← Social Media Decoded
Social Media Decoded
How to Use LinkedIn to Attract Clients, Build Authority & Monetize Your Expertise with LinkedIn Strategist Mollie Lo
00:24:29
In this episode, LinkedIn Strategist Mollie Lo breaks down how entrepreneurs can stop treating LinkedIn like a resume and start using it like a revenue machine. Learn the exact profile updates, content strategies, and 15-minute prospecting routine that helped her grow from $270 to $105K using LinkedIn alone.
Loading summary
Transcript48 lines
- [00:01]
Cincinnati Insurance Announcer
You've finally broken loose from work. Three friends, one tea time, and then the text, honey, there's water in the basement. Not exactly how you pictured your Saturday. That's when you call us Cincinnati Insurance. We always answer the call because real protection means showing up even when things are in the rough. Cincinnati Insurance let us make your bad day better. Find an agent@cinfin.com VRBO last minute deals.
- [00:32]
VRBO Announcer
Make chasing fresh mountain powder incredibly easy. With thousands of homes close to the slopes, you can easily get epic pow freshies, first tracks and more. No need for months of planning. In fact, you can't even plan. Pow Pow is on its own schedule, thankfully, somewhere in the world, it's always snowing. All you have to do is use the last minute filter on the app to book a last minute deal on a slope side private rental home.
- [00:58]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
Book now@verbo.com welcome back to another episode of Social Media Decoded, the podcast where we break down social media and online marketing so that you can get visible, grow, and make money online. And today, I am excited. You all know I get excited when we have special guests. We're talking all about LinkedIn. Now, you may think that LinkedIn is that platform that's forgotten, but it's not. And we need to stop treating it like a boring resume and start using it as a powerful tool to attract clients, opportunity and visibility. And I couldn't think of a better guest than Molly Lowe. Molly is a LinkedIn strategist who helps entrepreneurs and professionals turn their presence into profits. Ooh, that's a bar. And she's here to drop some gems that you can apply today because, you know, I do not play with things and information that we cannot apply and see results right away. Me and Molly met on a networking call, I believe it was last year, and we connected. And then I was at this event and I saw Molly in person. Molly lives about an hour away from me, so it's really cool that we got to connect in person. And so thank you so much for being here on this podcast today. I am super excited to chat about LinkedIn.
- [02:15]
Molly Lowe
Thank you. Me too. I'm really excited. Listen, y', all, there's something about, you know, when you network virtually, it's, it's, it's a different world, right? And then as soon as you meet them in person, you're like, you're a real person. And so are you. And this is so cool. And the vibe is totally a deeper type of connection. And so I absolutely felt that gravity towards you in that real life setting. So, yeah, I am your LinkedIn queen. I am. I mean, if I could just call myself that, like, why not? Right? But, yeah, LinkedIn everything, especially the monetization side, is one of my favorite things to talk about.
- [02:48]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
Yeah. So we're gonna talk about all of that. So let's dive right into it. How did you get started helping people use LinkedIn in such a powerful way?
- [02:57]
Molly Lowe
Yeah. Oh, my gosh. So funny. But not funny because it's quite, quite common. I feel like nowadays too, I was that person that was anti LinkedIn for a really long time. Okay. I have this analogy that I say LinkedIn is like matcha. Either you like it or you think it tastes nasty. It's one or the other. And it's not. It's not like right or wrong, good or bad. It's just truly preference. I played in LinkedIn as an HR professional for 20 years. I was in HR. You know, everybody knows that's how we find our top talent. That's how we go about branding our employer, marketing, all of the things. And so I was really familiar with LinkedIn Recruiter. I also worked in sales and finance organizations before in the past. So I understood what Sales Navigator was like. I understood the sales side of things. And when I launched my business, I didn't want to be on LinkedIn. I was like, I've been on here for 20 something years. Let me be that aesthetic Instagram girly. Like, let me you, y'. All. That did not stick. That did not stick. And so through really a lot of frustration and trial and error, I had my own business coach who said, you have been on LinkedIn for so long, you know it like the back of your hand. I just need for you to commit 90 days, okay? Go all in and do it. And as they say, the rest is history. So, you know, I literally grew my business. I first, my very first part of my journey was I was a career and leadership coach. So when I leaned into LinkedIn, my very first year in business, I made a whopping $270. But that had to happen. And then as soon as I started to understand how to use LinkedIn for prospecting, for how to actually attract in my ideal clients, how do I have a conversation in the inmails without cold pitching people? How do I nurture that trust before I earn their business? Selling on LinkedIn, right? What does a monetization look like for LinkedIn? I, in one year went from $270 to 105,000 in revenue. And all of that is because I learned how to sell on LinkedIn. So that is how I started on LinkedIn was like, all right, your girl's got to start making some money. And if LinkedIn is the platform where I don't have to learn everything, I'm just going to use what I learn, learn how to monetize it and press forward. Here we are. Yes.
- [05:28]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
No, I love that. So, y', all, if you've been thinking about using LinkedIn, I don't know, this is the conversation for you to tap into. Now, a lot of people think LinkedIn is only for job seekers. And I know this is true because every time I bring it up, people are like, well, it's so career y. I don't know if I want to be on there. But why is that such a myth?
- [05:46]
Molly Lowe
And why.
- [05:47]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
What is the real opportunity that entrepreneurs are missing?
- [05:51]
Molly Lowe
Yeah. So it's a yes and right. Because LinkedIn has been here for quite some time. I actually was in HR before LinkedIn even launched. And so if you think of it this way, it's. I don't. Let's say, let's say it this way. It's not wrong to think that it is for job searching. But the problem is, is that what people don't see is like with any business, you also have to understand that LinkedIn is a corporation is trying to make money. So as an entrepreneur yourself, your business is going to evolve and it's going to grow, it's going to then pivot and it's going to make sure that it is, it stays in the monetization, health side of things. Right. That's what LinkedIn is doing to your point. It knows that LinkedIn recruiter is what's making money for it. So yes, right. People come to find jobs on it, they're gonna, they're gonna continue that part. What they are doing now more than ever is they're really focusing on the B2B marketing. They also want a slice of that pie and they're newer to that space. So you don't see right now a lot of sponsored ads or promoted ads. They don't have a lot of the SEM side of things just yet because they're evolving there. Okay, so this is what this means for you as an entrepreneur. So of course, for all of my career coaches out there, people who are Supporting your clients, B2C type of coaches and entrepreneurs, you still. Absolutely. It makes sense for you to be on LinkedIn because again, their brand is still very much on the job seeking side of it. However, for all of my B2B, marketers, the entrepreneurs, the ones who are like, but I want corporate contracts. I want to be able to, you know, my clients are more business owners. Right. Founders, things of that nature. LinkedIn is changing and evolving its algorithm for you. Specifically, LinkedIn doesn't want to only be known as a job seeking platform. So it's gonna evolve. And so I want for you guys to not just say or, it's a and, right? It's and this. And so at the end of the day, it's seeing the opportunity that LinkedIn has for you. So there are so many different ways, and the more that it becomes stronger and more efficient and more refined with how they are going to help you to be found, the better it's going to be for you. So do not sleep on that side of it again. It's not an or, it's an and.
- [08:24]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
I love that. It's not an or, it's an and. And it's not just a digital resume, it's a networking gold mine. Okay, let's talk about how to stand out on LinkedIn. How do you stand out?
- [08:37]
Molly Lowe
Yeah. So people tend to have, like, the very first, I would say, like, hesitation, right. Of standing out is, well, I feel like it's so stuffy, it's so corporate air quotes. How do I voice myself? And that's exactly how you stand out. When you think about standing out on LinkedIn. Just because you are one of many people in your industry doesn't mean that you're not going to be able to stand, sell or monetize LinkedIn. Right? You know how sometimes when you listen to somebody and they're like, I know I've heard this before, but the way you said it lands right? For some reason, it just resonates because someone said it just a little bit differently. That's how you stand out amongst the, amongst your peers on LinkedIn. How you stand out is by truly. I know it sounds so cliche, but it's so real. The more authentic you can be, the more that you can talk to your people in a way that is polarizing, in a way that inspires and motivates. The easier it's going to be for you to stand out. That's how you're going to establish your brand. You know, I always say, if there's one thing for you to take away from today's podcast or this episode, stop posting inspirational quotes, that ship has sailed and gone, y'.
- [09:57]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
All.
- [09:57]
Molly Lowe
That is not for what LinkedIn is for. People want for you to stand on your hill and be Fully convicted in your message. What is that? Shout it from the rooftops. It doesn't matter that not everyone's going to hear it. You have to be fully convicted in your framework, in your strategy, in what it is that you stand for as a business owner. Your values, your missions, how you transform people's lives. That's how you stand out.
- [10:24]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
That's how you stand out. Okay, so we're getting a visibility lesson on LinkedIn here today. I know you all have your pens and notepads out because Molly is dropping gems. So this is such a good episode. Now, when someone lands on your LinkedIn profile, let's talk about this. What are the non negotiables that instantly show credibility and attract the right people?
- [10:47]
Molly Lowe
Mm. The easiest thing here is your headline. Your headline is either gonna convert or it's going to deter people. Okay. I actually was just on a LinkedIn Live today on my page talking about how I called it her headline. Icks, right? Your headline's either gonna help you sell or it's not. So what you wanna do when someone lands on your profile, first and foremost is I believe in feminine and masculine energies in the way that you see sell, okay? And your headline is that first impression. If you are too heavy on the masculine energy on your headline and selling, for example, I'm going to give you examples, comment, keyword, and I will send you my freebie or whatever, right? Or you get coaching from this dollar amount to this dollar amount right in your headline. People are going to be a little bit more, a lot of bit more reluctant to accept your connection request because what they're going to think is you're just going to cold p right away, right? So what you want to do is, we're not saying for you not to sell. What I want for you guys to understand is your headline needs to be a little bit more on that softer cell. It needs to be more of that feminine, inviting energy so that people want to then connect with you, they want to follow you. And your headline is that very first impression. So be intentional about that. And then the second thing on your profile that I'm going to say is your service marketplace. If you do not have your service marketplace turned on, you are missing so much opportunity. Yes. So much opportunity. The service marketplace serves as a few things. Number one, it drives the search results. So if somebody is looking for a social media manager and they're putting that into the search bar, one of the things that you're going to see is that LinkedIn is going to filter and it's going to say services that service search, bar, bar or the search results is driven by those who have this service marketplace turned on. Make sure you turn that section on on your profile. Secondly, you want to make sure that you are uploading your portfolios, your video testimonials of your clients in there. It's a great way to address any potential sales objections. Right. We want social proof. So that is also a really great way for you to showcase testimonials. Is that service marketplace. So headline service Marketplace. Those are the two things that I will leave you with on this episode that's going to help you when it comes to those non negotiable.
- [13:15]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
Ooh, this is good. This is good. In any quick profile fixes, I know you gave us one about turning that on which I was on my LinkedIn while you were talking. I'm trying to make sure I got my everything turned on. Molly, are there any quick profile fixers that the listeners can make today that will move the needle for them?
- [13:33]
Molly Lowe
Yeah. Yeah. So you know that pronunciation function that's on your personal profile right now? Of course. You know a lot of us have some very beautiful names and yes, okay, if you have a beautiful, very unique name, distinct name, use it for that. However, if I were, I just want you guys to go online and listen to mine. It doesn't say Molly. Molly. Okay, you got 10 seconds. Instead what I say is, hi, I'm Molly. I am your LinkedIn business coaching consultant. Now if you're ready to start making money on this platform, you already know what to do because guess what? It matters. It matters that we are using every single function on our profile to sell. To sell. So no, I'm not pronunciating my name. I'm using that as a way to introduce myself to sell you. Thank you.
- [14:29]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
Welp, you just dropped a bar because I had no idea and didn't even think about that girl. I'm about to make sure my LinkedIn is up to date when we get off of this interview.
- [14:40]
Molly Lowe
Wow.
- [14:40]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
You all. Another bar. Okay. We are going to utilize that space like you're saying and put in there. Hi, I'm Michelle and if you're looking to increase your visibility on social media, I am your girl. Who would have thought? I never even would have thought of that. Thank you for that.
- [14:58]
Molly Lowe
You're welcome.
- [14:59]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
Thank you. So LinkedIn has been leaning more into content which we can all see. If you're on LinkedIn. You see there's videos, there are so many different. You know, like you said, LinkedIn lives. There's audio. What type of posts do you feel are working right now? If you want to build authority and get clients like how often should we be posting and is it about quantity or quality?
- [15:23]
Molly Lowe
Love that. Great question. I'm going to start. Start right there. That's a really great piece. So what I teach is what I call attraction marketing content. Okay. I'm a woo woo spiritual girly. I say God and I say the universe in tandem. Okay, so here's the thing. When you are putting out content on LinkedIn, you want to attract in. Absolutely. You want to use your energy as a magnet to call in your people and as a magnet to deter people who aren't for you. Okay? So quality over quantity all day, every day. If you don't have something of value that you want to share today, that's okay, don't post it. I would rather you not post something that's not valuable than for you to just randomly show up and post random stuff throughout the week. Start out with two to three times a week now with the types of content. Fun fact. LinkedIn typically, and I say this loosely, rolls out a new feature or a new update to their algorithm right about this time every year at the fall ish, going into the new year is when they roll out and test out new different components and features and algorithm updates. So I say this as of today, okay, today what you want to do is you want to focus on the posts that of course is going to engage. Now I hate using, I hate focusing on engagements and impressions because there's so much more data points that you should be focusing on. So for example, if you don't know what your social seller indexes, your ssi, you need to figure that out. No, you do not need to be on Premier or Sales Navigator to know what it is. Okay? Fun fact. I, Molly Lowe, rank as the top 1% social seller on LinkedIn. Why? Because I know how to sell. They how they measure your SSI is the content that you share. Okay? Do people see you as a person who is trustworthy? Do your community, do they think that you're someone of credibility and influence? And the way that you do that is by the volume, not the value, not volume value of what you're sharing out there. Okay, so for example, LinkedIn newsletters right now is getting a lot of incentives. Okay? So I don't want to say impressions or engagement, but I'll say it's being incentivized by the algorithms. Incentivized by the algorithm. Short form vertical videos algorithm is Loving that. Okay, Keep it under two minutes if possible. And then. Oh, aerosols. They're making a comeback, baby, on LinkedIn. Okay. But you want to download your images as a PDF carousel, not a JPEG or png. So you want to upload your carousel as a PDF because it treats it as a document. Only thought leaders upload documents, and that's how you do it. Wow.
- [18:25]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
You all. I'm learning so much today. I'm sure you are in your car at the gym and your jaw is dropping on the floor because you're like, wow. All these simple things that you probably didn't even know that you are getting right here today on the social media decoded podcast with Molly telling us all about LinkedIn. This is a masterclass. I love this. So, moving on to our profile, we know it looks good right now, we're posting content, but now how do we actually start conversations that lead to those sales opportunities that you were talking about? Like, you're a top 1% sales seller without being spammy? Because that's most people, you know, we think, oh, I don't want to be spamming, or I don't want to bother people. So how do we do that?
- [19:11]
Molly Lowe
Yeah. Two things. Okay. When we think about connections and relationships and having those conversations, right? There's inbound and outbound. I am big on. I'm a. I'm. I'm a master at prospecting. What you want to do is you want to be able to know how to find your ideal clients on the platform. Okay? So now that you're doing content, you want people to see it, and you want the right people to see it. So what you want to do is you want to spend 15 minutes every other day doing your LinkedIn outreach. And the way that you do this is simply by this. If you are on the free version of LinkedIn, please know that you are limited to so many different profile views. So you can't just put into the search bar. Right. For example, I'm a LinkedIn business coach, primarily for career coaches, leadership coaches, executive coaches, and HR entrepreneurs. I'm. I'm not going to put in their career coaches and filter by people, because LinkedIn knows that I'm prospecting on the free version instead. You are going to want to search by keywords of the topics that your ideal clients writing about. So as a career coach, they're going to be writing about resumes, they're going to be writing about interview tips, they're going to be writing about salary negotiations. So I'm going to Put in the search bar, resume tips and then from there then take a look, filter by posts and then look at the profiles. That is the loophole to how you trick LinkedIn to not thinking that you're, you're prospecting on the free version. Okay, so that's the first tip for outbound, inbound prospecting. Okay. Again, there are so many different ways for you to mine people who are actually interested in what you have to say. You have to diversify the community members that you have on LinkedIn. There's four different type of community members and these are the different three of the four. You have a specific list that you can mine. First degree connections, followers, subscribers. And then we have our loyal lurkers for your connections, followers and subscribers. If you are not mining that list, you are missing out on easy money. Nobody is going to just accept your connection request and, or become a follower of yours and or a subscriber if they're not liking what you are saying. So the first place for you to mine for leads is that list right there. Your connections, followers and subscribers. Okay. You want to diversify it so that it's easy. Now once you start connecting and you're sending connection requests out to people, they become your first reconnection. Now the conversation moves into the inmails. Okay. And you just want, I know it sounds really crazy, but you can just be human. Just be human. It's all about them and never about you. So if you were, if I was to ever send you a connection request, I am never going to say, hi, I'm Molly and I'm a LinkedIn business coach. It's always, hi, I'm Molly, nice to meet you. Tell me more about you. What's something exciting that's happening for you that I can help to celebrate? Right. So it's always about them, it's never about you. Truly, if they want to talk to you, they're gonna eventually ask and be like, wait, wait, wait, Molly, you're asking a whole lot about me, but what about you? I want to learn about you too. And then at that point you say, yeah, I'm Molly, I'm a LinkedIn business coach and I hope you to make a ton of money on LinkedIn. So do you see how that conversation is a whole lot more organic and genuine? Because it's not about you, it's about them. So there's a lot going on in my answer here for you. But we have outbound, we have inbound, and then we have a healthy sense of curiosity, genuine conversation all about them in the inmails. And that's how we start then converting those. Those conversations.
- [22:52]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
This is so good, Molly. It really is. And I know we could talk for hours and hours about LinkedIn, but before we wrap up, can you share the number one action step someone listening should take today if they want to see traction on LinkedIn?
- [23:09]
Molly Lowe
Yes. 15 minutes of prospecting every day. Honestly, that is truly. If. If I had to pick one thing that helped me grow my business, if I were to look back to my journey of how I went from $270 to $105,000 in annual salary or annual income or revenue, how did I do that? It was because I learned how to prospect. It's because I knew how to identify who my ideal clients are, send up connection requests, and do that consistently. Okay. And it's 15 minutes every other day. So it's not. It's not. Pick a Tuesday, Thursday, 15 minutes. Set your timer on and just prospect. Send out connection requests. Because the more that you can grow your community, the more they will naturally digest your content and your marketing. And eventually they'll notice. Molly's talking to me. This is exactly what I. Oh, I need to talk to Molly. Okay, so that is what you need to do to move your needle. Prospect.
- [24:05]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
Well, and that knocked the socks off because I'm going to be prospecting, y'.
- [24:09]
Molly Lowe
All.
- [24:09]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
I don't know about you, but LinkedIn is one of the platforms that I definitely am focusing on in 2025 and 2026. So, Molly, thank you so much for this conversation. This has been amazing. Gems have been dropped. I hope you all go back and re listen to this episode, take some notes, share with a friend. Okay. Because there are some gems in here and where can people connect with you and learn more about working with you? Molly.
- [24:36]
Molly Lowe
Absolutely. You already know. Come find Your Girl on LinkedIn so you can look up Molly Lowe and or my company, Lotus Mentoring. You'll see both of me on there. Feel free to send me a quick connection. And honestly, let's start there. I'm big on mutual fit and alignment and so let's have a conversation. I truly, truly want to be able to just chat and trust me. Trust me what I say. If you have questions, I have answers. All you got to do is ask. So that's what you do.
- [25:03]
Podcast Host (Michelle)
Amazing. Thank you so much, Molly, for sharing your wisdom today. And to everyone listening, if you found this episode valuable, go ahead and share with a friend. Don't forget to leave a rating and review on Spotify or Apple so that we can reach more entrepreneurs, career professionals just like you. Until next time, let's keep showing up and shining online. I will talk to you in the next one. Peace.
- [25:30]
LifeLock Announcer
The holidays mean more travel, more shopping, more time online, and more personal info in more places that could expose you more to identity theft. But LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, our US based restoration specialists will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Don't face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or financial losses alone. Get more holiday fun and less holiday worry with LifeLock. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com SpecialOffer Terms Apply if you're.
- [26:01]
Grainger Announcer
An H VAC technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
- [26:30]
Indeed Announcer
Hiring isn't just about finding someone willing to take the job. You need the right person with the right background who can move your business forward. If you want candidates who truly match what you're looking for, Trust Indeed Sponsored Jobs With Indeed Sponsored Jobs, your post stands out to quality candidates who actually fit the role. According To Indeed data, 90% are more likely to be hired and trusted by 1.6 million companies. Spend more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. Now with Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help your job get the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com podcasts13 just go indeed.com podcast13 right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed. On this podcast. Indeed.com podcast 13 terms and conditions apply. Hiring do it the Right Way With Indeed.
- [27:27]
Geico Commercial Auto Insurance Announcer
I'm here on the job site with Dale, who's a framing contractor.
- [27:31]
Molly Lowe
Hey, good morning.
- [27:32]
Geico Commercial Auto Insurance Announcer
Dale traded up to Geico Commercial Auto Insurance for all his business vehicles. We're here where he needs us most.
- [27:37]
Molly Lowe
Yep, they sure sure are.
- [27:38]
Geico Commercial Auto Insurance Announcer
We make it easy for him to save on all his insurance needs all in one place with coverage that fits his business and bottom line. Oh, I shouldn't have looked down.
- [27:47]
Molly Lowe
It's all right.
- [27:48]
Geico Commercial Auto Insurance Announcer
We're so far up here.
- [27:49]
Molly Lowe
Look at me. Take a deep breath.
- [27:51]
Geico Commercial Auto Insurance Announcer
I'm good.
- [27:52]
Molly Lowe
So good.
- [27:53]
Indeed Announcer
Get a commercial auto insurance quote today@geico.com and see how much you could save. Get more with Geico.
- [27:58]
Logan Urie
Hi, I'm Logan Urie, Hinge's lead relationship scientist. We asked 30,000 people about their dating lives. Gen Z daters told us they want deeper conversations, but they're 36% more hesitant than millennials to start them. We call this the communication gap, the space between wanting connection and starting the conversation. But here's the good news. It doesn't have to be this way. Ask one better question or share something honest and watch the connection grow. Find more in Hinge's 2025 Gen Z Date Report, now live@hinge.com.