I just found out about this telecall that's happening today.  Basically they are giving you tips on how to get sales using LinkedIn.  In order to register for this call just click on the words LinkedIn Power Prospecting (this is an affiliate link) in this post.  Enjoy the call!

 

I moderate the LinkedIn group here on Active Rain.  I check the posts daily to make sure that all of the posts are on topic.  Unfortunately, I come across many posts that do not fit the topic of my group and I have to delete the message.  Do yourself and the people in your group a favor, read the guidlines of your group before you post your blog post to that group.  This way you make sure that the people in your group get the information they are looking for.

I know I sound like a broken record, but PLEASE take the time to read the profile of the person you wish to network with before you send them a networking invitation.  On my LinkedIn profile, I plainly state that I do not accept canned invites, yet day in and day out I receive dozens of "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn" messages. Grrr! Drives me crazy.  Same thing with Facebook. On my profile it plainly states that I don't accept friend requests unless I know how we are connected.  So why is it that when I log into Facebook I see at least one or two requests without messages?!?!?!

Networking is about making good first impressions.  If you can't even take the time to read my profile, how am I to believe that you will take the time to do a good job on my project?  It only takes a few extra minutes to read a profile.  This will let you determine if this potential contact is someone that you can help. 

 

Okay rant over. I'm back to my normal, happy go-lucky self.

 

I found this blog post on the ActiveRainer's LinkedIn group.  I thought you guys might find this information useful.

 

I do apologize for my extended absence.  I discovered that I was expecting in July.  I'm expecting a little girl in February. Therefore, I've been cutting back on the time that I spend online.  I still am maintaining a presence on twitter and facebook. You can always connect with me there. Just look up DeAnna Troupe and you'll find me.

If you’re reading this post you are interested in marketing with videos. Videos are indeed a good way of getting the word out about your products and services. Before you jump in head first, here are three fundamental principles you need to know about video marketing.

Principle #1 – Know what the purpose of the video is.
Before you start recording your video you need to know what you are trying to accomplish. It will make it easier for you to write your script if you have a clear idea of what the goal of the recording is. It is important to have a clearly defined message.

Principle #2 – Know your target market.
This is important because you don’t want to record something that will offend your audience. Take some time to get to know your niche. Spend some time in the places where the people in your niche hang out. Watch some of the other videos that your competitors are posting. This will give you an idea of what is acceptable in your niche. It’s okay if you do something a little different from most people. After all you are trying to brand yourself. Just don’t go overboard with being different. You don’t want to alienate your audience.

Principle #3 – Be consistent.
This is a biggie. You won’t get results if you only post one video and then walk away. You have to be posting something often, ideally every week so you stay on people’s minds. People are inundated with marketing messages. If you aren’t constantly in front of your market, they will forget about you.

Video marketing is an effective way to market your business. If you take a few minutes to plan your video, you will get the results you are looking for. Use the tips given in this article and you will be off to a great start.

 

Many people think that when they first join a social media network, they don't have anything they can share. That simply is not true. I created a slide show to show how easy it is to contribute to a social media network. Even if you are brand new, you can share information with someone. Enjoy.

Correction, I'm making a lot of changes.  For starters, I'm not calling myself a virtual assistant anymore.  It's true.  While I've had a great run as a virtual assistant, it's time for me to take my business to the next level.  I know you're probably asking, well what level is that?  I've always wanted to be a coach.  I've been hanging out with coaches and reading everything I could find about coaching.  I recently attended a 33 minute group mastery call with WendyY Bailey and that gave me a lot of ideas.  I'm going to be helping female financial planners learn how to implement video in their social media strategy.  So I've asked Active Rain how I change categories since I'm no longer a virtual assistant.  I guess I just have to wait on them to get around to my email.  I know they're busy.  I guess I'll just have to be patient.

 

DeAnna Troupe, Social Media Coach

I'm pleased to see how this group has grown in number. My goodness. I never would have thought that we could have grown to over 100 members with very little promotional effort on my part. That means I must have an awesome group of people here! But seeing as how we have new members I need to remind everyone of the rules. Very simply, this group is about anything related to linkedin or social media. If I see a post that doesn't mention one of those two things, it will get deleted. Now I have gotten behind on deleting unrelated posts, but rest assured that if it is unrelated it will get removed. I now return you to your regular discussions about social media.

I've published a book on Amazon! I'm so excited to have this happen. I've written a book on affordable online advertising. It lists ways you can advertise online for $35 or less. As you can imagine, I've been quite busy with that. That is what has kept me away from Active Rain for so long. That and the pollen here in Stone Mountain, GA. Fortunately it's May so I should start feeling better pretty soon. If you'd like to find out more about my book, The Cheapskate's Guide To Advertising on The Internet, go to http://www.thecheapskatediva.com