034 - Secret To Compelling Content: Weaving In Your Personal Stories

Storytelling is an essential component of content marketing. If you can weave personal stories into your business posts, better yet. Talented storyteller Deanna Russo, Leverage Up, joined me to discuss weaving personal stories into your business content.  

Topics included:
🔹Saving your story ideas, how-to, and why it’s essential.

🔹Relating experiences, conversations, etc., to your business.

🔹Using selfies in good, bad, and annoying ways.

🔹Sticking with content that you’re comfortable sharing. 

And more 

Download 25 Content Creation Ideas To Kickstart Your Social Media Posts  (Click Link Below)

🔷 Thank you for listening. I hope you found this episode insightful, educational, and inspiring. If you did, don't forget to hit that Follow to keep learning and growing with us.

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🎦 Video is the fastest way to build that know, like, and trust factor with potential clients. If you're not creating video because you don't know how to begin, DOWNLOAD our new Social Media Video Quick Start Guide (It's Free) Click here to Download

⏬ Download 25 Content Ideas To Kickstart Your Social Media Posts (For People Who Don't Know What To Say (It's Free) Click here to Download

➡️ Need more? Check out the 200+ videos on my YouTube channel Click here for my YouTube channel

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For additional insights, follow Annette Richmond and Black Dog Marketing Strategies on social media.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetterichmond/
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@blackdogmarketingstrategies
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...

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:45

Hi, I'm Annette Richmond. Welcome to Content Marketing School, where we will dive into content marketing strategy, specifically for coaches, consultants and entrepreneurs. Discover how effective content marketing can elevate your brand and grow your business. And if you enjoy the show, don't forget to hit that follow button. Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are joining us from.

Speaker 1: 1:15

I'm Annette Richmond. This is Content Marketing School and I'm so excited to have my friend Deanna here with me today and I love, love, love this topic and I'm so glad that you agreed to do this with me. So you know, I have to say that I met you first on Clubhouse. I always say you were my first friend on Clubhouse because you were so warm. You know you go in there at the time and it's like all these people and you don't know anybody. And then I've gotten to know you on LinkedIn over the years and you've been on my show a couple of times, so I know, like I feel like everybody knows you. But for anyone who doesn't know you, please tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Speaker 2: 1:59

Thank you so much for having me in that. Yes, I'm so happy that we got to know each other in Clubhouse and then that bridged very nicely to LinkedIn. So my name is Deanna Russo and my company is called Leverjup, and that is essentially what we help people do on LinkedIn. We help you leverage up your LinkedIn presence, take it to the next level, and I am the proud creator of the LinkedIn Triangle. The Leverjup Triangle made up of profile engagement and content, and I'm so excited to be here today.

Speaker 1: 2:32

Oh, my goodness, I am too. So I just want to mention, if you are out there in the audience, if you do put your questions comments, please in the comments on LinkedIn, we will be able to see you here in the studio. So I see our buddy, jeff Young, in the front row. So thank you so much for joining us Now. You know, let's kind of jump into this Now for me. You are known for weaving personal stories into your posts on LinkedIn, and you know, I just I think that you were just so extremely talented about that, and so you know, and I know I was thinking about you the other day when I was talking about work life blend, not balance that you know, when I talked about someone you know writing a post while they're watching their kids play sports and I was thinking of you because I know you have talked about that. So, to jump right into this, how did you come to have that sort of as your storytelling technique? Give us a little bit of you know, the impetus for that from the get-go.

Speaker 2: 3:49

I think the storytelling really started when I started creating content on LinkedIn. Now that doesn't mean that I was like the ultimate storyteller right off the very first post. No, no, no, no. I would like to say that practice makes potential not perfect, but practice makes potential. So the more that you do this, the easier it becomes. And where my first few videos probably weren't the best, if anybody wants to scroll through, I told Jillian when he did this the other day, if anybody wants to scroll through and take a look at some really cringy videos.

Speaker 2: 4:29

Go ahead, go take a look at that. But really the storytelling all comes with the amount of content that I have put out there and you just do it and you just figure out what the story is, what the lesson you want to teach is, what the value is and value. To me, value is starting to have the exact same connotation as authentic. I mean authentic. You can be authentic without saying that you're authentic. You can be valuable, your content can be valuable, without saying I need to bring the value. No, just do it.

Speaker 1: 5:07

Yeah, you know I hate the word authentic. I'm starting to see people use genuine and so I'm going to sort of move into the wanting to be genuine, but it's so, you know. I have so many questions to ask you. And with the content, is it something? I'm guessing it's a mix, but I'm wondering is it something where you're like, if you're talking about your kids, is it in the moment where, right there, you're watching them and you're writing it? Or are you sort of keeping notes on your phone, little tidbits the other day when I was, you know, shopping or whatever. So tell us a little bit about your process.

Speaker 2: 5:47

It's all of the above. Sometimes I can be in it and I can just write, and then there's other times where the notes app on my iPhone is unbelievably helpful. I just write it all in there and even if it's a couple phrases or something, and then it can go back and really expand on it. If I think that something could be a seed to then grow into a flower or a garden for a really good piece of content, then I plant the seed as soon as I'm thinking about it, because otherwise, I mean, if you just leave it there and then you're going to forget, you're going to forget that what the what that moment was like.

Speaker 1: 6:29

Yeah, I do that. You know I send myself emails. I have a notes app. I also have a little free dictation app that I use. So I might start talking into that and I will say that I get a lot of my ideas, like in the shower and when I I'll jump out and run to my office, which you know I have a very small house, it was not far and I write on my whiteboard because I'm one of those people that still has like whiteboards in their office and you know, because you have to sort of get that, but how you know, and obviously I don't want you to give away all your secrets but but throw to you sort of connect the dots between you. Know the story, the personal, and you know the lesson. I mean what? Why do you say, okay, this goes with this.

Speaker 2: 7:21

Yeah, so I. The one of the best ways I have to answer your question is to give you an example. Okay, so if I'm gardening and I'm planting seed, planting plants, the first thing that I tend to think of is that LinkedIn is like a garden, because you have to put the seeds in the ground, then you have to really take care of it. Linkedin is not something. Creating content on LinkedIn is not an overnight thing. You can't be an overnight sensation. It's just it's. I mean, people can tell you that, they can promise you that, but it's not, it's not realistic.

Speaker 2: 8:00

Organically is the best way to do your content. So, if you are doing something, having a conversation, if you, whatever it is, if you think about how you can relate that to your business, I've done, I've done personal type posts about gardening. I've done it about deer in my backyard. How you can see, the color of the deer is kind of blending in with the woods and you can only see that. And then my brain goes into well, he's not really standing out, no, he's blending in. So in order to be to optimize your LinkedIn presence, you have to stand out. So that's just the way my brain is working, that it just kind of makes those, those connections where it makes the most sense.

Speaker 1: 8:51

See, the thing is that's absolutely brilliant and really what we'd have to do is sort of borrow your brain to do that, to do that. But you know, I, you know, I just think it's, it's so fabulous. And then so that kind of ties into what I was going to ask you also because and I know you've been talking about doing more video no, I have some really cringy videos. They're up on YouTube because it was before I was active on LinkedIn and they're still up there and it's like, oh, I look at them, but anyway that you don't take them down.

Speaker 2: 9:21

No, I don't take them down. I don't talk to me about that the other day. There's no way that I would consider taking them down because it's a lesson. It's a lesson. I never delete any of my posts. No, if a post doesn't do well, you still leave it there. If you don't delete anything, I don't have to cringe. When someone says deleted, I'm like why, why, why do you delete?

Speaker 1: 9:43

it. I know, you know it's so funny too, because when, whenever this comes up with conversation, I always think of something I hear on TikTok. It was like because they do a lot of template-y type things and people were using it for a while and you know, it's all about how many views you get in such a short time and the sort of template was the voiceover going well. You know, I put up a post and it really didn't do very well and you know, I decided to leave it up and I looked at it the next morning and I had, you know, 10 views and that could be you. So I mean, that's like the joke about it, but it's, you know. It's not too, I hear. It's not like the number of people that are viewing. It's the right person that's viewing.

Speaker 2: 10:28

It's viewing your content, it's the conversations that start following that piece of content. You just never know where it's going to go.

Speaker 1: 10:37

Now I will say that you, for the most part, what I see is text posts, but they're generally text with an image. So is that the thing now I'm thinking, when you saw the deer, that you quick snap the picture, or, if you're gardening, that you go and snap a picture. So your phone must be always with you.

Speaker 2: 10:57

Yes, it's always with me. It's always with me, and when you can add a visual, it just takes it to a whole new level. Yes, you can write the straight text post. Absolutely, you have no problems against anybody who does straight texting, straight text, and then put it on the piece of content of LinkedIn. But that visual. Never underestimate the power of adding an image to that post. And you know what I used to do back in the day 2018, 2019, I used to go and search for stock images. No, no way. No, I just try to find something on my phone that I can then relate to that story, and in some cases it's pretty easy. In other cases it's a little bit trickier, but that's basically the way it is. This visual gives it a whole new meaning.

Speaker 1: 11:48

Yeah, I've heard more and more that stock images are kind of a real turn off. So, when it comes to the images now, although I do video all the time, I've gotten to the point where I just don't even see myself really, but I hate pictures of myself. I really we have very few. And I just started because you know I'm reading the algorithm report. I'm sure you're looking at the world. People are on LinkedIn. A lot are looking at the algorithm insights about LinkedIn that came out, you know, the beginning of February and self a picture of you does suppose, you know, does attract more attention and I found, since I started doing them, that, yes, it does. So what is your take on that? Because I feel like your pictures are not like always selfies. I mean, I see some people around there. Every time I look at them they're like you know, with a selfie, and I'm like, oh please, but anyway, tell us about how you do the pictures and if it's like selfie with you or not and why that is.

Speaker 2: 13:01

Now the picture that I would use for a story about a personal story, about my sister, for example, that has to have me in it because it's talking about the two of us.

Speaker 1: 13:15

And you can make the connection.

Speaker 2: 13:17

But a selfie. On the other hand, if I'm feeling really good about let's just give an example my fandom of the Buffalo Bills, I did a video of it and I don't think this past year I did a picture, but I think I've done one in the past where I've got Bill's gear on and, hello, can you see who I'm rooting for. So I try to relate that image to whatever story it is. I'm just not a big fan of selfies, not just for the sake of taking the selfies. I even think the ones that look really excited, I'm like, yeah, that's just not me, it's awesome, but the people who can do it, who can give that really excited, I'm like it's just not me, I just don't like to.

Speaker 1: 14:04

No, I know, I know and I feel that way about videos, like some of the videos, like I try to be engaged on my videos, but the video because I'm like, ok, are you really that excited to tell me about whatever LinkedIn tip you have? So I hear you on that. And one of the things, too, that I want to ask you about, because we're kind of a little bit sort of into that area, and I just want to bring up this comment from our friend, jeff Young, who says yep, deanna Riso, so many people treat LinkedIn as a one and done, not like a garden which needs care and feeding, which is so true and something that I know you breach at. I breach at, but you have been doing it longer than I have. I'm more new to that whole LinkedIn game.

Speaker 2: 14:54

My triangle is made up of profile, engagement and content, and if I was making that triangle a square or a rectangle, just to stay with the shape acronyms, then I would add consistency as the other piece of it. You just got to consistently keep showing up and consistently keep having conversations, because, yes, you put up a piece of content and then it gets one or two comments, but how much are you having conversations with the other people on LinkedIn? And it's got to go both ways. You got to shake hands.

Speaker 1: 15:31

Yeah, yeah, I love that phrase that you shake hands to. You're the first and only person that I've ever heard use it in quite that way. So, as we were kind of in this area of the different types of posts and you mentioned the one that you do with your sister, which is so beautiful every year, and I heard someone on Clubhouse and I can never remember who it is it's not my origination the idea of having professional, personal and private. Now, for me, I am obviously professional. Yes, for me, personal is kind of like me with the dogs might be me and my husband at the game or me at a networking, and then there's more private. Now I will just say that I try to stay in the professional and personal.

Speaker 1: 16:28

I know people that talk about all kinds of things. I know people talk about surgery on LinkedIn and everything, and I mean I think that's fine. I'm just saying that I think you have to decide where you want to go, and my example is I try to remain very apolitical on LinkedIn because it's a business platform. However, every once in a while, I live very near the Sandy Hook, so that was the first, I think, school massacre of little children that gained national attention, and so when I see that happen somewhere, it really hits me very hard. I know people that live in that area Not, thank God, not with kids who were killed but so I will on occasion venture in if I feel really strongly to say something about that. But it's not a rant, it's more like statistics or something. So what do you, what's kind of your take on that and what would you advise people? Cause I know there are some coaches that say you gotta be vulnerable. Yeah, that's it. And so what do you take? Yeah, well, you know what.

Speaker 2: 17:34

I mean I would argue with that is you've gotta be vulnerable. No, you don't have to do anything because, in and of itself, it's your choice. It's you have to do you. But I will say that if that vulnerability can teach a lesson, like mine did with my sister, that's the ultimate reason for me putting that out there, whether it's on LinkedIn, whether it's on Facebook, whether it's on Instagram, whatever it is, because people on Facebook are closer to me and my family. They actually remember her LinkedIn people could say that that post may not belong on LinkedIn.

Speaker 2: 18:14

As I'm talking, I'm wondering if I'm even answering your question. I am. I think. I think there's an answer. You are, you are, you're weaving. That way.

Speaker 2: 18:24

People might consider that post of me and my sister private, and that's okay if you do. That's okay if you do. My reason for putting it out there on LinkedIn is to teach a lesson. I have this people who follow me. It's a pretty large following.

Speaker 2: 18:46

At this point, I would be losing an opportunity to teach people a lesson about the dangers of drinking and driving if I didn't put my story out there. And so, yes, private, personal, professional all the lines are blurred depending on who you are. You know a lot of people on LinkedIn who think that nothing personal should ever go on LinkedIn. Okay, that's fine, but I would argue with that. This is not a B2B platform. This is a B2H or H2H. This is a human to human platform. We are all humans. The same types of things that we would talk about at a networking event in the office on a call is the same exact thing that other people can relate to. It comes down to the ability to relate, and I got a direct message from someone who could relate to a post. I put out there that I feel like that's then my content worked. Regardless of what else happened, the person related with that story.

Speaker 1: 19:56

Yeah, yeah, no, I you know, and again too, I one of the things and for me it is occasional, you know, like when I'm talking about something that might relate to women in the workforce or something like that that might be a political thing and I feel that it is kind of relevant because it does speak to people in work and business or whatever. But the thing is, I like what you said because you don't have to do anything and that's really you know. The thing that upsets me is sometimes people will push their clients to go in places where they're not comfortable. But I agree with you, I hate that whole thing of you know, occasionally you'll hear LinkedIn Are you there?

Speaker 2: 20:47

I am here, but my camera just decided to exit out, so I'm working on getting it back up, but I hear you. Okay, all right.

Speaker 1: 20:56

So one of the things, too, that I wanted to. Are you still there?

Speaker 2: 21:07

I am there. Yeah, you are, I'm there.

Speaker 1: 21:14

So one of the things that I think about when it comes to content on LinkedIn and I also want to ask you about since you mentioned Facebook and are you on Instagram Do you use other platforms for business and, if you do, can you talk a little bit about your approach there, because I'd love to learn. I'm sure others would love to learn as well.

Speaker 2: 21:37

LinkedIn is my primary platform. On Facebook, I'm starting to open that up a little bit more, but I'm very, very cautious as far as who I accept on Facebook and Instagram, because my family is there and my kids are there and for LinkedIn. You won't see pictures of my kids on LinkedIn. That's just the end of the story.

Speaker 1: 22:02

Yeah, yeah, no, I hear you. I am one of those people with Facebook and I have some friends, colleagues, who do a huge thing on Facebook and they have thousands of friends and everything. I have 36 friends on Facebook. I feel that, like you, that is my private place. It's where everybody that I'm friends with I know them, I know them pretty well. It's not you know people that are just random people and I just I get those requests all the time. I'm sure you do too, and I just kind of like no, this is my space. So I just want to say and I applaud you as well Jeff Young says nice recovery. Deanna Russo talk about being genuine, and I love this too, because also our mutual friend Brenda will say it was a learning experience when these things happen.

Speaker 2: 22:59

It's live and that's what happens and I'm like, oh look, the camera just went out. You just got to keep her home with the punches.

Speaker 1: 23:08

So one thing too I want to ask you about, because I go back and forth on this and I will say, this year, for the first time, I created a content calendar. Now, when I first started to read because I'm taking a course and it was like they were talking about it and I thought, you know, it's a good idea because it's a lot of work going in, but when you plan it can help you come up with ideas, although I will say that it's also kind of loose. You know, I have sort of days for different types of posts, but nothing you know really written in stone. So what's your feeling about the idea? I mean, do you do that at all?

Speaker 2: 23:44

Any kind of I don't, but I would say that my newsletter is the one thing. Speaking of newsletter, jeff Young, I know you're watching, thank you very much. I just want to give him a shout out. Every single time I talk about my LinkedIn newsletter, but that's the one thing that I try to be consistent with and that people get notifications from in their note on LinkedIn. So there are things of there are things, there are ways and formats that I am then trying to use more of, for example, videos.

Speaker 2: 24:19

But, that being said, I'm not writing out what I'm going to do the videos on. I really just go by inspiration of what, and sometimes it falls flat and sometimes it actually strikes a chord. So it's, it's fine, I just keep doing it, but that's. I don't have a content calendar. I'm feeling that if I did start one, in that that my anxiety level would go up consistently, because I just feel like whatever I want to post is what I post, and if I have something that's holding the accountable, I do that with my newsletter. At least, I do a certain type of format for my LinkedIn newsletter, but everything else I just kind of roll with the punches and and I post the way, the way I want to.

Speaker 1: 25:05

So with the newsletter, you do it. You do it frequently. I've been doing it monthly and everyone's around I'll miss a month and then I've decided that I'm gonna go to twice a month. But you do it, do you do it like every week?

Speaker 2: 25:16

Nope, it's once a month. It's once a month. Uh-huh, I've been doing it once a month and I've kept that up, for it was two years in January Is what I said.

Speaker 1: 25:27

Yeah, when LinkedIn rolled it out and I know I was one of the people that jumped right on it too, and then so many of the newsletters that I was subscribed to, people published for like three months or five months, and then that was it. And then there it is, and you never heard from them again.

Speaker 2: 25:48

It's just like anything else on LinkedIn. You gotta be consistent with it. And when I decided to do it, I'm like I'm in, that's just the way I. For some people it's just not very easy to be consistent with these things, but with me, once mine the mind is set, it's just like my exercise routine. When my mind was set to exercise five days a week instead of three days, I'm like there's no stopping me now. Now I've got it in my head, I'm gonna do it five days a week, so yeah.

Speaker 1: 26:17

Well, you amazed me.

Speaker 2: 26:18

When I gave up coffee, I'm like no, that's it. I just decided never do like why? Why? Cause I just made a decision one day to do it and I don't drink coffee every single day anymore. Now I'm giving myself two days. I'm giving myself a peppermint mocha at Christmas time and then my birthday I will have a coffee from Starbucks, but no more daily cup of coffee, and I've noticed a big difference. I'm going down a complete rabbit hole now.

Speaker 1: 26:47

But yeah, no, no no, I love that, because you're actually mentioning the last question I have for you and then I want to go over and look at your LinkedIn profile and talk about that a little bit and then have you share, kind of, your final thought. My last question for you and I think this should be a fairly easy answer is what do you make Cause? We talked about consistency and then you were just talking about, you know, three days to five days with exercise. What do you recommend as far as consistency? I know there's a whole big, you know 365 a couple of years ago during the pandemic, and that I don't know. But now what? What is it? What? What do you recommend?

Speaker 2: 27:23

It goes back to doing whatever you can do to stay consistent on LinkedIn. And for me, when I started creating videos, it was two videos a week. That's what I was going to hold myself accountable to. I kept that up for over a year. A year, 365 days. That's a lot of videos. It's twice the week.

Speaker 2: 27:44

But if I tell you you have to post five days a week, if I tell you you have to post seven days a week, if I tell you you have to even post three days a week, that's just an opinion. It really comes down to what you need to do to stay consistent. But, that being said, I have said this before, I'll say it again on the days that you're not posting or in addition to your posting, you need to be shaking hands. You need to be having conversations with people, because commenting on LinkedIn is just as important as what you're putting out there. And the strategic conversations is one thing that I teach that nobody else teaches is going to the conversations, where you know those are your people. You know both of those people. So consistency for content needs to have the conversation about how much am I commenting, because that's just as important as the content.

Speaker 1: 28:45

Yes, I agree with you and I will say that I'm trying to get myself on a doable schedule. I've been working on some big projects and that sometimes throws me off, but so we're now looking at your profile and I love your new picture. I mean, you look great before, but I love this photo and so people can book an appointment with you and, of course, follow you, learn from you. Is this your primary base sort of where people would find you is LinkedIn.

Speaker 2: 29:12

LinkedIn is the best way to get me. If you search Deanna Ruzo, if you'll, chances are you'll find me, and it's one like that's gotta be a go-to for people. I have a website leverageupllccom is my website and it has significantly more information on my services. It has the prices of my services. By the way, that was the best thing I have done in the past year was put the prices of my services on my website, because it's significantly easier to have these conversations when people are like oh my God, what is the cost? Go to the website and then you will see it's like the current not failing. Then you will see so, but really, the best way to see what I'm all about is going to LinkedIn.

Speaker 1: 29:59

Well, I agree with you. I've always had my prices on my website. I'd rather have transparency and just I don't like the idea of you go there and I kind of ask you how much for like an hour of coaching or whatever. So we've talked about a lot of things and I know we're like right at the end here, but I always like to ask all of my guests what is one thing that you would like to share. Maybe I didn't ask you about it or just didn't come up with conversation that you think is important to share with people watching now on the replay or listening on the podcast later.

Speaker 2: 30:36

One of the things that people ask me a lot about is what do I post? To which my question back to them is what stories can you tell? What conversations are you having? What problems do you solve? If you can answer all of those questions, then you have the answer to what should I post? Because that is what people want on LinkedIn. They want to hear the stories, they want you to take them behind the scenes, they want you to tell you about the conversations, and when I see people actually doing that, I'm like yep, that's a perfect LinkedIn post and I have to comment to bring more visibility to that post. So that's really what it's all about.

Speaker 1: 31:27

Well, I thank you so much, my friend. It was so great chatting with you and seeing your face, and thank you for all the gems that you dropped, and I will say out there to everyone who is watching that I will see you again next week. So bye for now. Thanks for tuning into the Content Marketing Show With me, annette Richmond. If today's insights have inspired and resonated with you, please share this episode and, if you haven't already, hit the follow button to keep learning and growing with us.