SHOW TRANSCRIPT 

Jeff Sieh: [00:00:00] Welcome to  social media news live. Where do we keep you up to date on what’s happening in the world of social media? I’m Jeff Sieh. And I want to let you guys know. We talk with industry experts like McKayla today, innovators, creators, and storytellers about the latest social media tool.

[00:00:15] Tips and tactics and we broadcast live. So you can ask the questions that matter most to you and your business, but I want to introduce my awesome co-host Eric Fisher. Eric Fisher is the host of the long running, beyond the to-do list podcast. He’s been doing it for over eight years and he talks with real people.

[00:00:34] Who implement practical productivity strategies. I’ve been practicing that Eric and professional and their personal lives. So Eric is also the director of social media education for a girl pulse, where he heads up the social media manager school. Eric, tell us a little bit about this school that you’re headmaster of.

[00:00:52] Erik Fisher: [00:00:52] Yeah. I don’t know if headmaster’s, yeah, I probably almost need an extra title for that. But, what we’re doing over there is we’re providing social media managers, whether you’re starting off or your been around for a while, we are providing free and paid. Social media training for you or your team. And you got to jump in and check it out.

[00:01:12] In fact, we’re starting up some free webinars that we’re moving on with, an ongoing series of webinars. And you can even, so you can go to social media manager, school.com or social media manager, school.com. Slash courses slash why live webinars. I’m almost say wive leapt webinars. That would be a whole other thing that’s straight.

[00:01:30] Jeff Sieh: [00:01:30] Yeah. Yes. Very, cool. So also I want to let you guys know all this cool stuff going on right now. I couldn’t ,  be done without my sponsors.  e-camm if you want to find out how to do really cool live videos like this, and you’re on a Mac,   you need to check them out, go to social media news, live.com/mm.

[00:01:46] He cam that social media news live.com forward slash e-comm that’s E C a M M. So I wanted to, I’m so excited to have her guests. I’ve been wanting to have her on for a while. ,  I wonder induced you to Mikayla Alexis, and we’re going to be talking to her about,   using LinkedIn today as a powerful networking and brand building tool.

[00:02:05] And if you don’t know. Who McKayla is. She is a LinkedIn expert and a LinkedIn creator who helps businesses and audiences shine on LinkedIn. She’s a LinkedIn trainer professional speaker and co-author of the book. Think video, smart, video marketing and influencing Mikayla. Welcome to the show today.

[00:02:27] Michaela Alexis: [00:02:27] Thanks for having me. I feel like I’m finally getting less nervous around you guys. I think the first time I remember I was like sweating through my sweater and then today I’m feeling like more chill, so hopefully we’ll get some, we’ll have a good conversation. I get nervous all the time. So it’s Eric, 

[00:02:43] Jeff Sieh: [00:02:43] he’s really he’s intimidating.

[00:02:47] Yeah. He really is awkward. So this first piece of news, I want to get you guys to talk about, cause we get away from this awkward conversation, but LinkedIn shares this, new,  data insights for 2021.  LinkedIn had published some new,   usage stats and it was stating his case for increased focus and investment in 2021 and a couple of key ones.

[00:03:12] Points of notes, where that professionals are signing up for LinkedIn at a rate of nearly three new members per second. And there are 2.9 million groups on LinkedIn, which include like industry and interest communities, company, and university, alumni groups, and professional associations. And this is what’s really cool.

[00:03:30] So LinkedIn live streams have increased 89% since 89% since March and. Member engagement is stronger than ever. They have 6.3 million users that attended virtual events on LinkedIn and,   2020 there’s been 55% more convert, conversations between members from March, 2019 to March, 2020. Makayla, I would ask you.

[00:03:55] While the focus of LinkedIn has long , business to business and networking, it’s also gaining ground in these other areas like live video and virtual events, and there’s all these, there’s more opportunities that are happening for brand outreach and connections. So what should users,   prioritize in their strategy for 2021?

[00:04:14] Should they get on a new things or should they just, keep doing their same old thing on LinkedIn? What, are you telling people? 

[00:04:20] Michaela Alexis: [00:04:20] Yeah. I love seeing the shift from people just thinking of LinkedIn as strictly like this B2B platform to really starting to think about how they can as a B to C company.

[00:04:32] If they’re trying to do outreach to employ professionals, that’s where they’re hanging out. They’re on LinkedIn actually. Client mine. And it’s a wine company. And initially they came to me because they were thinking like investors, partners, retailers, which makes sense. But then we started talking a little bit more.

[00:04:49] I’m like, who’s your target audience? And they said, millennial women, after a Workday, I’m like, millennial women after the Workday, they’re all on LinkedIn. So we’ve created a strategy that incorporates both the B2C, but also the B or sorry, the B2B, but also the B2C. And so it’s really, been fun to watch that shift happen and help companies where I can figure out the strategy for LinkedIn in terms of priorities.

[00:05:17] I think, it’s every other platform there’s always going to be a new feature that’s being rolled out and LinkedIn. Is like releasing new features. It almost feels every week right now. And it really comes down to a, who are you trying to reach and how do you best reach them? So for myself, I have my personal style things that I’m comfortable with.

[00:05:38] And I always want to make sure when I’m using LinkedIn, that I’m enjoying using LinkedIn. So we can talk about live video and video in general. And of course it’s always going to be, there’s so many benefits. When it comes to video of having this face-to-face interaction, especially during a pandemic when people are hungry for that interaction, but at the same time, I’m also a big believer in really playing to your strengths.

[00:06:01] So for me personally, I really prefer writing, but also having these photos that go along with the story, but I’m also really into LinkedIn stories right now because I really liked that more casual, candid, content. I was just talking to you guys earlier about the bat that flew into my office and how everything was all over the floor.

[00:06:22] And that was one of my reasons, LinkedIn stories. So it’s, allowed me to share my personality, share what’s going on in my life and also have those like very. Candid casual conversations in my inbox. so LinkedIn stories is something that I personally am really, excited about. I know a lot of people are really excited about polls.

[00:06:41] I think that there’s a lot of opportunity for polls. There’s so many ways that you can use it, whether it’s to start up conversation, market research, that’s a big thing, especially if you’re in the marketing world, rather than putting together a white paper or a course, that’s a great way to figure out what your audience is actually challenged with in that moment.

[00:07:00] Or if that. Idea that bigger piece of content is actually something that they’re looking for. so I’ve seen a lot of people doing those, but one thing that I will say with polls that I’ve seen, initially everybody was just trying out the feature, the ones that do really well are the ones that are like irresistible questions.

[00:07:18] That’s not would you buy this white or would you buy this white paper or are you interested in this course? But it’s really those like irresistible, because the problem, I don’t want to say the problem that the differentiation between LinkedIn and other platforms in some ways is that it’s a more passive platform.

[00:07:35] People will go on and scroll through their feed. They’re less inclined. Necessarily to comment or share. they might send you a private message though. I get a whole bunch of private messages, more so than on other platforms. so polls are really great in terms of creating those conversations and pulling people out of working mode, but it’s gotta be questions that they really want to answer.

[00:07:57] So things like, one of the ones that I did was how do you take your coffee? Like really, simple, but give a couple options and then ask, if it’s something else. Put it in the comments below. So give people a few options, but also give them the opportunity if they want you to also leave a comment, I think is the best way to approach it.

[00:08:17] That was a really like, dorky, example. But there are lots of questions that people are interested, like even where do you work from home? Is it in an office? Is it in your living room, in your basement, away from your kids? there are so many ways to approach this, but really make it so that people.

[00:08:36] We’ll really want to answer it, not just for the sake of putting out a poll. So polls, I’m really excited about LinkedIn stories. I’m really excited about. I really love the idea of LinkedIn events and I don’t see a lot of people talking about them, but even if you’re doing, you just mentioned how popular LinkedIn lives are right now.

[00:08:54] coupling that with a LinkedIn event where people can be notified when you go live. I think is important because we’re, all over the place, People’s days are so jumbled. They’re trying to manage kids and, dogs and working out and doing all these things all at once. So I think having those reminders is really great and also to build community before and after a live event.

[00:09:16] I did one event where I was. A LinkedIn live. I was interviewing Chris boss who wrote the book, never split the difference. And before the event, I actually went in and you can create polls and those events. So I asked how would you rate your negotiation skills? What’s the one thing that you struggle with when it comes to negotiating?

[00:09:36] I would ask all these really fun questions and that helped me cater my conversation with Chris during the live session. And then they were able to jump back into the event. After, the live stream and talk about their feelings behind it. So I think that’s something that, especially if you’re running any sort of events off of LinkedIn or a LinkedIn live, that’s something that you might want to consider.

[00:10:00] Jeff Sieh: [00:10:00] Those are great points. Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:10:03] Erik Fisher: [00:10:03] Mikayla, I, I’m, hearing you talk about the feed and I’ve seen a lot of people get overwhelmed in terms of creating content, as well as curating LinkedIn content. And so if you’re, looking to create or develop a personal brand for yourself, And stand out in the industry. What are some of the ways that, you’ve given us some examples already, but what are some ways that we can stand out? And is there a certain kind of, amount of times we should be posting per day or per week? Or should we go with a, Hey, just when you come up with something that’s of high enough quality.

[00:10:39] Michaela Alexis: [00:10:39] Yeah, I think it’s a little bit of a mix of both, right? If you’re just posting for consistency sake, it doesn’t always work out super great. I, I’m a big believer in speaking directly from the heart and sharing things that you’re passionate about. So I’m a little bit different in that sense when it comes to my company page, though, I know consistency is really key.

[00:10:58] So I spend, at the beginning of the month, I’ll create all my posts. I’ll reshare some of the posts that are doing well. So I do have a more kind of strict strategy with that. but in terms of what people should be posting, I think that where people struggle with LinkedIn content is that there’s this idea that it needs to be this very polished.

[00:11:19] everything’s gotta be perfect. Your lighting has to be perfect. Your message has to be perfect. You’ve got to have 10 years in the field of the thing that you’re talking about. And really it’s not, like that at all. it’s a lot more casual than what people might think. And I think I might’ve mentioned this to you guys before, but I always like to think of LinkedIn as like the world’s largest networking event, Over 700 million users. So I imagine myself going into that networking event. And having conversations. So I will actually use sometimes if I have zoom calls, like those like zoom calls that you have with like your industry buddies or your clients, sometimes I have something that we talk about or something that I say during those conversations that I’m like, I need to talk about that on my desk.

[00:12:03] And so taking stock of the conversations that you’re having off of LinkedIn are usually the things that people care about on LinkedIn, too. We like to think that our struggles and our challenges are like super, like only special people problems. But the reality is, that there’s like millions of other people that are going through that exact same thing.

[00:12:21] And so sometimes, and it doesn’t just have to be challenges. It can also be these realizations or these lessons that you’re learning throughout your Workday. Or your workweek. and actually my friend, Judy, who is another, LinkedIn trainer, she always talks about LinkedIn as like a workplace. And I also liked that kind of mindset as well.

[00:12:40] It’s if you were to go into a workplace, even if you weren’t in the same department as that person, you might talk about things like the podcasts that you’re listening to on the way to work. You might talk about a book that you were reading or a show that you’re really into or.

[00:12:53] Client issue that you had and how you overcame that. So I think that’s another really great way to look at content. And I find that most of the time, just re-imagining what LinkedIn actually is a purpose of LinkedIn helps people to create that content that is more conversational because really that, like that word is key.

[00:13:12] Is it conversational enough? Cause that’s what people are looking for on LinkedIn. 

[00:13:17] Jeff Sieh: [00:13:17] Yeah. So I wanted to circle back because one, I nerded out when you said his name. Cause I loved his book, Chris FOSS, when you were talking about, because we, mentioned that in this news article, they were talking about how this there’s been an explosion on LinkedIn live and we’re actually streaming to LinkedIn live right now.

[00:13:32] But yeah. On a strategy for, is it, have you found what works best for LinkedIn lives? Is it doing those interviews shows where you bring up somebody who like Chris Voss is a industry expert and you interview them and provide value that way? Or is it better to do like just a talking head kind of Periscope ish, I’m just talking to the camera.

[00:13:51] Have you found out what works best for LinkedIn live content? 

[00:13:54]Michaela Alexis: [00:13:54] I have seen, and I’m going to talk more on the company side of things, but I have seen LinkedIn lives used in so many different ways. I have see it, Microsoft will go live not so much anymore because everything is virtual, but when they were running their annual.

[00:14:12] The conference, they will go live for two hours, two plus hours. And at the end of their conference, they talk about all the new products, right? So it was a great way to involve people that couldn’t necessarily buy the airfare and get into the conference and all that stuff. but also had them stick around for all those hours because they were there because they wanted to find out about the new product.

[00:14:34] So I thought that was really clever. I personally use LinkedIn lives in a few different ways. I really liked the interview style because I find it’s just more dynamic. And especially now, when people are missing that work place atmosphere, it’s nice to listen in to conversations. But at the same time, if you have an important message, something that you really want to share, I certainly think that I’m talking head videos can work.

[00:15:01] I’ve also done contests, right? so I will post, I did one thing where, I created a LinkedIn post where I asked people to share a challenge where they’ve had to demonstrate, what was it? It was self-confidence right. And then a week later I chose the winner about that contest and they want a pair of shoes, but I went live on LinkedIn to share the winner.

[00:15:26] So people had to tune in to figure out who won the contest. So I think there’s a lot of different creative ways. It’s just making sure that you don’t like, I’ve seen this too where people go live and they’re like, almost surprised that, 

[00:15:41] Jeff Sieh: [00:15:41] Oh, wait, 

[00:15:43] Michaela Alexis: [00:15:43] Oh, wait here. People are here. And, I guess we’re going to just talk about the other thing that I see too, that people do wrong is that they are like, Okay.

[00:15:52] we’ve got Mikayla here. She’s this industry expert, but we’re going to wait five minutes, to, so that more people come on. Number one, it’s saying that, if there’s five people there that’s on enough for you when really that should be important. And the other thing is that I have noticed that there are a lot of people that watch the replays.

[00:16:12] Especially when it’s somebody, like if you have a, an interview with an industry expert, that person really admires, but they’re working that at that time, they’re going to watch the replay. So if you’re watching a replay and the first five minutes are like just two people staring at each other, like awkwardly, it’s not, going to be the greatest.

[00:16:32] So that would be like the two things is Don’t go live for the sake of going live. I know people get excited when they get access, because it’s still like this novel thing, especially if you haven’t used it. But right now we’re past that phase of that being acceptable because it’s been around for so long that people have developed expectations of there being real true value right off the get-go.

[00:16:55] so make sure that you have a purpose. for those that are, and you guys are great at being on the fly, but you still have like your talking points. And so something like having the talking points, having some sort of outline, even using a script, like if you’re doing a talking head video, the only way that I would use a talking head video would be if I had some sort of teleprompter app.

[00:17:17] Because I know that I’m going to get on live. The nerves are going to get to me, I’m going to see somebody’s name. They get distracted. something’s going to happen where I’m just going to go off on a tangent and I want it to be really tight. Cause that’s what people are looking for that like tight information in condense doses.

[00:17:35] so I would say make sure that you have, if you’re not great on the fly, I am certainly not. Have a script, use a teleprompter app, have all the tools that are going to help you get prepped. but I think I went on, I actually went off on a tangent talking about not going off on a tangent, which is very, 

[00:17:53] Jeff Sieh: [00:17:53] so I wanted to bring up this, question,   from somebody who is watching in one of our groups, he says, I’ve totally forgot that LinkedIn has changed and there are so much more.

[00:18:01] To do there. I need to hang out more over there.   One of the things I wanted to bring up for this next question is like, how do you personally balance, the time you need to spend on LinkedIn with growing your other channels for your business, LinkedIn or, YouTube. I know you even do cool stuff over on Tik TOK.

[00:18:17] How do you balance all that stuff? 

[00:18:22] Michaela Alexis: [00:18:22] get distracted. we’re in hard line and then, refine, and I think that’s just marketing in general. That’s the realities. You have to experiment, figure out what your capacity is and narrow it down. I think is it the Marie Kondo, like where you have to take everything out to see what you have and then, figure out what sparks joy for you.

[00:18:44] I think the same thing is true for, social media. I think sometimes you have to try this. The things, even for me right now, I’m doing clubhouse, but I am still of the mindset that it is not for introverts, but I’m still going in. I’m spending a little bit of time trying to figure out if it’s the right place for me.

[00:19:01] and then I, a certain point I’m going to take stock of what I’m already doing and figure out. Which channels make the most sense for me. So there’s, kind of two factors what sparks joy for you, but also where are your customers hanging out? Which number one, but also where are they in the right mindset?

[00:19:18] Because we could say Facebook has so many people on there, so that should be where you hang out. But if you’re, if your ideal customer is on there, because they want to interact with. They’re cousins that live ACOs across the globe. Then maybe that’s not the best place for you to spend your, energy.

[00:19:35] But if that same ideal customers on LinkedIn during their Workday, and they are prepped to learn, connect, and grow and potentially buy from you, then that might be a better space for you. And sometimes it surprises you like kick talk. I have gotten so many leads from and so many opportunities from, and that.

[00:19:55] Was never the intention. I was just experimenting with it, having fun with it. And it ended up being this really great channel. So I think try the things, figure out where your customers are for your, the mindset of your customers when they’re in that space and then narrow it down from there. It’s hard, isn’t it?

[00:20:13] Promo is so real. I wish I had a good answer to this other than, even when you do narrow it down, there’s just always going to be those temptations. And even for me, like I see people that do really great things with video, and I hear people all the time that tell me to go on YouTube and. I could, but really, my, my passion really lies with writing.

[00:20:36] That’s really what I like to do. I’ve been doing that since 2016 and I come alive when I do that. And I think that you should do whatever you come alive the most with. I know that sounded that got like really woo. But it’s true. We have to enjoy 

[00:20:50] Jeff Sieh: [00:20:50] what we’re doing. That’s very, true. Very, true.

[00:20:53] Yeah. 

[00:20:54] Erik Fisher: [00:20:54] Mikayla, do you have any advice for people who are approaching LinkedIn as an employee of the company? Because I know many people, they only fire up, they only do LinkedIn when they’re actively looking for their next job and, and I think what are they missing out on by only going about it in that way?

[00:21:13] Michaela Alexis: [00:21:13] Okay. So this sounds funny because I started LinkedIn as a job seeker, but my advice is don’t use LinkedIn just when you need LinkedIn. It’s like that friend where you see like their name come up on your phone and you’re like, cause you know that every time they call you, they want something from you.

[00:21:33] And the same thing is true with LinkedIn. If you were just going on the platform, when you want something from other people. It’s just not going to work well, it’s again, let’s use that mindset of the world’s largest networking event. If you’re going around shanking people with their business card.

[00:21:48] maybe you’ll get one or two opportunities, but you’re going to get a lot more long-term opportunities by just going in with this idea that you’re going to shake as many hands as possible and have conversations with people. And so I think spending time a figuring out what the platform is all about and creating positive, investing like positive energy into other people.

[00:22:13] I don’t know if you guys know John Hall, he’s the author of, Oh gosh. Oh, gosh, top of mine. It’s funny that I’m struggling to figure it top of mind. but he blew my mind the first time I met him and I’m sure other people will say the same thing because during that conversation, you’re still used to, when you’re networking with people, them talking about themselves, what they do, what they have to offer.

[00:22:41] And one of the first things that you said to me after I told him about myself was. How can I, be helpful to you? How can I help you like achieve some of those goals? Is there anything that I can do there? And I was like, Shocked. I didn’t know how to answer that even because we become so, so used to constantly asking people for other things.

[00:23:02] And I learned in that moment that the more that you ask that question, or you give a brief, Oh wait, great content, or you share milestones. So for me personally, people are invested in my story because I share all these milestones that I’m going through, these challenges that I’m happening at my, having the things that I’m passionate about, that when I do need something.

[00:23:25] It feels, and I don’t want to speak for other people, but it feels good to give to people that have never asked for anything or are not even asking for anything. I think really spending that time to create that positive equity in the platform, is always going to pay off and it doesn’t have to be a lie, spend.

[00:23:47] 30 minutes to an hour on LinkedIn, spend some time in your inbox, spend some time creating a post. maybe spend some time in the comments, interacting with people there. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but it makes a really big difference. Long-term I think. That was a great 

[00:24:03] Jeff Sieh: [00:24:03] point. Yeah. So our next section is this is fun.

[00:24:07] So Eric talk about

[00:24:12] Erik Fisher: [00:24:12] LinkedIn. Yeah. It’s interesting. Mikayla. I know that you, I’ve seen a lot of the stuff that you’ve done on Instagram stories and I would say you’re definitely somebody I look to as to who’s doing it. LinkedIn, right? Adding their own stories. And now, just a matter of months ago, adding the swipe up, which, gives you the ability to, send people to a call to action or a, a click-through on a story is, huge.

[00:24:41] And so I’m curious though, how are you maybe doing it differently on LinkedIn or how are you doing LinkedIn stories, yourself? Or do you have any great examples of uses for LinkedIn stories? 

[00:24:54] Michaela Alexis: [00:24:54] So the swipe up links. And I didn’t realize this when I announced that the swipe up links were available. I think it’s, you have to have 5,000 followers minimum to be able to use them.

[00:25:07] And LinkedIn is always your page or have a, or, use your page. Yeah, exactly. which I think is a good idea. LinkedIn is always trying to make sure that. the stories, especially don’t get too spammy. I see that a lot where people are just sharing their products and services. I have been using LinkedIn stories in a little bit or the swipe up link and a little bit of a different way.

[00:25:31] in that I know that there is a benefit to having a strong personal brand and using that to support the growth of your company page. And so people are always asking me, like, how can I use my personal brand to increase my traffic to my company page on LinkedIn. And one of the ways that I’ve been doing that is by sharing these really quick tips.

[00:25:50] LinkedIn stories are only 20 seconds. So it, might be a minute and I just splice it using an app. And then at the end of that, I’ll ask people, Hey, if you want to, if you want more, like these kinds of tips, I actually have a company page here is a link. So I bought, and that goes to my LinkedIn page.

[00:26:08] Now you could do the same thing if you want to get them into a funnel and things like that. But if you’re trying to increase the traffic and you have even think about it, if you have a thousand people on your personal brand, That still helps with visibility of a company page that you’re trying to grow.

[00:26:23] So that’s, something that I’ve been experimenting with a little bit there. LinkedIn stories, spill meat, a little bit of work. I will admit that I love stories in general, but there are definitely some things that are missing still from the platform. And I’ll tell you a couple of them. Number one, when it comes to stories on Instagram and Instagram, I just.

[00:26:43] Full disclosure. I am not strategic on there. I just really love like creating and building a tight knit community on there. And you’ll notice that my stories are very conversational. I ask a lot of questions. I tell people to send me a private message. And so my inbox is always full on, on Instagram stories.

[00:27:01] So I went into LinkedIn stories with the same mindset of, okay, just send me a message, DM me, or private message me. Or let me know what you think. And so many people are like, McKayla. I can’t send you a message because they were the way me and they weren’t connected to me. So I think that has got a change because people are using Incode credits to tell me that they can’t message me, which is like, Oh gosh, I’m like, I can’t believe you wasted it on me.

[00:27:28] But, but we’ve got to change that. So it’s more conversational because that’s really the whole point of LinkedIn stories. The other thing is that. On Instagram stories, polls are really big. It’s a really great way to have people stay engaged and interact with your stories without just sitting back and consuming it where LinkedIn stories doesn’t have that feature yet.

[00:27:49] so I’m also waiting for that. And it also is, you can mention people, which is great, but you can’t mention pages. So that’s another one that I’m like, Waiting for, it also not available on desktop. So it’s let’s just think of it as like Instagram stories at the very, beginning, which isn’t bad because I think that there’s a lot more growth that can happen there, but I think I’m definitely trying to at least make it conversational if you don’t have the same problems as me.

[00:28:19] Like none of this is actually relevant, right? If you have say like a thousand followers and those followers are also your connections. this isn’t an issue. You can still ask people to send you a private message. It’s only if you’re on LinkedIn, like you guys probably have more followers than you do connections.

[00:28:37] So that’s where it might be an issue. If you’re more of a, I dunno how to say that, like public figure, I don’t want to say influencer, but if you are in the public. Environment, at all, then you might have that issue, but, yeah, I think definitely inviting conversation is the best way to use it.

[00:28:55] Jeff Sieh: [00:28:55] I talked to you a little bit more about that. So when they, first launched LinkedIn stories at LinkedIn product manager suggested that the format would be great for encouraging conversations in the platform. So you said it was awkward because people are they’re, trained on Instagram.

[00:29:10]so yeah. And so do you have to retrain them? what. are you, changing your strategy over on LinkedIn stories or how are you getting traction on, 

[00:29:23] Michaela Alexis: [00:29:23] I’m just making the questions more irresistible. So like on Instagram stories, it might be like, I dunno what a great example, but what’s your favorite color beige or way?

[00:29:38] I would never ask that as a question, but let’s just say it’s just these like casual questions that I asked throughout the Workday versus LinkedIn I’ll ask things like, I was trying to choose. Okay. This also sounds really boring, but people are really like giving their opinions on things. Let’s be honest.

[00:29:54] So I’m using this website where you can actually, they get like custom blackout curtains created. And because I film or I do zoom calls right in front of my window, I was looking for something really bold and colorful, created by a designer that I can. What behind there. and so I gave people four different options and I asked them to send me their favorite, like number one, number two, number three, or number four.

[00:30:19] And people freaking loved that even if they had to send me an InMail credit. And that’s something that’s really important to remember on LinkedIn, that when we’re in that like work mode, we like to feel important. We like to feel like our voice. Is heard, especially when you’re not around other people and you’re not getting those pats on the back.

[00:30:41] So when people ask you for your opinion on something, rather than a question necessarily, it tends to get a greater response on LinkedIn. So that’s just something that I keep in mind just to not. Constantly put up these like kind of casual questions, but really focus on those times that I need advice.

[00:31:00] And it’s like fun advice too. and ask people to send me a message that way. 

[00:31:06] Jeff Sieh: [00:31:06] Gotcha.   the other question I wanted to, swipe back and this, swipe back on the swipe up his, his LinkedIn nerd, exact that was swiped some way.   they, noticed that this one type of feature and we talked about this is only available to LinkedIn pages and I went, and this is a relatively social media is live, has a relatively new page on LinkedIn and I had it.

[00:31:27] Or you have to have 5,000 connections,   and have the, and you have to have the follow button as the primary action. On their profile instead of connect. So besides,  able to use the swipe up feature, what is the rationale behind,   changing your call to action from connect to follow?

[00:31:45] Because this, is an old thing it rolled back in, it was back in 2018, but I don’t know really the difference in why we should change it or use it. 

[00:31:54] Michaela Alexis: [00:31:54] okay. You can have a maximum of 30,000 connections. So when you hit that limit, Which sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t. If you are a content creator of any type, think about like on Twitter and like all these places like that can happen really quickly.

[00:32:16] you really have no choice. And so before there was an option to change your button. I, what, there’s really nothing I could do. People would send me a connection request. I couldn’t actually tell them. that I couldn’t accept their connection request, nor would I be able to even execute that anyways, because I think at one point I had 30,000 pending connection requests in my inbox, so it just wouldn’t have been possible.

[00:32:45] When that option to change that button to follow came out. That was actually really great for me because that’s what people were trying to do. They just want it to be able to be notified when my content was available so they could see it in their feed. it really didn’t matter if they connected or followed.

[00:33:01] And I think most people are like that. And a lot of people actually don’t even know the difference between a follow versus a connection. So that, that is the biggest thing. I’ve also worked with politicians and that is also important, right? They want to, communicate with the people that they serve, but they don’t necessarily need to get into the nitty gritty in their inbox on LinkedIn.

[00:33:25] and so that follow button is also really helpful there. So it’s really, if you. Are, or you plan to be a content creator, or if you’re an influencer on, if you’re, a big YouTuber or you’re big on Instagram or in other spaces, if you’re an author, if you’re any sort of public figure, Chances are you want more people to follow you, then connect with you.

[00:33:49] The other reason why? And I know all this sounds very harsh, but LinkedIn inboxes are notoriously terrible and they’ve introduced some new features that have helped people sort through their messages, but it’s still not very good. There’s still no real way to sort between, pitches, spam.

[00:34:11] And those really important messages. So if I could go back in time, I would actually accept a lot fewer connection requests because a lot of those people ended up spamming me right away. And then I, I forgot about it and there’s still a connection of mine where it’s just taking up space in my inbox.

[00:34:29] That could otherwise be somebody that I could really truly connect with. it’s more of like a strategic play than anything. Does that make sense? I know it’s like tricky to explain the difference. 

[00:34:39] Jeff Sieh: [00:34:39] It was great because I was very confused, but that gives me an idea of moving forward.

[00:34:43]  by the way, before we get to the next,   in our final,   news item, I wanted to make sure that if you guys are interested in how I’m doing this switching cameras, this awesome stuff that we’re doing this show could not be made possible without the super awesome software called. He cam,   it allows you to switch screens.

[00:34:59] It’s a Mac based, but it allows you to do all these really cool things that you’re seeing. Switching screens, pulling up lower thirds, all that stuff. If you’d like to find out more, go to social media news, live.com/e cam that’s social media news, alive.com forward slash E cam E C a M M. And tell him that Jeff sent ya anyway.

[00:35:18] All right, let’s go onto our, final segment here. And Eric, go ahead and break this down for us. Yeah. 

[00:35:25] Erik Fisher: [00:35:25] to keep on that train of talking about stories here on LinkedIn. So at the end of 2020, LinkedIn announced that it’s testing some new ways for marketers to use store the stories format, to reach and engage audiences in new ways.

[00:35:39] And obviously one of those new ways is going to be through stories, ads. So it’s testing stories, ads with a limited number of advertisers in a closed beta, but then this week, LinkedIn’s parent company. Microsoft announced that LinkedIn’s ad business is on the rise and that it saw a major boost last quarter of 2020.

[00:36:00] And that the, that basically it accounted for more than a third of LinkedIn’s total revenue. That’s huge. yeah. Yeah, it’s, pretty big news. and some of the other details here about those story ads that basically stories ads, at the time of the reporting that, story ads can help brands grow their reach with community of more than 722 million members with video and image ads.

[00:36:31] I know for me, LinkedIn ads in the feed, as well as stories, ads are the ones that get me every single time. Those are the ones that I stop and look at more than any other platform. So I’m curious, what you think of this. 

[00:36:48] Michaela Alexis: [00:36:48] Yeah, I think I love the idea in theory, and I know that story ads work on other platforms.

[00:36:56] I’m a big sucker for them too. those are actually the only ones that I pay attention to. I think that, and this is not like trying to. plug myself here, but I think that there’s gotta be a lot more training for, companies on LinkedIn. And I know that there’s just been this boom and new companies that have created these LinkedIn pages, but I still notice that there’s a lot of work still to be done, to get people out of this mindset of, a lot of these companies that are creating pages come from the era of.

[00:37:28] especially in B2B companies, you take out a billboard ad or you, spend a ridiculous amount of money for a yellow pages ad, and that’s how you advertise to people. And so their LinkedIn page has really become basically an extension of their newsletter and their buys. Not. to say everybody’s that there are some companies that are doing a really great job.

[00:37:50] One of them that I, constantly mentioned is gong. there it’s a small company. They are absolutely crushing it on LinkedIn. But if you look at how they are using the platform, they’re really focused on community. Building a community. They very rarely talk about their products. It’s more of a service hub where salespeople can go and learn more about how to improve their skill and, their software is like that next step of, how they can do that.

[00:38:19] whole foods is another great example of, just spotlighting their employees to attract new talent. so I think that before we even talk about story ads, A company that have to get really good at organic content, because no matter how much money you put on a story ad, if the imagery is not compelling to people, it’s not going to make any real difference.

[00:38:45] So I’m really focused on creating a community, using tools that already exist. Like polls is another great way to figure out what people actually want. and then I think LinkedIn story ads are going to be awesome. Like that, might be something that I might explore. The only issue with, ads in general on LinkedIn is that they’re so expensive.

[00:39:05] but I certainly see the value of being able to target people. So, well on the platform and I think that’s a brand new one. I really liked the idea because, even with the, I think that they have the inbox ad, and I’ve seen those, I’m not a huge fan of them. I haven’t seen any that I’ve been inclined to click on, but a story that’s 20 seconds might also.

[00:39:32] Force people or companies and brands to learn how to be more concise and compelling with their content. which is what I’m hoping for. I hope I see successful LinkedIn story ads. 

[00:39:46] Jeff Sieh: [00:39:46] I want to, circle back because you said something really, key that I think I know for me, I haven’t done it because of this is,  number one thing we hear.

[00:39:54] About LinkedIn’s is their ads are they’re too expensive. So, tell us what we should know about LinkedIn ads.  How can like an individual like me or a solopreneur or even a small business, let’s say like a flower shop with these smaller ad budgets. Can, could, should they, and can they get started with LinkedIn ads?

[00:40:13] Michaela Alexis: [00:40:13] No. it has like the expert go to expert when it comes to LinkedIn ads. And I think the last time that I talked to him, he was saying, you should have a lifetime value of 15,000. It might be more than that now. but they’re expensive. it’s I’m talking seven to $8 a click, So I’m, not a candidate for LinkedIn ads as of yet.

[00:40:34] maybe that will change in the future. Now, AIG does say that if you want to experiment with LinkedIn ads to use whatever imagery, whether it’s a video photo, all of that stuff on other platforms. First that are cheaper and figure out what works best and then bring that over to LinkedIn. So if you are a kind of like an in-between company where, you do have a high lifetime value, but it’s not, quite what AIG recommends, but you really want to try LinkedIn story ads.

[00:41:05] My recommendation would be to try that add on somewhere else, like Facebook or on Instagram. I think Twitter has stories as well, too. try it on different platforms. put a little bit of money on it and figure out what works before you dive into LinkedIn, because it gets really expensive really quick.

[00:41:25] Jeff Sieh: [00:41:25] So I want to pull up some comments before we start wrapping things up.  Says awesome information from the LinkedIn quaint. Thank you so much, Lisa, for coming in. ,  Let’s see, we were talking about, being focused and,   been working social media for 11 years, learn to really,   focused and split my time between those two things.

[00:41:43] But here’s a great question from Lisa. She goes, what are some tips? Yes. From, for a nonprofit organized organizations on LinkedIn, you mentioned doing a great job. Some of those companies you mentioned do really good job organically because ads are so expensive. So what are some ideas for nonprofits? 

[00:41:59] Michaela Alexis: [00:41:59] Okay.

[00:42:00] I can actually answer this because I’ve worked with not, we call it them not for profits in Canada. So it always is like a little bit of, but I worked for, with habitat for humanity a few years ago. And one of the things that we really focused on was telling the stories of. the volunteers.

[00:42:19] So number one, starting with why they got involved. Because there are people that, look at Jimmy Carter, he’s like the perfect example, He’s been like associated with habitat for humanity, for who knows how long, right longer than my lifetime. And, but And a lot of times they’ll focus on things like that.

[00:42:39] But why, like, where did that desire come from? Because there are so many nonprofits that you can work with, but why do you choose to spend your time, particularly with that organization? And a lot of times, like these are like, Very heartfelt reasons that people decide to give up their time and energy to, work with these, organizations, there’s, there was one, not prob not for, Oh gosh, you guys are killing me.

[00:43:07] No Canadian right now. There’s a non-profit that I worked with, which was, like a cancer support center. And a lot of the, volunteers either had somebody in their family or a friend that, dealt with or passed away from cancer or, as a cancer survivor themselves. And so those stories were really important to spotlight.

[00:43:30] and then also the, end result, the transformation the before and after, but also the people that are directly impacted. By the volunteers efforts, right? Because if you’re trying to reach donors, we tend to think that we make all these very logical calculated decisions, but really, and truly our decisions, big and small come from our heart.

[00:43:52] We, buy houses, but we, work with a realtor that, that gets us or understands the neighborhood. And so everything is driven by emotion. And so even if you’re speaking to donors, which you think is like very, calculated. And logical, those people are still going to spend money, or volunteer their own time.

[00:44:14] Based on how they feel about, the story of the organization. So really telling those stories and focusing on the people that make the organization, what it is, I think is really, key. I’m trying to think of anything else that we did there. I think LinkedIn stories would be another great Avenue for nonprofits.

[00:44:34] that certainly could be really, cool, especially for companies. Like habitat for humanity, where you actually go through a building process and you can show the behind the scenes of okay, this is day two. we’re breaking ground today. I think actually showing that journey from there’s nothing here to, this is a house to, I keep myself marketing goosebumps.

[00:44:57] I’m such a door. Oh my 

[00:44:58] Jeff Sieh: [00:44:58] God. He’s coming up with all 

[00:45:00] Michaela Alexis: [00:45:00] these ideas. like actually seeing a family walk through the door. That’s where the emotion comes from, right? Like that whole journey. And so finding ways to do that, I think would actually be more, more powerful than the before and after.

[00:45:16] Because if you’re actually invested in Hey, this is day 23, and look, we’ve got the windows done and you can actually feel like you’re part of the action. I feel like you’re going to be more inclined to actually donate next time. 

[00:45:28] Jeff Sieh: [00:45:28] Oh, I think that’s genius. if you guys haven’t figured it out, McKayla knows her stuff.

[00:45:32] And Don says from over on LinkedIn watching us, he goes, he totally got it wrong. I figured Facebook and Instagram would be the place for me, but I got so much more engagement on LinkedIn and also Twitter. So you never know where it’s going to happen. So if you haven’t tried LinkedIn for a while, you need to go do this.

[00:45:48] But Mikayla, thank you so much for all the knowledge bombs you dropped today, but where can people find out more about Mikayla, Alexis? 

[00:45:58] Michaela Alexis: [00:45:58] definitely on LinkedIn. it’s just Mikayla. It’s Michael in a I’m the old school Mikayla. Alexis is my last name. My company page is where you can find all of the LinkedIn training and tips and tricks and all that good stuff.

[00:46:13] It’s very confusingly the same thing. So Mikayla, Alexis, but you’ll notice a little pink logo for the company page. My website is Mick alexis.com. You can find me on Instagram. And just be, prepared for, LinkedIn is like my nine to five and then my Instagram is after hours. We’ll be prepared for that.

[00:46:34] It’s at Nick, Alexis, and then I’m also on Instagram or not on Instagram, on Tik TOK with the best handle, which is LinkedIn queen. And that’s where I will, choose followers and, give reviews of their LinkedIn profiles on Tik TOK. 

[00:46:51] Jeff Sieh: [00:46:51] Awesome. Awesome.  Eric, where can people who want to find out more about you, your podcasts or posts, where do they need to go to find out more about all things Fisher?

[00:47:01] Erik Fisher: [00:47:01] Yeah, real quick. Just go to beyond the to-do list.com for the podcast. Check out the social media manager school it’s social media manager, school.com. That’s where you can get training for you and your team for free on 

[00:47:16] Jeff Sieh: [00:47:16] social media. Awesome. Thank you guys so much for your questions today. Thank you Mikayla so much for being here.

[00:47:21] Our next show is on Friday, February 12th, 2021 at 11:00 PM, 11:00 PM, 11:00 AM. And 10:00 AM central time. You can find us at Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Thank you so much for McKayla and thank you to Eric for being here. Don’t forget. This is now a podcast. You can find it on Google, Stitcher, iPad, iTunes, all the places that you get your.

[00:47:41] Podcasts, we would love for you guys to go there and give us a rating and review. And with that I’m Jesse and I will see you next time. Bye 

[00:47:49] Michaela Alexis: [00:47:49] bye. Cheers.