New Grant Alert!
‘More Equity Pitch Competition’ presented by Harlem Capital
Harlem Capital has announced their inaugural virtual pitch competition focused on women and minority founders based in the U.S. Finalists will be selected to pitch their company or idea in front of a live audience and panel of judges October 20, 2020. The 1st place winner will receive a $40,000 cash prize and the runner up will receive a $10,000 cash prize. All applicants must apply by 11:59pm on September 22, 2020. Interested? Apply today at harlem.capital/pitchcomp.
Find out how Sister’s Alliance, Linda Karressy, built her LinkedIn account
Think PAIN: Keys to creating a successful LinkedIn strategy
Terry Eugene Bollea aka Hulk Hogan was one of my favorite wrestlers growing up. I did not realize he was one of the individuals I was following on Twitter. After letting go of two social media consultants I started to dig into my social media. Similar to many entrepreneurs I was unaware how Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram worked. So, I started to do my homework.
I read blogs and watched videos on how to create content to attract an audience. I scheduled one hour each week to find content, create posts, and schedule the posts; I did my own social media for about two years; I found my target audience on LinkedIn. And I now have over 1,092 followers. The return on my investment has been referrals and individuals who can advocate for my business.
How did I create a following? Most importantly how did I create valuable content? Below are steps I recommend for building a LinkedIn following.
-Identify your goals for social media? Is it to drive traffic to your website or referrals?
-Identify target audience
-Identify who your target audience do business with. Connect with them on LinkedIn.
-Identify your target audience PAIN points. What do they want to know? What do they struggle with? What are the solutions?
-Identify which social media outlet your target audience utilize
-Focus on one social media outlet if you are doing this yourself
-Develop content to address pain points
-Be consistent. Post 2 to 3 times a week.
-Show you are an expert through your posts
-Use videos, storytelling, and articles
-Post your own articles on LinkedIn
-Do not accept everyone’s invitation
-Add a note to invitations – Loved your recent article. I would like to follow you to share with my clients etc.
-Put your social media on autopilot. Use Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule posts.
-Look at your competitors. Notice what gets the most likes or dislikes.
-To find content subscribe to newsletters, blogs, and other publications.
-Comment on people’s post. Most individuals will then ask to connect with you.
-Create a bookmark to store articles and websites for your content
-Post a professional headshot
-Share other LinkedIn posts
-Keep your profile updated
-Use Canva or SlideShare for images and to share documents
-Use LinkedIn Open for Business feature
Before you invest in a social media consultant, do your own social media for six months. Focus on one item at a time. Be patient. Once you build a following, you will be able to educate your future social media consultant on your needs. Make sure to share your success with us.
Linda Diakite Karressy, Insight Financial Group Owner & Sister’s Alliance Co-Founder
Photo Credit: The Missing Brick Facebook Page
Sister Shoutout: The Missing Brick
The Missing Brick is located off 64th and Binford Boulevard (6404 Rucker Road) and opened May 2019 by owner, Que Wimberly. “One of the things that Indianapolis didn’t have was a craft pizza place that was Black-owned and family run. So, that was a hole that The Missing Brick filled,” states owner Wimberly. In addition to offering traditional pizzas, the Missing Brick creates urban dish pizzas with ingredients sourced from other Black-owned businesses; The Woodstock pizza is made with brisket from Hank’s Smoked Briskets ( MLK Jr. Street) and The Trap Pizza is made with seafood from The Trap Seafood (34th and Keystone). Ladies, let’s uplift and support Ms. Que Wimberly and The Missing Brick and begin making the effort to invest our dollars back into the Black community.
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