Let me take you on a trip, round the world and back. And you won’t have to move
You just sit still.
In 2019, the next lines might be:
Let your blogs do the walking
And your personal brand do the talking
A lifetime ago, but these words from Depeche Mode were one of the soundtracks to my youth (along with The Stranglers and finally electronica in the form of Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, OMD and an obscure synth duo from Leeds called Soft Cell). They are lyrics from a band that those of a certain age will remember and smile wistfully about. For others, they were written before many members on here took their first steps. Before “brand” had any semblance of importance, save for which crisps you might choose (obviously Walkers). Social was what you did at the Youth Club twice a week.
I can see the LinkedIn police drawing up outside about to take me in for questioning – posting none business related content on a business networking site. Whatever next. I’d best get cracking or else.
Except it is relevant if it strikes a chord with those that read it. And thats the point. I get posts from IBM and Tableau on my LinkedIn feed every day because somebody I once nodded at in Starbucks follows them and some Marketer has taken a decision that suggests because they are interested in it, so might I be. But, the content is bland. It bores me and it’s certainly not targeted with any great care. I’m not about to go and purchase a Cloud solution even though they are a “leading solution provider” or just because they happen to be “scalable”. Genuinely, I don’t care. Aren’t all large Cloud providers “leading, scalable and very secure” anyway? In essence, these are Corporate Advertisements. Do I devour them as much as a post by Larry Levine? Nope, I pass on them pretty quickly. I haven’t met anybody that professes to like them. In an era when we are needing lifeboats to stop us drowning in a sea of information, having to surf through the guff cannot be good can it?
The most powerful tool is employee advocacy. It really does work if you post or even re-post articles of interest. They don’t always have to be in a business context in my humble opinion. The whole point of posting is to inform, but also to entertain. That power of personal brand and advocacy is lost once you re-post, re-package bland corporate messages. What actually happens is that your readership starts to switch off because they are not interested in your posts and you and your content do not resonate with those that you want to.
I actually care more about the personalised stuff. It was mental illness awareness last week and there were some great individual stories not only drawing my attention to it, but, reminding me of my obligations to colleagues and friends alike. I love the vocational articles providing tips on sales leadership or sales advice, or how to be a be a better leader; I like the occasional “off topic” videos that some members post like the Warburton’s ad with Robert Niro that went viral last week. Some of the “irreverent” posters and posts have their moments too, even if they are half as adroit and amusing as they think they are. Some posters are more interesting than others, but that is because they take care to share stuff that is interesting. In short, they are focused on their personal brand.
So, as it becomes increasingly more complex to successfully engage in B2B sales, personal branding is key. Social media provides everyone with an equal opportunity if you apply yourself and “put a shift in” to coin an old school phrase. You have to stand put from the crowd. Even if you represent an established brand, you need to differentiate yourself. Success in sales and Sales Leadership is dependent upon just that: standing out from everyone else.
My favourite example on Linkedin is That Grimsby Florist off LinkedIn, Kate Lister with 10,949 followers as I write this. Great profile and her business is a fabulous example of what great branding looks like and how you can use it to differentiate yourself in a competitive market.
When that connection request comes in, I immediately wonder that I will gain from it. Incessant spam or ready access to content that enriches my day? Similarly the same on Facebook and Instagram. The same applies to those that you connect with too. So you have to be compelling with why a stranger should connect with you and allow you to join their network.
This is hugely compelling in B2B sales. There are an estimated 8-12 decision makers in every large, complex sale. You would be surprised how many times a sales executive is not connected to any of them. A strong personal brand enhances your chances of getting a connection request accepted or even (as I experienced recently) a referral for an opportunity by somebody who I had no previous contact with whatsover!
So, with 80% of the profiles on LinkedIn pretty standard, it doesn’t take a huge amount of effort to stand out.
What are you waiting for?
Nothing more than you can touch now
That’s all there isLet me show you the world in my eyes
