Judi Fox (RTS 15)

Guest: Judi Fox
Topics: LinkedIn, content strategy

Transcript:

Chris Ressa 0:01
This is retail retold the story of how that store ended up in your neighborhood. I’m your host, Chris ReSSA. And I invite you to join my conversation with some of the retail industry’s biggest influencers. This podcast is brought to you by DLC management.

I’d like to thank one of our sponsors, retail openings and closings.com. In today’s dynamic retail landscape, tracking openings and closings before they take place has never been more important. Having this intelligence is an undeniable competitive advantage, retail openings and closings.com also known as Rock Tracks, future openings and future closings, comprehensive, accurate and reliable. The rock is your crystal ball and the key to making well informed decisions with confidence in today’s evolving retail climate.

Hey, everyone, today is a bit of a different episode. Today we have Judy Fox on the show. Judy Fox has a program LinkedIn business accelerator, a program designed to enhance your business using LinkedIn. With more people consuming content on social media platforms, and the acceleration of social media usage throughout the care industry. I thought it would be interesting for everyone to get some perspective from a LinkedIn expert, and

learn a little bit more on how to use LinkedIn to help your business.

It’s a bonus episode. I hope you enjoy it. I had fun talking to Judi. And I think you’re gonna learn a lot if you have any interest in growing your business on social media in particular, on LinkedIn. Thanks, everyone. Enjoy the show.

Welcome to retail retold everyone today we have a special guest, Judi Fox. Judy is the founder of LinkedIn business accelerator. She is a social media guru. I have taken her class and hired her. And she has helped me with my LinkedIn. Welcome to the show.

Judi Fox 2:16
Glad to be here. Thank you for having me.

Ressa 2:18
So Judy, why don’t you tell us a little bit about you, who you are and what you do.

Fox 2:25
All right. So going all the way back, I got my degree in chemical engineering, just setting the stage for why and how I do what I do. That was back in the 90s. I then worked in manufacturing construction engineering out in the field, petroleum refineries, mining, and a lot like Instagram.

Super similar to Instagram. And this was prior to even Instagram starting it was early 2000s. Anywhere from 1999 to 2008. I worked for United States gypsum Corporation making sheetrock. Wow. So definitely involved in the building and construction industry in general moved into the corporate space, got my Master’s in 2004 in environmental management and business sustainability, and that’s probably the key right there because that’s where a lot of what I think about and where my thought process for social media comes in. And then I started building websites on the side got let go and the crisis. That’s when I realized the power of LinkedIn around 2009. And it has been passion of passionate about LinkedIn ever since 2009. I’ve always used it for business development and sales for my own business for amplifying other businesses when I’ve gone on board full time into other corporate positions, but I’ve just never quite ever since the 2008 crisis. I always said to myself, I want to be employable by myself, like even when I worked full time for a company they just became my next client. I’ve always thought very entrepreneurial ever since that moment if that makes sense.

Ressa 4:05
Totally. Well that’s cool story. Thank you for sharing interesting how you got to where you got to Yeah, it

Fox 4:11
was my fast forwarded into 120 18 2017 2018 is when LinkedIn first started up like being able to upload native video and that’s really what changed the platform and the tone on the platform for opportunity because when you can do video and reach your ideal client with video, you can get even business and business development even faster because that know like and trust is lightning speed at video levels. So that’s how the platform really changed because I hit 3 million views that first year of doing video.

Ressa 4:46
So awesome. That’s extraordinary

Fox 4:49
guy rocketed that so yeah, went out back into my own full time business and it’s been amazing ever since.

Ressa 4:55
So that leads us in, you know, what’s going on and so Social media today lead to a high level question, take it where you want to go. But we’re what’s going on in social media? what’s hot, what’s not? What are some of the trends? What are you seeing?

Fox 5:09
Well, the conversations people are having in July 2020, definitely revolve around companies realizing that there were there was never this final push for them prior to this situation that we’re in lockdown, or stay at home orders or shelter in place. So there’s more and everyone working from home. So there’s more and more drive and requirements to figure out connecting with people through social media, through video through being on home through our internet connection than ever before and not in person. So I was just speaking yesterday with a networking group that had never figured out anything on social media, their entire networking group was thriving, but it was thriving in person, because they were always meeting up weekly through their networking communities. And just kind of lightly using social media to just get the word out about an event, but lightly, and now it’s this entire push the entire world has changed to value, the time you spend on social media to not, I don’t know, discount it as just an amazing way to connect and communicate with each other. And not all the negatives that used to be associated with social media as if you just want to show up, you just are you just trying to be popular or No, you need to be visible, to be seen, to be hired to get the work to get the business for your business to be aware of who you are, so your customers can work with you. And it’s an incredible tool.

Ressa 6:49
And well, you know, the next thing I think, then is I think in the time when you started in like oh nine really getting, you know, really getting involved a decade ago, there was a lot of white space for people. And now it’s very busy, you can get lost. And, you know, do you where do you think we are in the cycle of if you just want to get involved right now and start, you know, really being present on social media and getting visible? It’s clearly harder now than it was a decade ago. But is it? I guess if you didn’t do anything on social media, and you wanted to try to generate business on social media, is it worth it today?

Fox 7:32
Oh my gosh, it’s so worth it. I think it’s worth finding. It’s just like anything, you could find a crowded space in person at crowded shopping mall or center. And then there’s always ones that still have opportunity to grow and opportunity for building expanding. There’s just always growth opportunities anywhere even if we think in person. And then we think of the online world just similar. We have even new channels like whether we get want to get controversial about these channels. But tick tock or LinkedIn, for example, is still amazing as far as the growth potential and the visibility potential, since there are not that many people really taking advantage of it or leaning in in a business aspect. Some of the channels, like even people talk about YouTube, oh, it’s crowded, but I’ve watched people break out on YouTube with their first couple of videos and hit a couple million subscribers, it still happens. It’s different, it’s maybe not the same exact result you would have had and the bar has maybe been raised for certain quality or the expectations of how you’re going to show up on the channels has been like navigated. It’s like learning a language and visiting a country. There’s certain etiquette and engagement kind of rules that are spoken and unspoken on certain channels, but there’s still room to play and room to grow and room to be yourself.

Ressa 9:08
What’s working today generally on social media, for businesses, and what’s not what are some high level, you know, and we’ll get to some granular like really good tips, both what’s working out there for businesses and what do people try that’s really not working. I

Fox 9:26
think the biggest thing that’s working is the real access kind of video to the thought leader at the top the either C suite if you’re going from the company and corporate perspective, just even being able to feel like I have access to Sara Blakely at Spanx and just watching how she shows up on her Instagram stories. I feel like I really get a glimpse of her and her husband and their kids and they’re in their RV and she’s showing his short shorts and they’re just driving down the road and they’re making fun of each other And it’s like we’re getting glimpses into people’s full story and full lives. And I think the way that they’re sharing it is making it very accessible to see myself in her shoes or be able to build a company like that, because there’s just so much more access to the behind the scenes. And that’s what I think a lot of people are craving. So I think the behind the scenes and getting access to higher up thought leaders is more than we’ve ever seen before. Because there was always a little bit of more of a, what we want to call maybe a professional wall. But that professional wall was just trying to hold up an image of somebody that was always polished and perfect at all times. And people just aren’t where we obviously, I think it’s more what I would like to replace the word professional, which is showing up as a leader and a leader can be wearing, whatever outfit you want to wear whatever hair, it’s the word professional, I feel like tries to keep us in a box. But leadership allows us to show up as a leader and stand up and speak and use our voice. And it doesn’t matter what you look like, and how exactly your video is and how perfect it is or how polish.

Ressa 11:14
I think that’s probably the part that holds people back the most from being active on social media is one or two things. One that that polish that you mentioned, and to you know, you still have this, I think from leadership in business in America, this what I would call, you know, reservation about that exposure and the privacy discussion. And I don’t want to get political but you have you know that I think that’s a reservation, do you think that’s still a reservation out there? For people?

Fox 11:48
I definitely think it is. I know that in some ways, if somebody wants a lot of your information, they’re going to find it, whether you wanted to keep it private or not. It’s kind of hard. In today’s age, I’ve watched so many videos now of this random person on video, and the entire video blows up to millions of views. And they’re like, find that person. And then like five minutes later, that person is found, you know, like, it’s pretty intense. And even people I would think are kind of what I you know, they would think, Oh, I don’t have much of a presence online, barely any social media. They’re finding them. So I think if you want to be found, if people want to put you on camera, it’s definitely getting intense out there. As far as just publicly walking outside your house. It feels like anyone can film you at any time doing anything.

Ressa 12:42
So yeah, the power of the phone.

Fox 12:45
Yes, that is powerful. And plus all of my content on LinkedIn. Not all of it, but a ton of it is just filmed on my phone with my phone, audio and no. I mean, I started off with my other iPhone, my older version of the iPhone. I can’t remember which version it was, but you know, it doesn’t. It’s just that’s how it got started, I think. I don’t know. Now I do have a fancy camera behind me, but like Canon add, but for the most part, I barely use it because it’s just not necessary.

Ressa 13:20
Yeah, well, I just got the iPhone 11. And it’s got these three things now. It’s pretty crazy.

Fox 13:26
It is pretty nice. The quality on this phone is amazing. But that’s the point. Why do you need a lot of people hold themselves back from doing content across social media because they think they need to have really fancy equipment and really fancy lighting. You can just face your window you can just the audio mic on your phone is just fine. A lot of times we you know we want the access whether the audio is perfect or not. We want to know what you have to say and we want real heart and real passion. I think that’s actually why to me tick tock does so well. Because we get these 62nd stories and videos where people are just raw and real and sometimes they say whatever off the cuff but it’s real conversations that feels like we’re kind of popping in on and I think that is changing the way we see what’s I don’t know how people are living their lives. I didn’t necessarily know how some people live if that makes sense. Their mindset you wouldn’t know somebody else’s mindset unless you literally get access to it.

Ressa 14:31
Told totally Well that brings me to the next piece and you mentioned tick tock and you’re and and LinkedIn and other platforms but your business is very focused on LinkedIn, you’re on all social media platforms. Let’s talk about LinkedIn for a second. Why don’t we give Judy foxes you know, tips of the day on LinkedIn. Let it start for the beginners. And then maybe some tips for the advanced.

Fox 15:03
Alright, so tips for the beginners is if you have not touched LinkedIn for a long time you’ve left it you you may be opened it you may be put your resume or information on there because you were like, Look, I need a job, I just want to put it fill it out totally fine. I tell those people to just start going out liking and commenting. Because then you’re going to start getting inspiration, you’re going to start seeing what people are going to talk about, you’re going to start checking out other people’s profiles, other people’s profiles are going to inspire you and empower you to want to level up your profile and see what’s possible. But I think it’s still until you go out and spend a little bit of time on the platform doing anything other than liking and commenting starts to put I think, the freeze on people or anxiety or they start to feel like I don’t know, I mean, even if you just have to go out and start doing likes, likes and commenting are much more powerful ways to show up on the platform, then you clicking the Share button on somebody else’s posts, and thinking that’s what you’re going to start doing is sharing don’t do that. Do likes and comments, likes and comments, likes and comments all around the platform, check out people’s profiles.

Ressa 16:18
All right, that’s the beginner tip do and don’t, what is the intermediate do and don’t the intermediate

Fox 16:24
as as you’re doing that? do two things, keep track of some of your comments, because your comments should turn into your own content, you should be starting to pay attention to your own voice and saying, Oh, wow, I do have an opinion on XYZ subject or this is in the news. And I want to have an opinion about it. And I want to say XYZ like hey, I don’t. It’s okay, if you don’t agree with what me and you are talking about right? Now you may have a different opinion. And that’s great. And that should trigger you to say what your opinion is, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to tell me where you got triggered. Just the concept is we come up with our own thoughts and opinions. As we’re reading as we’re reading books, LinkedIn should be the same way. It’s a thought leadership space, there’s posts out there that will either trigger you to agree or disagree and have your own opinion, document that. And the next thing is as you document that and you get inspiration from people’s profiles, the number one place to level up your profile is in your cover banner image. And I have a great LinkedIn article that covers the five ways your LinkedIn profile cover photo image can sell for you. And it gives you the dimensions where to make one and some inspiration for the platform. And you can go check out Chris’s LinkedIn banner and get some inspiration too, because it should highlight you it shows you speaking on stage it shows right now, doesn’t it? Yeah. And it shows a quote that you live by. Correct? Yep, yep. So we get to know a little bit about you, just by seeing your banner image versus getting the blue dot constellations at the top.

Ressa 18:08
Awesome. And one that might have been that one like super advanced tip,

Fox 18:16
super advanced tip. I mean, if you’re going to be advanced, you are definitely going to drive traffic from your content back over to your profile. So as you make your thought leadership piece, you got to be doing a video because then we can see you on camera and get the sense of what you’re saying. But as you write your content as you put the post out there that goes along with a video, think about creating conversation and driving traffic back to your profile, because that’s what it’s all about creating this kind of profile tornado generating visibility machine. How is that for LinkedIn business accelerator?

Ressa 18:56
There you go. Well, those were great tips. I appreciate the conversation. On you know what’s going on in social media. I want to pivot to what we normally call retail wisdom. But we’re going to still call it that but we’re going to change up the questions. So question one, what is your best piece of social media advice?

Fox 19:22
Get on video?

Ressa 19:25
Get on video. I need to do more video. Yeah, just get

Fox 19:29
like you just got to do it. It’s you’re going to my first videos are terrible. Some of my first videos are really really cringe worthy. So it’s got to do it.

Ressa 19:39
Alright. So normally the second question is extinct retailer you wish would come back from the dead. I want to go a different direction extinct social media platform that you wish you’d come back from the dead.

Fox 19:52
I hear all the time about Vine. And I hear that that needs to come back from the dead. I do have to say I’ve I never was on Vine, but I have watched compilations of past Vine videos that got uploaded to YouTube and I think they’re hilarious and I kind of wish that I had been online or been paying attention to vine at the time. I was paying too much attention to LinkedIn.

Ressa 20:16
All right. Last question. We’re not changing. I’ve got a retail product and you’re gonna give me the retail price. Neris. Well, you mentioned before, that your son enjoys his cereal in the morning. And so I am currently on Walmart’s website. I’m looking at a box of 19.3 ounces of cocoa puffs. What does Walmart sell a box of cocoa puffs for today? Family size 19.3 ounce box $2.19. It is $3.64 But thank you for playing. Oh no, but I didn’t go over but he didn’t go over.

Fox 20:59
I was too low. I was thinking maybe it was by to get one for I’m just kidding.

Ressa 21:05
Awesome. Well, Judy, thanks for coming on today. This was great. I hope everybody out there starts to do more on social media.

Fox 21:14
Yes, and be sure to go follow hashtag Fox rocks on LinkedIn and what is your hashtag Chris ReSSA on real estate got it. So personal hashtags on LinkedIn go follow them restaurant real estate meets hashtag Fox rocks.

Ressa 21:28
There you go. Follow those two. Yes. Thank you for listening to retail retold. If you want to share a story about a retail real estate deal that you were a part of on our show. Please reach out to us at retail retold at DLC mgmt.com This show highlights the stories behind the deals from all perspectives. So it doesn’t matter if you are a retailer, broker, entrepreneur, architect or an attorney. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to retail retold so you don’t miss out on next Thursday’s episode