Posted on May 24, 2011 | 2 comments
As I flipped through the pages of Ogilvy on Advertising, I came across this quote that captures the essence of my understanding of what marketing really is:
“When Aeschines spoke, they said, ‘How well he speaks.’ When Demosthenes spoke, they said, ‘Let us march against Philip.’”
It’s this very aspect of marketing that gets me so excited—the power to influence human decisions, to make someone believe that you have something so valuable that they absolutely must have it. I’m at a point in my life at which I’m seeking affirmation through real world exposure to what marketing really is—affirmation that goes beyond the piles of business books I have pondered and advice I have accumulated from corporate world veterans, and into the corporate office place…bringing me to my time here at Freesource Agency.
I’ve read one...
Posted on May 17, 2011 | 2 comments
Over 110 Million professionals use LinkedIn… a few pay for upgrades but most do not.
LinkedIn offers several levels of premium account subscriptions targeted at the general professional, recruiter, job seeker and sales person. However, LinkedIn also offers a very robust free account, that for average LinkedIn user, is going to work just perfect and you may never have a case to upgrade. However, there are some good reasons to move to a premium account. LinkedIn has a great page to compare the different Premium account types. Later on we will compare the different account types and why in some situations you may want to consider a premium account.
I assume you already have some experience with the free account and understand the basic features. If you are new to LinkedIn feel free to take LinkedIn’s 101 Live Training...
Posted on May 10, 2011 | 0 comments
There is a lot of information on the web telling us what we “should” do on LinkedIn… but what about what we shouldn’t do? Here are three quick tips from former LinkedIn employees who have made a business out of helping professionals make the most of the world’s largest professional networking site.
Tip #1: Don’t send ALL of your Tweets through to LinkedIn
Why: Twitter and LinkedIn are different audiences. If your account is auto-synced, your indecipherable and often unprofessional “ReTweets” get sent through as well. Even more importantly, you may forget about the integration and LinkedIn isn’t the place for frequent/continuous updates OR the accidental drunken, weekend tweet– it’s a place for meaningful, professional ones.
Solution: We recommend going with the controlled integration option.
Tip #2: Don’t let...
Posted on May 3, 2011 | 1 comment
At Freesource we are always doing interesting work with and for our clients. Recently, the subject of domain name endings (aka Root zones or Top Level Domains) has been flying around.
The question at hand is this: In 2011, how important is the .COM ending? If you are building a brand today, and think 3-4 years out, how important will .COM be then?
Most people would quickly say that it “depends” on a number of factors. In this case we are not talking about established, major brand names. Here we are looking at start-ups, companies that are starting today and might not have major recognition for several years.
Sure, SEO may be affected (could be good or bad) but in the case we are looking at here, Search Engine Optimization is not going to be what sells their product.
What about SPAM or firewall rejections? If your company has a .LY...
Posted on Apr 27, 2011 | 0 comments
The Freesource Team is proud to announce ACCENT Marketing Services as our newest client. With offices around the globe, ACCENT is headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana and is a subsidiary of the world-renowned, Toronto-based creative holding company MDC Partners. Since 1993, ACCENT has helped world-class brands acquire, support, retain and grow customers at every stage of their lifecycle.
Commenting on the new partnership, Patrick Baynes, Co-Founder and VP of Social Media for Freesource:
“We are thrilled to be working with ACCENT and to continue growing our relationship with MDC. ACCENT is recognized as a true industry leader in business to business marketing services and our B2B social media systems will help them take their efforts to a whole new level.”
Key areas of focus for our B2B social media program with ACCENT will be...
Posted on Apr 14, 2011 | 1 comment
Posted on Apr 4, 2011 | 1 comment
One of the simplest and most effective ways to make LinkedIn a valuable part of your business is to set it as the homepage on your web browser. Doing so will fundamentally change the way you interact with the system.
To be clear – what we are suggesting is that every time you open your computer’s internet browser, LinkedIn is the first thing you should see.
Why? There are SO many benefits. Most importantly, it becomes your real-time “news source for people”. If you are connected to people from your industry that you know and trust, your homepage will become a “river” of activity and relevant information that will help you do your job more efficiently. There is no other resource in the world that can deliver timely updates like this.
Taking it one step further, there are several powerful customization features that allow you...
Posted on Mar 28, 2011 | 0 comments
Last week I joked during a speech that I am writing a book called “The Private Network”.
I was delivering my personal branding presentation “You 2.0” for the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce. The joke was that I have time to write a book.
I do however, run a very private network and because I get a lot of questions about it I figured the least I could do is write a blog to explain it a bit.
During the presentation I made several references to the fact that I only connect to people I know and trust. I pointed out that I only have 392 connections on my LinkedIn and that it was in fact, very hard to have so few connections… I have to actually work at it; sort of a procurement and management process.
Someone in the audience raised their hand and I called on them. “So, if I send you a LinkedIn connection request, you won’t...
Posted on Mar 2, 2011 | 1 comment
With over 600 responses so far, LinkedIn is soaring past other social networks as the number one source for new business. The live poll has 12 days left; we expect consistent results.
Which platform is providing the most opportunity for you or your business? How?
Posted on Feb 17, 2011 | 0 comments
For Immediate Press Release:
Freesource, the social media consulting and training company founded by former LinkedIn employees announces its acquisition of LinkedIn’s global customer service and training leader, Travis Heppner.
Travis’s experience, track record and talent are nothing short of a perfect fit for Freesource. Prior to LinkedIn Travis worked in customer solutions for internet giant PayPal and project management services for ACI Worldwide and West Corporation. At LinkedIn Travis led LinkedIn’s “LinkedIn 101” training webinars and directly supported the global member base of 100+ million professionals.
At Freesource, Travis will be working as a social media consultant, managing strategy implementation and support for some of the world’s biggest brands including AARP, KPMG, Starwood Capital Group,...
