Social Selling Sisterhood Podcast Episode 28: Using LinkedIn to Grow and Up Level your Network Marketing and Direct Sales Business featuring Heather Wilson

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Hi, friend. Welcome to the social selling sisterhood podcast. I am Lindsay Dollinger and I have many titles High school, Spanish teacher, dog Mom, world traveler and direct seller. I empower women to run your direct sales businesses the right way so you can earn the money. You deserve to live the life of your dreams and travel the world. Now we got that out of the way. Let's get started. Yeah, we're alive. Hello. Hello, everyone. I am Lindsay Dollinger with the social selling Sisterhood podcast, and we're doing a video podcast tonight and we have a special guest with us. I'm super super excited that you guys can all hear everything she has to say because this is Heather Wilson. She is a resume builder, resume writer and a Lincoln strategist. And Lincoln is one of the places that I think a lot of people in drug sales, social marketing, they don't use either period at all or they're using it. Maybe not to its full potential. So I'm super pumped. We talked to Heather, So I'm there. Would you mind to tell us just a little bit about you, how you got started and things like that Yeah, absolutely. So I agree that Lincoln is really underutilized, even for as long as it's been around. So I actually started using LinkedIn when I was in college, and it's how I landed. My first job after college was connecting with my Who would become my boss in California, and they flew me out for an interview and I ended up moving across the country, Um, right after college. So Lincoln is a very valuable tool, and it could be used in a lot of different ways. Obviously, you know, being in direct sales relationships and credibility is huge and building those genuine relationships. And what I like about Lincoln is that you can put a name with a face, right? So, I mean, a lot of social media allows you to do that. But the nice thing about Lincoln is it's a professional network. And so you kinda have, um, you don't have that Facebook drama that can happen, or other platforms where it's a lot of personal stuff mixed in. So, yeah, Lincoln is is a really valuable tool, and I'm excited to talk about it tonight. Awesome. Awesome. Okay, so you kind of started off where I wanted Thio ask like the big question. So Facebook LinkedIn. The biggest difference is that Lincoln's more professional. Can you, Lincoln. You won't see a whole lot of like pictures of, like sharing family vacation or like political statements or, uh, really, just like life information. It's really just more professional on building those relationships. So, um, there are still there is still a feed and you can post content on, but it tends to be more professional articles, um, different, like opinions or tips, like business tips, things like that. So that's what I like about Lincoln is when I go there, I know that I'm gonna get valuable business information and you can stay really focused and not have the distractions, either. Oh, yes, I love the sound of that already. I'm like, I can get so sucked in all the Facebook stuff, and I'm going there to work my business. But then it's like a half an hour later, and I'm like, okay and actually work anything. Yeah. Okay. So you have a profile on LinkedIn like you do on Facebook. Are there any key pieces that are really important to have for, like, a standout profile or anything like avoid Yeah, some of the common things that I see is people sounds really simple, but not having a profile picture on there like profile. Yeah, I had shot and it doesn't have to be you in a business suit. I'm not saying it's like business, that up type, but probably not. You like hanging out in a hoody or something, or an unclear picture with sunglasses on. You wanna make sure that they can see your face and it's a good picture and kind of rock your style, too. So a nice close up for a headshot. And then there's a cover photo on Lincoln. Um, that's kind of like a corner in the background, So that's a great place where you can maybe put your business logo or your product or something that represents you and like who you are your interests. So that's kind of where people can get a flare. And I always like to make sure that people have that I see a lot of even if they have a profile picture, a lot of blank cover photos E just write it down and, like, I'm pretty sure mine is blank s I've seen because that's a little smaller than Facebook's, right? Maybe there or something because I've on camera because I use Campbell to make graphics and I've seen a LinkedIn one on there, and I need to do that. So yeah, okay, so good. And then I think the other things that I sometimes see or is like even if you click into somebody's profile, they don't have any information about, like, the prior roles or the jobs they're at now. So it's basically like a blank profile. It's just their name in a picture which really doesn't tell you much about that person. So just making sure that your profile is complete, and I can kind of get into more of the specifics on that. Another thing is to create custom u R L So Lincoln automatically defaults toe like a bunch of numbers and characters for your u. R L. But when you can go in and set the customer rural, which is really simple, it should be in the top right corner of your profile. It will be linked in dot com slash in slash whatever you want it to be. It could be your name it could be your business name. You all kind of have to check and see what's available. But then you can put that link on business cards on your website and just make it really simple for people to find you. Awesome. Now should you pop up in searches anyway? If people are searching in certain keywords like, Is that is there like an algorithm, Kind of like Facebook keywords are really important. So going along with that, there's kind of ah, like a headline at the top of the profile. So this is where you can put, you know, I help entrepreneurs do this or like the problem that you solve or the industry that you're in. So those keywords will be really helpful. When somebody clicks on your profile, they'll immediately no, like what you dio and what you're involved in. Awesome. Uh, I love that. Okay, So how often should we be posting like, is it important to create content on LinkedIn? Or is it more important toe engage or both? Yeah, I think it's, um, whatever you wanna put into it on LinkedIn, I find the personal connections really valuable. And so the way that you're connecting with people on LinkedIn is they kind of have this set up of 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree connections. And so, ah, first degree connection is somebody that you're connected to. A no. On Lincoln. They've accepted. You've accepted your connections. Now, second degree is like a friend of a friend third degree, like a friend of a friend of a friend. You know, it started getting further out in the network, and so the free version, you're kind of limited, how far out in the network you can connect. But I actually wouldn't encourage everybody to, like, run out and grab the paid version because it wasn't until this year, after nearly a decade of using LinkedIn, that I actually paid for the paid version for some business perks on the resume side. So you could do a lot with the free version and connecting with people. And the more you build your network, the easier it will be to connect with people because that web will grow larger. So that's really important. And then, when you're sending connection request, always, always always click. Add a note, and this is where you can type of personal message to the individual toe. Let him know you why you want to connect. I almost never accept connection request from people that didn't write a note to me or that don't have a really good profile because I don't really know why they want to connect with me. So it's a great way. I mean, it's short, but, you know, address them by name. Say why you want to connect. Maybe if you have a mutual connection and common, that's a great way to start a conversation. Or I saw you work for such and such company or this is your interest, like make it really personalized to them. I like that. I like that a lot. So Okay, so giving it more a little bit toward direct sellers, would you recommend that people automatically like I have a business opportunity? Or like, is it still kind of with Facebook, where we're building relationships first and then definitely relationship building. You don't want to span people on LinkedIn either, but I think in that connection message, if you can, you know, really relate to them right off the bat. That's a good conversation starter rather than like connecting with somebody without a message, and then it's like silently afterwards. You like, hey, in their messages, like right after you accept the connections. So right, right, having that conversation up front. Okay, okay. I like that. I like with the different degrees. That's really cool, because I feel like on Facebook. Sometimes we get in that web of, ah, friend of a friend of a friend and you're like, I have no idea Like how he reconnected. Another way to engage to is to comment on people's posts. So if you're, you know, connected and they're posting content, you can comment on their post, and over time they're going to see your commenting on all their stuff and you're taking an interest in what they're doing. So that's a great way to build a relationship to awesome. So that's kind of similar to like Facebook instagram to where you can build relationships that way. Um, so then that makes me think. Is there a private profile public profile option? Yes, So there are privacy settings. When you go into your profile, you can kind of It's got, like, this whole list of toggles where you can turn on and off what sections of information. You want to show publicly to like anybody, Whether they're on or off lengthen. They're only on LinkedIn if they're only connected to you. So I think, like my stuff, I haven't set up where, like, my headline and everything is public. But then my job title is public. But all the descriptions and details are aren't seen until, like, after their connection. Kind of like your preference, But there's a lot of different settings on visibility. Awesome. Okay, so now again, going back to like the direct seller someone who has their own business, there are business pages on LinkedIn, right? Like you. Yeah, you can get, like, a company profile page, and so then you can link that to your profile to. So when you're typing in your company name, it will actually like link to that page. Uh, and then people concert you and find you, and that will help with keywords and algorithms to Okay, So you would recommend if, you know, people are branded and want to get their company out there That they would do also. Yeah. Okay. Awesome. Really great. Now, okay. This is showing my like, complete, like ignorance. I apologize. Is that like a separate account? Or is that something you can do from, like your free version? You can add your person. You would just create a company page. So kind of like you do in Facebook, where you're on a personal profile and you create a page. It's the same concept. Awesome. Awesome. Now you mentioned you just upgraded to the paid Verba in what are some perks if people are trying to decide, And I mean, people can see that on linked into. But I'm just curious for the paid version allows you to connect, they call it like in male. So sending messages to more people that are further out and your network that you're not connected with it allows you so many more messages per month. Otherwise you're limited. So if you're doing like a lot of connecting right off the bat, you might want that if you don't wanna like slowly girl, your network, um, for me for resume writing in Lincoln strategy, it has a future called Pro Finder. So it actually sends me people that are looking to have their LinkedIn profile updated a review by a professional or looking for resume help. So that's really nice, because it sends it, like, leap direct to my inbox, saying, like, these people are looking for professional help, and it only allows five professionals to pitch the individuals, and then it shuts off. So it's not like this. These people that are saying they want this help are being bombarded with hundreds of, like pitches. It literally only allows five professionals. So first come, first serve, and then you can kind of jump in and give them this feel. Okay? I love that. That's really cool. That works perfectly for you, too. Yeah, it works really well. So I haven't kind of played around with other industries to see. Like what? The pro finder could be a value for them, but definitely look into it. Yeah. Yeah, I'm definitely gonna look into that for sure. Um, okay. Another feature I saw on LinkedIn because I was using it a little bit more this summer when I had some time at home. You know, um was groups, what with the groups. How do they compare to, like, Facebook groups? I feel like they're not quite as active as Facebook groups. There are a lot of groups on LinkedIn. So I think it just depends on finding the right group in the right topic and the activity level. Um, I haven't seen a ton of engagement in Lincoln groups personally, but maybe some other, you know, specialized topics would have a lot more engagement. Yeah, they might, cause I was in some teacher groups, and there was, like, one where people were posting, but it was super international. So Lincoln's international right? Yeah. OK. Can you make it us? Uh, the really cool thing about the search feature on Lincoln is it's so customizable. So you can search for people. You can search for companies, you can search for keywords, and you can toggle by location. So you could say in us you could say in Columbus, Ohio, you can really like, narrow it down and say I'm gonna search for second degree connections. Um, you know, in central Ohio of this topic, and it will pull all that up. Oh, I love that. So, like, my mind is just like ticking right now, because I know I'm looking for women to join my team, who are maybe in some other states, and I'm like That would be a really great love, love. Okay, awesome. I feel like that. Just like like the secret sauce right there. I hope everyone heard that. Um, okay. Is there linked in jail? Like how their Facebook jail like, No, I've never been put in it. So I haven't really heard anybody mentioned that. Okay, Okay, I'm familiar with. I mean, I think like Lincoln limits you for the free version on how many messages you can send toe like new connections. So I know, like, a lot of times you get put in Facebook jail if you're sending the same repetitive message all over again. Um, but hopefully with Lincoln. You're not doing that, That you're sending customized messages to people. That is the That is definitely the goal. Um, okay, so now I'm making content. And should I be using Hashtags in that content, like for people to find the key words? Yeah, I think hashtags definitely help and especially, um, you know now, with career stuff too. There's a lot of hashtags, you know, looking for a job or different industries. I think that will help, especially if you're looking for people to, like, join your team that are looking for income opportunities. You concert for people that may, um, get out of a job right now and maybe looking for income opportunities. Right? Right. Absolutely. That's awesome with the keywords there, too. Um, I think I asked this, but I don't think we ever like Luke down to doing it, because I'm asking you stuff so fast. I'm sorry. Um, with that doesn't have an algorithm like, is it better to do live video? Is that even an option? You know, I haven't done live video on my Lincoln. I tend to share more, just like post and links like blawg stuff. So, like, if you have a website and you wanted to share post there, that's a good opportunity to do so. And then it's really where I get a lot of like my industry information. So just a good place to catch up on news. Okay, so it's not, like, frowned upon to share other people or like to share an external link because, you know, like Facebook. Yeah. It doesn't even have to be, like content you wrote. So it could just be, you know, anything that relates to your business or your profession who I like that I like that a lot. Because I know with, like, Facebook it could be so tricky when you're sharing, like, even like you're linked to order something, you know? And they're like, we don't like external links. That problem with links, it does change them into, like, a Lincoln version of a link. And I'm not sure why it does that, but when you type the u. R l and it, like, converts it Oh, you're well, whatever. As long as it were like satellites. Well, it's like no problem, right? Awesome. Awesome. Okay, so what are some big no nos like if you see someone's profile, we mentioned not having the picture. Um, but is there something that we like? Yeah, not having the picture and not having a clear headline on your profile. That kind of like explains what you dio also not having like a well written and descriptive bio at the top. So there's an opportunity to write, just like a couple sentences or paragraphs like about yourself. That's like a great opportunity to give people insight into what you dio before they, like, read on through your profile. So definitely make sure you have that. I mean, it could be as serious or as fun as you want it to be. Um, you know, written in first or third person, depending on your preference. But show some personality, too. I always like personality. Yeah, Okay. I was just gonna ask that, um, Emojis yes or no? I'm linked. Done. E. I haven't used a lot of them. I would say you experience Lee and I don't even know on mobile. Probably gives you that option I don't know about on the computer. Oh, yeah. That's a good point. Yeah, I don't It probably doesn't pop up. Um how often should we be getting on LinkedIn? Is it a thing where we can check it a couple times a week? Should it be, like, part of our daily method of operation? It's up to you. I love having the app on my phone, because when people send me messages, then I can, you know, pop on and reply. And then I could get on my computer to, like, actively engage and, you know, find new connections. I usually, like block out time to do that. But it's nice you get a message on your phone that, like, you know, I can reply to that pretty quickly, even if I'm not on my computer. It depends on your preference if you don't wanna reply immediately and you want to check it at a certain time every day. But that's how I like. Okay, um, so the vibe I'm getting is that it's not necessary. Like once you build the relationship, it's not necessarily I don't want to say as weird, because it's not necessarily weird anyway, but I feel like it's a little bit easier. Thio approach people about, like a job opportunity, like joining your company as an opportunity on Lincoln E. I mean, contacted by recruiter is pretty frequently on Lincoln, too. So I think as long as you're not being like, really pushy about it, if you're talking, you're building that relationship first and then offering the opportunity or asking them if they're, you know, familiar with anybody who might be interested, that that's fine to dio. Okay, awesome. Great. Is there anything I missed? E u S o going back to completing your profile? Recommendations are really, really valuable. So these air testimonials basically and you probably have them on your website or your social media, but they're called recommendations on LinkedIn. And so, whoever you're asking for a recommendation, they'll have to be on LinkedIn also. But basically, you can go in and actually send the request for them to fill out the recommendation. Be a Lincoln so you can send them a link director. Their email. Would you be willing to send up or write a recommendation for me? They can go in and fill it out. It sends it back to you to approve or deny before it goes on your profile, which is e. You don't have to publish it. But that is a great way because then you know they can see what other people have to say about you too. And I like thio Kind of do those over time don't do, like, five recommendations. And one day kind of like spread it out. Maybe as somebody today as somebody next month, You know, that type of thing. So you kind of have ah, variety of timelines. Okay. Okay. Great. Um and then So when we're making our profile for the first time, is it okay to go ahead? And like do you, like, publish it when you're done setting it up Kind of like a Web page, like if you're not done with it. So if I'm like, Okay, I have time to do my bio and my profile picture tonight that I want to make a really cute header photo. I think it's gonna be live like from the minute that you get on. So, um I mean, it's fine if you're setting it up. Don't go connecting with, like, 100 people until it's like complete, obviously. But yeah, that should be fine. And there's there's some really cool codes you can grab Thio. Forget what they're called like cards, maybe where you can embed it on your website and it's actually like a square block that includes your linked in like headshot, entitle and, um, link to it. So look for, like, different imbed codes. If you do your own websites or have a website person. Oh, that's a great It's not just like, ah, hyperlinked word. It could be a little fancier than that. Oh, that's really awesome. Yeah, in bed. The Lincoln Great. Um, that's just like, literally how this is so much valuable information I can't wait to share this with my team with everyone I like, literally, because I feel like if done properly, just like anything with social selling like this could be a really huge game changer because you want professionals. You know, that's your goal. Building us your business. You want people that are going to take it seriously. Yeah, Andi, I feel like LinkedIn attracts that sort of clientele. You know, it really is a different crowd. I mean, obviously we're all on Facebook and LinkedIn. It's not like we're different people, but it's like a really different vibe than any other social media. And I love that like it's just always fun to get on LinkedIn and connect with people and have conversations now super quick. Is there a max number of connections like Facebook? I think you could have 5000. Do you? No, no. I think there's like a lot, lot more than that that you can have on LinkedIn. Um, the other thing that I would mention when you're sending connection messages to is I always love to offer to people like please let me know if I could ever be of assistance to you or ever be of help to you That way it doesn't seem well, it isn't a one way street of you asking for something from them. Like, how can I be a resource for you? I love that. Yeah, because I feel like, you know, a lot of times we hear, like, no, not right now or stuff like that. And then the message just kind of ends. But if you let people know like, I'm gonna open, you know, open door, I can help you with lots of other things. Thio, I really like that. It's good to go back. Once you have your connections, you basically have, like, a database of connections to go back in and check in with them. You know, like it doesn't have to be like Constant. It could be every three or six months even, but just like, hey, you know, just wanted to say hey and hope you're doing well and let me know if I could be a resource like just carrying on that conversation. I love that love that, um And then, like birthdays, all that I know they pop up for, like, work anniversaries send messages for that. Just like you should on other social media, and Lincoln will actually suggest, like, stock message is kind of like I think Facebook started doing that recently too. But Lincoln's been doing it longer. I feel like a Sfar a Z. Like when it's a work anniversary, it pops up with, like, congratulations. Congrats. And you know, you know, one other thing I always try to like, even if you start with those add to it Because I feel like the person knows that the stock messages. So yeah, they're e profitable Thio. Yeah, absolutely. It makes total sense because I think I've even tried to use some of those and then I, like, put an exclamation point or something. There's, like, a weird space. And I'm like, Okay, this is E I like some stuff in here. Um, yeah, I like that. And that makes it really quick and easy. Thio use. You know what I mean? What? What? I mean, because you use it all the time E and then you can share anything in there, right? Like youtube article. Anything you find? Yeah. Okay. Awesome. That's so good. Okay. Okay. Is there anything else I'm missing? I just think when you're like filling out your profile is faras like you're different jobs or your roles your skills, like make sure you use a variety of like action verbs and make it really exciting when you're putting descriptions for the different jobs. Now, should you include stuff that's not doesn't have anything to do with the industry. You're looking to become like you Should you include all the things I don't think you need to list your, like, entire resume, Um, going back to high school or anything like that. I mean, listen, what makes sense? Um, sometimes I like to see more than just, like one current role. Like I like to see a little bit of history. Yeah. Cool. Okay. Okay. That's great. Okay, how they're so how can anyone who's watching this? You're listening to this. How can they connect with you? And how can they work with you? Because, um, this'd just so bad. Yeah. So my businesses hide your strategy, and I have a free Facebook group called High Gear Careers where I get resume and Lincoln tips in there so you can join that free community again. It's high gear careers on Facebook. I'm actually in the process of building out my high your strategy website and redoing that. So right now you can find me at Heather in wilson dot com, and I've got a couple different options. I've got a level of your linked in product. It's a $197 and we'll go through your entire profile and really optimize it and make it the best that it can be to serve you. And we'll go over a lot of the things that I talked about and really customize it for you. And then I also have a link to an audit. If you just want to dip your toe in the water, it's $59 and I'll go through your profile and I'll provide suggestions for you. But you'll really be kind of working on it in a d. I Y fashion. My God, I love that There's like something for everyone. Wherever you were out on the spectrum and guys, I will definitely length ease in. If you're watching this on a video, I will link them in the comments or in the description, actually, and then for the podcast, I'll link all of Heather's info, too, so you can just click on it and find her and connect with her because, um, I really think this could take your business to, like, a whole new level, especially if you haven't even started using it yet. Just imagine some of the different, you know, the different people that you could connect with and could find, and it really will be a different audience. I feel like my audience and my connections on LinkedIn are not the same as my Facebook at all. Like, I don't go connect with all my friends on linked unnecessarily, like these air business connections that I probably wouldn't be friending on Facebook. Yeah, that's great, because I feel like that's one of the most common things I hear from women in drug sales is like, Okay, I've run out of my warm market. So this is a really nice way to dip your toe in there cold market and make them your warm market and find people so you don't feel like you're looking at all the Facebook groups trying to find all the people well, and it's great to not even to direct sell to the people that you connect with on LinkedIn, but you can, you know, meet other people. Maybe you want to be on their podcast to talk about your products and services. Or maybe you want to book a speaking engagement where you can share your expertise and your products. So there's other means than just selling direct to the person you're connecting with. Obviously, that's a great point. I feel like that's another area. We don't collab enough with other people. You know, whether they're in a company similar to yours. Like you said podcast books, um, events. You know, I think especially virtual events right now would be huge. Yeah, it's a great way to grow your network. Oh, my gosh. I'm so excited. Well, Heather, thank you so much. This has been absolutely amazing. And I know everyone really enjoyed it. And again, guys, I will link all of her stuff s so you can connect with Heather. Thanks so much, Lindsay. Thank you. Bye bye.