This week saw the announcement of the roll out of short 30 second video specific content from LinkedIn’s 500 or so Influencers, including the CEO Jeff Weiner. This is a screenshot above of his reply to the question – What is your personal vision statement? and in the comments my reaction. This was part of LinkedIn’s announcement on their blog – “When an Influencer you follow posts a video, that… Read More »Do you have a face for video?
Travelling to my first European speaking engagement in Slovakia really opened my eyes to the benefits of being a ‘Conference Guerilla’. I was travelling almost 14,000 km in the space of 4 days to speak for approximately one and a half hours. Just like when going on vacation, I tried to clear the decks before I went. In the end a few things had to get left unfinished and I had to accept that.
It was most important to me to ensure that everything was taken care of back home. This was key to being able to focus on the conference and my wonderful girlfriend really stepped up and took on the responsibility for my two kids. I am really grateful because I knew they were in good hands.
There are three distinct phases of conferences – Pre, During and After. In ‘How to be a Conference Guerrilla – Part 1’, we looked at the pre-Conference activities and in ‘How to be a Conference Guerrilla – Part 2’ we discussed optimizing the time while at the conference.
Overall I felt that Pre & During I did a fairly good job. What I tend to find though is that once I return home, it can all start to fall apart.
So what happens once you get back home or to the office?
“Have you been published? Do you have a book?” are common questions I am asked when I deliver keynotes and workshops. I should collect my approach to personal branding into a book, and the idea has crossed my mind a million times, but I seem to have as many excuses not to.
I had an interesting discussion with a fellow speaker at a recent conference when we talked about this whole notion that a book does not generate significant revenue, but can help clarify in your own mind what you stand for and can help clearly position your expertise and knowledge.
My first ever blog post was December 2003, so it’s not that I don’t like writing or run out of things to say! I am also one of those people that prefers the kinesthetic feel of a physical rather then digital book. Market research suggests that the old fashioned book is not the rapidly dying media that some would have us believe.
But our social media streams are increasingly becoming a visual collection of videos, high quality images, You Tube links and GIF’s (Graphics Interchange Format).
“Visual media is the new headline.” – Unknown
The poll that I ran in one of my articles showed the following results when it came to the various visual media that people used as part of their publishing;
Read More »Are You Ready to Hog the LinkedIn Publishing Limelight?
Just like many other social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn is not giving you all the stories or even the latest posts and updates from your network, far from it. What you are actually seeing on your LinkedIn home page are the top stories and posts (and sponsored updates). So even though you might be thinking that Joe So-and-So has disappeared, they haven’t, its just LinkedIn has decided they are… Read More »Are You Getting the Full Story on LinkedIn?
This past month I ran an experiment, not too scientific, but effective enough that I stopped. For one month I cancelled my Premium LinkedIn membership to see if it made a difference. It did, the general level of interest dropped. Now there could also be a number of other outside factors I am not controlling but its enough for me to see the value in what I do in having… Read More »Is LinkedIn Premium Membership Worth it?
The following story is an example of how the actions recommended in this series of articles can work for you. Whilst they are intended mostly for longer conferences they can apply and work equally well to one off events.
How to be a Conference Guerrilla – Part 1 – Pre-Conference can be read here.
In our time-crunched lives and with the option of virtual events, physically attending conferences can be a hard decision to make. Approach events with more than just looking at the speaker line up, the complimentary networking sessions or in some cases to get the professional development credits checked off. Instead actually measure the ‘return on investment’ of attending a conference. Start using this mindset and you will see the value to your organization and your personal brand in getting out there.
I once went to hear Keith Ferrazzi, author of “Never Eat Alone” speak at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business. I learnt about the event from the organizer who had booked me to speak there a few months earlier.
I followed Keith’s advice in his book about ‘bumping‘ the speaker before they go on stage and engaging them quickly to gain a follow-up. I had brought my copy of the book and asked him to ‘sign it before he became famous’ – a quote from the book. He commented that I had obviously read the book and I said it was (and still is) my most referred and recommended book on networking. I have even given several people copies as gifts. I then told him that I would like the opportunity to follow up with him to discuss how to make his book the #1 business book in Canada. “Absolutely” he said and handed me his card.
As I walked away, someone behind him had taken my lead and asked for their book to be signed. I heard Keith ask the person….Read More »7 Best Practices For Being a Conference Guerrilla
Firstly Happy Canada Day to all Canadian readers and Happy 4th of July for Monday to all my American readers. A new, unpublished Intel Security survey of 2,000 U.K.-based LinkedIn users found that nearly 24 percent of respondents have connected on LinkedIn with someone they did not know. Moreover, nearly 69 percent of survey-takers said it never even crossed their minds that the people they’ve connected with might be fictional online personas… Read More »Let’s Be Extra Careful Out There!
Recently I was the keynote speaker at the HR Leaders Conference taking place on a boat on the River Danube in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was a great conference and of course the location was pretty unique!
In our time crunched lives and with the option of virtual events, physically attending conferences can be a hard decision. I consider the speaker line up, the networking sessions or in some cases the professional development credits. I also consider the cost, both in terms of dollars and ‘lost production’.
However very few people actually measure the ‘return on investment’ of attending a conference. This is important because ‘getting out there’ adds value to your organization and your personal brand.
There is a lot more to it than showing up. Here’s how to plan like a conference guerrilla.
The meetings and conference industry runs into the $100’s of billions each year, so there are always plenty of conferences to choose from. With so much latest research and information available to access and use at the click of a mouse, going to a conference to hear the latest leading edge speakers should not be at the top of your priorities.
The true value of attending a conference are the relationships that you develop.
What is your goal? Is it to find new business for your company, network to find your next job or are there certain industry contacts you want to make? Are there less expensive ways you can accomplish this goal other than conference attendance?
You might also want to review where your personal brand stands right now with a Personal Brand Audit
First step is deciding which conference to attend. There can be a number of factors worth taking in to account;
Read More »How to Be a Conference Guerrilla – Part 1 – Pre-Conference
There had been rumours in the past of LinkedIn seeking strategic partners or an acquirer, with several technology companies being the possible ‘one’. Yesterday saw the news that the successful one will be Microsoft.
My initial thought is I hope this has positive results for many of the areas that LinkedIn seems to be falling short on with technology and that Microsoft does not allow this purchase to squander or suffer like it has with Skype and other poor past acquisitions.
The challenge with any merger, big or small is the merging of leadership styles and cultures. Everything said initially is for the benefit of the stakeholders – investors, employees and users. The reality rolls out differently over the coming months, after all the deal does not close until the end of 2016, so don’t expect any wholesale changes until well in to 2017.
Naturally this was big news in the business world and a lot has been said, with much more to be said over the coming days and weeks. I have collected a few thoughts from the main parties involved as well as some social media, social selling and LinkedIn experts, here is what they had to say;
Read More »What the LinkedIn Acquisition by Microsoft Might Mean to You
If you feel like a square peg in a round hole at the office, like the person who believes collaboration will lead to more success than competition, like people and passion come before transactions, and that your experience at the office can be different, then keep reading.
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