Create Content that Converts Traffic to Subscribers is a post from: Lewis Howes

How “Zen” is your social media marketing strategy?

If you aren’t getting the results you are looking for, you may be going about your strategy all wrong.

Sometimes, all we need is a shift in our mindset to take our results from zero to hero.  As an athlete, I realized that I would never be as big, fast, or strong as some of the others, but I knew if my mindset was in top shape then I could compete with some of the top athletes in the world.

This is true with social media marketing as well.

You don’t have to have a huge brand or a lot of resources to spend on social media marketing.  All you need is to know how to use the tools the right way, leverage what’s available to you for free online, and get your mindset in the right place.

The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Kabani is a book that shares with your the tools you need to get your mind right using social media.  Check out my thoughts in the video below, and make sure to grab a copy if you want to be more Zen-like online.

Also, be sure to say hi to Shama on Twitter, as she has a lot of great things to share on a daily basis.

How Zen is Your Social Media Marketing? is a post from: Lewis Howes

There are a number of questions people have about using LinkedIn.

What are yours?

LinkedIn is a valuable resource for most people, but many still consider it the “ugly stepchild” compared to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social networking sites.

Why? Because they don’t understand how to best use it to achieve their business goals.

Lets make this post a place to ask your questions and get them answered.  Post your biggest questions on how to use LinkedIn below, and I’ll respond there or create a detailed video response for those that need more explanation.

And please chime in and give your own answer to questions becasue I would love to hear your point of view.

What is Your Biggest LinkedIn Question? is a post from: Lewis Howes

David Siteman Garland is an extremely successful young entreprenuer.

He has started and owned a professional hockey league, created a hit T.V. show, speaks professionally around the country, and now has his first book deal (all before his 26 birthday).

The guy is a mutant and his hustle mentality gushes from his eyelids.

So how has David been able to build a powerful brand and achieve (some of) his goals?

One way David has done this is by being completely fearless and taking action to go after what he wants.  He isn’t afraid to fail, and he alters his path at any time along his j0urney when he notices something isn’t working the way he wants it to.

Simple as that.  David creates valuable content, connects people, and does this on a consistent basis.

Do you need to have 20+ years of experience to make a living doing something you are passionate about?  David has a little over 3 years of experience (not including his life experiences), and is completely dominating his niche and growing every day.

Don’t take it for me, watch this video interview below with David just to see how much passion and knowledge he has.

Make sure you check out David’s new book when it comes out, as he really knows his stuff and I stand behind everything he produces.  There aren’t too many people I can say that about, but David is the real deal and his site The Rise To The Top is always a great resource for entreprenuers.

What are your challenges you face along your journey to being an entreprenuer, or any other goals you might have?  Make sure to leave a comment with a few of your challenges, and I’ll have David respond with his best stuff.  Make sure to follow David on Twitter for quick markeitng tips as well.

David Siteman Garland – Journey To Success is a post from: Lewis Howes

I just got back from SXSW Interactive, and for those who attended I hope you were able to get some sleep because I didn’t get much.

Most people do business between the hours or 9am to 5pm.  Most people.

However, for those who attended SXSW (or who attend conferences in general) know that most of the business happens right around 2am.

Depending on the city, this is the time most of the parties are winding down, and the bars close.  And this is also the time people open up to others the most.

Here is common example of what would go down during a night at SXSW:

We all bond together and take our last drink or rush to the bar to order one last shot.  We pay for each others tab, stumble out the venue door with sore feet from the long day of walking at the conference and non-stop dancing.  We get really close when speaking to one another because our ears are ringing from the thumping techno beats, classic rock, and 80’s greatest hits.

We grab a slice of pizza from that shady street meat vender with crazy tattoos.  Then we share cab rides or walk back to the hotel lobby and tell tales of the nightlong journey to the other conference mates who missed out on “the best party of the evening”.

We rally the troupes and lounge around in smelly, sweaty clothes acting as if we have known each other our entire lives.  Then as the first person starts to fall asleep in the middle of the hotel lobby, we take our last picture of the night and post it to Twitter, and Facebook for everyone to see.

We watch as others rush to the bathroom to throw up their $113 bill of Coyote Ugly’s finest alcoholic beverages.  And after this, we realize it’s time to go to bed so we can wake up for another long day of panels, networking, and partying.

A mosh pit of high fives, hugs, and kisses take place as we say goodnight (like in the video below)

We tell each other how much fun we had, how much of a blast it was getting to know one another, and mention how we look forward to hanging out with that person in the future.

This is when business happens.

When we start having experiences with one another outside of the working mindset, and in an environment that breaks down walls and allows for a more light hearted connection.

Remember, we do business with those we know, like and trust.  One night with someone at a party gives you the best opportunity to get them to like you, know the “real” you a little better, and trust you even more.

I generate business deals all of the time at 2:00 am.  Do you?

Please share one experience where you connected with someone late at night and how it translated into a joint venture, new job, more sales, or more business opportunities.  I would love to hear your story.

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Image by Steve Hall

Business Happens at 2:00 am is a post from: Lewis Howes

There are two main approaches people have when connecting with others on LinkedIn.

1.  Is to connect with only those you know well

2.  Is to connect with everyone

Sure there are cases in between, but for the most part those are the two main strategies people use.

There was some recent discussion about a ProBlogger guest article I did on using LinkedIn to drive traffic back to you website, and the main reason why some only apply #1 is because they don’t want to jeopardize their top connections by having to forward along introductions from those they may not know that well.

However, you don’t have to forward all of your introductions, and you are missing a HUGE opportunity if you don’t connect with those you may not know very well.  Watch as I explain in the video below:

There are 6 main reasons you want to connect with everyone on LinkedIn:

1. To be found and contacted by more professionals: Increasing your 1st degree network grows your your 2nd and 3rd degree by millions more people.

2. To drive more traffic to your site: Any time you update your status or profile, it shows up on the homepage of everyone you are connected to.  More connections = more eyeballs.

3. To generate a TON more leads: Simple.  More connections = more potential leads

4.  To build your database: Your database is one of your most valuable assets in business.  LinkedIn allows you to export your contacts (the other “top social networking sites” don’t).

5. To create more opportunities: So many more opportunities come in that normally wouldn’t  because you are on the “top of mind” for people who might not know you that well (as opposed to the close network of people you already know).

6. To build thought leadership: The more people you connect with, inspire, help, and influence, the bigger impact you will have on the world.  This creates the potential for more recommendations, more referrals, and a bigger platform as a thought leader in your niche.

Do you connect with everyone who sends you an invite, or do you only add those you know very well?  What are some other reason for connecting with everyone, or not connecting with everyone?

6 Reasons To Connect With Everyone On LinkedIn is a post from: Lewis Howes

I’m seeing a trend of Internet marketers that are starting to dive more into social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

This is great and all, but most of them are missing out on a huge opportunity by not using LinkedIn to the fullest.

Yanik Silver recently reached out on Twitter and said he was looking to use LinkedIn more.  I thought I would share a few things in this video where Yanik can use LinkedIn to

1. Drive Traffic

2. Build His List, and

3. Generate More Sales

Watch this video below as I share with you 8 different ways Internet marketers (and Yanik) should be using LinkedIn.

I have seen other Internet marketers finding success using LinkedIn like Joel Comm, the NY Times best selling author of Twitter Power.  His “Twitter for Business” group has nearly 6,000 members without him doing much at all to grow it.

He is selling more books, generating more leads, and driving more traffic to his site from his LinkedIn group.  In a recent message he sent out a link for a few of his ebooks for free, and the comments he received in the group all sing his praises for providing such quality content.

LinkedIn is a qualified, target audience you can reach out to with over 60 million business professionals and it shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone, including Internet Marketers.

Here is a recap of the 8 points I made in my video on LinkedIn marketing for Internet marketers:

1. Headline:  Make sure you target your niche, and demonstrate how you help that niche.
2. Connections:  The more the better because LinkedIn allows you to export your emails into a CSV file.
3. Recommendations:  More Authority, Credibility, and Social Proof… you all knows this better than anyone.
4. Websites:  You always have a call to action at the end of your sales letters, why not here as well.
5. Groups:  If you don’t build it, someone else will have a huge niche audience to send weekly messages to.
6. Blog App: Driving organic traffic to your site… can’t beat it.
7. Amazon App: If you have a book on Amazon, then this will help you sell more.
8. Events: Many Internet marketers have events, and this is a great way to spread the word absolutely FREE!

How else do you think LinkedIn could be helpful for Internet marketers?  What other things can they focus on throughout their profile?  Should they take it as serious as the rest of people looking for ways to advance their career, or do you still not see the value in using LinkedIn?

LinkedIn Tips For Yanik Silver and Internet Marketers is a post from: Lewis Howes

There is a recent post by Colin Alsheimer where he says that LinkedIn is dead.

Now I’m sure Colin may be misguided like most of the people I encounter who don’t “get” LinkedIn.

And that is OK.

I’m not going to get too heated on this debate, because I realize that everyone has different goals and objectives, and some sites may be better than others in helping you achieve your goals.

Still, I have yet to find someone who is unable to achieve their professional goals on LinkedIn.  And if you are not currently achieving something you want in business yet, please write it in the comments section below and I will do a brief personal video showing you how to achieve it on LinkedIn.

Of course, as with anything, you get out of it what you put into it, and Rome wasn’t built in a day so there may be some grunt work needed to achieve your goal.  But with the size of LinkedIn, and the power of its network, I’m more than convinced you can achieve any business goal you have if you approach it right.

Check out my video response above where I show how LinkedIn is alive, and I hope you check out some previous videos on this site where I go into more detail on LinkedIn’s greatness.

Oh, and Colin, I know you quoted Chris Brogan in your post also, but I just did a video response on how Chris should be using LinkedIn to grow his business.  I hope you get a chance to check it out here and let me know if you still think LinkedIn is dead, as I enjoy the friendly debate.

Linkedin is Alive! is a post from: Lewis Howes

Have you ever had to sleep on a couch?

Not much fun is it?

Not even if you are on the most luxurious 20 cushion couch, it still doesn’t feel as good as the California King that makes you sleep like a baby.

Sometimes, however, we are forced to sleep on a couch on our own journey to success.  I can’t tell you how many couches I have slept on during my travels to attend conference and events.   It’s just something you will have to do if you can’t afford the expense of a hotel.

Have you ever had to sleep on a friends couch while traveling?  Did it make you want to work that much harder so you wouldn’t have to sleep on another couch again when you traveled?  I would love to hear some of your experiences.

Couch Surfing – Journey To Success is a post from: Lewis Howes

It’s a fact that Gary Vaynerchuk is completely dominating almost everything he is involved with.  He is a NY Times Best Selling Author, runs a killer media agency with cool and collected brother A.J., has a unique wine show, and everything he is passionate about seems to crush the competition (except for his NY Jets, lol).

However, Gary made some comments a while back saying he was going to start taking LinkedIn to the next level this year, and in my opinion he hasn’t done it yet.

I know Gary is one of the busiest people on the planet right now so I understand this may not be a top priority.  I do believe Gary could really start taking all of his projects and businesses to the next level if he implements 13 of the things I noticed wrong with his LinkedIn profile.

This video was created (out of pure love) specifically to show Gary what he can do to improve his profile and start helping that playoff beard fulfill its real purpose, but I want the rest of you to pay close attention to some of the slight changes you could be making as well.   These changes I demonstrate may just give you that extra opportunity you need to take things to the next level this year.

I realized I left one BIG point out of this video, and that was using the events section on LinkedIn.  I know Gary has a number of book signings, speaking gigs, and wine events around the country and he has not used the events section to its fullest potential.

I recently helped promote an event he had during his book signing in St. Louis.  I sent out a few messages and was able to get over 400 people to RSVP on LinkedIn, and there was a great turnout during the event (see 413 RSVP numbers in image).

I don’t think he was able to get that many to ever RSVP for an event on Facebook, and we all know Twitter doesn’t have an option for events.  Using the events section on LinkedIn is the 13th point of this post.  Think LinkedIn isn’t worth paying attention to? Look at the numbers and think again.

Do you see anything else Gary should be changing or implementing on LinkedIn?  Better yet, were there things I mentioned that you should be doing to your LinkedIn profile that you didn’t think about before?  If so, please let me know what they are in the comments below and start crushing it on LinkedIn.

13 Ways Gary Vaynerchuk Should Be Crushing It On LinkedIn is a post from: Lewis Howes