Patrick Barbanes

The Branding Professor! (1-800-951-1156)

Start Annoying Yourself

As a child, you probably annoyed your parents when you began to test the boundaries of what was allowed, how far you could go, what you could get away with. Adults do the same thing. The Occupy movements are testing boundaries. While the movements have various goals, I see a great deal of protesting for the sake of protesting, to test the rules of free speech and free assembly – even if there’s nothing particularly specific behind the assembly or the speech. They’ll form a crowd and cause a ruckus in a train station where you just might be trying to catch the 5:45 to get home, or they’ll make it difficult for you to get into your office building in the morning to do your job. It’s pretty annoying. A videographer that I know sees one of his foremost roles as that of boundary tester: he’ll begin videotaping in a situation you might not really expect, like in the security line at an airport. It’s legal, and he knows it, even though the authorities often don’t know it themselves. The photographer is creating a crisis and often a confrontation – Hey, you can’t videotape here! I’ve seen footage, and you can hear the annoyance of people in line behind him who are perhaps late for their flight. Needless to say, it’s more than annoying to the authorities. But in each case, whether it’s a child testing the limits of parental authority, a group of citizens testing their country’s constitution, or a videographer testing the right to take pictures, there are two significant effects. First, they put the legality of the rules to the test: do the authorities know the limits, and how do they enforce them? Second, they show other people that the limits they may have expected – you can’t videotape here! you can’t assemble here! – were not limits at all. As a child, the limits to how far you could go naturally seemed narrow. Until you tested them and realized that in many cases, the limits weren’t there at all – they were in your childish mind. You annoyed your parents, but were discovering yourself. There’s great value in being annoying. Unless you’re testing your own boundaries, you’ll never know where your limits are – and chances are, they don’t even exist.

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 Opinion No Comments

Uncertainty Is Liberating

When I’m doing social media training sessions, I often get asked things like, What will the next big thing be? Will Google+ take over Facebook? Will Bing take over Google? Questions like that. Now, I recently got into the stock market, and part of my education is to read stock sites and blogs and watch CNBC. And for any given stock or industry, there are usually three expert opinions. One expert says BUY that stock…NOW!!! Another expert says SELL that dog…now!!! And the third expert says the stock market is rigged, what are you doing trying to invest in the market, anyway! I thought the experts would help me. And they did. They reminded me that nobody really knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. The stock market, the roll of the dice at a craps table, heads or tails, should you take this job or that job, social media’s next big thing….Nobody knows. That’s actually very liberating. With some fundamental knowledge under your belt, you realize that you’re as smart as the experts. You can’t let what might or might not happen paralyze you. Let the uncertainty liberate you. Take an educated guess and move forward. You have to get in the game.

Friday, January 13th, 2012 Opinion No Comments

B2B? Data Shows Why You Should Be In LinkedIn Groups

A brand-spanking-new survey by Leadformix of 289 B2B companies with some kind of presence on LinkedIn has some great data.

It’s quite an indepth analysis. (You can read the full report from Leadformix here.)

Here’s one of the key take-aways for me:

Of visitors who clicked to a B2B website from LinkedIn, 24% – almost 1/4 – were enterprise visitors – meaning they were visiting from a corporate IP address. What that means is that almost 1/4th of people who clicked from LinkedIn to a B2B site were on their corporate network at the time.

Why is that significant? It means they weren’t home, personally surfing the web. They were at work, or at least on their work computer and network, visiting LinkedIn and then bouncing out by clicking a link in LinkedIn to a B2B site. So far so good? OK…

Of those “enterprise visitors,” as illustrated in the chart below, more than one-half of them arrived at websites from individual profile pages (35.7%) or company profile pages (16.3%). Only 16.4% arrive via “groups” and 3.6% via LinkedIn ads.

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BUT… those people who went to a site from a LinkedIn “Group” were the most likely to complete a fill-in form on the site they visited. In other words, they were most likely to “convert” from a Lead to a Prospect. As Leadformix notes, “In the B2B space, all enterprise visitors to a website are referred to as leads.” When a Lead (the visitor) fills in a form on a B2B site, they are handing over their information in exchange for a whitepaper, some other offer or simply on a contact form, and thereby becoming a “Prospect”.

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Those are the people you want visiting your site…the ones who will convert.

So based on this report (and as I’ve been saying all along without all the data and the graphs) Groups within LinkedIn are the best place to interact with them.

Why? Because it makes sense, and this is good data to support that.

Groups narrow down and bring commonality to an area of interest. Someone in a Group that you are in is already interested in that thing that you are interested in.

So someone who sees and/or engages in a Discussion in a Group that you’re taking part in, for example, and who then takes the next step of clicking out to your site would naturally be more likely to take the NEXT step and complete a form on your site (if that was one of your calls to action there) than someone who came across your profile and clicked to your website from there, or who happened upon your site among a News item and clicked to it from there.

Groups engage people. Engaged people become Leads. Leads become Prospects. Prospects become Clients. (If you, you know, know what you’re doing.)

So get engaged in Groups on LinkedIn! You’ll find more people clicking over to your site, and becoming Prospects. And isn’t that what all businesses want?

Thursday, April 28th, 2011 LinkedIn, Polls & Surveys, Social Media No Comments

Social Media for Advocacy

Holy crap, this is good! Check out this presentation from Chelsea Duran, who writes at Copy and Social Strategy. Chelsea put the presentation together for a panel discussion with high school students about using social media for advocacy. High school students! Her messages hit all the right notes. It’s heart-warming to know that young students are getting this perspective on social media early in their lives! (Read Chelsea’s post about it here.)

Using social media for advocacy on Prezi

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 Social Media No Comments

How To Use LinkedIn’s “Signal” Feature

One of LinkedIn’s newest features is called Signal, and it lets you tap into, search through and filter almost everything your LinkedIn connections are thinking and doing and even tweeting (yes, tweeting!). This is powerful. Here’s just one example of how to use this “secret” LinkedIn feature:

You’ll learn things like this in more detail in my all-online course, Really Simple Bootcamp, which is on special pricing right now through Sunday only in the Really Simple Bundle. Go check it out now, because only 20 are available at the bundle price!

Friday, April 22nd, 2011 LinkedIn, Personal Branding, Social Media No Comments

Be A Revolutionary

I came across this old post of mine from July, 2008. I like it enough to repost it again now, without asking you to click again to go find it. So here it is:

Be A Revolutionary

As I write this, the date is July 4th, 2008. My wife and daughter are still asleep as I type, but they’ll be up soon for the barbecue and the fireworks later tonight. Because here in the United States, July 4th is Independence Day. American independence was declared after the Revolutionary War. Here’s what I think: YOU should be a revolutionary and declare YOUR independence (if you haven’t already).

In a world of much mediocrity and “same-ness”, you must dare to stand out. Declare who you are.

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.

Just by doing so, you’ll be declaring your particular, personal “brand.” Even if you don’t do it online or use any of my strategies or those of other personal branding strategists, you must do it.

Brand YOU. Not your company. Not your boss. YOU.

Yes, just by actually taking a position, taking a stand, stating your opinion – even when it’s contrary to most of the opinions around you…in fact especially when it’s contrary to most of the opinions around you, you’ll be a revolutionary. And that’s a good thing.

Easier said than done? Let me know.

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011 Blogging, Opinion, Personal Branding, Social Media No Comments

Job-Seeker’s Workshop Preview

I’m so excited about the upcoming Get Back To WORKshop! With special thanks to the good folks at MedTrain (www.mymedtrain.com/), who have donated the training space, here’s a brief video we put together about it:

We’ll be teaching some really simple social media strategies, as well interview skills and resume tips and guidance from CrescoMedia, plus some motivation from Denise Jacobs!

Read more about it and sign up for this free job-seekers workshop here.

Saturday, April 16th, 2011 Events, Personal Branding, Social Media No Comments

If You’re Not Using LinkedIn…

Read the brief blog post I’ve linked to below and the comments on it (only three as of this writing). It’s by a Recruiter but I want you to read it from your business and career perspective – whatever that perspective might be. Take note of how the author and his commenters view and use LinkedIn versus how they view Facebook or Twitter. How they view it is not confined to just Recruiters. Then ask yourself if you are using LinkedIn a) at all, b) in a way that could potentially put you in front of or get you engaged with these kind of users, and c) if that would be valuable to you. Could spending time on LinkedIn help you find a job or a partner or an investor faster and more effectively than spending time and effort on Twitter or Facebook?

Go read this now: t.co/pQnTOEe

And I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Tags: linkedin, recruiters, recruiting

Friday, April 8th, 2011 Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Personal Branding, Social Media, Twitter 2 Comments

A Workshop for Job-Seekers

UPDATE: Sign-up form added below.

As I told you in an earlier post, I’m holding another free workshop for job-seekers, and this time I’ve teamed up with Cresco Media to expand the subject matter. So not only will unemployed men and women get some effective but really simple social media ideas for expanding their networking and creating a personal brand (that’s my part!), they’ll also get some interview, job-hunting and resume tips and advice (that’s Cresco Media’s part)!

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image by bearman cartoons


Thanks to your input, we decided to call the workshop: Crossroads: Get Back To WORKshop. It’s a combination of two ideas we received from LaBelVit Communications, in response to my request on Facebook and Twitter for suggestions. In one message on Twitter, LaBelVit (they are @LaBelVit) said, We thought of “Crossroads A Job Seeker’s Workshop” & “Get Back to WorkSHOP.” We decided to combine the two into “Crossroads: Get Back To WORKshop” because the idea of job-seekers being at a crossroads makes sense. Job-seekers can continue to take the traditional paths to finding a job, or they can adapt to and adopt some of the newer online and social media tools to enhance their job-search and prospects. It’s not an either/or situation, of course: in my opinion, a job-seeker must do both. But to stay on the same old path just will not be as effective. So, in a way, they’re at a crossroads, an intersection of the old and the new. And of course, the play on words in a “get back to WORKshop” gets at the heart of the whole point: to get a person back to work. Thanks to everyone who provided suggestions, including Deb Griffith, Mike Roach, and Robbyn Ackner, and anyone else whose tweets I can’t seem to find right now! : )

Normally, I wouldn’t do this, but I’m so excited about this partnership and this workshop that I’m including the text of the first press release in it’s entirety below. Below that is a registration form to sign up in advance. Space is limited, naturally, so we need to know how many to expect.

If you know anyone in the South Florida area who is unemployed and looking for work, please let them know!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CROSSROADS: BACK TO WORKSHOP

Hialeah, FL – April 20, 2011 – Really Simple Social Media and Cresco Media are gearing up to put together Crossroads: Back to WORKshop for job-seekers. This free workshop will take place on April 20, 2011 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Medtrain, located at 8145 W 28th Ave Suite 218, Hialeah Gardens, FL 33016. New jobs are becoming increasingly available, but the majority of job-seekers don’t know how to access them. This workshop will serve as a resource for individuals who are having a hard time landing a job.

Job-seekers will be provided with essential tools that will propel them toward landing a job. The workshop will cover topics such as conducting a job search, resume and cover letter writing, interviewing techniques and networking tips. It will also teach the basics of creating an online presence and strategy that can help a job-seeker find more jobs, as well as have jobs find them. The workshop will be interactive, including a Q&A session and a resume critique session. The resume critique session will be dedicated in helping job-seekers proofread their resumes, as well as helping them write a resume if they don’t have one.

The Crossroads: Back to WORKshop is open to anyone who is unemployed and there is no charge to attend. This workshop is on a first come, first-served basis; space is limited. Additional information and online registration are available at www.patrickbarbanes.com. On Twitter, follow @pbarbanes and @crescomedia or search #BacktoWORKshop.

About Really Simple Social Media
Really Simple Social Media was founded by Patrick Barbanes, The Branding Professor. Through online tutorials and live classes, Patrick teaches businesses and individuals how to develop, grow, and support their brands through strategic use of online social networking sites and focused blogging. His services extend from blog set-up and installation at PersonalBrandSites.com to his recently launched complete online social media training, ReallySimpleBootcamp.com. Patrick currently co-hosts a weekly internet radio show about social media at socialchats.net, has an appearance in the 2011 CNBC-TV documentary, “The Facebook Obsession”, has been featured on NBC6-TV’s South Florida Today show for his pro bono work teaching social media to unemployed men and women. For more information, visit www.ReallySimpleSocialMedia.com

About Cresco Media
Cresco Media was founded by Jhonatan Castaneda in Miami, FL. Cresco Media is a social media marketing firm that helps businesses create, develop and manage marketing campaigns. Cresco Media is committed to make businesses stand out through social media marketing by generating brand awareness, increasing sales and foot traffic to any business. For more information, visit www.crescomedia.com and www.facebook.com/crescomedia

# # #

Media Contact:
Sabrina Gomez
305.741.3542
sgomez@crescomedia.com

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SIGN UP NOW! Advance registration required. Limited to the unemployed, so we (me and Cresco Media) can reach as many people who want this knowledge as possible but who might be operating on limited funds due to being out of work. We won’t be checking anyone’s employment status or anything like that at all – we are counting on your honesty and integrity in registering. If you’re employed, I have other workshops available at very affordable rates. But my goal with these workshops is to give people who are unemployed a boost up without having to spend any money.

Thursday, April 7th, 2011 Events, Personal Branding, Social Media 2 Comments

I’m Speaking on a panel about LinkedIn

spacer The Social Media Club, South Florida chapter’s monthly meeting for April is Tuesday, April 12, 2011. The topic of this month’s meeting is “LinkedIn: Oh, What’s The Use?” and I’m speaking alongside other members for a question-and-answer panel discussion about LinkedIn and it’s many wonders. If you’re in South Florida, I hope to see you there! If you’re not, or can’t attend the meeting and you’re on Twitter, watch the hashtag #smcsf to follow what people are saying during the meeting.

If you plan on attending, please RSVP on the Facebook event at Social Media Club South Florida LinkedIn event – on.fb.me/smcsf041211

Here’s the information from the official event announcement.

LinkedIn: Oh, What’s The Use? – a panel discussion meeting presented by Social Media Club, South Florida
Time: Tuesday, April 12 · 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Ana G. Mendez University System, 3520 Enterprise Way, Miramar, FL 33025

Whether you’re a power LinkedIn user or a beginner who hasn’t quite figured out its purpose, you won’t want to miss our next event complete with an expert panel of speakers.

- Patrick Barbanes will discuss using LI to connect – The Power of LinkedIn for an individual, @pbarbanes

- Seth Elliott will discuss using LI for B2B – The Power of LinkedIn for business, @sethaelliott

- David Suarez will discuss using LI as a research and CRM tool – The Power of LinkedIn for monitoring, @DavidSuarezMBA

- David Rose will discuss what hiring managers/recruiters look for in a LI profile – The “hire power” of LinkedIn, @YELLOWDOG_01

Our moderator will be Denise Jacobs, @denisejacobs

Follow our host, Ana G Mendez University System, on Twitter: @suagmflorida

OUR EVENTS ARE ALWAYS FREE

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011 Events, LinkedIn, Social Media No Comments
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