure Digital Marketing Agency (AoL 104)

September 7/by JC

Most entrepreneurs think, at some point, about the ability to strike it rich one day doing whatever is that they’re doing.

In my Amway days, a good question I remember being asked was “Doing the job that you’re doing, could the income they’re making ever be obtainable?”

Most of the time the question was answered “No.”. And I believe that kept many people believing that Amway was the one ticket to the life they dreamed about.

Today’s guest, had a similar wake up call. He realized that to get to where he wanted to be in life, he had to learn how to sell things.

That lead him through a journey of all kinds of jobs, businesses, and online opportunities.

This past year, he found something he could help people with – creating sales funnels.

In this chat, we discuss how he came to that realization. We also discuss why he believes that building sales funnels is one of the most lucrative out-of-the-gate businesses a new entrepreneur can start today.

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

What was the Digital Nomad Excelerator? 10:48
What was it like growing up for JR? Where did his inspiration come from? 14:20
What kept JR from going the traditional college route? 21:11
How did tax preparation come into the mix? 28:02
How did he expand his tax business so quickly? 31:46
How did JR get started in online business? 33:30
What’s the best way for people to get started in online business in 2017? 41:54
In his opinion, what is the clearist way to having a successful online business today? 46:26
What’s the point of Facebook groups going into archive mode and what are some ways of growing them? 51:31
Who are his 3 favorite influencers? 56:31
One thing under $100 that has changed his life? 57:04
What is a topic that should be discussed more often? 57:36
What would he do if he woke up as his 10 year old self tomorrow? 58:34
Secret to achieving personal freedom? 1:02:20
… and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

JR on CBS talking about What He Does:

JR speaks with Dan about how he made $10k in a month:

Facebook Ads for Entrepreneurs Review by JR and Arne:

JR on Why You’re Landing Page isn’t Converting:

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

Education Reform: Why It’s Important for Creatives to Get Involved

August 29/by JC

With everything that’s been going on in the news cycle, I thought it’d be a great time to bring up the topic of education system reform. Seems this topic isn’t discussed nearly as much as it could be.

I believe that our current education system is part of the problem in both the National Socialist vs International Communist debate as well as people not seeking appropriate shelter from Hurricane Harvey. Personally, in my teens and twenties, for example, I wouldn’t have stuck around to get hit by a hurricane. And when it comes to protests, even when I felt the need to get involved with one, I would have ducked out whenever it got violent and the police showed up.

Today, in both situations, people are playing the role of victim and not taking responsibility for their own actions. They’re saying that the government needs to take more control and tell them or the other side what to do.

The question is… can you blame them? Not necessarily.

In recent years, it appears that the greater education system has practically said it’s ok to act this way. (Safe spaces anyone???)

However, I don’t believe that’s the truth. And in fact, successful people are only successful based on their own desires and efforts. They’re the ones who have put in the extra time and commitment to make their dreams come true.

Sure others help them along the way, but it’s because they made the initial effort to do more in life. Once they began on their own journey, they met people along the way who were going in the same direction.

So how can we make the world a better place? Help change how students are educated.

Changing Education for the Better

What does that even mean?

Since this post was originally published on October 14, 2010, I’ve heard of various schools doing better work with their students. Traditional schools are starting to make classes that help their students realize their full potential.

Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily the norm.

In fact, in Indiana, we still have what are called Core 40 diplomas. To many, it might be considered common sense to educate people in a well rounded manner. However, sometimes that model simply doesn’t work. Some of the individuals who are on the route to get a Core 40 diploma might have done better in a field that school can’t even touch; such as learning how to be a performing artist, an athlete, community leader, or even being a great business builder. (Personally I’m a knowledge junkie, so school was always a drug for me… except for the tests!)

Discussing Possible Solutions:

In the below RSA Animate, I wanted to share with you a video which introduced me to a guy by the name of Sir Ken Robinson. Great guy and has totally changed my perspective in why public education needs to be separated from public schooling.

It was after listening to him, that I was able to start putting two and two together. Soon after, I was re-introduced to Gary Vaynerchuk (not the Wine Library version, but instead the version we know today). If you didn’t know, Gary is completely for Education Reform (start at 12:30):

And then, I was later introduced to the School Sucks Project with Brett Veinotte. Here’s the first episode of the show from 2009. Later in the show’s life, it kinda went away from why I originally tuned in – but those first 20 or so episodes are great material.

Something Else to Consider

In many states, the classes that are usually cut first in public schooling are not your STEM classes. They’re not the reading, writing, or social studies classes either. For many systems, they are the “optional” classes. This includes the art, the music, and other “special” classes. You can clearly see which classes are more important to various school boards based on the classes they cut. The problem is that there are students who excel in these special classes more so than the other classes they’re in. That being the case, you can probably understand why I’ve never really been a fan of the “No Child Left Behind” act.

Generally speaking, its result has been to limit everyone’s potential to the same standardized schooling.

So why are these classes the ones normally on the chopping block? I believe it’s because many standardized tests are primarily focused on testing upon vocabulary, math, and writing. The better these test scores are in primary schooling, the better a student can perform in secondary schooling. After being in secondary school myself as a student for 9 years, I realized one main thing about learning in a “formal” secondary education: it makes you better at following orders and instructions. It makes you better suited to work a job.

Changing the Education System

Government isn’t the Answer:

So, I believe it’s up to us – the Creatives, the Entrepreneurs, the Rebels – whatever you want to call us – to start coming up with alternative methods of educating those around us.

The world is moving too quickly to let the old system continue to be the primary method of education. Not only that, but those who are in control of it, have no problem teaching its students that it’s ok to rely on the government to provide security.

That’s not what the government is for.

We Need to Empower People’s Individual Strengths – Not Give a One Size Fits All Solution:

In the past five years, I have become even more aware that there are other talents that could be measured for intelligence. However, for one reason or another they are not. And, in fact, the evidence is piling up.

Outside of the types that IQ measures (being linguistic verbal and logical mathematical), nine different types of intelligence have been identified.

Many private primary and secondary school systems have taken note of this as well. They have started to focus on developing intellectual leaders in different fields of intelligence. I’m convinced that making this a vital part of education is the answer to making any country, including the U.S., a player in the new economy.

However, most students still go through the traditional education curriculum that is still rated by a very narrow measure. This worries me. I find it disconcerting that many students are still being taught and measured in a way that is only useful in following directions. The problem today is that with the today’s global economy, this mindset has given us a 10% unemployment rate.

I believe the longer that this goes unchecked, the higher our future unemployment rates will go. It will be the result of an ever increasing ratio of people who should be taught to excel at their strength vs those who are mentored in their natural strengths. In other words, there will be a heck of alot more people trying to take orders than giving them.

Conclusion:

So here’s the bottom line.

It’s been 8 years since I got my masters. It’s been 5 since I haven’t taught in formal education.

I don’t believe it’s totally fair to try and pin every one down in one or two measurements of intelligence. Especially when we’re told by so many people that we need to celebrate our differences.

But funny enough, that’s what the US’s Prussian Education based system focuses on doing.

We have to help others get more creative. Period. We can’t rely on the schooling system to do it. In fact, we have to separate public education from public schooling.

Lack of creativity is hurting the US. If the US is in trouble, the rest of the world can’t be doing so hot. People still come here to get away from the crap that’s going on in their homelands.

We have to remain the the shining city on the hill.

So that being the case – I’m curious. Are you connected to public primary or secondary schooling? Have you seen any signs of a change to focus more on building students in other types of intelligence? If so, what results do you predict from that change?

Just Getting Started: Why Execution is More Important Than Having the Best Business Ideas with Jeremy Miller (AoL 101)

August 17/by JC

What could possibly come after the big 100th episode of AoL? How about an episode where the guest does pretty much everything we talk about in that session item by item.

In this session, Albert and I are joined by Jeremy Miller. Jeremy is a well known entrepreneur around Indianapolis due to his speaking engagements and the work that he does through the multiple companies he’s involved with.

What’s great is that just like Dane Maxwell back in session 56, Jeremy’s been able to use entrepreneurship as a way to put his energy into something that has give him purpose.

Here’s the catch, though. While Dane found entrepreneurship in college, Jeremy found it while he was still in high school.

And now that he’s graduated, he’s really starting to open things up! He’s not wasting time stuck in a chair preparing for tests!

In this conversation, we learn more about his backstory, his perspectives on some of the general mindsets that someone considering to be an entrepreneur needs, and why execution beats the best business ideas!

Thanks for spending some time with us and enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

How’d Jeremy get into entrepreneurship? 11:09
Did he have a mentor and how did he end up seeking them out? 13:45
How does Jeremy balance work, travel and life? 16:54
Where did he travel to once graduating? 22:07
How did Jeremy start living intentionally? 28:27
Jeremy’s thoughts on over executing the competition vs worrying about stealing an idea. 30:59
What are some steps that people can take to make a difference in the world? 33:30
Which is right? The perspective of finding passion in your work or your passion leading to the work you do? 37:31
What’s Jeremy looking forward to in the not too distant future? 40:37
What are his Top 3 favorite books? 43:17
What’s his least favorite social custom? 44:17
What advice does he hear adults giving young kids that he’d call BS on? 49:51
How can someone be a difference maker in their own community? 52:20
… and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Jeremy’s Story:

Jeremy on WTHR 13:

Subaru Impreza Movie:

Mike Rowe on NOT following Your Passion:

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

The Rule of Five: The Building Blocks of a Leader’s Daily Routine

August 15/by JC

It’s funny how things change! In this post from October 12th, 2010, I mention going to an LTD Leadership convention. I imagine it was either in Kansas City, MO or Louisville, KY. I’ll tell you, I loved being a part of that group! I was motivation junkie. I was sucking it all in and had been for 4 years straight at that point. It had been over a year since I had graduated, but I had little to show for it – in fact, this was when I was just about to start teaching at Ivy Tech.

At that point, who would have guessed that I would soon become a John Maxwell Team member?

Woah. Life is truly amazing in its twists and turns.

Anyhow, I wanted to share this post after last week’s 100th session of the AoL Podcast. One of the things that I mentioned is that John has this Rule of Five when it comes to learning and filing those things away. Well, as you’ll read below, those 5 steps have helped him write numerous books over the years. However, this does come at a cost – he calls his regular life pretty boring!

I can relate. That’s why I don’t really use social media to share what I’m up to. Because most of the time it’s spent in front of a computer creating content!!

– JC

What a Great Weekend!

Over the weekend I went to an LTD leadership conference – Summit 2010. As usual, the quality of the speakers was great. The two keynote speakers completely blew my mind: Frank Luntz and John C. Maxwell. For those of you who don’t know, Frank is a pollster that has probably been on every prime time and morning news show imaginable. And Dr. Maxwell, well – let’s just call him the guru of leadership. He’s someone that I’ve learned quite a bit from in the last couple of years through my grad work and LTD itself.

One of the things that I share with you guys today was something John pointed out that he does on a daily basis that I thought was really noteworthy. Doing this little thing has lead him to write over 50 books over his career and still gives him more to share. This little thing is called the “Rule of Five”.

Essentially the Rule of Five is a habit you start that consists of 5 different actions that lead you to your goals/dreams. For example, Dr. Maxwell wanted to become an in-demand writer and motivational speaker. Of course, there are multiple ways to do this, but since he’s a great writer, he thought that it’d be better for him to go in as a writer.

Rule of Five:

So, his five things that he does to achieve this are:

Read
File
Think
Ask questions
Write

Doesn’t seem too bad, does it?

Well, there’s a catch. You have to do this everyday. No excuses. Do you want to be a novelist? You will write every day. Do you want to be an painter? You will paint everyday! Simple, right?

As part of his presentation, he said, “your success is determined by your daily agenda.” This is so true, because it is! To accomplish you have to be productive! However, he worked intelligently. You hear so much about people being busy all the time and not successfully going anywhere – it’s typically because they’re not focused in their work.

And since he was there talking about his writing, you can see that he was successful in what he set out to do!

John wasn’t born rich. He didn’t attend a prestigious school or grow up with children of people in power. He got to where he is by doing.

So. Five things a day, everyday. That’s all it takes to fulfill your dream.

Just a note to add here. Since starting work on New Inceptions full time, I started implementing my own Rule of Five. While I started from his, mine varies slightly due to the different content pieces that I’ll make in a given week.

For creating content, mine are:

Explore – Find out what’s going on in the world around me and in the online entrepreneurial/creative industry.
Study – Are there any interesting crossings of the two worlds? What does it mean and how does it apply?
Connect the Dots – Ask those questions! Who needs to know this information? Is this something I need to bring up in future content?
Take Action – Synthesize new content, share, and help others where needed.
Reflect – Ask myself, “Did that have the desired effect I was looking for? What could I have done better?”

Action Steps:

One thing I want to make clear is this: the Rule of Five can be applied to anything that you want to master. What do you want to master?What are you working on that you can break down into 5 steps? Let me know below!

If you want a post about this in John’s own words, you can check one out here! Also, if you haven’t done so yet from session 100, check out this post by John. In this post, besides his Rule of Five, he also talks about his 12 pledges. Now, I can’t say that I have pledges, I do use Joe Markiewics’s 21 Standards to this day, I wouldn’t necessarily call them pledges – although they seem to be very similar.

Leveraging LinkedIn for Business: 11 Tips to Get More Social on the “Professional” Platform

August 1/by JC

Ever since my interview of Mirna Bacun back in session 18, I’ve been a proponent of folks starting groups on LinkedIn if they thought that their clientele would sooner be found on there than on Facebook.

Another reason that you might want to start a group on there is that it has a few more functions than groups on Facebook have these days – including a digest of activity.

There’s other reasons, but you can find out more about that in my interview with Myr here.

In the meantime, everyone that does business online SHOULD have at least a profile on LinkedIn. You never know who’s going to run across your account – and frankly, you can share things over there just as easily as you can on Facebook.

In this post, which was originally posted back on September 30th, 2010, I went over how you can make your account easier to find for those looking to fill a position. Back then, I was still trying to get hired by a startup – so I wrote it in that perspective. Eventually, I did land a position through that old advice – but I think it’s time that this post get’s a bit of an update! – JC

What is LinkedIn, Really?

Since graduating, one thing has definitely been on my mind as I’ve been looking into professional networking: LinkedIn. To those of us not familiar with it, I’ll just say that it’s basically a Facebook for professionals. It has many features that Facebook has except without all the personal clutter that makes Facebook is known for.

Here’s a review of the new LinkedIn User Interface in 2017 by Paul Wilson to get you up to speed if you’ve never made an account on the platform before:

If you’re a professional or business owner and you DON’T have a LinkedIn account, then you might be missing out. Sure, you can make plenty of noise through having your own Facebook Group these days, but if not everyone uses Facebook for business – yet. So having an up-to-date account on LinkedIn pointing to your account on Facebook (if that’s where they can find you most often) might be the best solution.

Tips on Using LinkedIn

That being the case, here are a few things that you want to focus on when getting involved with LinkedIn:

1. Make sure you Create a 100% full Profile.

This includes getting 3 recommendations and a nice (professional) picture for yourself.

2. Use Keywords in your Profile.

For me I try to use terms related to online business development, brand development, and social media consulting. The more often you use particular keywords in your profile, the easier it is for LinkedIn’s search engine to find you. This makes it easier for others to find you if they look for that particular term.

3. Update your Profile Regularly.

Just like other social media platforms, people take interest in you if you post more frequently. One way to do this is by linking your profile to your other social media accounts. That way, whatever you post over there will be seen on LinkedIn. However, if you’re posting super personal information regularly, you might want to reconsider doing this. The best course of action is simply posting native material to LinkedIn.

4. Find and Participate in the Groups You Care About!

Just like groups on Facebook, Groups in LinkedIn can be a great place to meet liked minded individuals that can help you get to where you’re trying to get to in your career.

5. Add anyone you meet in Business and Life

Just like adding people to Facebook, don’t be afraid to ask them to be LinkedIn! Just like in Facebook, the more people you’re connected to, the better off you are in networking. Those are selective in whom they select to be part of their list aren’t doing themselves any favors. (When inviting them on LinkedIn, be sure to use a custom message.)

6. Get familiar with Browsing your Connections’ Connections.

You never know who knows the people you know. As David Anderson said, “You’re only one person away from having everything come true that you want in life.”

7. Start following particular companies that you might enjoy working with.

When you do this it will be announced to people in your network. Answering questions in groups does wonders to get you noticed as well.

8. Don’t be afraid to leave Recommendations for people.

In fact, when you leave recommendations for people – more often than not, they’ll return the favor. This makes you look hella awesome!

9. Share What You Know

If you know something about a company such as an event or the fact that they’re hiring, let others know!

This is another way of building rapport with members of your network. What goes around, should come around!

10. Use that Search Feature!

On many websites this feature gets overlooked as it tends to be somewhat frustrating to use. Not the case at LinkedIn. Use it to find potential clients or groups that you want to work with.

11. Create Your Own Group

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, having your own group is a great way to develop a following. Myr was ahead of her time when she created her formula – so if building a following on LinkedIn is key to building your business – don’t hesitate and get educated!

Action Steps

With it’s update this past year, LinkedIn is stepping up its game. It functions more and more like Facebook, which, in general, makes it easier for people to navigate. Again, the big difference is that the audiences are completely different. Even though you can do business on Facebook, it’s still the exception and not the norm.

If you haven’t been on LinkedIn for awhile or feel you have to spend a lot of time there to make it worth your while – think again!