This post is in response to a question I was asked recently. “I’m so busy and only have 30 minutes to spend on LinkedIn each day – what are the most effective things I can do in this time?” So the following are some primary areas and activities that I believe will make your time well spent.

1. Freshen up your profile

Is your current and past experience relevant and up to date? Do you have a link to your website and Twitter profile? Are your contact details correct? Include your email address, phone number, Skype details etc. Have you uploaded a photo? Preferably a professional one of you smiling!

2. Connect with more people

Do you have a large pile of business cards you haven’t done anything with? Invite these contacts to connect with you on LinkedIn and use LinkedIn as your business database – when the time comes to contact someone from a specific company or industry, you can easily get in touch.  TIP: Always personalise the invitation message.

3. Write a recommendation

Have you worked with someone fabulous?  Surprise them with a glowing recommendation.

4. Ask for a recommendation

Hover over the Profile tab within your account and select ‘Recommendations’. Choose ‘Request Recommendations’ in the top centre of the page. Keep your request short and let the person know if there is anything specific you would like to be recommended for. Don’t hesitate to remind them if they forget.

5. Join a group (and connect without the need for an email address!)

Search for groups of interest in the ‘Groups’ area.  TIP: If you would like to connect with someone outside of your network – join a group they belong to.  Once you both belong to the same group you can send them an invite to connect without having to provide their email address.

6. Ask or Answer a question

LinkedIn has a special section for people to get their questions answered, called Answers.  Hover over the ‘More’ tab in your account and select ‘Answers’.  Ask a question or find great questions that you can answer.  TIP: This is great for adding value to others, attracting new clients and positioning as an expert in your field.

7. Connect LinkedIn with your Twitter account

Hover on the Profile tab and select ‘Edit Profile’.  Towards the bottom of the main blue box click ‘+ Add a Twitter account’.  Connect with Twitter and your Tweets will automatically appear on your LinkedIn account.

8. Reconnect with an old contact

Click on the ‘Contacts’ tab and send a message to someone you would like to reconnect with.

As always, I welcome your comments, feedback, ideas and suggestions!

This is so cool – there are some amazing tech devices being developed at the moment – well worth watching!

Is this sort of device going to help or hinder us in our day to day lives? How will it change our relationship to brands – especially when we can instantly see if they match our personal values? What do you think?

Image courtesy of edunconferences.org.uk

Just before Christmas Drew Buddie (@DigitalMaverick) asked me to speak at TEDx Orenda – an evening event he was organising in conjunction with BETT2010.

I had been talking about my brand protection conversation with ED Hardy COO, Robert Farrell, and Drew thought this would be a good topic to investigate further, especially given the increase in Facebook groups being set up by students about schools and teachers.

And so my investigation commenced.

Firstly I noticed the way people were talking about Ed Hardy on social networking sites and was alarmed by the way brand perceptions can change and spread so quickly across the globe. It reinforced that while you can protect certain aspects of your brand (IP, business name, copyright etc), you can’t control what people think or say about you. It shows the increasing importance of monitoring what is being said about your brand, to encourage 2-way engagement and utilise real time feedback to shape internal business decisions.

I decided to go back to basics. I phoned my mum and asked how she had created such a thriving school environment at my primary school before the days of social media and the internet.

She had trained as a school teacher in Glasgow before moving to Sydney in 1970.  She passionately fought school bureaucracy and government policy to ensure the children were put first.

After 10 years of  teaching at difficult schools in Sydney, and masterminding creative ways to circumnavigate ineffective rules and regulations, she moved to a rural school and took over as Assistant Principal.  She understood the importance of connecting the school with the community so she ‘threw open the doors’ and did everything she could to engage parents and surrounding businesses. This included moving the Mothers Club meetings to the evenings and following them with Wine & Cheese events, hosting Pet Shows, Art & Craft Fairs, Dress Up Days, arranging excursions and bringing her horse to school for the kids to ride.

Before long an excited ‘collaborative’ buzz was created and people throughout the state said the school ‘shone like a beacon’. She constantly had visitors who wanted to get ideas for their own schools.

I believe there is no such thing as brand protection for the aspects of branding that you can’t control or police. All we can do is influence, communicate our vision, and reduce any gaps between what we say, and what we do.

If we build our brands (company or personal) with the essential ingredients of authenticity, integrity, transparency, passion and playfulness, it can’t help but inspire and attract ambassadors which results in a brand that protects itself.

Feel free to have a look at my slides from the event below, and as always, I would love to hear from you if you have any feedback or questions.