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How to be a 1% unicorn on LinkedIn
Grace Lancer on standing out, unapologetically
Hello Networkers! I’m reveling in my family during my monthlong trip to Chicago. We celebrated my birthday, a wedding, my niece and nephew’s birthday, and we will have taken in one Cubs game and two county fairs by the time I leave. This trip has been a good reminder that there’s lots of life offline and it’s important to take the time to enjoy it.
Here’s me with the Cubs flying the W flag (meaning, we won!)
Someone who really embraces life is this week’s Networker interviewee, Grace Lancer. Grace is a super high-energy coach for women who aren’t afraid to show their personalities. Read below for how she uses LinkedIn to its fullest.
I’m switching things up a little this week, starting with news on the top, let me know what you think.
This Week In LinkedIn:
Are we all wary and nervous?
What’s new related to LinkedIn? Here’s what caught my eye this week.
LinkedIn Games are in the news again, as they reported record engagement in June, now that the platform is stickier. (But is is really games? Are you playing them?) (Pymnts.com)
A LinkedIn security scare: the very thing that can get you back in to a locked-out account can also get it stolen from you. (James Hobden via Medium)
It used to be that building your LinkedIn brand was a sure signal you were looking for a job. It’s not, but some employers are still wary. (The Globe and Mail)
Still feeling unsure about building your personal brand? You’re not alone. But you need to do it anyway. (Fast Company)
The Networkist Interview
Welcome, Grace. Please tell us about yourself.
I'm self-employed as a personal brand and business strategist.
I had a job as a customer success manager at an HR tech company, which I loved for the first two years. However, the last two years became very formal and corporate, which didn't suit my personality. I began exploring other options and decided to pursue coaching. I enrolled in a life coaching certification diploma and launched my business a year later.
Over time, my business naturally evolved based on what I love doing, what my clients need, and my skills. Today, I help solo entrepreneurs effectively market themselves and their services, confidently sell and self-promote to high-ticket buyers, and build successful business empires.
What’s your industry?
I call myself a coach strategist.
What does LinkedIn do for you?
LinkedIn is a platform I rave about so much that I feel like I should have shares in it.
I started my business on Instagram four years ago, but around two years ago, I noticed that Instagram's organic reach was declining. Realizing I couldn't rely solely on it for my business, I decided to give LinkedIn a try.
I had used LinkedIn sporadically in my corporate job for company updates, so I wasn't starting from zero—I had about 600 followers. That was around March or April 2022. Since then, I have shown up consistently almost every single day, with only a handful of exceptions.
Through LinkedIn, I have built up my following and reputation. It's an amazing platform for business, and I'm a strong advocate for it. I truly believe it's the best platform for signing clients, growing a brand, gaining authority-boosting opportunities, and monetizing your business significantly.
What are your main goals for using LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is my main platform for generating business, and I have massive goals to grow my business into a mini empire. LinkedIn is essential for achieving that.
I see myself continuing to grow my brand on LinkedIn, not only to monetize by signing clients into my offers but also to gain authority-boosting opportunities like podcasting. Recently, for example, I was invited to speak at a marketing conference in Amsterdam in October.
LinkedIn, being a professional platform, is the best for having business conversations. It helps in signing clients and securing other significant visibility opportunities.
Grace’s content strategy
Who’s your target audience on LinkedIn?
My clients are mostly solo entrepreneurs, so I do mostly work with coaches, consultants, freelancers, but I definitely have an ideal client: rebel type, disruptive, outspoken, bold, ballsy, women. It's very specific.
How do you decide what content to create and share on LinkedIn?
I love this question because it's a message I often share with my clients to help them attract their ideal clients: when it comes to personal branding, it's important to identify your content pillars. For me, a significant part of what I discuss revolves around business, as that's my focus. I'm here to make money and sign clients, and I don't shy away from that. However, I also weave in storytelling content that remains business-focused but touches on other aspects.
My content pillars include topics like exercise and mindset and how they relate to business, travel, and my experience moving to Tel Aviv for a flexible, freedom-based lifestyle. Additionally, I emphasize empowering women in business and careers, highlighting the disparities between men and women in society and promoting female empowerment.
How do you differentiate your content from others on LinkedIn?
Since my goal is to make money and help my clients do the same, I emphasize discussing money openly. I show and tell people how my services can help them achieve financial success. This is a topic many shy away from, but it resonates with my ideal clients.
A small but notable thing about my content is my expressiveness and love for emojis. I use them extensively, which makes my content easily recognizable. Additionally, using on-brand graphics helps create a professional and cohesive look, rather than just posting selfies.
I also share photos from various events and brand photo shoots, which feature bright colors that reflect my brand.
What are the processes you use to create content?
Schedule in advance ✅
Batch create content ❌
Optimize for SEO/keywords ❌
Follow an editorial calendar ❌
Have specific content pillars/themes ✅
Repurpose content to/from LinkedIn or reuse on LinkedIn ✅
Use AI in any part of the content writing process ❌
Have team/human support for any part of your LI process ✅
Keep a list of potential topics somewhere (Notes, Notion, etc.) ✅
Design or source visuals including infographics and carousels and video ✅
What types of content do you post to LinkedIn?
Text only ❌
Polls ❌
Audio ❌
Video ✅
Carousels ✅
Photos of yourself (selfies) ✅
Photos of other people or things ❌
AI generated images ❌
Infographics (single image) ✅
Other people’s graphics ❌
Links to your company content ❌
Links to other content ❌
Reposts of others’ content (repost only) ❌
Reposts of others’ content (with your thoughts) ❌
How much time does it take?
How much time do you spend each weekday on LinkedIn on comments or Direct Messages (DMs), outside of content creation?
I spend at least a couple of hours a day on it. It's hard to be exact because sometimes I'm on it while walking or doing other activities, but I'd estimate around two to three hours daily.
Are you active on LinkedIn on the weekends, either posting or commenting or both?
Yes, I do post on both days on the weekend. So I do a little bit of engagement around that. So maybe like an hour each day.
How do you use DMs (direct messages) in the service of your goals?
I love DMs and I'm a huge advocate for them. Many people fear outbound sales and hope that building a brand will bring leads to them. However, especially at the beginning of your business, you need to be proactive rather than reactive. I always ask my clients, "Do you want to wait for business to come to you, or do you want to go out and source your own opportunities?"
I firmly believe that DMs are where most sales are made. While I do get inbound inquiries, the majority of my sales come from outbound strategies. When I'm on LinkedIn, I spend most of my time in the DMs, starting new conversations and connecting with new people. I have some support with this, but I still handle the majority of it myself.
Grace’s biggest growth levers
What has contributed most to your growth?
I think showing up consistently is crucial. You need to be visible, attract new eyes to your profile, and regularly put out content. Doing this consistently, not just once a week but five to seven times a week, increases your chances of being discovered by more people.
Additionally, it's important to ensure your LinkedIn profile and content are optimized and specific to your ideal client. While not all of your followers will be ideal clients, many are or will be. Tailor everything to attract the right people so that when they visit your page, they immediately feel a connection. They should see your content and want to see more, engaging with it regularly. Consistency, paired with the right message for the right audience, is key.
How do you track what’s working and know what to change?
In fairness, I'm very bad at this. I do look at LinkedIn analytics, but the algorithm is so volatile. I've had spontaneous posts go semi-viral, while highly targeted ones, based on detailed conversations with my ideal clients, sometimes tank.
I know it's not that people didn't want to hear about those topics because my content is based on data. I'm not typically a data-driven person in terms of spreadsheets and numbers, but as a marketer, I believe everything should be created for your ideal client. So I rely on market research to understand what my clients struggle with and need help with.
When I take this approach, I believe no piece of content is a bad piece of content, and I trust my instincts.
How Grace makes money
How do you generate revenue in your business?
I offer various coaching programs, including one-on-one sessions, group sessions, and low-ticket offers.
I recently closed my signature group program to restart it from scratch, aiming to make it a more scalable group offering. Additionally, I've run one-off master classes, six-week accelerators, and 30-day group accelerators.
All my revenue comes from these offers and services, not from paid speaking gigs, although generating revenue from speaking is something I aim to pursue in the future.
How do you quantify your success on LinkedIn?
I don’t have exact numbers on total clients, sales calls, or revenue. However, for full transparency, I always set big goals, and reflecting on it recently, I realized I'm not as far ahead as I expected to be at this point in my business. But I've made significant changes this year and am starting to see the results.
I've had numerous clients across various programs. For example, I've filled 30-day accelerators with over 15 people and had around 25 people enroll in a 90-minute paid masterclass, which I can now sell passively. My six-week accelerators and my signature program last year had about 12 to 13 clients. This gives a rough idea of the numbers.
Grace’s top tips
What challenges have you faced on LinkedIn? What’s made you almost—or actually—quit? What got you back on track?
I've never wanted to quit LinkedIn, despite the challenges of operating on an algorithm-based platform. The biggest challenge for me, and probably for everyone else, is that you can't control how many people see your content or whether it goes viral.
I've been frustrated with LinkedIn at times, but I've never wanted to leave because I recognize its power. It's my main generator of business and income. Additionally, LinkedIn has brought me bigger opportunities, like being invited to speak on podcasts, panels, and at international events.
While other platforms might offer similar opportunities, I believe LinkedIn provides a unique level of access and visibility. So, I'm here to stay.
What would you do if LinkedIn ceased to exist tomorrow?
That would be a dagger through my heart! I do still post all my content on Instagram, primarily for brand awareness. I'm growing my follower base there, especially within the local community in Tel Aviv, where people love Instagram.
Recently, I started creating short videos for LinkedIn, keeping them under a minute so I can also upload them to YouTube Shorts. I'm also focused on growing my email list, directing subscribers to my YouTube Shorts. Many people wish they had started their email lists sooner, and now I find myself in that boat.
To grow my email list, I offer free monthly strategy sessions to help my target audience map out their personalized roadmap to five-figure months. This strategy is helping me build my email list effectively.
What advice would you give other Networkers who want to build and leverage their LinkedIn presence?
The first step is to get clear on who you are as a personal brand. What do you want to be known for? What do you stand for and against? You need to have an identity and be confident in speaking out, as this establishes you as a leader. This doesn’t mean being overly controversial, but having an opinion and not being afraid to challenge the status quo when necessary.
To stand out in a saturated market, you must understand your brand personality and how you want to show up for your ideal client. Infuse this identity into your content consistently.
If you're aiming to monetize, a key element is making what you sell unique and different from what everyone else offers. In a crowded market where many claim to provide similar services, you need to position your offerings as distinct and valuable. A significant part of my work with clients involves offer positioning, ensuring that their services are perceived as highly transformational and unique.
This involves defining your unique selling point, not just for yourself but for your offer. It requires thorough market research, understanding your ideal client, and addressing a significant problem they face. People don't pay to solve small problems; they pay to solve big problems that keep them up at night. Literally problems that they're turning over in bed at night, not sleeping, saying, if I don't conquer this, I will have failed.
Is there anything else you want to tell other Networkers?
What I just said on a kickoff call the other day with my clients is:
If you want to be the 1%, if you want to be those people who actually have a successful business and not be the 99 % of people that fail, you have to be and do differently.
People who are the 1%, they don't give up, they keep going regardless. You have to commit to being that person if you really believe and if you really want to build a wildly successful and profitable business. That starts today with knowing that you can actually do it. The level of self-belief that you have around yourself and your ability to make it work is directly related to the amount of success that you have.
So stop doing what everyone else is doing if you actually want to be different and be the 1%. You have to make bigger moves than what the majority of other people are.
Grace’s best post
Stephanie’s note: I’ve asked each Networker to give me one “best post,” based on their own criteria.
Why Grace considers this her best post.
I love this post because it so clearly connects with my ideal client: Other corporate rebel type people who don't fit into the 9to5 world, who are made for more than the traditional career route. The people who are “too much.” These are the people I connect with and who connect with me.
How to network with Grace
Follow Grace Lancer on LinkedIn
Find Grace on Instagram
Get Grace’s Roadmap to 5 Figure Months
Networkist Tip of the Week:
What works for one, doesn’t work for all
One of my favorite tools for using LinkedIn effectively is AuthoredUp (and no, this is not a sponsored mention!). Their founder, Ivana Todorovic, is a great LinkedIn creator, full of great tips. My top tip this week is Ivana talking about when not to believe in tips—great advice!
I’m always on the lookout for something that changes the way I use LinkedIn. It could be an idea, a tool, a process, or something strategic.
Have a tip I should consider? Hit reply to this email and let me know!
Want me to makeover your LinkedIn profile?
My done-for-you service, BeLinked Optimization, will make your profile into a kick-butt landing page that helps you network, recruit, or sell—or all three!
The beta price of $399 is only valid through August 15. Get on my calendar now to lock this price in.
That’s all for now—I look forward to seeing you again next week for another Networker interview.
Go forth and Network!
Stephanie Schwab
Founder & CEO, Crackerjack Marketing
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