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Promote Your Work on Facebook
November 9, 2012 In Blog No Comment

If you’re a sole proprietor looking for ways to promote your business, you will want to take advantage of this Facebook tip!

While some individuals believe the only place to promote your business is through the professional networking site LinkedIn, there exists an opportunity to highlight it on your Facebook Personal Timeline.

I understand that people are very protective and secretive about information on Facebook Personal Timeline, however, there is a time and place to share information – especially if it has to do with your small business.

1. Under the Profile Picture is the About section to your Facebook

2. Click “About”

3. Click “Edit”

4. In the box “Where have your worked?” start typing your Facebook Page’s name. As you type, your page will populate as an option. Select it.

5. Complete the remaining fields including position, city, and a description.

6. Click “Save”

7. Finally, make this information public by selecting the globe. Now whenever someone looks you up, they will have information to connect with you on your business’ Facebook business Page.

Jennifer Baker Consulting

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3 Tips to Brand Yourself on LinkedIn
October 26, 2012 In Blog No Comment

I’ve heard it dozens of times:

“I have a LinkedIn profile, but I don’t know what I am doing.”

LinkedIn Training Someecard

Because this social media platform has dubbed itself, the “professional social networking site,” it has gained significant ground with professional industries. As a result, LinkedIn has become an important piece of the social media puzzle. LinkedIn provides its users with the opportunity to connect online with colleagues and business associates, as well as potential clients and connections.

Today I want to provide you with three tips to brand yourself on LinkedIn.

1. Upload & display a professional profile picture

While this may seem like an obvious point, uploading a professional (and current!) profile picture is important. Users connecting with you want to ensure they are connecting with the right person. Think about the last time you were at a Kingston Chamber of Commerce Mixer when you met 20 new people. Now try to remember what they looked like. Tough, eh? Including a picture on your profile will instill confidence in users wanting to connect with you – that the profile they are viewing is connected to you.

2. Update your headline

A headline is the second thing that LinkedIn users will read about you, when searching or viewing your profile. It is important, therefore, to describe, in under 10 words, what you do. This can be a challenging exercise, but boiling down to the essence of what you do is important. Here are some examples of great headlines:

a. Helping clients find solutions to manufacturing problems.

b. Strong track record of building great organizations.

c. Connecting local business with local talent.

d. Training people how to be more effective on Microsoft Office.

Those four examples provide you with a good idea of what that individual does. It’s more clear than “consultant” or “sales representative.”

3. Tell people what you do

The field marked “Current Position” is your opportunity to shine, and explain to the world what you do! Focus on what you do for clients (e.g. reduce office inefficiencies, solve workplace conflict, increase sales, or reduce workplace stress). Once you’ve wrapped up, include contact information via phone email, so that it is easy for people to contact you!

Good luck! Click if you want to connect with me, or view my LinkedIn profile.

Jennifer Baker Consulting

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Get on the Cover Photo/ Headline/ Image Bandwagon
October 9, 2012 In Blog No Comment

LinkedIn has announced a redesign of its company pages last week. The biggest change is the… wait for it… visual representation on the home page. If you think this sounds familiar, you’re right. Facebook introduced cover photos on personal timelines, as well as business pages early 2012, and in September Twitter launched headers for all profiles.

Apparently social media platforms just realized that we are visual people!

The new header on LinkedIn is located at the top of the company’s page, and is positioned above the most recent update, and general company information.

Here is the essential information you need:

Dimensions: 646px by 220 px

Maximum Size: 2MB

Format: .jpg, .gif, or .png.

For those of you without a LinkedIn Company Page, there are some requirements before you get started.

1. You need to be a current employee. That means the job needs to be on your LinkedIn profile.

2. You need to have a company email address added and confirmed on your LinkedIn profile. Sorry folks, no Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail accounts allowed.

3. Your LinkedIn profile must be over 50% complete.

4. You must have connections. LinkedIn uses the word “several” and this can range from 50-100 connections.

I hope this provides some assistance to get your business on LinkedIn!

Jennifer Baker Consulting

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Why does my business need to be on social media?
October 3, 2012 In Blog No Comment

Whenever I meet with individuals, it is inevitable that I am asked: “Why do we need to be on social media?”

At the beginning of my career, I always thought “Why WOULDN’T your business be using social media?”

I quickly realized that what they were asking was, “What are the benefits to my business?” Whether you realize it or not people are searching for your brand on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. What information is awaiting them when they reach these social media platforms? Do you have a polished site that is active and engaging, or do you have a site that was started in 2010, and has 3 updates since?

Here are three quick benefits to your business using social media.

1. New Communication Channel

The younger generation, like GenYs and Millenials, crave information – quick and dirty… and they don’t want to spend time looking for it. Through sources like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram they can subscribe only to the updates that they need.

While the majority of the population walks around with a mobile phone, the preferred mode of communication is texting, tweeting and Facebook posts. Millenials prefer to communicate through short, one-off messages – a format that is found through social media sites. Is your business there to communicate back?

2. Gain New Clients

Now that you have a social media presence, what are you doing to actively recruit or sell to new clients? While it is important for your social media accounts to have a personal voice, it is important to let your customers know that you’re open for business. Consider adding applications to your Facebook Page that draw customers to your online shop/marketplace, or consider highlighting past clients through photos that they submit and tag.

3. Manage Your Online Presence

What are people saying about your company? Has your company been tagged on Instagram? What are fellow tweeters tweeting about your company? Whether you like it or not, it’s happening! It’s important to develop a strong social media presence to respond and interact with these mentions.

Here are some searches you should do:

I hope this clears up some misnomers about social media. Take a few minutes this afternoon and search out your company, and let me know what you find!

Jennifer Baker Consulting

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4 Branding Tips for Twitter
September 24, 2012 In Blog No Comment

1. Change The Background

Although Twitter supplies 19 pre-made background option, users have the opportunity to upload a custom branded image.  So why not get creative (or get your graphic designer to get creative) to develop a background that represents your brand. A simple background that showcases your logo, or an intricate background that includes all your social media contact information – both are great options. I love what Halton Recycles did for their background. Because they have a number of individuals updating their account, they include their photos, names, and Twitter handles so that residents know who they are communicating with!

2. The Header

This is a new change to the Twittersphere as of late September 2012. Users now have the ability to even further brand their image via their Twitter profile. The folks at Twitter have realized that we are a visual generation who constantly seek images to which to relate. While users are still waking up to this change, why not be one of the first in your social circle to make this leap.

Note: The image dimensions are 1200x600px, and a max size of 5mb.

3. Your Profile Picture

Okay folks. This is not the first time I have told you about Twitter Profile Photos. First, find one that represents your brand. This could be your company logo, a variation of your company logo, or your professional photo. Now take this image and upload it! No one wants to follow a yet-to-be-hatched Twitter egg. Kingston’s KEYS Job Centre developed a custom Twitter profile picture to advertise their job postings!

4. A Descriptive Bio

To follow you, to not follow you… that’s the question. By providing a descriptive and relevant Twitter bio, users will be able to determine if you’re an account that is worth following. Include key words about your business, and the product/service that you offer. It is very clear what @MenchiesKTown is providing to Kingston – FroYo!

I hope that you take advantage of these great branding opportunities!

Jennifer Baker Consulting

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