BY WAYNE R. KARLINS, President and Founder of REED SOCIAL MEDIA GROUP
It has been about 18 years since LinkedIn started and 16 years for Facebook. LinkedIn has over 700 Million people on it and Facebook has over 2.7 billion people on it. There are over 7.5 billion people on this planet. In the United States, around 244 million people use one social media site or another with many use more than one social media site.
So my question is, what are you hiding? I am talking to the people who still do not have a picture of themselves on their Social Media sites like LinkedIn. I believe you should have a profile picture on each site you are on, but most importantly LinkedIn. If I do not see a picture in your profile, the first thing I think to myself is, What are you hiding? You want to build relationships and build your business, but you do not put your picture on your profile? Why?
This past year I have been slowly disconnecting from all my connections that do not have a picture on Linkedin and many other social media sites, and for 2021, I recommend you do this too. I no longer accept a new connection without a picture.
Why, after all this time would you not have a picture on your profile? It is easy to add. Your current picture should be in the decade you are currently in (in terms of your actual age). People depend on these pictures to build relationships with you, to look for you at a first meeting, or on Zoom events.
This year's commitment to myself is to have a prepared statement I can send to people, whom I accept to connect with, who then start out messaging me with their sales pitch on their products and services immediately after I accept their connection request. Really? You do not even know me yet and the first thing you do when I accept your request to connect is to start out like this:
"Hi Wayne! We make ______________ to help automate delivery ________________________. Our goal is to improve P&L and help overcome these difficult times. Would love to share more and get your feedback. You can check out one of our live operations."
Or
"Hello Wayne, thanks for connecting. Quick question. Would you be interested in unsold primetime Radio, TV, or Billboards up to 80% off? We currently have a substantial surplus of unsold primetime radio and TV commercial portions currently available for 10-20 cents on the dollar. We specialize in buying inventory on a weekly basis allowing our clients to run high-frequency media ad campaigns at extremely low rates. And offer it as a service or whitelabel service add-on. If you or anyone in your professional network would benefit, it would be great to connect for a quick intro call and see if there is a fit. Here is my calendar to find a time that works."
Even if the offer is a good one, this is not the way to start out your first conversation.
If you have not read my blog "Protect Your Social Media" from 2018, this is a good time to go back and refresh yourself. This is the time of year to update and make changes to protect your social media platforms, and we have written about many of the things you should be doing at this time of year. Check it all out at Reedsocialmedia.com under "Blogs" at the top of our site.
Zoom has become a great tool for us at Reed Social Media Group. If you're looking for some great networking Zoom events, many of them are industry protected, many are free, and for some, there is a small charge to be in. Contact me and we can see which of these Zoom events are the best fit for you. I ran 2 Zooms in 2020 and am adding a 3rd Zoom with some of my power partners in 2021. Contact me at info@reedsocialmedia.com Subject: Zoom Events.
Check out our website to learn more about how we can help you manage your social media pages.
Other Services: Ghost blogging, editing your blogs, writing content for your newsletters or website so you keep your own SEO on the top. We also manage or update websites. Wanting to get your business on the radio or TV? Our marketing department is ready to move you to the next level. Contact us!
Do you have questions or comments for me?
Feel free to email me at info@reedsocialmedia.com for questions or advice on social media or leave us a message and a like on our website under this blog.
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