Kickstart Your 2026: Elevate Your Business with LinkedIn Strategies!

As we gear up for the new year, it's the perfect time to reflect on our goals and set a clear path for success in 2026. In this episode, I share how critical thinking and personal reflection can transform your approach to business, especially if you're looking to harness the power of LinkedIn. I dive into practical strategies that can help you elevate your online presence and attract leads, whether you're working solo or seeking one-on-one coaching.

Plus, I'm excited to introduce my group program, the LinkedIn Accelerator, where we’ll collaborate to optimize your profile, create impactful content, and build a network that drives results. So, grab a pen and paper, and let’s get ready to make 2026 the year your business truly shines!

There's no better time to strategize for the upcoming year than now, and Louise Brogan is here to guide us through it. With the excitement of 2026 on the horizon, she shares her personal approach to goal-setting, emphasizing the power of pen and paper over digital devices, even in an age dominated by AI.

Louise makes a compelling case for why critical thinking is essential and how taking the time to articulate our goals can lead to greater clarity and direction. By sharing her own whiteboard session, she sets the stage for a discussion that is both motivational and practical for anyone looking to ramp up their business visibility.

In this episode, Louise explores various avenues for growth, focusing on leveraging LinkedIn as a powerful tool for connecting with potential clients. She encourages listeners to explore her YouTube channel, which is filled with valuable tutorials, and emphasizes the importance of consistent action.

Beyond self-directed learning, Louise offers one-on-one coaching sessions that provide personalized strategies, ensuring that clients can create actionable plans tailored to their specific needs. Additionally, she highlights the success of her group coaching program, the LinkedIn Accelerator, where participants not only learn but also support each other in their journeys. With testimonials from current participants showcasing their growth and newfound confidence, Louise illustrates the transformative power of community in achieving business objectives.

As the episode draws to a close, Louise warmly invites her listeners to take the next step in their business journeys. She highlights the exciting opportunities that await in 2026 and reassures them that they won't have to navigate it alone. Whether through individual coaching or her engaging group sessions, she is eager to support her audience in achieving their goals. With a heartfelt thank you to her listeners, Louise ends the episode on a high note, leaving everyone feeling inspired and ready to seize the New Year.

Takeaways:

• In this episode, we dive into goal-setting practices that can help propel your business forward in the new year, emphasizing the importance of writing things down rather than just typing them out.
• I encourage listeners to leverage my extensive YouTube library filled with tutorials on LinkedIn strategies to enhance their visibility and attract more leads effectively.
• Working one-on-one with me can provide the accountability and personalized guidance you need to create a strong action plan for your business in 2026.
• Group coaching offers a unique opportunity to learn from peers, ask questions, and gain insights that you might not consider on your own, enhancing your LinkedIn skills together.
• As we approach the new year, it's crucial to set clear intentions for your business and identify the ideal clients you wish to work with on LinkedIn.
• Join my upcoming LinkedIn Accelerator program to receive strategic guidance and practical implementation support, helping you transform your online presence into a lead-generating machine....

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Welcome to Raise youeVisibility Online.
Join Louise Brogan, a LinkedInexpert, CEO and dynamic mum turned
YouTuber, as she dives intothe world of B2B companies and entrepreneurial
success.
Each episode bringsconversations with business owners
and industry experts wholeverage LinkedIn and video to attract

(00:23):
leads and scale their ventures.
Get ready for actionableinsights, real world strategies,
and inspiring stories thatwill elevate your online presence
and help you grow your business.
Hello and welcome to today'sepisode of Raise your Visibility

(00:43):
Online with me, Louise Brogan.
We are fast approaching a new year.
2026, new year, new start, newgoals for your business.
I love this time of year.
I've already done a bigwhiteboard session, which is literally
where I lock myself in a room.
I didn't lock the door, I putmyself in a room with a whiteboard
and I wrote all over thewhiteboard what my goals were for

(01:06):
the first quarter of 2026 andwhat my plans are and how I'm going
to get there.
I think it's such a valuableexercise if you have time.
You don't need a whiteboardwall just like big bits of paper.
I think it works for me.
It works better when you writeit out on paper or on a wall rather
than just typing it somewhere.
And don't get AI to do thisfor you, because the beauty of doing

(01:29):
this yourself on paper or on awall or whatever way you do it, is
you think through it and youask yourself certain questions about
what you want to do and youcome up with the answers because
you think about the answers.
So I think they call itcritical thinking.
One thing AI we're in dangerof AI doing is taking away our ability

(01:50):
to think through things ourselves.
And I will confess, when I wasthinking about today's podcast episode,
I was tempted to go over to myChief Operating Officer, aka ChatGPT,
and say, here's what I'mthinking of talking about.
What do you think?
And I thought, no, Louise, youknow this stuff.
You don't need AI to help youwith this.

(02:11):
AI is a brilliant tool, by the way.
Absolutely.
But I think it's better tocome up with your own critical thinking
first and then get AI to helpyou polish it a little bit.
There is no polishing intoday's episode.
It's just me and you and this microphone.
Hopefully you've got a mince pie.
Or maybe you're out walkingthe dog somewhere with frosty grind
and a woolly hat on.

(02:32):
Or maybe you are prepping forwhatever you're doing for Christmas
Maybe you're wrapping presents.
Oh, I'd love to hear whatyou're doing.
Let me know, send me a messageand tell me what you're doing when
you're listening to this.
Maybe you're listening to thisin spring and you're like, louise,
Christmas is over anyway, sowhat does 2026 look like for you

(02:52):
and how are you going to get there?
So I was thinking about this,how the different ways to help yourself
get ahead.
So the first way you could dothis is work on your own, right?
I have no issue with that.
Get a pen and paper, writedown what it is you want to achieve
next year and how you're goingto do it.
If you want to be usingLinkedIn to help you get in front

(03:16):
of your target audience, yourideal clients, you know that I have
got 300 plus free videos overon YouTube.
So you go to my YouTubechannel and you could type in like
LinkedIn content, LinkedIncarousel posts, LinkedIn newsletters,
and you have tutorials on allof those things.
And if you are reallydisciplined, you could say, okay,

(03:39):
I'm going to work on mybusiness and every Monday morning
I'm going to watch one ofLouise's tutorials and then I'm going
to take action.
And if you can do that, well,oh my goodness.
Bravo.
Three cheers for you.
I need some of you in my life.
So that's one way you could do it.
You could work on your own oneto one.
I've got loads and loads offree resources that you can go and
grab for that.

(04:00):
The second way is we couldwork one to one together.
So I have a call today,actually I'm recording this the week
before Christmas and I have aone to one strategy call booked in
about an hour's time with aclient who just really, when she
filled in her form, she justsaid, just want to get really clear
on what I should be doing andgetting an action plan for moving

(04:24):
forward.
So that is fun.
A lot of people like workingone to one and I like it too.
I do sessions where I do theLinkedIn VIP package, which is where
it's two 90 minute sessions.
We do your profile in firstsession, then I show you how to use
LinkedIn in the second sessionand then quite often people will
say, louise, to be keptaccountable, can we continue working

(04:44):
together?
So we maybe will book in threemonthly sessions for the next three
months.
So we work together in allabout five sessions across the four
months.
So the two 90 minute sessionsin the first month and then three
one hour calls after that.
So that's a lovely way to worktogether and I enjoy that.
I do enjoy that.

(05:05):
I like working with people,finding out what their businesses
are.
And it's always sointeresting, so many different businesses
out there, what people are up to.
But I've worked with.
Honestly, I must actually goand look.
I've definitely done nearly ahundred of those VIP packages, I
think since I launched it in2019, at least a hundred.

(05:25):
I very rarely promote themanywhere people.
It's more people who've donethem before recommend their friends
to come and do them.
I might do more promotion ofthat actually this year because I
am going down the route ofdoing more coaching and I really
love.
I really like it because Ithink I found out that for people
who want to use LinkedIn, yes,we can do your content for you.

(05:48):
Absolutely.
We can write it for you.
We can record an hour a monthand then take all that content and
repurpose it for you a hundred percent.
But what you need to do inorder to make that content work is
also be active on LinkedIn.
You should be engaging withother people's content.
You should be building yournetwork full of people who are going

(06:10):
to be interested in your content.
They're building a network ofvalue, I call it.
If you want to know more aboutthat, go and grab a copy of my book.
So at $10 or $11 on Amazon,it's called raise your visibility
on LinkedIn.
Might make a nice Christmasgift for you this year.
I talk about your profile,your content, your network, your

(06:31):
messaging and how to pull itall together and be strategic about
it.
Must do an updated version.
Oh, I'm not going to say thisout loud.
I was going to say must do anupdated version with AI, but let's
not go there just yet.
Took me long enough to writethe book in the first place.
So, yeah, so one.
So you could do it on your ownwith YouTube.
You could work with me one toone for that accountability and high

(06:54):
level.
Not high level, high touch.
Working one to one with me.
Or you could come and join ourgroup program, which is possibly
the most favorite thing I'vedone this year.
We are on week eight of thefirst cohort and it's a small group.
So there's.
The next group is going tohave no more than 20 people and maximum

(07:15):
of 20 people in the group andit has been.
I don't.
It's really funny.
I talk about coaches like veering.
I'm very suggestible.
I'm very coachable sometimesto my detriment.
Because I think again, youknow yourself, you know how you like
to work.
And it's a long time since Idid GRIP programs.
I did two masterminds duringthe pandemic and I loved them.

(07:36):
I don't know why I didn't continue.
Anyway, rather than me tellingyou what the GRIP program is like
and I am going to tell youwhat's in it, I want to just read
out a testimonial from Emma,who's in the current cohort.
She says, I am thoroughlyenjoying Louise's LinkedIn accelerator.
I thought I was reasonablyfamiliar with LinkedIn.

(07:56):
I am, but Louise is showing mehow I can add more depth and substance
to what I do on the platform.
Louise has great affection forand knowledge of LinkedIn.
She is super generous with herknowledge, not just of the platform,
but also other apps andbusiness solutions that help.
Now, that's the bit where Italk about, it's not just LinkedIn's

(08:16):
gonna help you move yourbusiness forward.
You need, you do need to lookat building an email list.
Maybe you could be doingwebinars, maybe you could create
online training, Maybe youneed to think about YouTube.
But the 12 weeks is focused ongetting you ahead with using LinkedIn
strategically and consistently.

(08:37):
Let's go back to Emma.
I am learning so much workingwith a group of people who I would
never have met under other circumstances.
I love that.
I love the people in my group.
They're so lovely, honing myLinkedIn skills and knowledge, supporting
my content creation with AI.
And drumroll, please.
Maybe I'll put a drum roll onthis bit.
I have signed up a new clientbecause of the course.

(09:00):
That is such music to my ears.
Emma, thank you so much forletting me know that I would recommend
the LinkedIn Accelerator,LinkedIn Newbies or Old hands alike.
So that was really.
I love that she had that bit in.
Because I would say 50% of thepeople in my group are not really.
Don't really use LinkedIn verymuch at all.

(09:20):
50% are.
They are on LinkedIn.
They've been on LinkedIn.
They're just not gettingbusiness from it.
It's not that you be coming onboard with people who don't know
anything about LinkedIn, butthere is room for everybody in this
group.
What I like about it is, so,yes, one to one is brilliant, right?
Working one to one is abrilliant way to work with me, but

(09:41):
in a group, other people askquestions that you haven't even thought
of yet, which I think is brilliant.
It's every Tuesday.
The calls are an Hour and a half.
It is timed so that we canwork with people in the uk, Europe,
Ireland and North America.
So the timing works forbasically the people who are in my

(10:04):
audience, which is brilliant.
Australia, New Zealand.
I am really sorry you'd haveto get up in the middle of the night.
I'd love to do.
I'd love to work with more ofyou do.
But our time difference isjust a bit too much.
Unless I did 7am calls.
If I tell you what guys, if Igot six of you in Australia, New
Zealand, I would run aseparate group just for you.

(10:24):
Because I do.
I've been to Australia and NewZealand three times, four times,
I can't remember now.
And my family live.
Some of my family live in New Zealand.
So yeah.
Anyway, if you want to gettogether collective of six of you,
reach out to me and we coulddo a Aussie Kiwi group as well.
Or I've said it out loud now.
So yeah, so that's the key isas we go into a new year, you want

(10:50):
to hit the ground running.
You want your business to setoff on the right foot.
If you are trying to work withpeople who have the money to invest
in your programs and services,maybe you want to host corporate
workshops, maybe you want toget in front of professionals, maybe

(11:11):
you want to work with othercoaches and consultants.
They are all on LinkedIn.
All right.
My sweet spot is working withpeople who are service based businesses.
And we have four peoplealready signed up for the new cohort
going into Christmas.
It starts on the 20th of January.
So I would love to be able tosupport you and your business in

(11:34):
2026.
I always found group coachingmy favorite way to work with other
people.
I actually prefer it much morethan working one to one with somebody
and as a recipient and I lovebeing part of a community.
One of the communities I am inright now is Justin Brown's primal

(11:56):
video community.
I'm not in there every weekprobably I'm in there every week
actually.
But when you go in and ask aquestion and people respond to you,
it doesn't have to necessarilybe the person running the program
who responds to you.
So that's really.
Yeah, I love that.
So that is my goal for you, isto support you in 2026.

(12:16):
Let me just tell you what'sactually in the accelerator because
I did promise that.
Told you yet?
So it's 12 weeks, 90 minute calls.
What we do is we start off with.
And it's the same.
It's basically the format ofmy book.
We start off with your profile.
So we do at least two sessionson everybody optimizing their profiles.

(12:38):
I will help you with yourheadline, your about section.
There's feedback in between sessions.
Of course, you can email mewith questions.
There's a LinkedIn group, youcan pop your questions in there.
Then we go to planning your content.
So what you want to talk aboutover the next three months.
Then we look at the kinds ofcontent that works for LinkedIn.

(12:58):
We look at carousel posts,newsletters, videos.
When I say we look at, I'm, Iam showing you how to do these, how
to make these, and then thepeople in the group, this is the
beauty of group, is thatpeople are going and doing it and
then we're getting feedbackthe next week.
So it's very much animplementation group.
It's not just sit and listento me talk.

(13:20):
It is.
Right, let's go.
I haven't got pen and paper.
I want you to answer thesethree questions right now.
So it's very much.
It's really interactive andengaging is what I'm trying to say.
Then we're going to look atyour network.
Who's in your network?
Should you clean up your network?
Who should you be connecting with?
How do you connect with people?
And then how on earth do youget people from your LinkedIn, looking

(13:42):
at your LinkedIn profile,connecting with you on LinkedIn,
to booking a call with them tospeak to them about how you can help
them or what happened thisweek, someone went straight into
my website and booked onto thegroup program.
Now, I do like to talk topeople about it to make sure we are
the right fit.
But that's the premise of theprogram, its profile, content, network

(14:06):
messaging, getting people offof LinkedIn and to becoming clients.
So it's strategic as well asimplementation, doing the work together
and getting feedback on that work.
And as you heard from Emma,she's already got a client off the
back of the first six weeks ofthe group program and it's 12 weeks

(14:27):
long.
All right, if you want to knowmore about it, go to louisebrogan.com
forward/mastermind.
I know I need to change the name.
It's called the Accelerator.
If you go to louisebrogan.comyou'll see in the top menu it says
the Accelerator.
The link is just an old link,so never mind, don't worry about
it.
It's not a Mastermind, it is aGRIP program.

(14:49):
And I would love to help youget consistent leads, business visibility
from your efforts this year.
So this is my invitation toyou to come along and work with me
in 2026.
Go to louisebrogan.com andclick on the accelerator.
Read more and you can book acall with me to have a chat about

(15:12):
it.
See if we're the right fit foreach other.
I will put the link for thatdown in the show notes.
All that's left to say is havea wonderful Christmas and I will
see you in either online or inperson somewhere in 2026.
And thank you so much fortuning into the podcast.
I love I appreciate everysingle person who listens to this

(15:33):
podcast.
I honestly do.
Thanks guys, and happy NewHappy Christmas.