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How to LinkedIn the Fun Way?

Are you tired of the same old LinkedIn routine? 

One mistake many businesses make is assuming you have to portray a boring and stuck-up persona on LinkedIn. While many businesses stick to that formula, you have the power to stand out on LinkedIn in a way that’s refreshingly fun and engaging. 

Drop the LinkedIn snooze-fest and welcome a burst of colour into your networking journey!

Don’t be Boring… Duh

While keeping it classy is a must, there’s no harm in adding a pinch of playfulness to your brand persona. Take a cue from trailblazers like Cindy Gallop, whose headline reads: “I like to blow shit up. I am the Michael Bay of business.”

If you’re unfamiliar with Michael Bay (think high-octane action films where everything goes BOOM!), you still get the gist. Cindy’s bold approach showcases her expertise with a splash of humour, instantly setting her apart from the crowd. 

If you possess a flair for the dramatic and a knack for the unconventional, why not let your LinkedIn business profile truly reflect the force that your business embodies?

Stop Overselling & Start Engaging

One glaring mistake countless businesses make? Overselling themselves. 

Seriously, bombarding strangers with a relentless marketing spiel through LinkedIn messaging? It’s a crime against good networking.

Just picture the sheer number of sales pitches flooding in and out daily. With that much noise, why would anyone pay attention to yours?

Instead, opt for genuine connection and meaningful engagement with your target audience. Here’s how you can do just that:

  • Share expertise and insights.
  • Start conversations based on common interests.
  • Use storytelling to showcase your brand’s personality.
  • Build authentic relationships by showing genuine interest in your network’s business endeavours.
  • Encourage interaction through questions and polls.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of the Mighty GIF

GIF

Don’t let their playful appearance fool you; GIFs pack a serious punch when capturing your audience’s attention on LinkedIn. These short, animated clips aren’t just for laughs – when used correctly, they can grab the attention of your audience members upon their LinkedIn scroll.

Think about it: in our everyday interactions on social media, GIFs add depth and personality to our messages and responses. Why not leverage the same strategy to elevate your engagement game on LinkedIn?

To GIF correctly on LinkedIn, follow these steps:

  • Find a GIF that relates to the feelings and message you want to convey in your post.
  • Draft a witty yet readable post to go along with your chosen GIF.
  • Share the post, and BAM! – you’ve engaged with your audience in a way that doesn’t disturb them.

Add Personality to Your Business Profile

Your LinkedIn presence deserves to stand out, not blend in like just another generic resume. It’s time to transform your profile into a vibrant reflection of your brand’s voice and style, enticing your audience to hit that ‘Follow’ button and stay hooked.

Picture this: your profile is your one chance to captivate someone’s attention in a sea of scrolling. Make every word count, every image pop, and every detail scream your brand’s uniqueness. Here’s how to infuse personality into your business profile:

  • Craft a headline that demands attention and leaves a lasting impression.
  • Choose a profile picture that’s professional, approachable and oozing with brand personality.
  • Draft a summary that reads like a compelling story, drawing readers in and making them eager to learn more about your business.
  • Bring your feed to life with multimedia content – think of eye-catching photos, engaging videos, and captivating presentations.

Don’t Run Away From Video Content… Embrace It

Using Videos on LinkedIn

Let’s face it: reading through lengthy written narratives is only some people’s cup of tea. Video content offers a breath of fresh air; with their innate human touch, they effortlessly connect with audiences in a way that text simply can’t match.

Videos are the ultimate attention-grabbers, and they are highly shareable, too, making them perfect for capturing the interest of your audience. 

Here are some ways you can leverage video content to level up your LinkedIn game:

  • Provide behind-the-scenes glimpses into your company culture.
  • Offer tutorials to showcase your expertise.
  • Share short informative videos about different aspects of your business.
  • Highlight key moments from recent business events you’ve attended.

Do LinkedIn – Your Own Way

LinkedIn may have started off as a strictly serious and uptight platform, where suits and ties dominated, and industry jargon ruled the conversation. However, times have changed, and so has LinkedIn. 

While there is nothing inherently wrong with the classic suit-and-tie approach, now is your chance to break free from the mould and do LinkedIn your way to inject some personality into your business.

With the tips mentioned above, you’ll be well-equipped to engage your LinkedIn audience in a way that’s not only fun but also captivating. 

Crunchbase: The New Business Social Network Threatening LinkedIn Dominance

Humble beginnings

Crunchbase is the brainchild of Michael Arrington, founder & former co-editor of TechCrunch. It was originally created as a simple database of start-up companies covered by the TechCrunch technology blog over the years. The company belonged to TechCrunch from it’s inception in 2007 and for the following 8 years, despite being acquired by AOL in 2010.

Whilst the website built a solid database, added user input and a number of new features, it really stayed low key for a number of years. This ended when it finally broke away from AOL and became an independent company, attracting significant investment in 2017.

Increased online presence

It was around the same time that Crunchbase established itself in Google and other search engines, gaining top positions for relevant searches though organic SEO. This led to the site increasing it’s traffic rapidly and gaining more prominence in the investment world. The rise of the fintech industry, as well as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and other interesting “disruptive” start-ups, fueled the website’s growth to new heights in 2019.

Using the investment and new direction the company has introduced a host of new features such as ‘Crunchbase Pro‘, as well as the ‘Marketplace‘ boosting functionality for potential investors.

Crunchbase goes social

The final change came only a few days ago, when Crunchbase launched what is now a fully fledged social media network. Whilst still in very early stages, it seems that the structure and function is centered around investment news which come to your ‘Home’ page by following certain companies or sectors.

Whilst user profiles with dedicated pages have just been introduced, the future looks like there will be user participation and potential communication in the future. Crunchbase is now also offering company verification via email, a move that aims to control the updating of data from reliable sources and minimises SPAM.

crunchbase profile page

Advertising opportunities

Like many other features, advertising is still in early stages with banners, newsletters and other site features the main offerings. We can forecast the advertising features of Crunchbase growing in size and scope in the next 12 months and the site establishing itself in the social niche of business investment, mergers and acquisitions and potentially crowdfunding.

Available ad media (mobile compatible):

  1. Display Media: Banners of sizes 728×90 / 300×600 / 300×250 for brand awareness across all devices
  2. Newsletter: Exclusive weekly or monthly coverage
  3. Native: Package containing website banner ads plus newsletter coverage for a day

Crunchbase advertising statistics

What’s next?

  • Business Investment

The website and now network has all the potential to do well in the financial and business space. Firstly it needs to establish itself as the go-to website for investment opportunities, beating AngeList, F6S, XING and subsequently LinkedIn. The latter is not seen as a direct competitor in this space yet, but could make a late move as market leader of the social business sector.

  • Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is close to what Crunchbase does. Many of the startups featured have gone through a variety of stages of funding. If the company does not decide to get directly involved, it can work as a catalyst developing scores for new projects and selling data.

  • Business services

Crunchbase could start connecting the dots between companies and how they associate, to increase the investment information available. This could later become a new product for B2B marketing.

  • Recruitment

Sometime in the future, the company could also challenge LinkedIn to the top spot of business networking and job hunting. After all, apart from company profiles, Crunchbase has also a rich collection of individual professional profiles that can be used for head hunting, in some very competitive and fast growing industries.

The future looks bright for Crunchbase. Watch this space for more opportunities as they develop…

The Best Marketing Events To Attend in 2023

Attending networking events and marketing expos regularly is an excellent way of ensuring you’re getting that vital knowledge to keep up with the fast-beating heart of digital marketing, advertising, and eCommerce.

Here are some of the events we’re most looking forward to here at Caliston – perhaps we’ll see you there!

BrightonSEO

BrightonSEO event buildingBrighton SEO avows that the job of their event is to “help search marketers meet, learn and do their job better.” So, if you’re in the world of SEO and want to learn from some of the best speakers in the world of search, head to the beautiful and bustling seaside town of Brighton in April of 2023.
https://brightonseo.com/

Paid Social Show

This spin-off event from BrightonSEO is a must-attend for anyone who wishes to learn more about how to promote their business on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and many more.

The busy world of paid social media advertising moves incredibly quickly, so attending an event like this is a fantastic idea for marketers wanting hands-on advice on getting the best out of their spending and strategy.

Remember that if you buy a ticket for the Paid Social Show, you’ll get entry to both days of the main brightonSEO conference (see above!)
https://brightonseo.com/event/paid-social-show/

Atomicon

Atomicon allows you to hear from business owners who have trailblazed in their industries and used proven marketing techniques and tactics to boost and maintain their globally successful brands. This event is a great way to boost your confidence and get your creative and strategic juices flowing.
https://atomic.site/atomicon/

Digital Marketing Conference

This multifaceted event is excellent for any marketers who want to add extra strings to their bow, whether in digital marketing tech, VI, AI, influencer marketing, UX, CX, eCommerce, content marketing, data analytics, and mobile. Guest speakers will speak with case studies and examples to back up their speeches, giving you extra insight into how their advice applies to the real world.
https://www.digitalmarketing-conference.com/global/

Hero Conf

Hero ConfLearn from PPC experts and expect a deep dive into the content strategies you need to manage your accounts more successfully. Past speakers have included the likes of Google Senior Project Managers, the Head of Marketing Partners at Pinterest, the Head of Marketing at Quora, and the co-founder of Adalysis. Hero Conf is yet to announce its 2023 dates, so keep your eyes peeled if you want to sign up.

https://www.ppchero.com/hero-conf-london/about/

Digimarcon

Held at Sofitel in Heathrow near terminal 5 (London), Digimacron is easily accessible for marketers from all corners of the U.K.

Attend to experience an intimate gathering with marketing leads and professionals and hear from some of the most thought-provoking and risk-taking successful professionals in digital marketing, media, and advertising.
https://digimarconuk.co.uk/

Ecommerce Expo

If you’re in retail, eCommerce, or marketing technology, eCommerce Expo promises to “Inspire, educate, drive and connect” you.

Hear from over 300 of the industry’s leading suppliers and meet with over 10,000 retailers, brands, agencies, and media owners to network and make valuable connections that will push your business’s efforts forward.
https://www.ecommerceexpo.co.uk/ece

Festival of Marketing

This content-rich and inclusive event is a chance for marketers to debate with like-minded professionals and listen to the wisdom and experience of established entrepreneurs.

Grow your confidence, whatever your experience and position in the marketing world, and go away feeling more capable and ready to embrace what’s new in 2023.
https://www.festivalofmarketing.com/

Blockchain Expo

Blockchain ExpoSupported by the likes of IBM, SAP, and Stratis, Blockchain Expo is the world’s largest blockchain exhibition and conference.
With over 19,000 attendees and 750 speakers, you can expect to meet data scientists, analysts, investors, start-up owners, technical advisors, and more.

You’ll also be able to take advantage of bespoke one-to-one meetings and pick up potential sponsorship opportunities.
https://www.blockchain-expo.com/

Marketing Technology Expo

Find Marketing Technology Expo at the Excel in London in November 2023. Attend live demos and meet industry-leading exhibitors to make new meaningful business connections.

This 2-day event has over 150 speakers imparting their knowledge and experience on how they’ve paved the way for their business or brand to succeed.
https://www.marketingtechexpo.co.uk/

Are you looking for a suitable event to attend to grow your business? If you’d like more guidance on which of the above events might suit your business goals, give us a call here at Caliston.

We’re also here to collaborate and support you with all things digital marketing. Take a look at how we’ve helped businesses just like yours in the past here.

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