Next Level Marketing & Website Design Blog

What Makes A Bad Website

Graphic Design, Marketing, Website Design and Development

Jerry Lopatka, of our parent company, Dugan & Lopatka, CPAs, forwarded an e-mail to me that included a link to a really bad website. (www.chestertourist.com/index.htm). The site is bad, but why? What makes a bad website?

Jerry’s critique of the website concluded:

  • Too much contrast
  • Lack of focus – where do you look first!?
  • Scrolling mania and dancing directories – both vertical and horizontal.

Jerry was correct, but I found a number of other issues that may help our readers better evaluate their own website.

  • Our primary issue with this website is Sensory Overload. Too many bells and whistles including: flashing graphics, audio clips, animations, numerous type styles, busy background patterns, and inappropriate use of Flash.
  • The contents are not organized sequentially so as to deliver an effective sales message that will involve and persuade the reader.
  • Text is set in typefaces that are too small, too bold or too light, too masculine or feminine, too whimsical, too cute, or too powerful.
  • Insufficient white space inside the layout making it easier to read.

I am sure you will find your own problems with this website.  Have fun with it, but learn from their mistake.

If you would like some resources on how to evaluate your website and on how to improve it, please check out the three free articles we have posted on the 2nextlevel.net website.

http://www.2nextlevel.net/resources/website-design-and-development-articles

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on February 28, 2012, 8:55 am

Managed Marketing Services – Are They Right for You?

Customer Service, Marketing, Revenue Enhancement

Next Level Marketing has created a new innovative service called Managed Marketing Services that are designed specifically for small and mid-sized business who do not have a marketing professional on staff but whose sales team would greatly benefit from consistent marketing activities.  If this sounds like you, read on.

Uncertain economic times provide the perfect opportunity for you to take stock of your existing customers and to leverage those relationships in order to weather the downturn.  Now is the time to access the fundamentals that drive your business; knowing your existing customers; acquiring new customers; connecting with customers in meaningful ways; and delivering the right solutions to meet customer needs.  But do you have the time or staff to consistently reach out to your customers?  We all agree that marketing activities are investments into the future revenues of the company, but with all the other commitments of your sales peoples’ time, it is often hard to provide the consistency in these activities that are required to be successful. What are your options then?  Well you could hire a marketing professional but their salary, benefits, taxes and related costs may not be in the budget, especially when you realize that they will demand a marketing budget on top of this expenditure.  You could do nothing and hope for the best.  Or you could outsource some of these marketing activities to a third party.  This is where Managed Marketing Service providers come in.

What are Managed Marketing Services?
Managed Marketing Services may be a new concept for most small and mid-sized businesses, but it stems from the age-old concept of outsourcing services.   Managed Marketing Services are recurring services provided either on-site or remotely on a contractual basis.  It is the day-to-day marketing related activities that keep the company in front of customers, prospects and referral source partners in a coordinated, effective and brand-supportive manner.  A managed services provider (MSP), is typically a marketing services provider, who manages and assumes responsibility for providing a defined set of services to their customers either proactively or as they (not the customer) determine that the services are needed.    The basic premise is that there are mundane marketing tasks either not being conducted by your company or that are being conducted by salespeople who should be prospecting instead.  Outsourcing these marketing services to a Managed Marketing Services Provider lowers costs and frees up time for your sales people to work on closing more business.

What’s Typically Included?
A Managed Marketing Services program typically includes 1) marketing planning and coordination with sales team activities, 2) print communications  such as newsletters and postcard solicitations, 3) electronic communications such as e-mail campaigns and blog support, and 4) social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  Advertising and search engine optimization can also be included.  As a Marketing Services Provider, Next Level takes the marketing load off you and helps you focus your energies back into the core business issues.  We become your marketing team who THINKS and ACTS as YOUR integrated marketing partner.  We help define and put your business strategy into marketing strategy and execute these actions of your behalf.

What are the Benefits?
The benefits of Managed Marketing Services include:

  • Cost savings verses hiring an in-house marketing employee
  • Improved consistency of marketing communications
  • Better planning and control
  • Predictable expenditures
  • Wider variety of marketing skill-sets as a result of working with a MSP team of experts
  • Access to other marketing services as needed.

How Does Pricing Work?

Most MSPs charge a small monthly fee on a 12 month contract with an ability to withdraw from the services if needed.

If you would like to learn more about Managed Marketing Services, give Brett Flickinger a call at 630-665-4440.

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on December 12, 2011, 10:10 am  | Trackback

2012 Marketing Predictions for Small and Mid-sized Privately-held Businesses

Advertising, Customer Service, Graphic Design, Marketing, Revenue Enhancement, Website Design and Development

Where did the year go?  It seems like only yesterday that I was wishing everyone a happy new year. Well, 2011 has been a fantastic year for small and mid-sized business marketing professionals.  Our world is changing so rapidly it is hard to keep up.  While this is an exciting time for marketers, it is also a challenging time for us.  The continued evolution of the Internet and the digital revolution are mind-blowing.  The continued challenge of marketing professionals in small and mid-sized privately-held businesses (SMBs) is how to allocate our time and limited budgets.  How do we take advantage of these changes knowing that we lack the resources of our larger competitors?

Well in today’s blog, we will try to help you maximize your marketing dollars and people by outlining what we believe will be the top 12 trends for small and mid-sized enterprises for 2012.  Our goal is not necessarily to predict the unknown future, but to focus on the trends that will impact small and mid-sized businesses the most.  This list is by no means all inclusive and I would love to hear from others on what they see for 2012.

  1. Customers and employees will become more involved in marketing decisions as electronic communications and the Internet specifically make direct input easier and less expensive to obtain for SMBs.
  2. The power of referrals and recommendations will expand in importance with an ever-increasing social network footprint.
  3. Mobile marketing will enter into marketing efforts for the first time for many SMBs in both advertising and in the development of customer-centered apps.
  4. Social networks will become a significant source of organic search traffic for SMB websites as more SMBs participate in the low cash required marketing tool afforded by social networking.
  5. LinkedIn will become the dominate business networking website granting SMBs access to and identification of important contacts.
  6. Customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention strategies will re-emerge as key strategies to measure marketing performance as the drive to keep customers in a slow economy continues.
  7. Branding and identity strategies will become more prevalent in small and mid-sized businesses.
  8. Marketing automation will grow in importance as SMBs try to leverage limited resources and marketing automation improves.
  9. More websites of SMBs will contain more than English language pages as more SMBs cater to growing international sales.
  10. Small and mid-sized businesses will utilize virtual events such as webinars, online training, and Skype meetings to be more efficient and effective.
  11. Blogging will become more common place with small and mid-sized businesses as they attempt to exhibit industry or product expertise as a marketing differentiation against larger competitors.
  12. Original or 2nd generation business websites will be revamped to help SMBs compete, involve customers more, and to take advantage of new web technologies and integration with social media.

I am sure that I have left some items off this list.  Tell me what you think.  2012 is sure to be another exciting year for marketing professionals of small and mid-sized privately-held businesses.  Good luck and give me buzz if I can be of any help.

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on November 14, 2011, 1:19 pm

Using a Stoplight Approach in Sales

Marketing, Revenue Enhancement

I read a great book, Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play, by Mahan Khalsa that really honed in on some selling concepts I feel are vital in today’s competitive market.  The book focuses on large consulting sales but several of the concepts have broader applications.  The one I will focus on today is the concept of the stoplight in the sales process.

In all sales processes, regardless of industry, one of the first activities of the salesperson is to discover the needs of the prospective customer.  Khalsa’s premise is that too many salespeople guess on what the prospective customer wants.  They listen only to identify a product or service they sell and not to truly understand the needs and pains of the prospective customer.  In essence they miss the vital criteria the prospective customer has for making the decision.  Why don’t salespeople dig deeper and listen better?  The author says that most people are afraid of failure or the red light.  In the sales process, whenever we hear something that concerns us (something that may reduce the likely success of our sales efforts), instead of slowing down and addressing the “Yellow light”, we ignore it and drive on, hoping that we will get through the light before it turns red.

But if we are going to hit a red light, isn’t it better to hit it as soon as possible and avoid wasting your and the prospect’s time and money? If a yellow light pops up, slow down and get clarity.  Ask more questions and try to mutually work through the issues with the prospective customer.  I like to use the following phrases whenever I hit a yellow light:

  • “I have a concern…”
  • “I am confused…”
  • “Help me better understand..”

The goal is to mutually find the solutions to yellow lights with the prospective customer.  Not only does this activity solve the yellow light but it also helps the prospective customer buy into what you are offering.  Get out all the issues, all the factors for making a decision, and priorities for each person involved in the decision.  In essence find their pain, the implication of the pain on the company and the gain from what you offer.  More information is always better.  Yellow lights, therefore, can actually help you close more deals.

I just love the author’s comment: “A red light is not a failure. Failure is making a red light needlessly more expensive by spending more time and money.”

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on August 25, 2011, 10:13 am

Getting Past the Gatekeeper

Marketing, Revenue Enhancement

Every sales person dreads running into the “gatekeeper” or “bulldog” in a prospect company.  Their job is to stop salespeople and others from wasting the time of the business leader you are trying to contact.  In today’s blog, I will share some ideas I have heard from successful salespeople over the years on how they get to the boss. Since every person is different, every gatekeeper will be different so more than one approach may be required. Good luck!

Contact the Boss Via LinkedIn InMail
One of my personal favorites and most successful tactics is to bypass the Gatekeeper via the social networking service, LinkedIn.  If the boss is on LinkedIn, you can send him/her a direct message via LinkedIn’s InMail feature.  My personal experience is that the Boss opens these messages himself/herself and will respond.   LinkedIn even guarantees that the InMail is opened in 7 days.

Have the Right Paradigm
To get through to the decision maker, you must think like the decision maker.  What is important to them.  A good Gatekeeper will be in touch with what’s important to their boss.  Your conversation with the Gatekeeper must get the Gatekeeper to say “OK, my boss will want to talk with you.”  One way to accomplish this is to focus on business outcomes. Remember WIIFM – What’s In It For Me or in this case What’s In It for My Boss.

Call When The Gatekeeper Is Away
Bypass the Gatekeeper by calling when they are away from the phone.  Calls between 1 and 2 p.m. can be good since many receptionists are at lunch and someone from the administrative staff takes that role. That person is not really focused on being a Gatekeeper as much as making sure they don’t mess up forwarding calls.  They tend to let people through the gate.  You can also try between 7 and 8:30 a.m. before the gatekeeper gets in, but the decision maker is likely already in and they tend to pick up calls.   After 5 p.m. when the gatekeeper has gone home and you reach the automated voice system, which increases your chances of reaching the decision maker directly.

Go through the Sales Department
Go around the Gatekeeper and call the company’s sale department.  Once you have one of their salespeople on the line, tell them what you are trying to do and see if they will privately give you a direct phone number to the boss.  Try the old sale people need to help each other out routine.

Contact the Boss Outside the Company First
Try to meet the boss outside their company.  This could be a industry events or socially in the community.  When you call, tell the Gatekeeper that you were talking to [boss name] at [event] and he/she instructed you to give him/her a call to follow up.  Many Gatekeepers have instruction to allow people from certain organizations they are involved with to get through automatically.

Formal Introduction
In olden times, before you would call upon people of importance, you would first send a formal card of introduction prior to calling upon them.  Create a formal introduction card similar to a small invitation and mail it to the boss.  Make it fancy and make a subtle impression of importance.  More than likely, the Gatekeeper will pass it along to the Boss and be more open to your first call.

Act Important/Act Like the Boss’ Friend
When you call, it’s important to right away ask for the decision maker by first name. Act as if you are a good friend of the decision maker’s. Good friends don’t use Mr. or Mrs. They also don’t usually ask “please.” If you hesitate, they’re going to eat you up.

Become Friends With the Gatekeeper
If after several calls the gatekeeper still won’t let you through, ask her name and make friends with her.   I have gone as far as sending her cookies.  After establishing a friendly relationship, ask her/him “What are the chances you’re going to help me out today?” Address the  individual with respect instead of trying to diminish him/her and make him/her feel inferior.

These are not a complete list of ways to get past the Gatekeepers and one or more of these on any given day will fail.  Keep trying. Good luck!

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on July 18, 2011, 9:47 am  | Trackback

Getting the Sales Process Moving After the Prospect Stalls

Marketing, Revenue Enhancement

Ever have a potential sale get stalled by the potential customer?  ”I need to think this over.”  ”Let me review your proposal and I’ll get back to you.”  Sound familiar?  We call this a Stall.  What this means is that something is stopping the customer from buying now.  The good news is that the prospect does have some desire to buy what you are selling.  They came this far along the sales process.  The bad news is if you accept the stall, you’ll lose the sale 95% of the time. Of course, there are legitimate times when a prospect needs more time ,but the majority of stalls mean that the prospect doesn’t sense a need or urgency to buy now.  Some want to “shop around” to see if your offer is the best option.  In almost all cases a stall is bad for your selling position. So what do you do?

First, verify that you are talking with the decision maker.  A stall could result by your contact having to go to another person for approval.  In this case, your goal is get to the real decision maker.

If you are talking with the right person, it might help to understand common reasons behind the stalls:

  • Stalls often result from the prospect’s sense that they need more justification for the purchase.  Help the prospect justify the purchase.  Show them the benefits, in real terms to their specific situation and company.
  • Stalls often result as a defensive measure against a sense of being pressured to buy.  No one likes being sold to.  In this case, back off the on the direct approach and “lead” them to the conclusions you want them to come to.  This indirect approach makes it feel more like their decision and not yours.
  • A stall often indicates that the prospect has some negative issues toward making the purchase often unexpressed. Find out what is holding them back and address this negative issues.  If its a red light that you can’t overcome, it’s better for you and the prospect to stop the process and move on.
  • If a stall is driven by the desire to shop around, be sure that your position is solid and your personal relationship is strong.

The key is to build up the positive benefits of making the purchase decision in the buyers mind, neutralize any negative issues and remove any blocks that are stalling the selling process.    If the prospect lacks a sense of urgency to buy now, it’s up to you to create that sense of urgency by selling the problem or reasons to buy back to them.  Build the urgency by reminding them of the problems they face and/or the negatives of the status quo.  Get them to agree on how bad the current situation is, build on the positive benefits of changing to your solution, and “lead” them to a decision.

With a bit of practice, you can learn how to uncover the reasons behind a stall and get the sales process moving again. Good luck.

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on June 16, 2011, 11:35 am

What is a QR Code and Why Should I have One?

Advertising, Graphic Design, Marketing, Revenue Enhancement

The is the QR Code for the Next Level Web Site

The is the QR Code for the Next Level Web Site

Have you seen a QR Code and didn’t know it?   QR Code stands for Quick Response (QR) Code.  Similar to a bar code you may already know on consumer packaging, the QR Code is a code to be scanned.  But unlike a simple bar code, a QR Code can do a lot more. It allows Smartphone users do a whole host of things such as be taken to a website, go to a blog, receive contact information or vCard, or be prompted to send an email.   A single QR code is capable of storing over 4000 alphanumeric characters.

QR Codes started in Japan and was created by a Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994.    The technology has seen a large uptake in Japan and South Korea. However, in the West there has been a far slower adoption of QR codes.  Although initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (termed mobile tagging). Marketing professionals quickly saw the potential QR codes had in our digital world.  QR codes are rapidly tying the digital world to the traditional print world advertising as marketers add them to billboard ads, flyers, brochures, in-store displays, and other promotional materials. Marketers are now attaching them to business cards, advertising or marketing materials to send potential customers your company’s contact info or direct them to a website. For example, some realtors place QR codes on “For Sale” signs on their properties that take prospective buyers to the MLS listing.  Other uses have included guerilla-marketing campaigns, event ticketing, coupons, direct mail campaigns, and more.

Here is An Example of How it Works

A potential customer sees an advertisement while reading the paper at a hotel and is interested in your products.  Instead of waiting to get to a computer and go to your website, they simply scan in the QR Code on your ad with their phone application which launches the web browser on their phone and takes them directly to that product’s web page.  They read more and hopefully follow up with a purchase.

A QR code’s potential for your business is limited only by your imagination.  Take your advertising to the Next Level with QR Codes.

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on April 26, 2011, 4:08 pm  | Trackback

Want Some Free Publicity?

Marketing, Revenue Enhancement

Want to see your name or company in the media, for free?  HARO might be an answer for you.  HARO, Help A Reporter Out, is an e-mail subscription where reporters post contacts they seek to interview for articles they are writing.  Over 50,000 Journalists use HARO to locate experts for on-air interviews, articles quotes and more.  For example, this week a reporter from a newspaper wanted to interview small business owners about hiring challenges.  Twice or more a day, HARO will send you an e-mail listing the current posts.  If you think that you meet the qualifications of the contact the reporter seeks and are willing to help out, you simply respond to the e-mail included in the posting.  The reporters are under tight deadlines so being responsive quickly is vital.  For more information, check out the HARO website: www.helpareporter.com.

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on April 1, 2011, 10:02 am

LinkedIn: Tips & Tricks Part II

Customer Service, Marketing, Revenue Enhancement

As you can see from my last blog on LinkedIn, that I am very excited about its potential for generating new revenues.    Last week I conducted a training class for a group of salesmen who wanted to learn more about LinkedIn and how to use it to generate revenues.  Today’s blog will share some of the concepts I presented to them.  In our last blog, we left off talking about adding applications to your profile to enhance your image and add more functionality.  We will start there today.

Box.net Files

This is one of the most useful applications for LinkedIn for salespeople and many others.  Basically, it lets you set up a file folder on your LinkedIn Profile where you can upload files for others to download.  Practical usages include sales brochures, rate sheets, customer service documents, etc.  Anything that you want to share with your connections can be posted here.

Behance

This application allows you to display graphic images and project information.  Mostly designed for graphic artists to show their work such as brochures, website screen shots, etc.  It can be used, however, is a wider variety of ways.  For example, general contractors can highlight a construction project include images of designs, work photos and final results.

Google Presentations

Every conduct a seminar and some people didn’t show up?  Now you can place your presentation on your LinkedIn Profile and invite the no-shows to watch it there.

CardMunch

For the iPhone users out there, the Cardmunch app allows you to place all the business cards you receive into your phone for easy access.  LinkedIn acquired this company and now you can connect LinkedIn contacts to your phone as well using this app.

Microsoft Outlook Link

Now let’s talk about another favorite of mine – the link between Microsoft Outlook and LinkedIn.  This is a great way to expand your LinkedIn network.  At the bottom of the page in LinkedIn, you will see a menu bar area.  Under the Tools link, you can download the Outlook Social Connector.  This connector installs an add-on to your Microsoft Outlook program.  This add-on does three really nice things to Outlook.  First, when you receive an e-mail from someone, at the bottom of the page below the preview of the e-mail’s content, images of the sender are pulled from LinkedIn.  You can quickly determine if the sender is in LinkedIn or not.  You can then add them to your LinkedIn Connections if you want.  Second, all of your LinkedIn Connections get pulled into Outlook.  A LinkedIn folder is created under My Contacts in Outlook.  You can now pull these up, schedule meetings, calls, etc. in Outlook. Third, LinkedIn has built-in restriction on the number of messages you can send and bulk sending is restricted.  However, with the LinkedIn-Outlook link, all of your contacts are now in Outlook and you can use Outlook to mass e-mail all of your LinkedIn contacts if you so desire.

Ok, let’s change gears.  I don’t want this blog to be entirely about applications for LinkedIn.  Leave it to say that there are a number of applications that can enhance your profile with more being developed every day.

Let’s discuss a basic revenue generating function of LinkedIn.  The old school sales approach was to work your personal relationships (at a chamber of commerce meeting, through community or trade events, etc.) to get introduced to a person at a company with whom you wanted to do business.  LinkedIn does the same thing, but utilizes technology to to expedite the process.  Let me illustrate with an example.

LinkedIn has a function that shows you people that you may know, but are not yet part of your network.  I was scrolling through this list and saw a person that shared 10 connections to people we both knew.  The person was working in a company I wanted to get to know.  Using LinkedIn’s InMail feature, I sent her a message listing all the people we both knew and suggested that we should probably get to know each other.  She was curious and agreed to connect.  I followed this up with a request to get some coffee.  At this meeting, we got to know each other better.  After getting to know me and what I did, she agreed to introduce me to the President of the company.  LinkedIn and some old school relationship building, got me the opportunity to sell our services.

Wow, I ran out of space again.  I hope the ideas I have shared on LinkedIn help you  generate more revenues.  If I can be of assistance or if you would like me to put on a LinkedIn training class for your company, give me a call.

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on March 14, 2011, 10:06 am

Tips and Tricks to Make LinkedIn Work for Your Business

Marketing

As business people, you have heard that you should be using the power of social media to help your business but are not sure how.  In today’s blog, I will share some of the tricks and tips to make the social media website LinkedIn work for you.  LinkedIn has some 85 million people within its network.  If you are not on LinkedIn, you need to be.  For today’s blog, I will assume that you have an account and know how to add connections to people you know.

Finding Information and Insiders At A Specific Company
Ok, you have a specific company you have targeted and what to identify the insiders you need to get to know.  Here is how.  On your Home page of LinkedIn at the top menu to the far right is the word “Advanced” in blue.  This opens a powerful search capability.  On the right side of this screen you will see the field “Company”.  Type in your targeted company and every LinkedIn profile for that company is listed.  Another option is to use the “Search Companies” function under “Companies” in the top menu. This will pull up the company’s LinkedIn page and from there you can identify the people in the company.  You can also research the company on their LinkedIn Company profile including recommendations made by others.  If you upgrade your account from the free account to the Business Pro account, you can see references made by past and current employees of the company.

Finding Service Providers or Getting Listed
Need a new accountant or website designer?  LinkedIn can help.  Go to the “Companies” page from the main top menu on the Home page.  On the top right of this page you will see “Service Providers” in blue.  This page shows service providers and the recommendations other LinkedIn users posted for them.  You only get listed on this page if you receive enough recommendations by other users (see below for getting recommendations).

Have Customers Recommend You on LinkedIn
There are two ways to get recommendations, individual or a mass request.  For individuals, go to the individual in your Contacts (see “Contacts” on the top menu of the Home screen).  Click on their name and send them a message.  In the message ask them to go to your Profile page and click on “Recommend this person” in blue in the upper right hand side of the profile.  For a mass request for recommendations, go back to the Service Providers page (see above).  At the bottom of this page, you will see “How do I get listed in this directory?”  Click “Request a recommendation.” You can request up to 200 contacts to make a recommendation at once.

How to Get Business Questions Answered Through LinkedIn
Under the “More” link on the top menu of the Home screen, you will see a drop-down “Answers.”  Type in your question and hit Next.  Use the Details field to elaborate on your questions.  Select a category for your question to help direct the question to people most appropriate to answer it. You can also limit your question to response from a specific geographic area by choosing a country and zipcode (for the US).   After you ask your question, you will also be asked if you want to send this question to people you know.  Answers will show up under the My Q&A tab on the Answers page.

Become an Expert Answering Questions
The bottom half of the Questions page lists experts in the category.  If you want to be become an expert, answer other people’s questions and earn “expertise points”.  Find questions in the areas you know by browsing questions in categories familiar to you.  Answer those questions by clicking on the question link, and clicking the “Answer” button.  Remember, private answers won’t help you earn expertise.  Every time the questioner picks your answer best, you gain a point of expertise.  The more points of expertise, the higher you appear on lists of experts. 

Set Up a Business Account
An important feature of LinkedIn is the ability to profile your business and not just yourself.  In essence this section of LinkedIn is very much like your website and as such, should be developed by your marketing people to ensure that you convey the right message and to enhance its graphical appearance.  Having said that, here is how to set up your company.  You first must have a personal profile account in LinkedIn. Click on the Companies link on the main menu on the Home screen.  On the upper right side of this page, click on “Add a Company.”  Enter the name of your company and company e-mail address.  LinkedIn will verify that your company does not have an existing profile and that you work for the company.  Enter the information about your company and click “Create Company.”    Click “Edit” to enhance your company profile.  Again, I suggest you use a marketing professional here who knows how to use LinkedIn’s features to create an impressive company page.

Add Your WordPress Blog to Your LinkedIn Profile
Do you write a blog using WordPress.  If so, each time you post a new blog, it can show up on your LinkedIn profile page.  Here is how.  Under Profile on the main menu, click Edit profile.  Scroll down on your profile until you see the section “Applications” and click on “Add an application” in blue to the right.  Scroll until you find WordPress applications, click on it.   Next, check the boxes next to “Display on my profile” and “Display on LinkedIn homepage.”  Set up your blog feed by entering your blog’s URL (such as http://blogs.2nextlevel.net).  Select “Show all recent posts from your blog” to show your entire blog.  If you want to show only certain posts, tag them “LinkedIn” in your WordPress editor and select “Show only recent posts tagged LinkedIn.”  Configure your privacy settings to make sure your blog updates.   In the upper right of the LinkedIn main menu you will see you name.  Click on the drop down arrow and select “Settings.”  Under “Privacy Settings” on the right side of the screen, click on “Profile and Status Updates.”  Make sure that under “Publish profile updates, recommendations and companies you follow?” that you have selected the radio button for “Yes.”

Wow, we have run out of space in this blog and I have a ton more to share with you about LinkedIn.  Stay tuned.  I will continue this topic in my next blog.  If you have any questions, please give me a call at (630) 665-4440 or visit our website at www.2nextlevel.net.

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Posted by Brett Flickinger on February 23, 2011, 1:17 pm  | Trackback
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