Quick tip-of-the-week on LinkedIn: ANSWERS section -- earning "Expert" ratings
LinkedIn has a great site feature where you can post questions or answer questions. If you're familiar with this area of the site, you know that some connections have been rated as an "EXPERT" for questions that they have answered. We all have egos - and we'd all like to be ranked as an expert, right? Plus, it provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate your professional expertise and be rated by peers.
One technique I've learned is identify low-hanging fruit. Look for the questions within your area of expertise and identify questions with five or fewer responses. Chances are, these are the tough questions or those that aren't appealing to anyone else. The fewer people who respond means more of an opportunity to be ranked as a "good" or "BEST" response - earning you the highly coveted "EXPERT" ranking by LinkedIn.
read more here: http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=pop%2Fpop_more_experts
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
LinkedIn Etiquette: Beyond "please" and "thank you"
If you're reading this post -- my guess is that you're not quite sure of etiquette on LinkedIn. Or, maybe you think you know it all and want some reassurance. Regardless, here are a few social media etiquette tips that I've learned over the past few years of using LinkedIn.
1. Personalize EVERY invitation to connect.
If you use the standard "I'd like you ask you to join my professional network on LinkedIn" it's like the equivalent of sending spam. It tells your requested future connection you don't even care enough to type a few keystrokes to refresh their memory. Or, you really don't know them and you're secretly hoping they'll connect with you so you can try to sell them something. Give your contact a frame of reference and a personal greeting.
2. Say please.
Wouldn't you rather be ASKED than TOLD to do a favor for someone on LinkedIn? Whether it's requesting to connect with someone, asking their insight on a topic, or help with a problem, saying "please" shows respect.
3. Say thank you.
When someone gives you something of value or helps you out, you should say thank you. Always. Even on LinkedIn.
4. If you don't have something nice to say, say nothing at all.
If you've ever read through the "ANSWERS" section and seen a snide comment, you know what I'm talking about. Nobody wants to read sarcasm on a professional networking site.
5. Don't send out blanket solicitation or "just checking in" messages.
Yes, it's a professional networking site. No, this does not give you the right to send out professional yet unpersonal messages. If you really care to keep in touch, personalize the message to me with "Hi Brenda...." instead of "We haven't chatted in a while and..." It comes across as very impersonal and shows me that you don't get it.
6. If you want to apply to a job within my network, make sure you're 100% qualified and 100% interested in the job.
I'm always more than willing to help anyone in my LinkedIn network to connect, especially when it comes to applying for a job. But if I help to make a connection for you and then you decide against applying for the job or acting on my approval to forward the invitation to a connection, it could potentially impact my credibility with that connection. Plus that connection is going to remember it the next time I ask them for a favor.
7. Don't post your birthday, marital status, horoscope sign, or any other personal information on your LinkedIn profile.
Enough said. This message brought to you by eharmony.com.
8. If you don't feel comfortable giving or receiving a recommendation, don't.
I've ignored requests to offer recommendations for people for a variety of reasons. It could be that we don't know each other well enough yet. If you're giving a recommendation and I don't accept it, it could be because the recommendation you're offering me doesn't seem genuine based on our professional knowledge of each other. Your professional credibility is tied to the recommendations you give and receive.
9. Use a professional photo on your profile. You don't need to pay a professional photographer, but try to at least pose on a solid, light-colored background wearing professional attire, with a head-and-shoulder shot. Smiling. No sunglasses. No full-length body shot. Nobody else in the picture with you. Even if they are cropped out. (yeah, we can tell)
10. Help your network.
Be a resource. LinkedIn is not just about you. It's about how you can help your network.
Please share this with a connection who is just getting starting on LinkedIn, and tell them your favorite tip from this list. And if you're already following ALL these tips, take a moment to pat yourself on the back.
1. Personalize EVERY invitation to connect.
If you use the standard "I'd like you ask you to join my professional network on LinkedIn" it's like the equivalent of sending spam. It tells your requested future connection you don't even care enough to type a few keystrokes to refresh their memory. Or, you really don't know them and you're secretly hoping they'll connect with you so you can try to sell them something. Give your contact a frame of reference and a personal greeting.
2. Say please.
Wouldn't you rather be ASKED than TOLD to do a favor for someone on LinkedIn? Whether it's requesting to connect with someone, asking their insight on a topic, or help with a problem, saying "please" shows respect.
3. Say thank you.
When someone gives you something of value or helps you out, you should say thank you. Always. Even on LinkedIn.
4. If you don't have something nice to say, say nothing at all.
If you've ever read through the "ANSWERS" section and seen a snide comment, you know what I'm talking about. Nobody wants to read sarcasm on a professional networking site.
5. Don't send out blanket solicitation or "just checking in" messages.
Yes, it's a professional networking site. No, this does not give you the right to send out professional yet unpersonal messages. If you really care to keep in touch, personalize the message to me with "Hi Brenda...." instead of "We haven't chatted in a while and..." It comes across as very impersonal and shows me that you don't get it.
6. If you want to apply to a job within my network, make sure you're 100% qualified and 100% interested in the job.
I'm always more than willing to help anyone in my LinkedIn network to connect, especially when it comes to applying for a job. But if I help to make a connection for you and then you decide against applying for the job or acting on my approval to forward the invitation to a connection, it could potentially impact my credibility with that connection. Plus that connection is going to remember it the next time I ask them for a favor.
7. Don't post your birthday, marital status, horoscope sign, or any other personal information on your LinkedIn profile.
Enough said. This message brought to you by eharmony.com.
8. If you don't feel comfortable giving or receiving a recommendation, don't.
I've ignored requests to offer recommendations for people for a variety of reasons. It could be that we don't know each other well enough yet. If you're giving a recommendation and I don't accept it, it could be because the recommendation you're offering me doesn't seem genuine based on our professional knowledge of each other. Your professional credibility is tied to the recommendations you give and receive.
9. Use a professional photo on your profile. You don't need to pay a professional photographer, but try to at least pose on a solid, light-colored background wearing professional attire, with a head-and-shoulder shot. Smiling. No sunglasses. No full-length body shot. Nobody else in the picture with you. Even if they are cropped out. (yeah, we can tell)
10. Help your network.
Be a resource. LinkedIn is not just about you. It's about how you can help your network.
Please share this with a connection who is just getting starting on LinkedIn, and tell them your favorite tip from this list. And if you're already following ALL these tips, take a moment to pat yourself on the back.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
If you know Conan O'Brien, tell him Warren Toastmasters needs a speaker
At the Warren Toastmasters club meeting tonight, I presented a speech on our club's upcoming Open House event, which we are scheduling for Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.
The objective of an open house is to generate awareness about Toastmasters in our community and to hopefully sign up some new members. We're a small club and looking to grow and could use some new members to help us along the way, and we'll help them in their quest for communication and leadership development (or in "public speaking" as is what most people know about Toastmasters).
I spoke to my club about the event basics: who, what, where, why, why, and how.
In addition, the marketing side of me is always thinking about the audience perspective, the WIFM or "what's in it for me." So I mentioned that our audience for this event is going to be the unemployed. I strongly believe Toastmasters offers job seekers a lot of great skills that will help them in their job search, including confidence, practice in thinking on your feet for those tough interview questions, unique networking opportunities, camaraderie, and lots more. Click here to read more about benefits for Job Seekers. Toastmasters helped me personally in my job search and I know it's helped others, too. Plus, we won't ever fire you from Toastmasters. Even when the economy gets bad.
But we need something really special to make this a fabulous Open House. And that's where you can help. I read that Conan O'Brien had started a twitter page beca
use he's not able to be working right now. His bio on twitter reads: "I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account." Now that is funny.
So I'm thinking he knows what career transition is like. Granted, his perspective is a lot different that those unemployed in Michigan, but he's in transition nonetheless and has a perspective he's dying to share. And I'm sure he has plenty of free time right now.
So I tweeted asking Conan if he'd like to come visit Michigan and be a speaker at our Open House. View my tweet and RT me here. No, he hasn't replied nor do I expect that he will. He has over 400,000 followers and growing steadily.
brendameller hey @conanobrien Warren,MI Toastmasters club is seeking a speaker for Apr openhouse 4 a pep talk on finding new careers in MI. U interested?
I admit I'd probably have an easier time getting a commitment from Conan if our club were anywhere in the Los Angeles area, but hey -- if you don't ask the question, the answer is always "no," right?
Now I have thought this through a bit. If he were to agree to come to Warren, Michigan to be our guest speaker, we'd definitely need a larger room and we'd probably partner with a few other local Toastmasters clubs and move to a larger venue. I have connections and I could make the arrangements.
And I know it's a long shot that we'd be able to book a celebrity like Conan for a Toastmasters Open House. Because come on -- it's a Toastmasters Open House. But stranger things have happened. And sometimes celebrities do the unexpected because it is unexpected. And it's funny. And it makes the news.
If nothing else, the one good thing that this recession has done is given the Detroit area more visibility throughout the US. Hey -- we even had Jay Leno in town a few months back for a free event for the unemployed, so people know we're here and that we need help.
So my plea to you: if you know Conan, ask him if he'd like to come out to the Detroit area to give job seekers a pep talk on career transition at our Toastmasters Open House. Michigan could use the comic relief and we promise to bring in a crowd for his talk. Or maybe you don't know Conan, but you might know of another local comedian, or a celebrity who used to live in Michigan, or someone who would be a great motivational speaker for the unemployed. If you do, please send me a message on Twitter (www.twitter.com/brendameller) or reply to this blog. Our Warren meeting room holds about 50 and I plan to fill every seat for our Open House event.
Warren Toastmasters Open House
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
6:30 - 8 p.m.
No, we don't have a speaker or travel budget, but we can promise you that it will be one fabulous Open House. And the speaker can help provide inspiration for a few people out of work while helping to give some visibility to our great Toastmasters International organization.
And that is no joke. :)
The objective of an open house is to generate awareness about Toastmasters in our community and to hopefully sign up some new members. We're a small club and looking to grow and could use some new members to help us along the way, and we'll help them in their quest for communication and leadership development (or in "public speaking" as is what most people know about Toastmasters).
I spoke to my club about the event basics: who, what, where, why, why, and how.
In addition, the marketing side of me is always thinking about the audience perspective, the WIFM or "what's in it for me." So I mentioned that our audience for this event is going to be the unemployed. I strongly believe Toastmasters offers job seekers a lot of great skills that will help them in their job search, including confidence, practice in thinking on your feet for those tough interview questions, unique networking opportunities, camaraderie, and lots more. Click here to read more about benefits for Job Seekers. Toastmasters helped me personally in my job search and I know it's helped others, too. Plus, we won't ever fire you from Toastmasters. Even when the economy gets bad.
But we need something really special to make this a fabulous Open House. And that's where you can help. I read that Conan O'Brien had started a twitter page beca
use he's not able to be working right now. His bio on twitter reads: "I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account." Now that is funny.So I'm thinking he knows what career transition is like. Granted, his perspective is a lot different that those unemployed in Michigan, but he's in transition nonetheless and has a perspective he's dying to share. And I'm sure he has plenty of free time right now.
So I tweeted asking Conan if he'd like to come visit Michigan and be a speaker at our Open House. View my tweet and RT me here. No, he hasn't replied nor do I expect that he will. He has over 400,000 followers and growing steadily.
brendameller hey @conanobrien Warren,MI Toastmasters club is seeking a speaker for Apr openhouse 4 a pep talk on finding new careers in MI. U interested?I admit I'd probably have an easier time getting a commitment from Conan if our club were anywhere in the Los Angeles area, but hey -- if you don't ask the question, the answer is always "no," right?
Now I have thought this through a bit. If he were to agree to come to Warren, Michigan to be our guest speaker, we'd definitely need a larger room and we'd probably partner with a few other local Toastmasters clubs and move to a larger venue. I have connections and I could make the arrangements.
And I know it's a long shot that we'd be able to book a celebrity like Conan for a Toastmasters Open House. Because come on -- it's a Toastmasters Open House. But stranger things have happened. And sometimes celebrities do the unexpected because it is unexpected. And it's funny. And it makes the news.
If nothing else, the one good thing that this recession has done is given the Detroit area more visibility throughout the US. Hey -- we even had Jay Leno in town a few months back for a free event for the unemployed, so people know we're here and that we need help.
So my plea to you: if you know Conan, ask him if he'd like to come out to the Detroit area to give job seekers a pep talk on career transition at our Toastmasters Open House. Michigan could use the comic relief and we promise to bring in a crowd for his talk. Or maybe you don't know Conan, but you might know of another local comedian, or a celebrity who used to live in Michigan, or someone who would be a great motivational speaker for the unemployed. If you do, please send me a message on Twitter (www.twitter.com/brendameller) or reply to this blog. Our Warren meeting room holds about 50 and I plan to fill every seat for our Open House event.
Warren Toastmasters Open House
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
6:30 - 8 p.m.
No, we don't have a speaker or travel budget, but we can promise you that it will be one fabulous Open House. And the speaker can help provide inspiration for a few people out of work while helping to give some visibility to our great Toastmasters International organization.
And that is no joke. :)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
This Toastmaster's Quest: IgniteDetroit
I heard from a friend, Brandon Chesnutt on www.facebook.com about an upcoming event called Ignite Detroit. When I initially read the description, I thought it sounded like an interesting concept but not for me. Then I YouTubed (is that a word or am I inventing as I go?) the event and watched a few videos from another Ignite event. And I thought, "hey, I could do that!"
The concept of Ignite Detroit is simple: 15 speakers, each have a 5-minute speaking slot. Here's the twist: each presenter must use 20 PowerPoint slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds.
Toastmasters has given me endless opportunities to practice and refine my public speaking and presentation skills. I'm always open to learning more and know I can still improve, which is part of the reason that I stay active in Toastmasters even after I've earned my "Competent Communicator" designation.
Sometimes I compete in the Toastmasters speech contests. Competition is a great way to keep you on your toes, as well as to learn speaking techniques from other experienced Toastmasters.
This is part of reason I'm interested in competing (performing?) in Ignite Detroit. There are 36 speaker submissions and only the top 7 vote-getters earn a spot. The other 8 spots are chosen by the Ignite Detroit organizers. I have a feeling they may take into account the number of comments left by voters, but this is just speculation on my part. I haven't been asking people to comment but they've been leaving comments. I have 19 comments and 151 votes as of today, Saturday, Feb. 6th. This puts me into 9th placed based on votes. I thought voting ended yesterday and had a few friends helping spread the word within their networks, which resulted in enough votes to earn me 7th ranking for a few hours. Today I'm back to 9th place - just 15 votes behind 7th place, so as you can probably tell, it's anyone's game.
The topics submitted for Ignite Detroit range from retraining the unemployed to end of the world tips to fundraising and much more. The intent of the event is to inform, inspire, and entertain the audience. Right now, there are 200 seats and the event is sold out. (well, not technically "sold" out because the tickets are free.... but all tickets have been spoken for!
You can read all entries by visiting this website: http://ignitedetroit.uservoice.com/forums/39694-ignite-detroit-1
My topic and description:
Voting ends Monday. If you're interested in voting, the process is pretty simple and takes about 2 minutes of your time.
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to vote:
1. Visit http://ignitedetroit.uservoice.com/forums/39694-ignite-detroit-1 to see all entries, or visit www.tinyurl.com/brendameller to visit my entry.
2. To the left of the topic name, there is a box with the total number of votes received. Under the box there is a button "VOTE" - click on this button.
3. Sign up using any of these accounts: Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo, OpenID, MySpace, Windows Live ID, Blogger, Verisign, Hyves, AOL, Wordpress, or you can create a UserVoice account.
4. After you sign up and log in to vote, you'll be taken back to the list of entries. If it does not take you automatically to the entry you'd like to vote for, you may need to scroll down the page. Or, type in one word from the title ("Lunch" for my entry, as an example).
5. Mouseover the box that appears below the total number of votes for the entry. You'll notice that you can cast 1, 2, or 3 votes for an entry. You are allocated a total of 6 entries that you can use across all topics. But, no more than 3 votes for any one individual entry.
6. Click the number of votes and you're done.
7. (optional) Send a message on Twitter or Facebook telling people that you've voted, and encourage them to vote, too.
Hope this helps! Happy voting and hope to see you at IgniteDetroit.
ps - Learn more about Ignite Detroit by visiting:
On the web: http://ignitedetroit.net/
Follow on Twitter: @ignitedetroit (you can view comments without having a Twitter account)
Become a fan on their Facebook fan page
The concept of Ignite Detroit is simple: 15 speakers, each have a 5-minute speaking slot. Here's the twist: each presenter must use 20 PowerPoint slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds.
Toastmasters has given me endless opportunities to practice and refine my public speaking and presentation skills. I'm always open to learning more and know I can still improve, which is part of the reason that I stay active in Toastmasters even after I've earned my "Competent Communicator" designation.
Sometimes I compete in the Toastmasters speech contests. Competition is a great way to keep you on your toes, as well as to learn speaking techniques from other experienced Toastmasters.
This is part of reason I'm interested in competing (performing?) in Ignite Detroit. There are 36 speaker submissions and only the top 7 vote-getters earn a spot. The other 8 spots are chosen by the Ignite Detroit organizers. I have a feeling they may take into account the number of comments left by voters, but this is just speculation on my part. I haven't been asking people to comment but they've been leaving comments. I have 19 comments and 151 votes as of today, Saturday, Feb. 6th. This puts me into 9th placed based on votes. I thought voting ended yesterday and had a few friends helping spread the word within their networks, which resulted in enough votes to earn me 7th ranking for a few hours. Today I'm back to 9th place - just 15 votes behind 7th place, so as you can probably tell, it's anyone's game.
The topics submitted for Ignite Detroit range from retraining the unemployed to end of the world tips to fundraising and much more. The intent of the event is to inform, inspire, and entertain the audience. Right now, there are 200 seats and the event is sold out. (well, not technically "sold" out because the tickets are free.... but all tickets have been spoken for!
You can read all entries by visiting this website: http://ignitedetroit.uservoice.com/forums/39694-ignite-detroit-1
My topic and description:
And You Don't Even Have to Buy Me Lunch.
Plug an inquisitive marketer into social media and what do you get? A bucket load of cool tips - the kind that earns me a lunch or coffee invitation just about every month. You'll be inspired by stuff you never knew about social media - and you'll definitely want to try out at home. Think of this as "easter eggs" in social media. This 5-minute presentation will give every Ignite Detroit attendee -- from the beginner to the social media expert -- some new insights. I'll share with you some of my personal favorites - some of which I've never shared in front of a group. And speaking of... don't just take my word for how great this presentation will be. Check out my linkedin profile www.linkedin.com/in/brendameller to read a few recommendations I've been given from folks who have attended my presentations over the past year. Pull up a chair and I'll share a few tricks up my sleeve. And you don't even have to buy me lunch.
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to vote:
1. Visit http://ignitedetroit.uservoice.com/forums/39694-ignite-detroit-1 to see all entries, or visit www.tinyurl.com/brendameller to visit my entry.
2. To the left of the topic name, there is a box with the total number of votes received. Under the box there is a button "VOTE" - click on this button.
3. Sign up using any of these accounts: Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo, OpenID, MySpace, Windows Live ID, Blogger, Verisign, Hyves, AOL, Wordpress, or you can create a UserVoice account.
4. After you sign up and log in to vote, you'll be taken back to the list of entries. If it does not take you automatically to the entry you'd like to vote for, you may need to scroll down the page. Or, type in one word from the title ("Lunch" for my entry, as an example).
5. Mouseover the box that appears below the total number of votes for the entry. You'll notice that you can cast 1, 2, or 3 votes for an entry. You are allocated a total of 6 entries that you can use across all topics. But, no more than 3 votes for any one individual entry.
6. Click the number of votes and you're done.
7. (optional) Send a message on Twitter or Facebook telling people that you've voted, and encourage them to vote, too.
Hope this helps! Happy voting and hope to see you at IgniteDetroit.
ps - Learn more about Ignite Detroit by visiting:
On the web: http://ignitedetroit.net/
Follow on Twitter: @ignitedetroit (you can view comments without having a Twitter account)
Become a fan on their Facebook fan page
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
How's Your Social Media Karma?
The more I use Social Media, the more I find myself to be a conduit of sorts to my network. I'm able to successfully link one connection to another via a virtual rolodex that didn't exist for me years ago. I've only been active on LinkedIn for a few years, and on Facebook and Twitter for just over a year.
I believe in karma, especially in Social Media. The more I help my network, the more my network helps me. I'm creating friendships and connections that make my job easier to do. Plus, there's no comparison to receiving "The Note" in my LinkedIn inbox from a job seeker who is back to work, and thanking me for the social media tips they learned along the way that helped them in their job search.
In addition to my network working through me for career opportunities, they also seek help in other areas. Sometimes they have job postings (seems like more and more of these lately - perhaps a good sign?). And sometimes they are looking to connect for networking purposes.
Back to the career seekers / job posting topic for a second. There's a phenomenon I see in my network which I call the "Titanic Effect." You'll recall the part of Titanic's timeline when the boat was sinking fast and the lifeboats were not all completely full, but they were rowing away from the crowded ocean for fear that the lifeboats would be overtaken and all would be lost. The same thing is occurring with some hiring managers nowadays: they don't want to post a job on monster or even on LinkedIn because they don't want to be overwhelmed with 500+ resumes and inquiries. Even though they know there are a lot of talented people seeking work.
There was a show on TV once about the Titanic and they had a group of grade-schoolers brainstorm ways that more passengers could be saved. They thought of dozens of solutions, the most memorable of which was bringing all the lifeboats together and using fabric and furniture to create a tarp to hold more passengers inside the circle of lifeboats. The kids put their heads together and thought of creative solutions, and so should we.
We all want the economy to improve and some of our lifeboats have space to spare. But if the fear of being capsized is greater than the belief that we can help, we're frozen to do anything (no titanic pun intended).
So I ask you: if you have an open position at your company, do something - reach out through your network with a description of your job. It's like extending a hand to an adjoining lifeboat and opening up a few seats as a result. I'm not saying to post it on Monster or advertise it on your nightly news. But if we all did a little something today, and then tomorrow, and then the next day, we'd start building more positive momentum. And that positive karma would create more positive karma, and would come back to us. It could be in the form of more business for our company. It could be in more leads from our network. It could be in stronger relationships with our clients and customers. But in order for anything to occur, the process needs to start somewhere.
Sometimes karma stalls out like a ball in motion that loses momentum. Push it forward a bit or even down a hill and you've got some serious speed. Don't expect it to come back to you. It will -- eventually though. Because that is the power of social media karma.
My goal is to help one person in my network before the end of the night. I challenge you to do the same. See you on linkedin, facebook, or twitter. And share your own challenges here.
Brenda
I believe in karma, especially in Social Media. The more I help my network, the more my network helps me. I'm creating friendships and connections that make my job easier to do. Plus, there's no comparison to receiving "The Note" in my LinkedIn inbox from a job seeker who is back to work, and thanking me for the social media tips they learned along the way that helped them in their job search.
In addition to my network working through me for career opportunities, they also seek help in other areas. Sometimes they have job postings (seems like more and more of these lately - perhaps a good sign?). And sometimes they are looking to connect for networking purposes.
Back to the career seekers / job posting topic for a second. There's a phenomenon I see in my network which I call the "Titanic Effect." You'll recall the part of Titanic's timeline when the boat was sinking fast and the lifeboats were not all completely full, but they were rowing away from the crowded ocean for fear that the lifeboats would be overtaken and all would be lost. The same thing is occurring with some hiring managers nowadays: they don't want to post a job on monster or even on LinkedIn because they don't want to be overwhelmed with 500+ resumes and inquiries. Even though they know there are a lot of talented people seeking work.
There was a show on TV once about the Titanic and they had a group of grade-schoolers brainstorm ways that more passengers could be saved. They thought of dozens of solutions, the most memorable of which was bringing all the lifeboats together and using fabric and furniture to create a tarp to hold more passengers inside the circle of lifeboats. The kids put their heads together and thought of creative solutions, and so should we.
We all want the economy to improve and some of our lifeboats have space to spare. But if the fear of being capsized is greater than the belief that we can help, we're frozen to do anything (no titanic pun intended).
So I ask you: if you have an open position at your company, do something - reach out through your network with a description of your job. It's like extending a hand to an adjoining lifeboat and opening up a few seats as a result. I'm not saying to post it on Monster or advertise it on your nightly news. But if we all did a little something today, and then tomorrow, and then the next day, we'd start building more positive momentum. And that positive karma would create more positive karma, and would come back to us. It could be in the form of more business for our company. It could be in more leads from our network. It could be in stronger relationships with our clients and customers. But in order for anything to occur, the process needs to start somewhere.
Sometimes karma stalls out like a ball in motion that loses momentum. Push it forward a bit or even down a hill and you've got some serious speed. Don't expect it to come back to you. It will -- eventually though. Because that is the power of social media karma.
My goal is to help one person in my network before the end of the night. I challenge you to do the same. See you on linkedin, facebook, or twitter. And share your own challenges here.
Brenda
Sunday, January 17, 2010
My secret: how I learn new marketing techniques
I attended a Toastmasters* Leadership Institute event yesterday in Dearborn, Michigan. The purpose of this event is to bring together all the Toastmaster members in our District (which covers metro Detroit, Windsor, and Toledo) and train the club officers as well as to keep us all 
updated on upcoming district events. There are also a free breakout session on various leadership and communication topics.
It's a great event for several reasons:
1. It's free and they give you breakfast. Hey - we all gotta be cost-conscious these days!
2. Gives me a chance to chat with other Toastmasters from clubs across the metro area, many of which I keep in touch with through social media (facebook, twitter, linkedin), but only see a few times a year.
3. Even though it requires me to give up half of a Saturday and forgo sleeping in , I look forward to going. I know I'll leave with more information that will help me and my club and I will be inspired. I've found once you start seeking inspiration, you tend to become addicted. :)
I could go on but you get the picture.
So onto the real topic - my secret for learning new marketing techniques: I find the people who are doing things really well, and I learn and then mimic their techniques. I figure out what works for me and what doesn't. Sometimes I ask them to suggest what techniques they would suggest for me. Sometimes I just read about their techniques, or notice what they are doing, or notice what they aren't doing (and see that golden opportunity) and voila I find something. And sometimes through trial and error I find a technique that works even better for me.
What does Toastmasters have to do with any of this, you ask?
Public speaking.
Egad. Even the mention of it is enough to cause a few of you to stop reading this blog right NOW. And a handful of others to recall their high school or college class when you gave a speech and thank god you don't have to do one again anytime soon. There are probably others of you who speak in front of groups regularly as part of your job and it no longer phases you.
Well, not me. I'm an introvert at heart and I'll ALWAYS have to work at my public speaking skills. But by paying close attention to those in my industry who are widely successful, I figured out that I'll need to be a confident, engaging, charismatic speaker in order to be successful in my future. Sure, I could be mediocre. But as my son will tell you, mediocre is "okay" and I want to be better than "okay."
So I joined Toastmasters. I was so nervous going to my first meeting. Would they single me out and ask me to speak? Would the group be so advanced that they would laugh at my speaking ability? And more importantly, would I have enough courage to commit to their program?
Well, nearly 2 1/2 years later I can share that I completed one manual (10 speeches) and earned my "Competent Communicator" award; I completed in an area contest and won best area speaker (funny story actually); I served as club president for a year; and I sponsored a new club and helped that club to charter within a month. But I think the biggest accomplishment for me was that I found my voice. I figured out my speaking style. I worked out many of the insecurities I had about myself speaking in front of groups. I'm proud (and still a bit surprised) to say that even though I still get a bit nervous before I speak in front of a large group - and we're talking groups of 50-100 or more - that I ENJOY speaking.
I also realized that I will always have to continue to practice public speaking and hone my skills. Remember, I'm an introvert at heart. That means that the nervousness I have will never completely go away so I have to chip at it all the time to keep my nerves at bay. That's why you'll always see me raising my hand when there's an opportunity to do so.
Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to meet many, many, many talented public speakers in Toastmasters. And this brings me back to my secret marketing technique: learning from others. Surround yourself with those who are experts, and you will learn. I look at what they are doing really well - their timing, their gestures, their audience engagement, their jokes even, and I also look for areas where they could do better and think about what I would do differently. I'm continuously soaking up as much as I can from my fellow Toastmasters, and when there's a lull in a presentation, I'm jotting down notes for future speeches, and sometimes for techniques that I can bring back to my club.
Okay, so now you know my secret. Let's just keep this between me and you, okay? Oh, and the world wide web. :)
* If you're not familiar with Toastmasters, a lot of people know it as the "public speaking group." Toastmasters has been around for years and it's an international, professional development group. Its focus is to help people to improve their communication and leadership skills through self-paced programs. Plus, it's pretty inexpensive. I pay $35 twice a year. Read more at www.toastmasters.org.
updated on upcoming district events. There are also a free breakout session on various leadership and communication topics.It's a great event for several reasons:
1. It's free and they give you breakfast. Hey - we all gotta be cost-conscious these days!
2. Gives me a chance to chat with other Toastmasters from clubs across the metro area, many of which I keep in touch with through social media (facebook, twitter, linkedin), but only see a few times a year.
3. Even though it requires me to give up half of a Saturday and forgo sleeping in , I look forward to going. I know I'll leave with more information that will help me and my club and I will be inspired. I've found once you start seeking inspiration, you tend to become addicted. :)
I could go on but you get the picture.
So onto the real topic - my secret for learning new marketing techniques: I find the people who are doing things really well, and I learn and then mimic their techniques. I figure out what works for me and what doesn't. Sometimes I ask them to suggest what techniques they would suggest for me. Sometimes I just read about their techniques, or notice what they are doing, or notice what they aren't doing (and see that golden opportunity) and voila I find something. And sometimes through trial and error I find a technique that works even better for me.
What does Toastmasters have to do with any of this, you ask?
Public speaking.
Egad. Even the mention of it is enough to cause a few of you to stop reading this blog right NOW. And a handful of others to recall their high school or college class when you gave a speech and thank god you don't have to do one again anytime soon. There are probably others of you who speak in front of groups regularly as part of your job and it no longer phases you.
Well, not me. I'm an introvert at heart and I'll ALWAYS have to work at my public speaking skills. But by paying close attention to those in my industry who are widely successful, I figured out that I'll need to be a confident, engaging, charismatic speaker in order to be successful in my future. Sure, I could be mediocre. But as my son will tell you, mediocre is "okay" and I want to be better than "okay."So I joined Toastmasters. I was so nervous going to my first meeting. Would they single me out and ask me to speak? Would the group be so advanced that they would laugh at my speaking ability? And more importantly, would I have enough courage to commit to their program?
Well, nearly 2 1/2 years later I can share that I completed one manual (10 speeches) and earned my "Competent Communicator" award; I completed in an area contest and won best area speaker (funny story actually); I served as club president for a year; and I sponsored a new club and helped that club to charter within a month. But I think the biggest accomplishment for me was that I found my voice. I figured out my speaking style. I worked out many of the insecurities I had about myself speaking in front of groups. I'm proud (and still a bit surprised) to say that even though I still get a bit nervous before I speak in front of a large group - and we're talking groups of 50-100 or more - that I ENJOY speaking.
I also realized that I will always have to continue to practice public speaking and hone my skills. Remember, I'm an introvert at heart. That means that the nervousness I have will never completely go away so I have to chip at it all the time to keep my nerves at bay. That's why you'll always see me raising my hand when there's an opportunity to do so.
Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to meet many, many, many talented public speakers in Toastmasters. And this brings me back to my secret marketing technique: learning from others. Surround yourself with those who are experts, and you will learn. I look at what they are doing really well - their timing, their gestures, their audience engagement, their jokes even, and I also look for areas where they could do better and think about what I would do differently. I'm continuously soaking up as much as I can from my fellow Toastmasters, and when there's a lull in a presentation, I'm jotting down notes for future speeches, and sometimes for techniques that I can bring back to my club.Okay, so now you know my secret. Let's just keep this between me and you, okay? Oh, and the world wide web. :)
* If you're not familiar with Toastmasters, a lot of people know it as the "public speaking group." Toastmasters has been around for years and it's an international, professional development group. Its focus is to help people to improve their communication and leadership skills through self-paced programs. Plus, it's pretty inexpensive. I pay $35 twice a year. Read more at www.toastmasters.org.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
A Big OOPS and Apology
Direct mail can be a powerful marketing tool, depending on your objectives. In a former career I remember reading that direct mail is 40-40-20: 40% creative (design); 40% list; and 20% message (offer). I could be wrong on the percentages but you get the idea. And speaking of, did you know that 67.3% of percentages* are made up?
But I digress.
So direct mail. Necessary? Maybe. Opened and read? Probably not. In fact, did you know that a 5% response to direct mail is considered effective -- and successful -- in some circles? Turn this around and consider that the whole direct mail industry is based on a 95% fail rate. (I heard this explained at an American Marketing Association conference this fall so I must give them credit.)
And I've digressed again.
Here's the real story:
A few weeks ago, I received a mailing at home from the National Jewish Health organization. It contained "holiday" labels with my name. The labels I could were clearly Christmas wreaths. I found this mildly amusing and showed my husband and several coworkers. Now I'm all about supporting all religions. I've always been fascinated by the Jewish religion and took a class on it in college. Before I married my husband, however, we both joined a Catholic church. My personal feeling is that we are all calling God. But we might be using different phones. And that's okay. I personally don't think it's up to me to judge a person based on a religious preference or no preference.
I give to charitable organizations from time-to-time, and one of my personal favorites is the American Cancer Society. My mom passed from cancer several years back and giving to this organization is my way of paying tribute to my mom. My guess is that the American Cancer Society sold my address to the National Jewish Health organization. I'm not a fan of this process, but I know it happens.
So there I was, amused by the fact that a Jewish health organization took a BIG chance and sent out a holiday label mailing - with Christmas labels no less! I showed these to my Jewish coworker and asked if she was offended (no, she was not) but she shared that she imagined some others might be.
I still haven't opened my pack of labels because I think it is way too amusing and it tells a great story. And no, I did not donate to the National Jewish Health organization. Not because I was offended, but because I've chosen to allocate my charitable donations to other causes. There are many worthy organizations out there and those who choose to give pick and choose where their dollars go.
So anyway, in today's mail I received an apology letter from the company who handled the mailing for the National Jewish Health organization. The letter itself is honest, but amusing to me as a marketer. Here's an excerpt:
"Recently, an error occurred in which address labels with potentially offensive holiday images were included in a fundraising mailing from National Jewish Health...We were responsible, and we are sorry."
"Jewish philanthropy is, and has always been, the foundation of funding for National Jewish Health. At the same time, the size and scope of the essential, lifesaving work they do make it necessary for them to also look outside the Jewish community to find other generous supporters. That's why Merkle produced two sets of address labels: one with traditional Jewish holiday imagery, and a second with non-Jewish images like Christmas ornaments and wreaths. A mix-up at the mailhouse resulted in some potential donors receiving the wrong set of labels."
There's more to the letter but this is the essence of it. They apologize profusely if anyone was offended and take complete ownership of the mailing glitch. The mailing also includes a second letter from the National Jewish Health organization's President and CEO, Dr. Michael Salem, who also apologizes profusely. He mentions that he heard from several people that they were disappointed or offended in the mailing and hopes this does not reflect upon their support of his organization.
Egad. His would be a tough job to have when that mailing hit. What would you do?
No, I was not at all offended but I sure want to open my Christmas ornaments to see what could have offended some people.
Yes, mistakes happen. Yes, this was a big risk for the organization to reach beyond the Jewish community for fundraising efforts. At the time I received the labels, I made the comment to my husband that some Christians may have been offended to receive a mailing from a Jewish organization and they definitely wouldn't donate. No, I was not offended but the mailing wasn't effective in getting me to donate. I'm in the 95% mentioned earlier. :)
So what's the moral of the story? I'm not sure. But I know that taking ownership for an error is a noble thing to do, and sometimes a difficult thing to do.
Oh, and now I know a bit more about the National Jewish Health organization and its fundraising efforts, so maybe I'm actually in the 5% category instead.
So - what's the best or worst mailing you've ever received, and why? I'd love to hear from you.
*Yes, I made this up, too. :)
But I digress.
So direct mail. Necessary? Maybe. Opened and read? Probably not. In fact, did you know that a 5% response to direct mail is considered effective -- and successful -- in some circles? Turn this around and consider that the whole direct mail industry is based on a 95% fail rate. (I heard this explained at an American Marketing Association conference this fall so I must give them credit.)
And I've digressed again.
Here's the real story:
A few weeks ago, I received a mailing at home from the National Jewish Health organization. It contained "holiday" labels with my name. The labels I could were clearly Christmas wreaths. I found this mildly amusing and showed my husband and several coworkers. Now I'm all about supporting all religions. I've always been fascinated by the Jewish religion and took a class on it in college. Before I married my husband, however, we both joined a Catholic church. My personal feeling is that we are all calling God. But we might be using different phones. And that's okay. I personally don't think it's up to me to judge a person based on a religious preference or no preference.I give to charitable organizations from time-to-time, and one of my personal favorites is the American Cancer Society. My mom passed from cancer several years back and giving to this organization is my way of paying tribute to my mom. My guess is that the American Cancer Society sold my address to the National Jewish Health organization. I'm not a fan of this process, but I know it happens.So there I was, amused by the fact that a Jewish health organization took a BIG chance and sent out a holiday label mailing - with Christmas labels no less! I showed these to my Jewish coworker and asked if she was offended (no, she was not) but she shared that she imagined some others might be.
I still haven't opened my pack of labels because I think it is way too amusing and it tells a great story. And no, I did not donate to the National Jewish Health organization. Not because I was offended, but because I've chosen to allocate my charitable donations to other causes. There are many worthy organizations out there and those who choose to give pick and choose where their dollars go.
So anyway, in today's mail I received an apology letter from the company who handled the mailing for the National Jewish Health organization. The letter itself is honest, but amusing to me as a marketer. Here's an excerpt:
"Recently, an error occurred in which address labels with potentially offensive holiday images were included in a fundraising mailing from National Jewish Health...We were responsible, and we are sorry."
"Jewish philanthropy is, and has always been, the foundation of funding for National Jewish Health. At the same time, the size and scope of the essential, lifesaving work they do make it necessary for them to also look outside the Jewish community to find other generous supporters. That's why Merkle produced two sets of address labels: one with traditional Jewish holiday imagery, and a second with non-Jewish images like Christmas ornaments and wreaths. A mix-up at the mailhouse resulted in some potential donors receiving the wrong set of labels."
There's more to the letter but this is the essence of it. They apologize profusely if anyone was offended and take complete ownership of the mailing glitch. The mailing also includes a second letter from the National Jewish Health organization's President and CEO, Dr. Michael Salem, who also apologizes profusely. He mentions that he heard from several people that they were disappointed or offended in the mailing and hopes this does not reflect upon their support of his organization.
Egad. His would be a tough job to have when that mailing hit. What would you do?
No, I was not at all offended but I sure want to open my Christmas ornaments to see what could have offended some people.
Yes, mistakes happen. Yes, this was a big risk for the organization to reach beyond the Jewish community for fundraising efforts. At the time I received the labels, I made the comment to my husband that some Christians may have been offended to receive a mailing from a Jewish organization and they definitely wouldn't donate. No, I was not offended but the mailing wasn't effective in getting me to donate. I'm in the 95% mentioned earlier. :)
So what's the moral of the story? I'm not sure. But I know that taking ownership for an error is a noble thing to do, and sometimes a difficult thing to do.
Oh, and now I know a bit more about the National Jewish Health organization and its fundraising efforts, so maybe I'm actually in the 5% category instead.
So - what's the best or worst mailing you've ever received, and why? I'd love to hear from you.
*Yes, I made this up, too. :)
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