The Complete Rundown of the New LinkedIn Features

Now that LinkedIn is worth roughly $2 billion they’ve begun to make some investments of their own. These investments as read from Mashable.com are due mostly to encourage more social interaction on the site. The solution is mSpoke, a technology platform coined with empowering consumers to make media relevant. We’ve seen LinkedIn amping up its site through the Groups feature and more Facebook-like features such as a news feed and more sharing options.

LinkedIn hopes these changes will get users contributing more to the site. mSpoke’s technology will create a more advanced news feed for LinkedIn users where the most important features will be highlighted based off your network. LinkedIn has also already launched new ways to share links which are also similar to Facebook and Twitter. Here’s the run down on the new link sharing.

1. When you copy and paste links into the status update box and click “attach a link,” an image and article excerpt will be pulled up.

2. Control over your posts. You now have the chance to edit and delete posts.

3. You can now share posts with others from your network with the re-share button. Don’t worry the person you got the post from gets credit.

4. LinkedIn now has their own official url shortener:  link.in

LinkedIn is continuing the quest in connecting people together and is growing more in users (and dollars) everyday. It seems to me that LinkedIn will soon be the complete package. Plus it is easy to navigate and the connections made on LinkedIn can be some great opportunities not found on other more “fun” sites. In what ways would you like to see LinkedIn become more interactive?

4 Tips to Help You Discover the Value of Twitter Chat

Taylor Graves currently works at Miller Brooks, Inc., an integrated marketing and public relations firm in Zionsville, Indiana. Originally from San Diego, the Miami University graduate moved to Indianapolis, and back to the Midwest, to experience the seasons she fell in love with in college. She found her home at Miller Brooks working with clients in the building products industry and uses her background in PR and love for social media to push her clients and co-workers to adapt to new social media trends. Taylor blogs or connect with her on twitter, @taylorgraves.

While some of the more social media savvy tweeters out there may be all too familiar with this particular social opportunity, the average Twitter user may not yet have experience in the hashtag-intense Twitter conversation known as a “tweet chat”.

The question is, should the average Twitter user know about tweet chats? Should you participate? Are these chats valuable or are they hashtag spam to be aware of and avoid?

What is a tweet chat?
A tweet chat is a conversation conducted via Twitter in which Twitter users use hashtags to track and monitor the conversation by topics. I’ve heard Twitter users complain that these chats are simply added noise on their Twitter feed. Many others claim the chats are a great educational experience – maybe one of the best social opportunities that any social media platform has to offer.
While the chats seem like merely a more intense version of Twitter, participating in an organized Twitter chat is very different from regular tweeting with hashtags. Organized chats usually have a moderator, special guest, expert contributor and the topics are determined before hand allowing participants to submit questions to the chat moderator.

About a year ago Mashable named tweet chats as one of the top five Twitter trends to watch. With more than 35 weekly scheduled tweet chats Twitter chat is clearly a mainstay and a growing trend in the Twitterverse. If you haven’t participated it one yet…maybe you should.

There is a Google document that exists publicly on the web that has constantly updated information about which tweet chats are being hosted. The document includes a schedule, hash tag information and founders of the respective tweet chat. The following chats are examples of tweet chats that may be relevant to our clients. It’s proof that there are tweet chats for seemingly every industry including: design, architecture, several for public relations, and cooking.

How do you participate in a tweet chat?

1. Find your hashtag
Using hashtags tweeters broadcast their comments and questions to a specific group and follow others tweeting with the same hashtag. The hashtag is the essential ingredient to engage successfully in a tweet chat.

2. Find a chat tool
The key to successful Twitter chat participation is to learn how to remove all the extra tweets so that you can focus on the tweet chat at hand. There are several tools that can help you follow the conversation without being bombarded by unrelated tweets. Examples of Twitter chat tools include: TinyChat (tinychat.com), Tweetchat (tweetchat.com), Tweetgrid (tweetgrid.com), Tweetdeck (tweetdeck.com), Monitter (monitter.com), Whatthehashtag (whatthehashtag.com), Tweetree (tweetree.com), and Twubs (twubs.com).

3. Learn the rules
Once you’ve identified the hashtag and the tool that works best for you, it’s time to get involved. When you log in, watch for the moderator to announce the start of the chat and remember to use your hashtag in each tweet so others can see your comments. Many chats may have established ground rules so let the moderator do their job and guide and facilitate the discussion.

4. Go tweet chat!
Once you get the hang of hashtags and learn to maneuver around your newfound twitter tool – even beginners will reap the value that Twitter chats have to offer.

Now to address our original questions, are Twitter chats valuable? Should the average Twitter user participate? Go find out yourself!

Capturing Engagement and Donations from the Next Generation

I am proud to announce a seminar and webinar being held in Indianapolis and online on June 28th. Derrick Feldmann and I will be focusing on the millennial generation and how to capture their attention (and money).

How many donors-under the age of 35-does your organization have?  If you answered not very many, then you’re just like most other organizations. In fact, what many organizations are finding out is that the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship practices that have been successful for many of the past generations are not producing the same results with younger generations.
This session will focus on how to attract, steward and engage millennial donors in the work of the organization. Based on Achieve research and case studies of other organizations, participants will gain a greater understanding of how to engage millennial donors and keep them involved in the work of the organization.

Participants will benefit from the following objectives of the session:

• Understand the characteristics of millennial donors
• Learn how to build a campaign to attract millennial donors
• Learn how to engage millennial donors
• Understand the core concepts of creating a connection

Agenda

• 7:30-8 Breakfast
• 8-8:05 Introductions
• 8:05-9:05 Kyle Mobile and Social Media for Millennial Donors
• 9:05-9:15 Break
• 9:15-10:15 Derrick on Millennial  Donors
• 10:15-10:30 Q&A with Kyle and Derrick

Speakers

Derrick Feldmann

As CEO of Achieve, Derrick provides overall strategic direction for the work of the firm, clients, and partners. He is a regular contributor to nonprofit trade publications and speaker on fundraising, nonprofit management, and strategy for organizations. Prior to founding Achieve, Derrick was responsible for all major development programs at The LEAGUE and Learning to Give organization. His responsibilities beyond fundraising included program expansion, external partnerships, and sponsorship programs where he led efforts to expand the program offerings in 4 new markets, negotiated in-kind TV campaigns at a value of more than $1 million, and increased fundraising by 200%. Derrick is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and holds a Master’s Degree in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy. Derrick currently serves on the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Youth Philanthropy Task Force and the Indiana Achievement Awards Advisory Board.

Kyle Lacy

As CEO of Brandswag, a social media training and consulting firm, Kyle Lacy has quickly built a reputation for excellent design and his in-depth understanding of the application of social media for business. Recognized both locally and globally for his knowledge of social media he is routinely invited to share his expertise, and his blog is consistently ranked among the best worldwide. Kyle writes a regular blog at KyleLacy.com and is a regular contributor to Smaller Indiana. His blog has been featured on WallStreetJournal.com and ABCNews.com. He just finished his first book, Twitter Marketing for Dummies from Wiley Publishing. Recently, Kyle was named by Indianapolis Business Journal as one of the Forty-under-40 business people in Indianapolis for 2010.

Benjamin Franklin: Social Media Mogul

Benjamin Franklin and Twitter may not appear to have much – if anything – in common, but history tells a different story.

In fact, the impact that social media sites like Twitter have had on how we communicate is a near reflection of the massive shift in colonial communications that occurred under then Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin, a renowned inventor, brilliant thinker and respected statesman, instituted changes to the postal system that created a revolutionary shift in communications. Franklin instituted night travel for postal riders – Night Riders – cutting delivery time in half. More importantly, however, this new delivery method pulled the distant regions of the colonies together. He created a communications network that was one of the best in the world – one that the British didn’t know existed.

The Boston Massacre was a pivotal point leading up to the Revolutionary war. The British thought that they would be able to contain the story, but before word reached England, most of America had already heard the news.

Clip from the History Channel series America: The Story of Us

Flash forward to today.

Let’s change the context a little. Imagine for a moment that England is a corporation, that the Night Riders are Twitter or Facebook, that the Boston Massacre is a poor customer experience.

It’s not much of a stretch because many companies – even though they are aware social media exist – don’t understand the power of the social media. So, when a customer has a problem or bad experience, news of that event is instantly broadcast to the masses. The story cannot be contained, it can only be responded to. And, if it is ignored or not handled well (sorry, Nestle), that company may well find itself in the middle of a revolution. And, we all know who came out on top the first time around.

The speed of distribution and consumption of information via social media has revolutionized how we communicate and trampled geographical and social borders – much like Benjamin Franklin’s Night Riders did in the 1700s. Having a voice is no longer in question. The question becomes, “How will you use it?”

Today’s guest post is written by Brian Shelton. Brian currently manages global ecommerce operations for Gilchrist & Soames, a leading purveyor of luxury amenities for some of the most prestigious hotels, resorts and bed & breakfasts in the world. He has over a decade of experience, which includes an extensive background in marketing, public relations, e-commerce management, product development, technology, and web development. He is a social media advocate, visionary and eternal optimist. Brian holds a Master of Science degree in New Media supported by a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism, both from Indiana University. He lives on the west side of Indianapolis with his wife, Rachel, and two daugthers. Contact Brian directly atbdshelton@gilchristsoames.com.

7 Ways to Build a Personal Brand Out of College

Rob Stretch is a marketing major at the University of Missouri, graduating this May. On the side, works in VA Mortgage Center.com’s online marketing department part-time, working on SEO and social media related projects.

As a college student almost ready to graduate, I am extremely concerned with personal branding. Resumes are not just pieces of paper anymore. For better or worse, companies are becoming more and more concerned with candidates’ appearance on social networks as well as online reputation in general.

And it’s not just college students that should care. Potential clients and customers often track a company or professional’s online presence before doing business. Enter the world of personal branding and online reputation management. Below is a list of what you can do today to start maintaining a positive online presence.

1. If you don’t have one, start a blog or online portfolio

Go ahead and register yourname.com. If it’s not available, try your-name.com, stick a middle name or initial in there, or get creative. Use a .net if you need to. The point is, as more and more people are getting online, domain real estate is getting harder and harder to come by. Get ahead of the curve and register your property today.

2. Get active on Facebook

If you’re reading this blog, I’m sure that you’re one of the 160 million that have a Facebook profile. Congratulations, now put it to use. Make sure your pictures reflect you, if you don’t like how one portrays your image, un-tag it. If you don’t want potential employers/clients/associates to see unflattering pictures of you then delete them or change your privacy settings. Make sure you’re participating in the conversation – use status updates a little more sparingly than Twitter but make sure you’re staying active.

3. Join the conversation on Twitter

If you you’re one of those people who refuse to get on Twitter, get over it and try it out. Start following key players in your industry or concentration. Start mentioning them, you never know when they’ll reply back. Most importantly, spend a little time on your profile. Search for customizable Twitter templates and make a background for yourself. Check out TwitBacks to start. It is pretty easy to look professional on Twitter with a little elbow grease.

4. Get LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a great way to connect to people as well as groups in your industry. Make sure you completely fill out your profile, upload your resume, and start connecting to people you know. More connections will follow. One great reason to have a LinkedIn profile is the recommendations feature. Start writing recommendations for your friends and they should return the favor. This can be a great way for potential employers/clients to notice you online.

5. Create your social footprint

Now you have a blog and three active social media profiles. Link them! Creating a social web is the best way to funnel people into your new brand. You should have icons near the top of your blog that link back to all three. Also, make sure you link all three back to your blog where they ask you to list personal websites. Finally, make sure as you are writing blog posts you are linking them on your Facebook and Twitter statuses.

6. Brand to tangibles

Include the URLs of your blog and profiles on your resume and business cards. Imagine you’re in the shoes of your potential employer. You are handed two resumes. One of the resumes has a link to your personal blog full of insightful posts which then leads them to the rest of your social web. The other resume is just a piece of paper with accomplishments. Think interactivity. Which one looks better?

7. Monitor your image

Check on your personal branding “campaign”. Run a Google search on your name in quotations and see what pops up. Another great tool for monitoring your web presence is Who’s Talking.

The information available online about you can be overwhelming, even scary at times. But this doesn’t have to be viewed as a negative of the information age. With proper personal branding and reputation management, spend a little time and you should come out on top of all of your competitors.

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Meet Offline and Capitalize!

I was browsing the many, many pages of social media blogs this morning and found a post by Steve Woodruff. His blog StickyFigure has some great content and his post, The Personal ROI of Social Media is one of those posts. I am going to borrow a concept from his post and expand upon it: the pre-meeting.

From Steve’s post:

“Through bloggging and Twittering, I have “pre-met” a vast array of people who have shared interests in marketing, branding, social media, pharma, and other aspects of life. By having initial contact in the safe zone of social media, a shared sympathy has been built up, irrespective of any borders of geography, race, background, and political leanings.”

I thought to myself… hmm… It is always good to try and fit a visual description of an idea in order to help people remember the concept. If you are using social media as a platform to build a business network that far surpasses anything in your location.. you are on the right track.

Social media allows you to pre-meet thousands upon thousands of people and then decide whether you want to take that relationship to the next level and meet at a conference or by other means. You could almost think of it as a pre-screener. Ehh, I would rather not meet them in person. Blah.

I encourage everyone venturing into the social media world to pre-meet and extend a hand to the people you find interesting in the online environment. If you have a location based social network (like Smaller Indiana in Indianapolis) it is important to have these offline meetings to further strengthen your online network.

Build the pre-meeting platform and you will flourish. Just remember to take it offline sometimes too.

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Are You Coming To The Hullabaloo on Sept 16?

I am happy to announce that I will be speaking at the AddressTwo Hullabaloo which is going to be held on September 16th in Indianapolis. What is this thing all about… other than the weird name? It is beyond cold calls and bulk mail… it is about hunting down new business using tools that are revolutionizing the way we communicate with each other. This is a half day extravaganza of networking, workshops, marketing ideas, hunting for new prospects, and killing it on sales/business growth.

More information on the Hulabaloo:

Who Should Attend?
The AddressTwo Hullabaloo is for anyone—whether you’re an AddressTwo user or not. The workshops and training you’ll receive are applicable for any business, regardless of how you manage your contacts today. Of course, if you’re interested in learning more about AddressTwo, there will be plenty of opportunities for that as well.

What will go on there?
The agenda will begin with a keynote address from reknown speaker and business coach, CJ McClanahan. Then, the afternoon will be broken into two 1-hour sessions during which you can choose which workshops you wish to attend. Finally, we will close with a short address from Nick Carter, inventor of AddressTwo, and then an hour of free drinks and networking.

Do I have to kill any animals?
No. All the food provided will already be dead and cooked. The hunting theme is only figurative. Loon Lake Lodge would like all guests to rest assured that no animals were harmed during the decoration of the lodge

Register Here: AddressTwo Hulabaloo

Taking a Break for the Soul

I wanted to make thus concept of becoming unplugged as real as possible… And so… I am typing this post from my iPhone while driving to the airport. I am not personally driving. Driving while writing blog posts is not the safest thing in the world. So please excuse any weird words or typos because this is a phone and two awkwardly big thumbs.

I am going to be going on vacation today for the first time in two years. It feels good to be able and tAke a break and know you have an amazing team keeping things going.

I want to briefly talk about the value of unplugging and refreshing when it comes to social media and technology. This will be one of the first times that I am not going to use technology for more than two hours. I am going to completely unplug myself for five days. No phone and no computer. It is going to be wondeful.

There is extreme value in given yourself the ability to unplug from the daily routine. It gives you a new perspective and to be completely honest… You need to unplug when using social media. There comes a point when you become overwhelmed with the proces and you become burned out.

People would rather see you dissapear for 3 days instead of turning out terrible content for months at a time. I hope everyone has a wonderful couple of dAys. I will see you soon!

5 Things I Have Learned as a Generation Y Business Owner

Two Years.

It has been two years since Brandswag drove a stake into the ground in Indianapolis and Oklahoma City. It is funny to look back on the process and change the business has gone through. From working out of an apartment to moving into offices, hiring employees, speaking through the mid-west, and venturing into new markets… it has been a whirlwind ride.

What have I learned?

Good question. I have been asking myself this question for the past week. What have I learned over the course of two years? Here are 5 things I have learned as a generation y business owner.

1. A Great Business Partner is Invaluable.

Brandon Coon (my business partner) has been the foundation holding this company together for the past 2 years. To be completely honest, I am surprised he hasn’t quit on me. I can tend to be a little ADD and completely crazy. If you can find a person that has opposite strength qualities… it will help when planning marketing strategy, financial forecasting, and absolutely everything else you will deal with as a company.

2. Don’t Let Your Age Keep You Down.

When we first started the company and I needed to go out on the “networking circuit” to sell product and services.. I let the issue of my age (being 23 at the time) destroy my confidence. I would tend to think that my alternative look and overloaded energy would push business owners away. After losing a couple of projects to “seasoned veterans” I realized that my age could actually be a supporting model to business owners looking for a “refreshed” look to their image.

By owning to your age… you will find that people feed off of your energy. Don’t ever let someone tell you that you are to young to complete a project. Don’t ever let someone tell you that it will be impossible for you to succeed as a business owner right out of college.

We have 5 people… We are all under 26. We look and preach what we sell.. and it works.

3. Find a Mentor. Even a Couple.

I am blessed to count a couple of people as mentors in my network. Tony Scelzo, Lorraine Ball,  Ray Hilbert, Mike Lantz and my father (Dan Lacy) are people that have coached me and helped me through the past two years of running Brandswag. Without a support system of business owners and mentors who have accomplishments far outweighing your own… you will not make it in the business world.

Make it a point to create mentor type relationship with your clients.

4. Work Your Butt Off.

There is a saying out there: Work smarter not harder. Forget that crap. Work your butt off in the first couple of years as a business owner. You are going to make mistakes and that is a given. I have forgotten clients, missed deadlines, and screwed up print jobs BUT I have learned from those mistakes and changed.

You are not expected to run a business free and clean. You are a young business owner! Work harder than the person next to you. Out hustle the competition. Get out there and rule the world. It is yours for the taking!

5. Your Team is the Most Important Thing You Will Ever Have.

If you want to grow your company… If you want to expand into new markets and destroy new competition… You need a powerful team standing with you on the front lines. Notice I said, “Standing with you.” Your team members need to be powerful and better than YOU at what they do. We have a great team at Brandswag.

Amy Rowe, Austin Wechter, and Stephen Coley are the three team members that stand next to Brandon and myself at Brandswag. We could not do it without them.

Take care of your team members. Take care of the people helping to grow your company. They are the most valuable things you have behind that wonderful brand.

—————————————

It has been awesome running a company with one of my best friends. Hopefully, I will be writing another post by our 5th year milestone. Until then… rock out.

I Would Rather Not Convince You to Change

Why is it so hard for businesses to change? 

I was reading a post by Jay Deragon over at the Relationship-Economy blog called Do You Lead or Follow Change?   The post is a great read about being proactive instead of reactive in this HUGE communication shift we are experiencing… the communication shift that is disrupting not only marketing but the entire business process. It got me to thinking about how we talk about social media and how we use social media. The more conversations that we (Brandswag) are involved in… the more I realize that there is a fine line between companies that will change and companies that will NEVER… EVER… change.

The problem with being reactive to the social media and the Internet is that… you really don’t have a choice. In order to evolve and grow your business you must be at least learning about social media.  

I can listen to people spew disagreements about using a tool that is connecting millions… millions… and millions of people. I can nod my head and agree to some of their arguments because in reality they might be true (yah right). 

But there is more… I can watch you (and your company) stumble through the next 2 years when  your competition is moving a mile a minute…

and you are still sending out 10,000 postcards without a website.

Read. Evolve. Change. Lead.

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