Isn't LinkedIn just a place for job hunters, recruiters,

and maybe a place to store your CV?

What if I told you it's possible to unlock huge business opportunities on

LinkedIn, even with their free plan?

I'm joined by LinkedIn personal branding expert, Beatrice Ronchetti, who's here

to share strategies with you that have helped industry leaders generate over 20

million pounds of new business in this episode of Architecture Business Club.

The weekly podcast for small firm founders who want to build their

dream business in architecture and enjoy more freedom, flexibility

and fulfillment in what they do.

I'm John Clayton, your host.

I know that building an architecture business can feel hard, especially

if you're a sole practitioner.

The good news is that you don't have to do it alone.

Last year, we launched our membership community to a small

group of founding members, including architects, architectural

technologists and interior designers.

We meet online each week and occasionally in person to support

each other in building our businesses and to have some fun along the way.

On the 1st of March 2025 we're opening the doors to a limited number of new members.

If you'd like to join this supportive group of like minded

professionals now's your chance.

Just go to architecturebusinessclub.

com forward slash waitlist or click the link in the show notes and enter your

details so we can let you know when and how you can join this incredible group.

And if you have any questions, just email John, that's J O N,

at architecturebusinessclub.

com.

Now, let's learn more about LinkedIn.

Beatrice Ronchetti is a LinkedIn personal branding expert who helps

senior professionals and business leaders stand out on LinkedIn and beyond.

A specialist in the property sector, her strategies have enabled leaders

to generate over 20 million pounds in opportunities from LinkedIn by positioning

them as go to experts in their industries.

Passionate about empowering leaders, especially women, she collaborates

with female led groups to inspire bold, authentic leadership.

Beatrice helps you show up confidently, unlock opportunities,

and elevate your personal brand.

You can connect with Beatrice on LinkedIn via the link in the show notes.

Beatrice, welcome to Architecture Business Club.

Hi, John.

Thanks so much for having me.

It's a pleasure to be here.

Oh, it's great to have you here.

Yeah, I'm so glad that you could join us.

This is the first interview, podcast recording of 2025, the time we've

got this interview that we're doing.

So yeah, very excited for the new year.

I know.

I know.

It's great.

Great to start it with you.

Yeah, we're both just coming off the back of having some

time off over Christmas and New Year, which has been fantastic.

I know that in your free time you're quite into arts and crafts.

Could you tell me a little bit about the sort of thing that you do?

Yeah, definitely.

Well, I mean, I think, you know, we're all always very busy, very absorbed

with work and, and sort of life.

So I find that it really helps to have something you know, that,

that rests the mind and the brain.

And for me, it looks like pottery, painting, knitting, um, crochet,

the products, you know, the results of, of my hobby, maybe a bit

questionable, not, not maybe the best.

Uh, but I do very much enjoy doing that kind of thing.

Ah, that sounds like a lot of fun.

That's very much aligned with my daughter's interests.

She's very artistic and she's she's, interested in art and she does a lot

of crochet and that sort of thing.

My main thing really, I suppose, is music.

So, I like to collect vinyl, play the guitar and Lego.

That's my other guilty pleasure.

I'll get a Lego set to build, but then my son usually interjects and,

you know, sort of takes over with the building, but, it's all good fun.

Beatrice, you're joining us today so that we can talk about how Architecture

practice owners can stand out on LinkedIn so that they can generate

more opportunities for themselves and for their practice so I guess, really,

before we dig into that, why LinkedIn over other social media platforms?

Yeah.

That's a really, really good question.

And I think in this day and age has become harder and harder to stand out online.

Right.

And, and Everyone does it because they want more business

opportunities, more clients.

Nobody does it for, for the glory.

Uh, right.

So why LinkedIn?

Well, first of all, if you're anyone in property, if you're

anyone in architecture, LinkedIn is the go to platform.

Uh, why is that?

Well, it's, it's renowned for being the top B2B platform.

So if you're operating a business to business environment, LinkedIn

is definitely the place to be.

But specifically for people in property, what you'll find is that Not everyone will

necessarily be on Instagram, let alone Facebook or X, which used to be Twitter.

Uh, but most people will be on LinkedIn.

They will have a presence, they will at least have a profile.

So that's where you're likely to find your target clients.

And the other thing I would say is that LinkedIn allows us to be

very spoiled in terms of who we can target, the audience that we want to

build, we can target by job title, by geography, by interest, we'll talk a

little bit more about that, um, and no other platform allows us to do that.

So, especially in, you know, in an era where we're all time poor and busy,

you can't be everywhere and there's no point in trying to be everywhere.

LinkedIn is definitely the first place where you should focus your efforts.

That's such a good point with the targeting aspects of it.

You've got so many options on LinkedIn to be able to target people

from specific industries in a, such a way that you don't really have

on those other platforms, do you?

Would the same apply, I suppose, for, Architecture businesses

that are more focused on B2C that LinkedIn still be a great place for

them to be focusing their efforts.

Yeah, definitely.

I think it all comes to understanding who that ideal client is.

So even if you're in a B2C environment, so say that you, uh, you design residential

buildings and you're targeting, uh, homeowners or home buyers, perhaps you're

likely to be targeting professionals or people with a certain net worth

that might be able to afford it.

it.

Your fees,

Uh, or might be, you know, looking to buy a house of a certain size or,

or a certain, you know, typology.

And then you can start thinking about, okay, well, they are professionals,

so they will be on LinkedIn.

What type of professional, what type of industry am I targeting?

And then you start going into niching.

Uh, and the more you niche, the clearer you are about who you're trying to target.

Sort of speak to the better, the more effective your efforts will be.

So I think, yes, it does apply to a B2C environment.

Definitely.

As long as you know who you're trying to reach and you know how to find them.

That's such a good point because if you're offering services where

you're looking to target high net worth individuals or people that are more.

Affluent.

Professionally, I mean, that could be anybody from, I don't know,

lawyers, solicitors, dentists, people that are in those sorts of

professions we're not trying to connect with folks that are doing.

Maybe working in a minimum wage job that might not be able to

afford the services that we offer.

So, um, such a good point.

We can use LinkedIn in that way as well.

So it is for businesses and practices that are working both B2C and B2B.

So that's really good to know.

Beatrice, when you work with clients to help them to stand out using LinkedIn,

You have a framework that you use and I've heard a little bit about this and

I'd love to hear some more about it today.

So could you give everybody a quick overview of your clear framework?

Yeah, absolutely.

So the clear framework, which is a CLEAR, it's just an acronym to sort

of map out the steps that I normally recommend that people take to build

a solid personal brand, one that is sustainable, that you can keep up with,

and ultimately one that brings you business opportunities and clients.

So C is the, I would argue is the most important bit.

So C is for client.

And it's the discovery moment where you sit down and ask yourself,

well, who am I trying to target?

And most people will normally say, I am targeting, I don't know,

um, directors of development.

So they start from the job title.

Uh, and that's not enough.

There's so much more to, you know, so many more layers to really

understanding your audience.

And that's incredibly important because If you don't get this bit

right, then all the content that you're going to share and, and all the

actions that you're going to take on LinkedIn might not resonate with them.

And so they might go sort of wasted or might not be effective.

So first thing is understanding the client, the C. L is for link up.

So once you know who you're trying to target, you need to find them on

LinkedIn, using the filters, using sort of different strategies, and

then you need to connect with them because there will come a point where.

If you're doing something right, your target audience will connect with you.

However, you do still need to proactively go and find them and get on their radar.

E is for expose and educate.

This is where we talk about creating content that you're going to expose

them to that is highly converting.

that

Talks to their pain points, provides solutions, adds value, and basically

places you as the go to expert where they will actively want to be working

with you and with nobody else.

Um, A is for active engagement.

So what I always say is unfortunately showing up and posting is not enough.

It's better than doing nothing.

But what you need to do is really engage with your ideal clients, with your

target audience, with your connections.

That simply means interact with their content, whether it's You know, liking,

leaving a comment, comments are a great place to start conversations.

So that needs to be a part of the equation as well.

Um, and then the last point is, uh, reach out, um, and I will say that this is the

last bit of sort of the framework and most of the magic actually happens before that.

So, we've all been there where we get these sort of connection requests and then

two seconds later, somebody is in your inbox trying to sell you something that

you don't need, and that's so irritating.

Also, You don't know this person, maybe.

So, you know, we all feel a little bit caught off guard.

So reaching out, which means directly contacting your ideal client or

directly messaging them comes at the end of a process that sees several

steps, you know, before where you've actually built a relationship with them.

And there can come a point definitely where you can reach

out, you can introduce yourself.

But that's the end of the sequence.

I always like to specify that because we don't like spammy, we

don't like, you know, just, um, just flooding people with noise.

So that's, that's sort of the crux of it.

I

That's brilliant.

I love a framework and an acronym.

So let's go back, um, the first part of it is C for clients.

So it's about understanding.

Who they are and what they want.

So what are the key things that we really need to understand about

those potential clients on LinkedIn?

Yeah, that's a really good question.

So, obviously you want to have an indication of who they

are, where they're located, so there's things like job titles.

You know, geographical location, that's all good, but that's the surface.

The really meaty stuff comes when you start asking yourself, what are their

goals and what are their challenges?

So anyone paying for a product or service is after a transformation.

They want to go from A, which is the challenged point

to B, which is their goal.

Whether you're hiring a personal trainer or you're hiring an architect,

you want to go from the current situation to something different.

And that's what we really need to understand.

So, challenges.

What keeps them awake at night?

Maybe professionally, if you are, you know, an architect, what, what could

keep your target audience awake at night?

Is it, you know, not going over budget?

Is it not, not knowing how to go about, uh, sort of, uh, extending their

home, navigating planning regulation?

If you are, I dunno, a surveyor or a cost consultant, there might be other

problems that you're trying to solve.

for your ideal client.

That's the challenges.

What are their goals?

What would be their dream scenario?

If we go back to the architect example, yes, perhaps they want a new home or a

better home, but there's more to that.

What would be ideal?

Maybe they want a better home.

In a shorter period of time compared to perhaps what's

available out there, or perhaps the process needs to be streamlined.

Cause sometimes it can be a nightmare to go through a refurbishment or looking for

a new house or whatever that might be.

So it's always about going one step further, going a little bit

deeper and try and understand these people as human beings with

the problem and, and a solution.

Cause that's the only way to position yourself.

as the go to solution and as the only solution because the hard

truth is that there are many other people like us out there, you know,

offering similar services, maybe with the same years of experience.

So that's how you set yourself apart and really connect with that

audience because you're offering something that they really need.

that totally makes sense.

I mean, if we have a better understanding of our prospective clients, then we're

going to be in such a stronger position to be able to serve them with the right.

product or service at the right time if we have that understanding.

It's so important to be able to do that legwork at the beginning to make sure

that we have a really good understanding of what they're, what they need help

with and what their challenges are.

the next step of the framework, L. This is for linking up, isn't it?

So finding and connecting with these people on LinkedIn.

How do you recommend we go about finding and connecting with

our ideal clients on LinkedIn?

Yeah, well, that's a really good question.

I would say the first step is obviously using the Tools that LinkedIn offers

and this I'm talking about free profile Here, so, you know, there's obviously

solutions that you can pay for but this stuff is available on the free

version as well So the first thing I would recommend is use the filters and

start thinking about how can I group my ideal clients, my ideal audience.

You know, you're looking for things that a group of people might have in common.

So it could be, as we've said, job title is the obvious one.

Um, and make sure that you're using different iterations of the job titles,

because if you're looking for anyone in charge of the development side of things,

they could be development director.

They could be head of development in some businesses.

They are development lead.

Et cetera.

So make sure that you explore all of that, uh, location.

You should have in mind what market you're targeting could be London, could

be the UK, could be all of Europe.

could be the entire world.

But again, I would recommend trying to sort of like niche down because

even then you, you, you probably want to prioritize certain countries,

even if it is the whole entire world.

Um, and then you can also explore connections of, so if you know that

somebody in your network is likely to have a lot of your ideal clients

in their network, you could look at their connections and see if

there's anyone interesting in there.

Um, the other thing that you can do is also figure out, well,

Where do these people hang out?

So again, LinkedIn, we're looking at professionals, but these

professionals, your target audience will have something in common.

It could be interests.

Uh, you know, there's groups on LinkedIn that you could explore.

If you are, um, say that you're looking at business owners, there will be loads of

groups that are perhaps business coaching groups that you could go and look at.

If you're looking at lawyers, there will be plenty of groups that.

You know, are specifically tailored to lawyers.

Perhaps it's a specific type of lawyer.

Is it big companies?

Are they, are they leading or employed by a smaller business?

So once you understand who they are, you can start cutting and

slicing the data if you like.

But I would say these are the key things.

The filters with the job title and the geographical location,

connections of and LinkedIn groups.

There's a number of really great suggestions there.

So we've got a number of different options to be able to, to find and

connect with people on LinkedIn.

So that's really good to know.

So we have, we've got a better understanding of our clients.

We've found and connected with some of those on LinkedIn.

Connecting with them at that stage, that isn't necessarily like sending

them a connection request at that point.

Like it could be engaging with them in the comments, that sort of thing.

Yes, it could.

So, um, you.

Ideally, the best way, the sort of optimum way to do it would be to engage

with them first, have a conversation, perhaps in the comments, interact with

some of their posts, take the time to figure out, you know, what they're

about, what interests them, what types of, uh, you know, projects they're

involved with, et cetera, and then sending them a connection request.

Um, the sort of second best is to connect with them and then

do the engagement afterwards.

Um, so it really depends.

But engaging is incredibly important.

So we can explore a little bit of that

Yes.

Yeah, absolutely.

Well, let's, um, carry on working through the framework.

The next section is about, expose and educate.

So you mentioned about sharing content on LinkedIn that adds value

and helps position you as an expert.

What type of content do you recommend that we share on LinkedIn to do this.

To help

educate people.

Yeah, I mean, we could spend the whole

day just exploring content.

There's so much to be said.

However, I would say, let's start from the types of content that are available.

Obviously, you know, LinkedIn, uh, offers video, video performs really well.

That's not a mystery.

LinkedIn loves faces.

So if a video of you talking to the camera will generate incredible engagement,

however, especially if you're just starting out, you might not feel very

keen or sort of quite ready to do that.

That's fine.

Um, However, I would always suggest when you're sharing any type of post to

always have some sort of graphic element.

So, if we don't have a video, it could be a photo, it could be, you know, a

photo of you in action, but it could also be a photo of your projects.

Luckily, property architecture is a very visual industry.

So I'm sure that you have, you'll have a, you know, beautiful

library that you can dip into.

Um, sketches, all of that proof of concept is all really good stuff.

I would recommend not sharing a post that is plain text because it will,

uh, it will, it won't perform as well.

It won't be as eye catching and engaging.

Um, You know, there's infographics that you can share, especially in

a sector that is quite technical.

Sometimes we we need to simplify and break down certain topics and make them

easier to understand, especially for somebody that isn't from the industry.

If you're trying to explain planning regulations to a potential client,

especially if we go back to that B2C environment, they might have

no idea what you're talking about.

So infographics are a great way to simplify that stuff down.

Um, So these are the types of content, but then what do you post about?

I get this question so often, well, what do I post about?

And the answer is in that initial piece that we did, understanding the client.

If you've taken the time to look at what their pain points and their

goals are, you are likely to have, or you should end up with a long

list of Challenges and solutions.

Um, and that's what you should go back to every time that

you're not sure what to post.

Um, because when I do this work with clients and I love when this happens.

Often they go, Oh my goodness, now I almost have too much to

post about, you know, they leave so inspired because suddenly that

clarity gives them so many ideas.

So what I would say is, I think we've all come across and probably we've

all been guilty definitely I have in the past of sharing posts that go.

I'm so thrilled to share and we'll delight we're delighted to announce

that I don't know we've won this award or this is our latest case study.

And there's nothing wrong with that but the issue is.

Why is this relevant to me?

If I'm your ideal client, what you need to put before anything about, you

know, you being delighted and this is such great news is what's in it for me.

So imagine that I'm, let's go with a homeowner example.

Imagine that I'm looking to extend my home, for instance.

If you say, I'm delighted to share my latest case study where we did

this, this home extension, etc.

There's nothing new in there for me.

There's nothing that stands out, but if you start your post by saying

Um,

This is how we, um, I dunno, extended this home in half the

time that it would normally take.

Or, uh, this is, uh, maybe it's a quote from the client saying it was

actually a pleasure to go through this process as opposed to being

an absolute nightmare with all the stuff that there is to think about.

I felt really well looked after or this was done in record time or we actually

managed to stay within our budget.

These are all issues that as a homeowner Transcribed I might have, these

are all concerns that I might have.

So if I suddenly see a post that starts with that, I'm like, ching,

you know, that stands out to me because it's a problem that I face.

It resonates with me.

I understand it.

And I'm desperate for a solution.

So then I'm way more likely to read on if the post starts with this is our latest

case study Even if there's a beautiful image there Unfortunately, my feed is

full of those So that's what it comes to really again We could talk about

so much more when it comes to content and how to structure a post and all

of that But if there's one takeaway, it's this start from your ideal clients

problem Don't talk about you and what you've done talk about what they need.

That is such a great tip.

I suppose it's a relatively simple tweak, but if you go into that mindset

when you're writing that post and you're about to share that content,

thinking about what's in it for them, like the person that's reading it,

the audience that I'm trying to appeal to because People are generally are

interested in what's in it for them.

Like, why, why would I give my attention to this post on the feed?

it really does need to grab them.

So if it's not relevant to them straight away, then you're going to struggle to

get them to read on and keep scrolling.

Yeah, absolutely And I think there's a big difference.

I I want to say between Having a hook that is clickbaity, because we've all

seen that, where there's like a very short strappy sentence that, you know, makes

you curious and then you read through and actually the post wasn't of great value.

The technique is right.

The tactic is right.

You should have a short sentence that gives them a reason to read on because

we live in an attention economy.

So sometimes if you don't grab people at the very beginning,

they'll just scroll on.

However, then there needs to be a real value in, you know, you, you need to

give them what you promised at the start.

That's very important.

Oh, that's so true that there's a lot of posts

that we see that are like.

All or nothing and it's like there are those kind of click baity posts that

when you read on past the headline and it's just hollow and there's nothing we

have real substance or value and then the other side is that you could have

some really valuable content that's just not getting seen by enough people

or people are engaging with it because of the way that it's been positioned.

Maybe it's just not quite grabbing people's attention.

Whereas the sweet spot, if it's a combination of those two things,

then like that's absolutely golden.

Yeah, absolutely.

And I, I see that a lot with architects, to be honest, I think when, when I

speak to them and you'll find the same.

They've got so many USPs, you know, there's so much unique stuff that

they're actually doing, whether it's from a design perspective, a technical

perspective, but it doesn't come through.

So that's obviously a communication problem that needs to be tackled.

And it's just a case of knowing, well, how do you get that out

there in a way that will stand out?

But I think everyone listening to this podcast, if they looked at their offering,

if they looked at their business, there's something absolutely unique.

About the way they do things about the projects about there's bound to be right.

Otherwise they just wouldn't be in business.

And so those are the things that need to be brought to the forefront, I think.

I love that.

So Beatrice, the next part of the frameworks, we've covered clients,

we've covered linking up, we've covered Education and Expose and

Educate, we're now on A, which stands for Active Engagement.

What does that mean?

What do you mean when you talk about active engagement?

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Now, back to the show.

Yeah, this is actually, um, an incredibly

valuable part of the framework.

So active engagement means engaging, interacting with

your ideal client's content.

That means that if you see a post that they've shared, reacting to it, leaving

a comment, doing something with it.

Um, can go a long, long way.

In fact, I'll go as far as saying when people are really short on time

and they're like, Beatrice, I don't really have an hour this week to

spend on LinkedIn or to share posts.

What do I do?

Go and leave some comments, go and interact.

Liking and reacting are good.

Commenting is excellent.

I've had people that started conversations.

This is clients.

Um.

in the comments with a potential client and they generated millions from it

because that conversation was then taken offline and then project opportunities

came about and then a whole business relationship developed and this is, you

know, without them leaving their desk.

I think online offline networking like face to face networking is

incredibly valuable, incredibly powerful, probably very hard to replace.

But I would say this is as close as we can get, because people,

especially since the pandemic have become used to networking online.

And so you can generate genuine conversations.

by interacting on social media, especially on LinkedIn, because that's where people

have their professional networking hat on.

So they're more likely to want to have business conversations as opposed to

Instagram, where it's a mixed bag.

So having those interactions with your ideal clients, um, can really be powerful.

And my recommendation there would be just be authentic.

So I'm not saying to comment for the sake of it, right?

You obviously need to find a post that, uh, is mildly relevant

to you and, and, and to them.

And there can be some common ground on there.

But what I always say, because people go, Well, I don't know what to comment.

I don't know what to say.

Imagine that, you know, your ideal client shared a post about, uh,

a new project that they've been working on or a new business venture.

Imagine that you were standing in front of them at a networking event

and they were saying this to you.

I've just completed this project.

I've just done this business venture.

What would you say to them?

First of all, you wouldn't just stand there and look at them.

You would say something.

You would probably say congratulations.

You would probably ask some questions.

Where is the project?

What's the business venture?

Tell me a bit more.

How did you go about this?

Oh, I actually had a similar experience or you know, we're actually operating

in the same area or you would find some common ground you because

that's how human beings interact.

So just translate the same thing into a comment.

And, and keep it authentic because, you know, chat GPT

elephant in the room, right?

Um, it can help, but unfortunately you can really tell when something

has just been copy pasted and that just takes all of that value away.

So take the time to have those conversations because that's what they

are conversations and see what happens.

You know, just start the conversation and I can assure you it can

go a very, very long way and actually bring opportunities in.

That's a really good suggestion and at that point about,

When you engaging in the, in, like, commenting on somebody else's post.

If you want in this to continue, this conversation to continue in the comments

and then maybe to move to the DMs or to go into real life, then, asking questions

is a great way to continue a conversation because if you just go in with a

statement, that's not necessarily going to elicit a response, whereas it might get a

like maybe depending on what you've said, but I think that questions like asking

questions is I just think a great way to be able to continue that conversation.

And as you say that this using LinkedIn, like it can fit alongside

In person networking as well.

And actually it can be taken offline.

You can have conversations that start on LinkedIn that might then

lead to a virtual coffee or maybe meeting for a coffee in real life.

So it's like, it is a really good way to start conversations, but then to be

able to ultimately take them offline.

And, Don't you say nothing's going to replace like in person networking.

It's always going to be there.

But this is a tool that we have available to us.

That's what we get a really generous free plan that we can

use to start the conversation.

So like, why not use it?

Absolutely.

And if I can add something to that, John, that we haven't touched on is the power

of your, the LinkedIn headline, right?

So your LinkedIn headline is basically what people see when you send connection

requests and when you leave comments.

So if you have a really powerful headline that, you know, explains the

problem that you solve, that speaks to your ideal client's pain point, etc.

When you go and leave that comment under their post.

Even if the conversation doesn't necessarily continue there and then,

it will still be a way of getting your headline, which is like your mini pitch.

in front of them.

They suddenly know that you exist.

They might be intrigued by what you do.

They might go and check out your profile.

So it's not just about the comment itself.

It's about getting on the radar time and time again as well.

That's really, really powerful.

That's such a good point.

Actually, there's one other thing I was wondering.

We talked about like liking other people's posts and commenting on people's

posts and this active engagement.

Is it better to Like, if there was a post that you really, you really liked,

like, is it better to comment and engage on that post or, because another

thing people will sometimes do is to share a post and then add a comment.

Is that better or worse?

Does it matter how we approach this?

Is it better to keep the comments in the original post or are there any

advantages to sharing that person's post and then, like, or sharing it and

adding some additional thoughts to it?

Yeah.

I mean, the, the, the thing is that everyone obviously likes

to be supported on LinkedIn.

So if you leave a comment on someone's post or you repost it, they will

really appreciate it either way.

There's a few things to be said.

So.

If you are commenting on somebody's post, that will still show on your feed.

So this means that if you and I are connected, John, and you comment

on somebody's post, I, and I'm not connected with this person.

When you comment, I will see you on my feed.

I will see a little thing saying, John commented on this post and

it's suddenly showing me the post that you've commented on.

So I would say, Just from a very basic point of view between commenting and

sharing in terms of giving their post exposure There isn't a huge amount of

difference Um, I would say with the comments you're joining a conversation

with other people so That is actually better because you know, if you

comment on a post and then I comment and then somebody else comments You

are seeing their comments as well.

So you're there's a little mini networking party if you like going on there I've had

connections request Coming to me because I commented on somebody's post and the

other people that commented saw me and then they came and connected with me And

when you repost you don't necessarily have that um, so So I would say to be honest,

there's not a huge amount of difference, but when you're commenting, you're sort of

helping them with their little networking party that's going on under their post.

So I would always recommend to do that, but there's nothing wrong with a repost

and you could always do both as well.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I guess maybe it also depends on the

The nature of the post and maybe the size of the accounts as well, because I

think one thing I've found with, like, commenting on a post Itself or sharing

it and and then adding a comment, posting it again on my own account But it can

kind of it ends up sort of separating the conversation So there'll be comments

if there's some comments already on the original post when it's then shared It's

almost like takes a copy of the original authors post and then it it's like I'm

creating a new post that then doesn't have those Comments attached with it.

So it's almost like diluting it into two posts rather than keeping all

the comments together in one place.

Whereas I suppose if it was somebody that I was connected to that I knew had.

Like a really small LinkedIn account, and maybe they weren't

getting a lot of traction.

It might, maybe it might be more helpful for me to share it and then add

some thoughts to get more engagement.

But if it's somebody that, if they're already getting a few comments,

then to me it would just make sense to just leave that comment on the

original post so that the conversation is all, all together in one place.

That would seem the approach that I, that's personally what

I would probably do, I'd say.

Absolutely.

And if you are, now we're not looking at targeting, if you are looking to help

somebody to support them, I would do both.

So leave a comment and then repost with your own thoughts.

yeah.

Oh, that's, that's a good idea.

That's a good way to differentiate between those two approaches

and which one to take when.

The last part is the R in the clear framework is reach out.

This is about introducing yourself and ideally converting some of these new

connections in, ultimately into customers.

What is the best way to reach out to new connections on LinkedIn?

What are your thoughts on that?

Yeah, I have many thoughts on that, John.

So.

It's very, very important.

I'm always very keen that people don't fall into that stream of

sort of spamming and buy this.

And here is my credentials document.

You don't even know who I am, but buy this.

Nobody likes that.

And unfortunately, you know, with automations and bots and AI, we've

all been flooded more and more.

So this point, I always say needs to be handled with care.

So the first thing I would say is this is a step that comes.

7 to 10 days after you've connected with them, you'd need to have that nurturing

period during which you've shared content.

So they will see it.

Very likely they will see it.

Even if they haven't left a like or a comment, they might

still see it on their feed.

You've taken the time to interact with them, perhaps you've already

had a conversation, you will have if you've taken all the steps.

So by this point they have a rough idea of who you are, what you're about, maybe

you've already added some value to them.

And especially if they've left some signals, how I like to call them, which

is, you know, liking your posts back.

Maybe they've even contacted you or perhaps, I don't know, if you're,

if you're giving out a free copy of something, maybe they've downloaded.

Downloaded it.

These are all signals that that can signal interest in what you do or

not being completely averse to it.

Especially if you've seen those signals, you can then introduce yourself to them.

And I say introduce because that's what we're doing.

We are not selling.

I repeat, we are not selling.

This is just a case of saying, Hi, it's lovely to be connected.

Um, this is what I do, you know, I help people da da da, go from A to B,

etc. If you ever have any questions or simply it's just lovely to be connected.

It's a case of reintroducing yourself because this person might have a

big network and they might have loads of people in there, so it's

just a case of saying Hi, I'm in your network now, this is who I am.

Or, depending on the interactions that you've had, you could make it even more

personalised, even more sort of tailored.

And you could say, I've seen your post about, um, I dunno, talking

about, um, planning regulations.

I've actually just created an article around this.

I thought I'd share it with you.

Then you send it to them or anything else that you, if you have really

taken the time to sort of take a look at what they're talking about, you

can actually go to them with something relevant or something of value.

If you have free resources.

This might be a time to share those or if you're not sure just ask them like

look I've got a free template on this.

Would you like it?

Maybe they don't maybe they do very likely They will but I suppose this

boils down to Keep it personal.

Don't just sort of blanket send out, you know, the classic message saying,

you know, something that sounds tailored, but it's really not just take

the time to nurture the relationship.

Uh, but there is nothing wrong with starting that one to one conversation if

you do it in a way that's appropriate.

Very sensible advice.

Yes.

Yeah.

Don't just send the buy my stuff now message 20 seconds after connecting.

Please don't do that.

No, nobody likes it.

You don't like it.

You know, anyone listening, I'm sure you don't like it.

So

Yeah.

So that's been really useful.

We've worked through that whole framework now.

Right at the very beginning of this conversation, we touched

upon this that most people aren't just on LinkedIn or other social

networks, Just for the heck of it.

you know, if you're in business, chances are that you're on there because you're

looking to gain something from it.

Some new clients and some new revenue opportunities for your business.

And what gets measured gets managed.

So How can we measure our success on LinkedIn?

That's a very good question.

So, the obvious answer is there are some metrics that you want to keep an eye on.

But I wouldn't say though, that that's the ultimate, uh, sort of thing to measure.

So I'll explain what I mean.

There are things like impressions, which is the number

of times your post was shown.

So the reach, you know, how many people saw your post.

There are things like engagement rate that you get on your post, how

many people have interacted with it.

And those are all very important signals because if lots of people are seeing your

post, but nobody is interacting with it.

there must be something slightly off.

Or perhaps, you know, if lots of people are interacting with your post, but

then, you know, you have all these followers and these interactions, but

then you're not really getting business opportunities, something is off.

So the sort of third metric, which is, I think the most important

is opportunities and conversions.

Two metrics really.

Um, opportunities is any relevant conversation that you're having.

an inquiry, uh, maybe even an invite to have a coffee or a chat,

a question about what you do.

Could you send me your, I don't know, a proposal or your,

your credentials document?

Those are conversations.

And then how many of those conversations turn into opportunities, turn into

a pitch, turn into, you know, having that coffee, because obviously we

won't go into the whole, well, how many of your pitches turn into projects?

Cause that's something that's outside of LinkedIn.

But what I'm trying to get to here is, There are some indications about

how your content is performing, but then ultimately I've had lots

of clients come to me saying, I actually have a really good network.

I get lots of likes of my post and they did, but then no project

opportunities, no business opportunities.

Nobody actually wanted to sit down with them for a coffee.

So that makes it kind of pointless because yes, we can talk about brand awareness.

Obviously, it still means that people are coming in contact with your brand.

But if you want this to be a truly generation effort, you need to measure the

conversations and the actual conversions into meetings that you're getting in.

And that's incredibly important.

Whenever I work with people, I provide them with a tracker that they can use.

Um, because it's very easy to get lost in what I call vanity metrics.

You know, we all love to see that our post got, you know, a hundred likes

and some comments and people liked it.

But remember, you know, eyes on the prize.

You're here to make business and to generate new leads and opportunities.

So that's what needs to be measured.

I, I couldn't agree more and I will, I will hold my hand up and

say that I definitely need to improve upon my, my follow up on LinkedIn

because it's those, the conversations, that's what leads to conversions.

So if we're not having enough conversations, then you, you

can't expect to be getting enough business through the door.

There are an awful lot of opportunities out there that are right in front

of our eyes that we don't always.

Follow up on and they're getting the key with any of this is that follow

up those next steps to actually Get from oh Somebody's liked my post.

Oh, that's nice, you know to actually kind of like how can I

further engage with this person?

They've sent me this signal that they're interested in, in what we do

as a practice or as a business, how can we kind of further that relationship

and to start the conversation.

That's something that I'm going to be looking to improve

upon during the next year.

So we'll see how that goes.

So

Amazing.

Love to hear that.

Beatrice.

Yeah, so this has been fantastic Beatrice.

Are there any other quick tips you'd like to share to help us succeed on LinkedIn?

Yeah, I would say, you know, I know that obviously the

world of LinkedIn can be overwhelming as is the whole online world.

And especially if you're just starting, it can be a bit uncomfortable

to put yourself out there.

Um, well, I would say is that, um, you know, every little bit counts,

but definitely make a start, you know, start from what you can.

It's comfortable to you, maybe interact with, you know, your colleagues

posts and people that you know, but you'll see that as you start

getting yourself out there, you know, the results are going to come in.

Um, and also.

Just to remember that we all have a personal brand.

Sometimes I speak to clients and they're like, well, I don't have a personal brand.

I'm not a social media person, but that's incorrect because your personal brand is

basically the perception that people have of you in the industry and you will have.

Current clients, past clients, past colleagues, you know, there is an

image, an idea of you in the industry.

People already know about you.

Some people will know about you.

And the key thing is that you want to manage that presence

because it's already out there.

So the best thing that you can do is take ownership for it, get known for

the things that you want to be known.

Um, And yeah, I would say, you know, just make a start, just make a

start, start small, stay consistent.

Um, but definitely, definitely a place worth to be is LinkedIn.

Oh, that's fantastic.

Would that be the main thing that you'd like everybody to take away from this?

Is there anything else that would be the main takeaway for

people listening to the episode.

Uh, well, I would definitely say, no, that's probably it.

I would say, uh, you know, definitely explore it.

And there is a big sort of spotlight syndrome when it

comes to posting on LinkedIn.

You know, I've been there when I wasn't really posting most of my

clients when they first come to me.

Not all of them, but most of them get that feeling of discomfort because

they don't know where to start.

So, As I said, make a start.

If you're not sure what that starting point is, start from

the sea of my framework, start thinking about your ideal client.

And you'll find that that will already give you some confidence and

inspiration because you're like, aha, these people actually really need me.

In fact, they are desperate for my service because look at all

the challenges that they're facing and that I could help them with.

So I would say that's, that's a good place to start, but.

Definitely don't let that discomfort hold you back because it can really

make a difference um, to your business.

I've seen it with lots of people, especially people

that were just starting out.

with their business.

One of my clients, I always use this examples.

Um, the example in a recent cohort, uh, he was only just starting out

coming in from a different industry.

So very small network in his target industry.

And he managed to get four new clients in eight weeks after using

LinkedIn and us working together.

So that's how powerful it can be.

That's a game changer for a small business.

So definitely, definitely worth exploring.

Oh, yeah, that's, I mean, that's just incredible.

That's such an amazing result.

Yeah, I mean, I would, I would echo that really.

I think that I can speak from a place of being a, I call myself

a recovering perfectionist.

I've been trying to move away from that and embrace a more done

is better than perfect approach.

When you are coming from that place of like feeling uncomfortable, putting

yourself out there online and, probably a lot of the time just overthinking things

so much that actually like, you know, if you put a post out there and it doesn't

kind of resonate with everybody and it's a bit of a ghost town, look, it's okay.

It's only one social media posts like you've got, you can try again, yeah,

just get started and give it a try because it is such a great opportunity

and, It doesn't have to take tons and tons of time, and you can get a really

powerful account on LinkedIn for free.

make the most of the opportunity.

So, Beatrice, this has been absolutely fantastic.

I could nerd out about LinkedIn all day long.

But we will kind of try and wrap things up now and respect the listener's time.

There is a question that I'd like to ask, though, that isn't about LinkedIn.

It's just a regular question that I'd like to ask all of the guests on the show.

I love to travel and to discover new places, and I was just wondering if you

could tell me about one of your favourite places and what you love about it.

Yeah, that's a really good question.

I'd like to come up with something really cool and exotic.

Well, I, I will say probably it will resonate with lots of people.

I love anywhere that's just close to the sea, to the seaside.

Um, and I'm Italian, so I'm very lucky that part of my family

lives in Italy on the coast.

So whenever I can just grab my laptop or maybe even not take my

laptop and just go for a holiday.

And just sit by the beach.

We can say in Italy, but anywhere really, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm up for any beach.

Um, that's, you know, that's a happy me.

There we go.

Oh yeah, yeah, I love visiting the coast yeah, I would say that

the, visiting the beach in Italy at this time of year is probably more appealing

than visiting the beaches in Norfolk near where I live, But yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, it can't be a day out of the beach.

Just yeah, love that.

Yeah, but John, a beach is a beach, so I'll

take Norfolk as well, if that's, that's what's available, you know.

Yeah, yeah.

I think there's a saying, isn't there, about there's

no such thing as bad weather.

It's just like, you know, the bad, bad clothing or not

wearing the right clothing.

So yeah, you just need to wrap up and wear a few more layers if you

decide to come and visit the beach in Norfolk in this time of year.

Yeah, yeah.

Be prepared.

Yeah.

Thank you, Beatrice.

This has been really great.

Could you.

Let everybody know the best place to connect with you.

Where's the best place online?

I wonder where it could be.

Yeah, where, where would it be?

Um, well, I would say anyone that wants to connect with me, chat to

me, hear about how I can help them.

You can find me on LinkedIn.

My name is Beatrice Ranchetti.

Uh, but John, I think you'll put the link in the show notes.

Um, and then on my profile, you'll find links to my website.

Uh, I run group programs that I run on a cohort basis.

I also run team workshops, et cetera.

So if you do want any help, feel free to Reach out and we'll

explore the options together.

I'd love to hear from you.

That's fantastic.

Thanks again, Beatrice.

Thank you so much.

This was lovely.

Thanks for having me.

Bye John.

Next time I chat with FOMO creator Mei King Zhang about creating

buzz and excitement about what you do.

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