Becky Robinson's Blog, page 61

How Will You Grow Your Influence This Year?

We’re two-thirds of the way through the first month of 2016, and I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t given much thought to my own goals for growing my online presence this year. My social media posting is sporadic and my personal brand blog is neglected and dusty, despite my best intention to blog weekly.

In the midst of setting goals for my family and business, I’ve skipped attention to my own influence building goals, to my own detriment.

I want to build influence online this year, don’t you? 

Yet without a plan, I’m unlikely to move powerfully toward the person I want to become, online or offline.

In my experience, focused, consistent effort is necessary for growing online influence. Showing up, consistently, with content of value, is the only way to build a strong, memorable brand. It’s a slow process. It requires intention to connect and build relationships.

Before creating a plan for building online influence, it’s important to be very clear about your underlying why. What is motivating your goal? Why do you want to build online presence? Your why will give you energy and motivate you to remain consistent, even when faced with a challenging schedule or less than spectacular results.

In thinking about growing your online presence this year, here are some important considerations:

Your website Is your website positioning you well to reach your goals? Your website will influence people’s view of your brand and business. Could your website use an upgrade on design and functionality? If your website is not responsive to mobile, you will definitely want to consider investing in a new website this year. If your website is more than 3 years old, you may also want to consider an upgrade. My team is planning strategically to prepare for a new website in late 2016; we launched our current site in 2013.

Your content strategy What content are you creating this year and how will it fuel your online presence? What content have you created in the past that you could gently repurpose to fuel your online presence? My team and I are setting themes to shape the content on this blog to provide more value for our audience. How will you create content of value this year?

Your social media interactions I’ve noticed my own appetite for engaging on social media channels changing recently. I enjoy dipping into and sharing on Instagram. Because I am following fewer people, it feels like a channel that is less noisy and overwhelming. I’m also still really enjoying Facebook as a comfortable place to blend my personal and professional lives. How will you engage through social media to build new connections this year?

Your digital media placements Our Public Relations team stands by to help me in positioning myself through mentions on major media sites online. But amidst competing priorities, I need to decide how valuable and important this investment is for me. Is it worthwhile to record podcasts? What energy do I want to give to responding to media queries or seeking to place articles around the web?  Recording TV shows is fun — and provides video content to fuel my channels. What can I reasonably expect as an ROI on the time I invest in recording and promoting TV appearances?

As you consider goals for growing your online influence this year, our team is ready to help! Contact us today if we can support you with your website, social media strategy, or digital media placements.

Featured on Friday {Fanfare}: @btreasurer

Remember last year when I told you  about the new website our team designed and created for Bill High? Well, they’ve been at it again! New year, new website for one of our long-time friends of the Weaving Influence team, Bill Treasurer.

Fun Fact! Bill was our very FIRST Featured on Friday post back in July of 2013!

Our web crew worked diligently on this project and now it’s time to celebrate their work on the site, and Bill’s work as a consultant and leader. Sit back and check out the first 2016 “Fanfare” edition of Featured on Friday!

Bill, and the team at Giant Leap Consulting, are on a mission: COURAGEOUS LIVING AND LEADING – building workplace courage and inspiring fantastic results.

At the revised and updated site, you can learn more about:

The GLC team.
Their services.
Bill’s books.

You can also find free resources to help you in your journey, and learn more about hiring Bill to speak at your next company retreat or corporate event. If you haven’t already bookmarked The Giant Leap Consulting blog, then you’ll definitely want to spend a few minutes poking around there and reading through past posts. Ready to go check it out? What are you waiting for??

giantleapconsulting.com

Leave a note on the newest blog post and let him know we sent you!

Social Media Trends That Will Deliver Results in 2016

Social media marketing is a peculiar field. It changes regularly and unexpectedly, there are new platforms and tools coming on the scene every day, and what delivers results one day could fail spectacularly the next.

It is our role as marketers to constantly educate ourselves about the new opportunities – and accurately predict which changes will be flashes-in-the-pan and which are game-changers. Here are the trends that emerged in 2015 which we believe will continue to deliver results in 2016.

Blogging on LinkedIn is a win. Gone are the days when LinkedIn was only used by job-seekers. Now, blogs on LinkedIn are becoming a major force in content marketing and thought leadership development. A study by the Content Marketing Institute found that LinkedIn is the most effective social platform when it comes to content distribution. If you aren’t blogging on the space, you’re missing an opportunity  that will continue to deliver results this year. One caveat: LinkedIn appears to be limiting reach on re-purposed content. Giving those blogs fresh titles and a slight face-lift should solve the problem.

Facebook matters less for brands. Facebook is still a great place to connect with friends and family, but it’s a less valuable space for brands. That doesn’t mean you should abandon your presence; just put less energy there, unless you are ready to jump into live video or are interested in buying ads. Facebook ads continue to deliver in a powerful way.

Live, streaming video is big and getting bigger. Michael Hyatt calls Periscope the “greatest leadership tool ever invented.” People and brands are flocking to the Twitter-owned platform; in fact, there were more than 1 million users in the first 10 days, and more than 10 million now.

Forget traditional media: podcasts are the new king. Everyone wants coverage in big media and a hit on Forbes can be powerful, but more and more podcasts are delivering staggering results for thought leaders. Guest appearances can drive web traffic, email list growth, and social engagement. The difference between a major media appearance and a podcast guest spot often comes down to depth. If you’re featured in a mainstream publication, you’ll likely get a couple of lines of copy. On a podcast, you could get anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours of time to share your message. That level of intimacy drives greater interest and conversion.

The takeaway is that social media marketing is still delivering substantial results, but the rules are changing and will continue to change. The most successful brands and thought leaders will be those who are nimble and agile and ready to try new ways of sharing their work with the world.

As we head into 2016, it’s a good time to take stock of what worked in your digital marketing in the past, and determine which new directions might be worth trying now. Periscope, anyone?

Tell me something! Which social media trend are you ready to try out?

 

Image credit: JuanitaClarke

Featured on Friday: #The3Gaps by @hyrumwsmith

It’s a new year… the time for setting goals and thinking about what you want to accomplish in 2016. I certainly have a list of ideas and dreams that I’d like to see become a reality this year, but more than padding a savings account or losing those extra 20 lbs., I really want to make a difference in the lives of others.

I don’t believe I am alone in that desire either – most people want to feel that their lives have made a difference, right? We want to make a positive impact through our work, on our families, and among our friends. We want to be a positive change in the world. If you’ve ever felt like there was a gap in your way of being that change, then you’ll want to continue reading about today’s Featured author and his new book (launching next week)!

Meet Hyrum W. Smith

Hyrum W. Smith, distinguished author, speaker, and businessman. was one of the original creators of the popular Franklin Day Planner. In 1983 he co-founded the Franklin Quest Company to produce the planner and train users in the time management principles the planner was based on. Hyrum stepped down as Chairman & CEO in 1999 and served as Vice-Chairman of the Board until 2004.

For four decades, he has been empowering people to effectively govern their personal and professional lives. Hyrum’s books and presentations have been acclaimed by audiences world-wide. He combines wit and enthusiasm with a gift for communicating compelling principles that inspire lasting personal change.

Hyrum is the author of several nationally-acclaimed books, including The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management, What Matters Most, The Modern Gladiator, and You Are What You Believe.

Connect with Hyrum on Social

You can request to become friends with Hyrum on Facebook
Follow him on Twitter @HyrumWSmith
Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Discover The 3 Gaps

“The 3 Gaps is a simple yet profound book that will enable you to live a better, more fulfilling life and have a positive impact on everyone around you.“
~ STEPHEN M. R. COVEY, AUTHOR OF NY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘THE SPEED OF TRUST’

From Amazon: Just as you need to put on your own oxygen mask before helping other passengers on an airplane, getting your own life together is the first step to making a positive impact in the world. Franklin Covey cofounder Hyrum Smith shows that what stops us are gaps between where we are and where we want to be. The first is the Beliefs Gap, between what we believe to be true and what is actually true. The second is the Values Gap, between what we value most in life and what we actually spend our life doing. The third is the Time Gap, between what we plan to do each day and what we actually get done. Smith offers a practical blueprint that we all can use to recognize and close each of these three gaps and illustrates how it can be done through inspiring true stories.

Does that sound good? Next week (January 11 – 15) is the OFFICIAL LAUNCH of The 3 Gaps, and the best spot to go to learn more about this “gap filler” book is Hyrum’s book website: book.3gaps.com. There you can find a free sample chapter, more information about the book (like where to order), and beautiful share graphics and tweets to send out next week in support of the launch.

If you received an early-review copy, or if you’re one of the folks who received an audio edition of the book, make sure you have your promotion ready to go out on Monday by leaving your review on Amazon. REMEMBER: Short, sweet, and to the point, or long and detailed – book reviews are one of the best (and easiest) ways to show your support for an author and their work, so head on over to Amazon today!

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR THE WEBINAR?

Don’t miss this FREE event with Hyrum and Becky on Monday, January 11 at 12 pm (ET). Learn the concepts and the tools needed to establish a solid foundation from which you can help make the world a better place – Sign Up Now!

Group Projects: The Then & Now

While in school—whether middle school, high school, or college—I always dreaded “group projects” where the grade was shared among all group members. It felt so wrong, unjust even, to give everyone the same grade regardless of how much they contributed. Oftentimes, I thought that I was pulling more weight than the rest of the group members, and felt bitter about sharing what I viewed as my personal success. I failed to see how such a project would help me succeed in that class, and certainly did not understand how it would serve me later in my professional life.

Weaving Influence is a unique business. We are a combined virtual team and office environment, staffed by a diverse (and international) group of women and men. And though the environment at Weaving Influence differs greatly from a school project, it is similar in that in the end, we all get the same “grade”—a client that is, hopefully, satisfied and excited by the services we provide to them.

As perhaps the most permanently abroad member of our team (I live in Jerusalem full time; others travel back and forth to the USA from places as far as China and Colombia), I can say firsthand that rather than dreading the “group” aspects of the projects I work on with Weaving Influence, I look forward to them!

Melissa Lamson of Lamson Consulting recently wrote in her post Three Ways of Overcoming Barriers in Dispersed Teams:

If you have remote employees, one of the most important steps you can do to lead an effective team is to drop the “us and them” mindset. Even if you have several employees sharing a physical space with you, if you have remote team members, then you’re all working remotely.

The “us and them” (or more accurately, “me and them”) mindset is exactly how I approached group projects when I was still in school, and is one of the main problems that virtual teams run into. At Weaving Influence, we do a variety of things to promote team camaraderie and keep communication open and clear, including:

A weekly “New Week” email to all team members from Becky that highlights our goals for the week as well as any other relevant information.
Bi-weekly team calls during which we share our successes, both professional and personal, as well as other tidbits of information that allow us to get to know one another.
A Facebook group exclusively for Weaving Influence employees and subcontractors. Most of us check this group many times a day and use it as an opportunity to ask each other questions, poll the team, and share fun photos and ideas.
A shared blog (you are reading it now!) where team members are encouraged to post and comment.

Sitting alone at home or at a coffee shop can be isolating, but being part of a team that shares successes and supports one another through bumps along the road encourages each member of the team to live up to his or her potential as an individual and as a member of a group. Group collaboration, especially across the globe (the time difference can be tough!), can be a challenge; but with the right attitude and tools, it can be an excellent way to combine talents and produce outstanding work.

I guess those school group projects did teach me a thing or two after all.

Tell me something! Do you love or hate the idea of group projects?

 

Image credit: geralt

Oh, the Places You’ve Been!

Congratulations! Today is your day.

Dr. Seuss has been on my mind lately. This year has been one of the most turbulent of my career, and I’ve been thinking back to all those pivotal moments in the last 12 months spent with employers, mentors, prospective employers, and support from dear friends.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ’em over with care.

About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”

A LinkedIn connection leads to a dream opportunity, or a friend tweets out a job opening at his company and you land the position. Has this happened to you in 2015? Maybe you turned something down this year. How would your life be different today if you hadn’t?

…you may not find any you’ll want to go down.

In that case, of course,

you’ll head straight out of town.

Was your life upended by a move in 2015? Whether for career, family, love or some combination of the three, maybe this Christmas has been a little different. Or maybe the move wasn’t from point A to point B, but from one industry to another, leaving you feeling like a hiker without a compass.

…when things start to happen,

don’t worry. Don’t stew.

Just go right along.

You’ll start happening too.

Oh, the places you’ll go!

Maybe this year you visited once-in-a-lifetime places that top all the rest. Two of my friends recently enjoyed champagne on the Speaker’s balcony at the U.S. Capitol after getting engaged. What a moment for the scrapbook!

Maybe you spent time in a dark, aching Slump. Getting laid off. Walking away from a toxic relationship. Losing a baby.

Did you go through a Slump this year? How did you handle it? (Are you even out yet?)

On these cold days and dark nights when we’re forced indoors, it feels natural to burrow into something comfortable to hibernate. Unfortunately, hibernating can sometimes get you stuck… in the Waiting Place.

…waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

Don’t you just love Dr. Seuss? This was a man born in 1904. He watched every major event in the 20th century. World War I, Prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II—all of it. And this was his take on waiting.

By the way, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” was published in 1990. Dr. Seuss (who was actually Theodore Giesel) died in 1991. I think it’s encouraging that he used the last pages in the last book published in his lifetime to assure the kids of the world (and of course, their grownups too) that we would most definitely NOT get stuck in the Waiting Place.

So what does that mean for your new year?

If you already know you want to write a book, find a new job, or lose 20 pounds, great! Go do it. There are about a million resources to help you, including the high-energy team at Weaving Influence.

I’m most interested today in those of you who, like me, may not really be sure where you are right now, much less where you’re going. Are you in a Slump? In a Waiting Place? Grinding on for miles across weirdish wild space? Leave a comment below to mark this place along your journey.

This wonderful Dr. Seuss book – and the New Year– are for us. They’re an excuse to reflect, reminisce, ask questions, and find a safe place to hibernate if you need to. It’s ok. You’ll be back at the top of the heap when you’re ready. 98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.

About the Author:

Laura Finch joined Weaving Influence in 2015. A native of Wheaton, Illinois, she has eight years of experience in politics and news, including time spent working as a press aide to a U.S. congressman and a stint as a producer for a morning cable news show. She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Taylor University in Indiana, a graduate degree in digital journalism from American University in Washington, D.C., and is an alumna of Indiana’s Lugar Series. She has also been published in one book, “The Zambia Project,” about a major student AIDS project completed through WorldVision.

In her spare time Laura loves to run along the Potomac and discover new D.C. restaurants with her husband, Andrew.

Featured on Friday: #WITeam 2015 Wins

Earlier this week Becky shared some of our company wins for 2015, and there were a lot of them! How fun it was to read through and think about how far we’ve come since 2012.

When Becky asked for company wins, she also got a lot of personal wins for the year – some work related, some family related. For some team members, their win was simply surviving the year – I think we’ve all had years like that. I know I have! I remember ringing in 2010 and saying to my husband, “It has to be better than last year, right?” #iamthankful that it was.

As we shared our various wins – everything from surviving to thriving, steps of faith to finding our groove, we thought it might be fun to focus the final Featured on Friday post of 2015 on our team and the many things we are personally grateful for this year. As long as this is, this doesn’t include everyone on our team – a win for growth, right?

Margy (one of the original #WITeam members who returned this year) had some pretty significant wins in 2015 – including getting married, having a baby, and finding the perfect, flexible work! (check out her snowy day wedding photo)

While she shared company wins in her post, on the personal side of things Becky shares that moving the Weaving Influence office out of her home provided an unexpected relief, giving her space to create more boundaries between work life and home life. Ever the runner, Becky also shared, “I’m grateful for the support of my running group and happy I got to run my 2nd marathon this year.” Way to go, Becky!

Kylah’s been working with us for a long time now, but she shared that one of her wins this year was finally settling into a work-for-herself routine that actually works for her. Because of finding that balance, another win was the ability to partially live abroad in China this year (while still working with Weaving Influence), the traveling she gets to do while in Asia, and the flexibility to go back to her family and be present with them while her mom dealt with serious illness. We’re happy to report that her mom is doing better – so that is a win for us all!

Paula shares that she’s grateful to be feeling more equilibrium in her working/caregiving/family life in December 2015 as compared to January 2015, as well as the awesome opportunity to do several fun blogging trips – including one to NASA (see picture at left).

New to our team in 2015, Alicia says she had a lot of personal wins this year. She began this year calling it her “year of hope” after divorce, and it has been full of wins as she sees hope evolve into change for the better. She said she loves the forward motion in her life and is encouraged with every challenge that she overcomes. Stepping back into the workforce for Weaving Influence was a HUGE win for her – and we would agree that it was a win for us, too!

One of our newest Project Managers, Stephanie, says her wins include running two marathons, finishing her masters degree, and finding flexible, steady work with Weaving Influence! We think all of those are pretty great wins to celebrate, don’t you? (she’s the happy looking runner on the right)

From our super talented graphic designer, Rachel, we learn that her win revolved around something many would find stressful: a home renovation. When her family decided to renovate rather than move, the result was more space that gave Rachel a better office area to get her work done – one that includes a door that locks (helpful with small ones at home!). She states that this change of space is helping her find better boundaries with her work and family life – a huge win as those lines tend to get very blurred/non-existent when you work from home!

John (our “web guy”) has had a big year, personally, finally satisfying a long-term debt which paved the way for he and his wife (from Colombia, South America) to begin the residency visa process to move back to the US in 2016. John shares that through his work with Weaving Influence he is also able to support his mother’s household, provide for the welfare of his sister’s children, and assist his wife’s parents. John said it best,

“It is the opportunity to work that allows me to make a difference in other people’s lives.”

Tina’s another new member of our team, joining us after she “retired” from one job earlier this year. We’re so thrilled to have her! Although she had a long and successful career, her retirement was not her biggest win this year. That honor goes to making the decision to assist during the flood this year in Oregon, Ohio. Although it was one of the more difficult days she’s had, Tina counts it as her personal win.

Jessica also joined us this year (you might notice a theme of team growth in 2015!), and her wins include going “back to work after 9 years of being ‘just a mom’,” and rocking it as a full time working mom thanks to the flexible work environment that Weaving Influence provides. It’s that flexible environment that plays into another win of being able to address disordered attachment issues with her son, who was adopted; he gets stressed when at school, but because of the flexibility WI offers he is able to Facetime her twice a day and it has made all the difference! Great support at the school and a supportive work team for the win!

Elizabeth shares that her biggest win was seeing her husband, James, complete his M.Div after 7 long years of seminary (and over 125 credits). They are also celebrating taking concrete steps to move forward into their life’s calling of being missionary church planters. (not sure who’s happier, the graduate or his wife!)

I’m taking over here and sharing that one of MY wins this year was the return of Joanna to our team. She’s stepped right back into being my “wing woman” on the book launches, and I couldn’t be happier to have her back. Joanna lists one of her personal wins as getting back into a routine with work and feeling like her schedule was becoming a little more structured. She said it was also a win to step back into a company with which she was familiar and not feel like she was starting over, but rather being able to jump back in and get back to work.

After a semester abroad, Christina is back and sharing that her wins include coming back from living in Prague and ready to jump into her last year of college, stepping into two leadership positions in addition to classes, and her “wonderful part time work with WI.” I loved that she included this in her list of wins:

“It’s been a lot of leadership and management for me as a Bowdoin senior and actually my WI work has given me access to some leadership knowledge that has been more relevant to me than ever!”

Christy’s personal win was pretty “simple”: Section hiking the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains and living to tell the tale! Way to go, Christy! We’re all thankful she made it back in one piece to resume her outstanding work as our Director of Social Strategy. (our fearless hiking director can be see at left)

Our “other” Christy (who we often refer to as “Christy V”) continues to do outstanding work with Weaving Influence as a Social Media Specialist. On the personal side of things, Christy’s wins include making their house into a home, standing by two of her best friends as they got married, traveling and “realizing more than ever, how blessed I am.” Amen to that, Christy – we all are!

Amanda kept her win simple – but powerful: “My family went though something big last January, something that could have had a negative impact on my family but we came out stronger then ever! It may have actually brought us closer!” That is, indeed, something to celebrate!

And yet another new 2015 team member, Christine, includes Weaving Influence among her wins this year, sharing, “Leaving my teaching job to work at WI and be more present in my children’s lives.” We’re certainly grateful to have her on our PR team! (check out her last day in the classroom with her two cute kiddos in support of her decision) She sums up the thoughts of many WI team members in just two words:

“Forever grateful.”

Cindy (new team member number I’ve-lost-count!) shares that she has witnessed so many “little” wins this year, which I’ll let her share: “My niece adopted a second child from same birth parents as first adopted child, my new job at a wonderful company that puts relationships first with great co-workers, but most of all my dad is still with us this celebration season (we almost lost him recently)! Can’t wait to see him Friday! I am so grateful for answered prayer in all of these ‘events’!” What a great list of wins, don’t you think?

Kate says her personal wins include consistently running/working out (she even joined the YMCA last week to continue that into the new year) and eating mostly homemade, healthy foods, which means she’s getting better at this cooking gig! She also counts it as a win that she has 2 healthy and happy kids and she’s still in love with her husband. Somewhere between personal and work, she says a big accomplishment in the year was helping to bring Glennon Doyle Melton of Momastery to her church in March (a gigantic undertaking). And on the professional side she’s including her work with WI as a win because in addition to providing another (flexible) outlet for her writing/editing talents (something she appreciates as a stay-at-home mom), it also provides some extra income for her family.

Kayla joined Cindy, Kate, and the host of other “new arrivals” at Weaving Influence this year. Although she already had some big wins on her list like graduating from college, finding Weaving Influence, and her mom enjoying good health (and remission) after surviving breast cancer this past year, Kayla’s wins got really big when she very unexpectedly got engaged this week! Congratulations, Kayla!

Whitney also joined our PR team this year and hit the ground running. We are so grateful to have her on our team and benefit from her expertise. Her personal win was taking a BIG leap of faith and leaving a very good, full-time job to spend time with her daughter, Eleanor (now 21 months). While she says this was a no-brainer for her, it was still extremely scary because it seemed like she would be leaving a career behind. She shares, “I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to join the #WITeam which allows me to contribute and grow professionally while still being able to focus on my most important job–that as a mom.” (you can see her enjoying that job in the photo to the left)

Megan’s back this year after taking some time off last year to welcome baby Blake to her family. It’s been a big year for her with a new baby and a big move, plus she’s still knocking it out of the park with her PR work with Weaving Influence. Megan always goes above and beyond when it comes to her clients, and when they’re in her “neck of the woods” she goes so far as to meet them at the airport and even open her home to them. When I asked her what her wins were for 2015, she said, “meeting WI clients in person” – is that terrific or what? (check her out with Chip Bell, David Greer, and Don Maruska)

Whether you are joining those who are just happy to have survived the year with your faith and family intact, or you’re dancing for joy at the success you’ve experienced, I hope you’ll spend some time celebrating these personal wins with our team.

On a personal note: I (Carrie) would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – I’ll see you back here in 2016!

Grateful for Another Year of Great Work

I’m grateful for another year to do great work with an amazing team. We started the year with two focus areas: creating capacity and refining process. We’ve made significant progress in both areas, which you’ll see from our year-end highlights.

Yesterday I met with our team to re-cap the year, and several team members noted specific improvements. And while I had some big goals this year, I am truly pleased and proud of all we’ve accomplished, especially in our partnering with authors to create opportunities for their messages to have greater influence in the world.

Here are some highlights of the year

We launched 20 books this year. Since launching the company in 2012, we’ve now launched more than 60 books total. We celebrated a milestone with book 50, The New One Minute Manager, a new take on one of the bests-selling business books of all time.

We created 20 book marketing microsites this year and designed/developed 6 custom websites for clients. Beyond that, we made significant improvements to our web process, adding a web project manager/sales coordinator to the mix, a role I previously held.

We hosted 25 free webinar events, which highlight our clients’ content. Increasingly, people in corporate, non-profit, government, and education organizations are accessing our events as a key value-add to their professional/personal development. These content-rich events make a difference for attendees, while giving our authors exposure to potential buyers of their books/business services. We hosted our first multi-hour event with our Online Servant Leadership Summit, hosting 7 experts to an audience of over 600 attendees, including several organizations gathered in groups to participate.

We added 11 new team members this year, and welcomed three former team members back to our company. In our goal to create capacity this year, we knew we would be expanding our team. The gain of the year is 14 talented people working successfully who were not a part of the team at the start of the year. We’re all thrilled to have had Angie, Joanna, and Margy re-join the #WITEAM, and to have the new talent and energy that Stephanie, Kayla, Jessica B., Jessica S., Cindy, Laura, Kate, Christine W., Christine V., Whitney, and Alicia are bringing.

Our sense of community and collaboration are stronger than ever! This summer, several of our distributed team members met in person for the #WITour and several others met together in our office. The tour also provided opportunities for many of the team members to meet various clients. These in-person meetings provided a great encouragement to us AND our day to day connections and collaboration, including needing to pull together to work through challenges, have created a deep sense of shared purpose and values. We are strong, together.

Our Lead Change Group Blog has grown steadily this year with dedicated contributing authors. We’re happy to support thought leaders in sharing value-adding content EVERY WEEKDAY on LeadChangeGroup.com. We’re also grateful for mentions on top leadership blog lists this year including CharlesSprecht, SkipPrichard, and PromotionsNOW.

Fantastic media wins and placements for our clients. Our Digital Media Outreach team continues a track record of creating strong relationships with media contacts. We rejoice with our clients about the many media placements they’ve realized this year.

Continuing partnerships with authors. This year, we had the opportunity to launch Whitney Johnson’s 2nd book, renewing a relationship with one of our first clients. We’ve also continued several working partnerships with authors into a 3rd (or even 4th) year. We deeply value these partners and are honored by our opportunity to join with them in making a difference with great content, reaching audiences around the world. We’re also excited about new partnerships that have begun this year, and are especially excited about supporting the work of CTI in the year to come.

We moved the company from my home to a physical location, stabilizing operations with a core employee team. Prior to 2015, I was the only employee of Weaving Influence. As we close the year, we now have 6 employees who are a core support to our virtual subcontractor team. The chance to work together in person is helpful, and I feel supported in this work in a way I have not before.

Team Buzz Builder, our blogger network, continues to amaze us! We would not be able to create the results we do without the dedicated volunteers who engage with our authors by writing Amazon reviews, hosting guest posts, and highlighting books through their social media channels. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Wow! We have a lot to celebrate. We’ll be back later this week with reflections on personal wins for our team this year, including mine. If you’ve been a part of our success this year as a team member, client, media partner, Team Buzz Builder member, webinar attendee, or interested friend, thank you for being a part of the work we are doing in the world. You matter.

 

Featured on Friday: TBB Member @JohnThurlbeck

One of the aspects of my work with Weaving Influence that I enjoy the most is getting to know the individuals who make up Team Buzz Builder.

Each person brings something unique to our work, sharing different lessons learned from the books we launch, and reminding me each and every time that we could not do it without them.

Today’s highlighted team member is no exception!

Meet John Thurlbeck!

Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for me, John. First question:

Why do you like being a part of Team Buzz Builder (TBB)?

I love the sense of community and of serving others. I believe that leaders lead by learning, by serving and by sharing. I like to lead by example and being part of TBB fulfills that for me.

What benefit do you think you receive from being a part of TBB?

Besides being part of a very diverse community, who also clearly love to serve, I get advance notice of new developments in the literature around leadership, and occasionally other subjects. I have a passion for leadership, so when a PDF arrives I am always excited to get the author’s take on their particular focus. It helps to stretch my thinking, challenge and refashion my perspectives and provides an avenue for me to share that with a wider audience. I also get some cool resources for promoting the books, which helps broaden the focus of my own social media activity and an ever-growing knowledge base that I might otherwise not have invested in.

If someone asked you why they should join, what would you tell them?

Why is simple – If you are keen to serve others to better develop our wisdom about the world of leadership, join now. Do it now! [U.S. | International] Leaders take action and this is one action you must take. If they need anything else, and they are interested in extending their personal connections with some of the leading characters in our field, this is definitely one way to do it! S. Chris Edmonds, Frank Sonnenberg, Ted Coiné, and Mark Babbitt are some that I am now closely connected with as a result of promoting their books.

Tell me about your work/family/life/hobbies…

I am passionate about developing people and enabling individuals, teams and organisations make transformational change. However, the real loves of my life are my soul mate and wife,  Lesley, and our son, Jack.  They are my first priority. We all share a huge passion for travelling. Les and I are heading to Bali in March and we are so looking forward to it!

In between helping people with transformational change, I write, I coach, I curate stuff, and I volunteer as chair of a voluntary youth charity. I will be bringing out a new blog in 2016, as I rebrand my business, and am currently writing my second book, which is focused on leaders and curiosity, building on nearly 40 years working with people in various settings.

My hobbies include travel, gardening, reading, meditation and keeping fit.

Connect with John Online

Twitter: @JohnThurlbeck

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.thurlbeck

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnthurlbeck

Book Website: http://www.energizeyourleadership.net/

7 Things To Keep In Mind As You Get Started On Periscope

Periscope is Twitter’s live broadcasting tool, and it’s fast becoming the place to be to grow and develop your online brand. Large companies like Nestle, Tide, Fiat, and Taco Bell were quick to use Periscope for customer service, tutorials, Q&A sessions, and marketing campaigns.

Leadership and self-help experts like Michael Hyatt and Chalene Johnson, as well as celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon, are leveraging this tool to reach their fans directly and further develop their personal brands. It could be a great resource for your personal brand, too.

Here are 7 things to keep in mind as you get started on Periscope:

There are 10 million+ users. That’s how many people started using the app in just the first 4 months. They watch around 21 million minutes of content each day, in 25 different countries. That’s a big audience you could reach. Periscope is also now viewable on Apple TV. Pretty cool, huh?
Create your profile today. Periscope is still in its early days, so jumping on now means you have a better opportunity to build your profile, get followers, and gain an audience for your streams. Hint: make sure your profile name is your brand’s name or URL.
Dedicate time to a regular stream. Just like with other social media platforms, consistency is key. Michael Hyatt is doing a daily Periscope chat. While you don’t have to commit to a daily broadcast, choosing a regular day and time to stream will go a long way to help build your fan base. Keep in mind that most people view live streams. Video is only available for 24 hours and replays only account for 10-20% of viewership.
Create content that adds value to people’s lives. Yes, you can just show us what you’re having for lunch — but you won’t keep many viewers. Create content that’s interesting and delivers value. Consider live Q&A sessions, webinars, tutorials, streams of your live speaking engagements, and mini-trainings. Your only limit is your imagination. Think of what a powerful tool this could be for launching a book! You could conduct weekly book club readings and discussions. Readers would be thrilled to spend a few minutes each week discussing a book with its author and getting a deeper understanding.
Respond and interact in real-time. One of the beautiful, and very helpful, functions of Periscope is that you can immediately interact with people. This is not a space for you to pontificate from on high. Take time to connect, respond, and really develop relationships.
You’re not making videos, you are sharing your world. I’ve heard some people say that they aren’t good at making videos, so they don’t think Periscope will work for them. Periscope is about giving fans access to you, your life, your thoughts, your time, your attention. You don’t need any video skills. This is a purely point and shoot kind of thing. Just make sure the lighting is good. Your audience wants to see you. You can also use a tripod for your phone to make it easier as you’re talking, or enlist a friend to shoot for you during your live streams. Think of it as a window into your world… not the documentary of your life.
Experiment, evaluate, and reassess. Social media is about finding the outlet that best connects you with your unique audience. You don’t have to use very platform or every tool, but it is worth trying them out to see what fits. I suggest taking 4-6 weeks to experiment with a weekly or daily Periscope stream. At the end of that run, take a look at the numbers, evaluate what you’ve learned, and then determine if it’s the channel for you.

The future of social media is constantly evolving and changing. Periscope is the latest iteration, and it’s demonstrating some real power to bring people together.

Will you give Periscope a try?

 

Image credit: