Terri-Karelle was excited about the announcement which she says is a step in the right direction especially for persons who are living with disabilities. “Ideally, I wanted to release it on the day that the National Disabilities Act came into effect in February but I changed course at the last minute due to a few other projects and shifted the focus to my first year book launch announcement anniversary.” She continued, “The audible was inspired by my grandmother who received the first copy of my published book. However, she wasn’t able to read it due to her deteriorating eyesight. So, while she was overjoyed that I had written the book; she wasn’t able to read it and so I thought about others, who, like her would not be able to read it.”

“As a strong advocate for inclusion especially for persons with disabilities, I thought that launching an audible was a great way to encourage others to express love in different ways outside of our partners and spouses but to include persons outside who are often very marginalised,”

Terri-Karelle further stated that launching the audible was even more important to her since 2023 was the first anniversary of the Disabilities act in Jamaica. “The act makes provisions to safeguard and enhance the welfare of persons with disabilities across Jamaica. It also aims to protect and promote equal rights for the disabled and prohibits discrimination against them, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), of which Jamaica is a signatory.”

Terri-Karelle further stated that launching the audible was even more important to her since 2023 was the first anniversary of the Disabilities act in Jamaica. According to her, “The act makes provisions to safeguard and enhance the welfare of persons with disabilities across Jamaica. It also aims to protect and promote equal rights for the disabled and prohibits discrimination against them, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), of which Jamaica is a signatory.”

Last Year, Terri-Karelle embarked on a book tour and shared in a statement that that tour in 2023 was a way to get to her TK Tribe members and to receive feedback about the lessons that they had learnt from the book. Now, the audible is an extension of that to cater to a wider demography of people of which she shares a special love and appreciation.

“The Audible is special gift to my people living with disabilities because not many Caribbean-authored books are available on that platform. I wanted to make it available on different channels for different kinds of readers who simply want nuggets of wisdom to be poured into them,” she ended.

Last year, Terri-Karelle embarked on a number of book signings across Jamaica as well as in Trinidad and Tobago and Miami.

The audiobook is available on Audible, click here to listen.

The post Terri-Karelle’s “My Brand Compass” launches Audible a year after official book release appeared first on Terri-Karelle.

With students out in their large numbers, the curated garden like setting was tastefully littered with blankets imprinted with positive words of affirmation, throw pillows and umbrellas that provided the perfect backdrop with books dangling from a guango tree.  While many students brought their own post-it filled or bookmarked copies, others gathered around the designated area as the recognized storytelling writer and TEDx Speaker, Dr. Terri-Karelle Reid, read excerpts from her favourite chapters. During her message, Reid reinforced the importance of reading; “Read to Escape, Read to Elevate, Read to Transform,” she noted as she casually perused the pages of her book.

‘My Brand Compass: the 13 C’s to building your personal brand’ is an excellent resource for individuals looking to gain a deeper understanding of self-branding and marketing. The author, experienced motivational speaker, event host and community builder, Dr. Terri-Karelle Reid, provides practical tips and insights that university students can apply to their academic and professional careers.

During the event, Terri-Karelle led a discussion around one of the 5 C’s (character) that she considers to be the most important when it comes to self-branding and shared some personal experiences from her time as a student through her corporate stint, finally landing at her pinnacle of entrepreneurship.

The students were attentive and actively engaged in the discussion, asking insightful questions, and sharing their own views and experiences. When quizzed about how to bounce back from negative back lash with the advent of social media, Reid easily responded, “Not performance or performative but with purpose and passion.” 

After the book reading and discussion, participants had the opportunity to network with one another and connect with Terri-Karelle in a more intimate one-on-one manner. Additionally, the students got the chance to document the occasion through social media moments, ask further probing questions and receiving autographs from the author.

 The first Reading of the ‘UWI Special 75^th Book Club’ was an excellent experience that enriched the minds of students and introduced them to the world of branding and marketing. It was an event to remember and one that the university should be proud of.

The UWI’s 75th anniversary initiatives are purposely designed and aligned to reflect on its past, confront the present, and articulate plans for its future across all five campuses, as well as internationally through partner associations and affiliates. The UWI 75th anniversary is celebrated under the theme: UWI at 75. Rooted. Ready. Rising.

The post ‘My Brand Compass’ Author Terri-Karelle Reid debuts at UWI’s ‘Reading on the Lawn’ appeared first on Terri-Karelle.

Many unsuspecting participants went viral for all the wrong reasons, from using the bathroom on camera, being naked and forgetting to disable the camera, breaking wind while unmute and attending meetings in pyjamas. Quite frankly, there were too many to recall. And while they provided entertainment for many, especially during a time of uncertainty, job loss, economic downfall and depression, truthfully it reminded many of us of what not to do. Yet, almost 2 years in and participants still have trouble navigating the presentation of themselves during a zoom meeting or any other virtual meeting for that matter. So I decided to make a cheat sheet that hopefully will help anyone who has trouble with online etiquette or presentation.

Oh, and whether you are presenting to a group or just attending, it is just as important for you to show up and show out with the understanding that although the environment has changed, the professional expectations haven’t. Your personal and/or professional brand is ALWAYS on display.

Charge your devices

This may seem very simple, but you would be surprised to know how many people show up to their zoom meetings late or have their presentations interrupted because they didn’t charge their devices the night before. It’s 8:00 a.m. and your computer is now shutting down because it has 1% battery life *rolls eyes*. Zoom meetings consume a lot of power because of the camera and that battery power depletes rapidly once you launch your meeting. I have found that charging devices from the night before helps mitigate or avoid unnecessary issues that can make you seem unprofessional. PRO TIP: I bought a UPS so that in the event electricity went, I have a power source to give me at least one hour.

Be Early For Your Zoom Meetings

Be punctual! Not on time, but early. The same approach you would hopefully take when attending an in-person meeting should be the same for a virtual meeting. Therefore, I would recommend that you actually add the zoom meeting to your calendar. Some persons don’t RSVP or add to the calendar and as such lose out on the benefit of alerts and other notifications.

Additionally, try to set up your “meeting space” the night before. I tend to place my laptop on my laptop stand and attach my webcam from the night before to avoid the last-minute rush. It’s one less thing to worry about. Even if the meeting is scheduled for a particular time, I tend to sign in 15-30 minutes earlier. I would rather wait for the host to let me in, rather than enter late.

Check your Lighting and Frame

Unless you are trying to conceal your identity by doing what’s called a silhouette interview, you might want to sit somewhere that provides natural lighting (window or door) or invest in a lamp or light source (ring light) that can light your face adequately. Light your face from the front, not the side because that casts a shadow on one side of your face. The quality of your on-screen presentation diminishes in the eyes of your participants who can’t see you clearly and they quickly lose interest in what you have to say.

While we are on the topic of your face, frame your face before you go on camera. i.e. try to ensure that you are in the centre of your display screen. Your audience doesn’t want to see half of a head or face. Of similar importance, is your audience’s vantage point. Raise your laptop preferably on a laptop stand. (Some persons use a stack of books but depending on the length of the meeting, that can overheat your device). Why raise it? Because we don’t want to see your brains through your nostrils. If you are presenting and seeing your “nose holes” (as we would say in Jamaica), it means that your audience is seeing the same thing. Raise your device to eye level, you should never be looking down into your device. I wrote a blog outlining all my affordable equipment that enhance my online video presentation

Check your internet connection

No one likes to get caught frozen with mouth agape and eyes looking all crazy, it makes for a perfect meme. Or worse- you get bumped off! And yet, that happens all the time and can totally detract from a presentation you are delivering. Close all windows/tabs on your computer so that you aren’t pressuring your WI-FI unnecessarily and try to situate yourself near your router. I personally plug directly into the ethernet because I will be damned if I get interrupted while hosting my online events. If your router is too far from you, you can always purchase an extra-long ethernet cable.

Check Your Background

Many of us may not live in mansions that offer us specially designated areas like offices, dens, mini-libraries, conference rooms etc. We understand that some of us live in small studios or may share quarters with a housemate or multiple persons but we really need you to check your background area. Try your best to find a neutral space that doesn’t distract or compete for your participants’ attention. It is advised to find a space with the least noise possible, as well as clutter. It could be as innocent as having family photos in the background (your audience will try to identify everyone in those photos) to things like seeing your unmade bed, dirty clothes on the floor, bathroom towel hanging on a door, broken blinds or peeling paint. People will side-eye you, screenshot and your background will end up being discussed in a private WhatsApp group.

PRO TIP: Some of you constantly disappear into your virtual backgrounds because you aren’t using green screens. Portable green screens have become very popular to mitigate that unsightly experience. I simply bought green material from a fabric store and attached it to my photo studio backdrop support stand.

Dress Appropriately

Everyone wants to go viral, but go viral for the right reasons. You wouldn’t wear pyjamas to your office, so why would you attend a zoom meeting in them? Why are you showing up on camera in flexi-rods, bonnets and du-rags? Why are we showing up with crusties in our eye corners and bridles at our mouths? Some participants are seen lying in bed, on camera! Jesus take the wheel! If you aren’t feeling well, you should sit it out rather than showing up like that. You will come across as unprofessional and discourteous. Dress appropriately and I will go a step further to say, dress from head to toe.

Some participants sometimes forget that they aren’t fully dressed. Only to move or stand while on camera while in underwear. Fam, you won’t die if you dress fully for a few hours. PRO- TIP: Be ready! Even if it is said to be an off-camera meeting, never get caught unprepared. If your chairman or boss requests an impromptu on-camera meeting, emerge looking as sharp as a stepping razor. You aren’t dressing for your boss, you are dressing for your brand. Self-pride is a beautiful thing.

Eating During Zoom Meetings

I get it, you are at home relaxing and comfortable but crunch, crunch…slurp ain’t it! Typically, during in-person meetings, we don’t eat. Long Board meetings or gatherings that have been scheduled as breakfast, lunch or late-night meetings permit eating. Other than that, we tend to schedule our food breaks outside meeting hours. Eating hominy porridge or sipping a Heineken at 9:00 a.m. during your virtual zoom meeting, can look unprofessional. Attendees will question your leadership abilities if they see you eating a chicken lunch or crunching Cheetos during a meeting.

If it’s an off-camera meeting and you are muted, knock yourself out. Just ensure that if you enable the camera, there is no food hoarded in the corners of your mouth (you are not a hamster) or food in your teeth. I personally don’t like to take unnecessary risks, so I tend to eat during my breaks.

Mute Your MIC During Zoom Meetings

Shhh!!! Thou shalt surely mute thyself in zoom meetings.  How many times have we heard hosts trying to advise persons to mute their mics? And yet audience member’s ears are assaulted with plates, washing machines, arguments, phone conversations, the TV and in some cases rude romps *SMH*. Mute your mics so that your background noise doesn’t interrupt or disrupt the meeting.

There may be lots more! Feel free to add your 2 cents in the comments. They will help the community to avoid potentially embarrassing moments that can stain their personal or professional brands.

The post Zoom Meetings Dos and Don’ts appeared first on Terri-Karelle.

Brand Tings! It has officially been a week since Beenie Man and Bounty Killer obliterated the Verzuz clash on Saturday, May 23, 2020. For those who might have taken a trip to Mars to socially distance and missed it, I have you covered, here’s a review of the epic battle delivered by Beenie Man and Bounty Killer

A new clash between popular boy groups (can I still call them boy groups?) 112 and Jagged Edge took place on Memorial Day (Monday, May 25, 2020), two days after the Bounty-Beenie lyrical showdown. Many Instagram users thought it was a bad idea. Most commented that it might be better to wait a little longer after the smoke had cleared from the Dancehall battle. Others thought that there wouldn’t be any upcoming battle to supersede the Beenie Bounty clash for the rest of 2020. Anyhow, they proceeded and the 112- Jagged Edge battle was, as expected, overshadowed by the residual high that viewers were still on from Saturday’s Dancehall battle. But I am really not here to compare battles, I am here to talk about the data, engagement and the general aftermath.

What does the data say?

The Beenie Man- Bounty Killer Verzuz clash had 1.25 + billion impressions. According to Verzuz it is probably more when they take into account other posts that were made without tagging Verzuz. There were also 3.2 million total views. The clash trended across social media platforms and both Bounty and Beenie earned their best streaming days of 2020 after the Verzuz battle. According to Billboard, Beenie Man achieved 906,000 US streams (+187.5%) while Bounty Killer achieved 367,000 US. streams (+291%).

I have had a week to absorb it all, I am now calm, lucid and able to share the biggest Brand lessons I learnt from the Beenie Man Bounty Killer Verzuz Clash:

1. Bring Your Idea To The Table!

As the world tries to figure out what “normal” will look like on the other side of Covid-19, most of us have been relegated to our homes, figuring out zoom and other video conference tools, working remotely, homeschooling, trying to pivot, dealing with lay-offs and furloughs, pulling out our hair and mentally trying to cope with everything else in between. Most have turned to social media platforms for much-needed entertainment. We have seen an upsurge in Livestreams, podcasts, vlogs, DJs spinning virtually, song associations, online karaoke, and concerts. If it’s music-related, we have seen it all…or have we? You would think that with all that entertainment happening in the online space, there wouldn’t be room for any more.

* Verzuz enters the chat room*. Verzuz TV, founded by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, was able to carve out space in this online noise and provide entertainment that attracts hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. The idea? To pair up musical legends/icons and have them “battle.” Such a simple concept that has managed to entertain us and leave us feeling high on life for the rest of the week.

Takeaway: Whether you are a personal or professional brand, please understand that the presence of other players in the market, doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for you. You are unique, your views and experiences are different, hence you will have a different perspective. You may look at the same situation through a different pair of lens and offer value that is lacking in some way, shape or form. You can offer or provide a product or service to the same niche as competitors but package it in a totally epic way. Get to work!

2. Booked as the Underdog, Show up as the Victor

For many, it was believed that this clash was merely going to be valued by the Caribbean region especially Jamaicans. After all, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, despite having illustrious careers both home and abroad are still not considered mainstream. A Jamaican artiste who is considered mainstream would be Sean Paul (outside of Bob Marley – whose 1977 album “Exodus” was named by Time Magazine as the “Album Of The Century”). The Beenie- Bounty clash was anticipated to add spice and variety to the battle line-ups but was never expected to attract the numbers it did.

Swizz Beatz commented, “Me and Timbaland might have to reset the bar… Jamaica which is thought of as a third world country represented as leaders in the world with almost 500,000 people I cried. We had the world in the building just with two icons from Jamaica celebrating each other. Jamaica won. It was a big, big ‘bashment’. What Beenie Man and Bounty Killer did tonight was iconic.”

Takeaway You are as big as you think your brand is. For many of us, we think little of ourselves. We underestimate the power we have and consider ourselves underdogs so we show up as such. We do the bare minimum because we have already counted ourselves out. We believe that our personal and professional brands are too small to make an impact. Ultimately, it’s our mindset, attitude, and approach that keep us being underdogs. Beenie Man and Bounty Killer reminded us that you don’t have to be a household name to be impactful. The online chat was a blue tick verified carpet and those DJs delivered. If you do what you love, deliver impeccably to your community or niche and you are great at what you do, it means that when the opportunity arises, you shouldn’t show up as the underdog, you show up as the victor and bet on yourself.

3. Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You

Hours and days after the battle, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer’s performance was reported as the “best Verzuz battle ever” all over the world. Every online platform you could imagine sang praises- Complex, Revolt, Los Angeles CBS local, The Voice UK, Billboard, and even CNN. Bruv…CNN!! Don’t believe me? Take a look Beenie Man and Bounty Killer compete in first reggae and in-person Verzuz battle on Instagram Live The patriot in me says “CNN welcome to the best show on earth, thanks for finally playing catching up” LOL. Even Spotify jumped on the bandwagon and some of us had to remind them that it was rather interesting that they “celebrated” our amazing music and artistes and yet deny Jamaica access to their service. But I digress…

Takeaway Beenie Man and Bounty delivered so well, surprised the hell out of so many, and had millions talking about them a week after. They were too good to be ignored. If you are building your brand and business, it is natural to yearn for the attention of credible platforms and notable people who will acknowledge and share your talent with their audiences. Some of you spend way too much time trying to get people in high places to like you. or notice you. Personally, I say build, build excellently and let your excellence be unconditional. It means that you operate at the highest level regardless of conditions, situations, where you are, or aren’t, who is watching or not. You build excellently regardless of how small or large your opportunities are, and you honour them all. Execute as if it’s your last performance, last show, last job. Be so damn good, that you cannot and will not be ignored.

4. Building A Brand is a Marathon

The Verzuz battle between Beenie Man and Bounty Killer was monumental. It ran for 2 hours inclusive of the warm-up “juggling” session. Beenie Man and Bounty Killer are 46 and 47 years old respectively. They both started their musical careers at extremely young ages and eventually took it seriously in their teens. Decades later they are regarded as icons, legends, veterans of Dancehall. Now in their 40s, they delivered a performance to locals and foreigners in a manner that showcased a golden timeline and highlighted a rich, deep and wide catalogue on both sides. To be honest, those of us who are fans of Beenie and Bounty will tell you that they scratched the surface. There were still so many songs left, but so little time. What I can tell you is that they were able to gain new fans.

Takeaway You have to put in the work. Brand building is ongoing. Brick by brick, step by step, task by task. You have to build that catalogue and that goes for any brand in any business. In a world that thrives on being insta-famous, and getting immediate gratification, being diligent and getting steady results over a period of time doesn’t seem appealing. However, it’s the insta-famous who don’t seem to be sustainable. There is no longevity or legacy. To be considered the best in the business, you have to be ready to run that marathon, to learn, improve and strengthen over the years. You have to be able to adjust, adapt and reinvent yourself while still being relevant. You must be able to consistently produce quality content or service that not only retains old loyal customers but continues to attract new ones. What Beenie man and Bounty KIller exhibited were personal brands that took the time to build a strong catalogue that when given the opportunity, they were able to deliver flawlessly. Don’t be the hare…be the tortoise.

5. Build an Evergreen Brand

475,000 watched the IG Livestream, Beenie and Bounty trended on Twitter, increased viewership across other streaming platforms, exploded on replays and had 1.25 billion impressions. It was official, they went viral, instantly, in different countries, spaces and languages. This is a creator’s dream. Currently, there are agencies and digital marketers trying to figure out how to make their content viral. The thing about viral content is that it has to be timely and relevant. It must get in front of the right audience and appeal to senses that urge users/viewers to share across platforms. In the ever-changing, noisy world we live in, viral content can have a 24-48 hour cycle. Then it’s on to the next thing. But let’s talk about evergreen content/brands. As much as Beenie and Bounty went viral, make no mistake, their performance will be added to a list of evergreen content. This term refers to content/brands that always remain relevant across time and generation. Footage of their performance will be used as reference points for years to come (locally and internationally) and will now be added to their already impressive repertoire.

Takeaway: In building your brand, it’s ok to create viral campaigns, they have their place but it must be complemented with long term vision, strategy, and execution. When you are trying to be the best, you must aim to be the standard, the reference, the thought leader or expert. To do that, your product, service, or talent must be evergreen.

6. Authenticity Trumps All

Bounty Killer and Beenie Man showed up in their authenticity, doing what they love, doing it well and setting the stage on fire. These two icons have ben rivals for years with two different styles. Bounty Killer aka Warlord, 5-Star General, Poor people Governor, Ghetto Gladiator. He has been one of the strongest voices in Dancehall representing underserved communities.For some, his lyrics were described as being too violent but he authentically told stories of the poor communities. His lyrics, persona and style have always aligned with his personal brand and beliefs. Beenie Man, over the years, unlike Bounty, had a brand persona that appealed largely to the women. He built a brand known as The Doctor, The Girls Dem Sugar and the ultimate King of the Dancehall. He knew how to make women lose their minds. Both have matured over the years, they have evolved and reinvented themselves but their music, style and persona have remained the same. What we witnessed from their performance is that

Takeaway In order to build a brand, it has to be rooted in authenticity. It means that everything you do and everything that is an extension of you will or should continue to reflect your core values. Bounty and Beenie carved out their spaces and despite the industry changing around the, they remained true to who they are and what they represent. It’s important to define your brand values, voice and integrity. Flip flopping and trying to be everything to everyone will damage the brand and jeopardise your fan base. When you operate in authenticity, you do what you love and you do it well, you cannot fail.

7. Brand Collaboration

Collaborations are to be win-wins. When it was announced that Beenie Man and Bounty Killer were going to be the headliners last week, the Verzuz IG page, saw an increase in fan following by 500,000 within six days and celebrated one million followers by the start of the showdown. Then after the showdown achieved 1.25 billion impressions. That is the power of brand equity. Fans of Beenie and Bounty, lovers of Dancehall and Reggae music, Caribbean people who were excited to see representation and global friends of Jamaicans opted into the Verzuz platform. But Verzuz wasn’t the only entity to benefit, Beenie and Bounty were exposed to a massive global audience- celebs, movers and shakers who have now become fans and brand advocates for Beenie and Bounty.

Takeaway Don’t underestimate the power of your personal brand. Smaller brands usually believe that the bigger brand has more to offer them and often times sell themselves short. In this case, Verzuz might have been deemed the “bigger brand” but look at the numbers Beenie Man and Bounty brought to the Verzuz platform. Regardless of how powerful or influential a potential partner is, regardless of who they are or what they offer, ensure that you know your value, your worth, and what you are bringing to the table.

Takeaway 2 When discussing potential collaborations, don’t be too quick to partner with just anyone. There are partnerships that tend to be one-sided or aren’t a good brand fit. Be discerning and ensure that the potential collaboration (regardless of who they are) aligns with those who echo your sentiments or who have similar brand values to yours. Ultimately, collaborations should enhance your brand, not dilute or jeopardize it.

8. Opportunity Favours the Prepared

Billboard announced Beenie Man as the winner but named Bounty Killer, the People’s Champ. See Billboard’s Scorecard and Winner For the Showdown. Billboard stated that ” While Beenie proved the more strategic selector, Bounty Killer’s off-the-cuff adlibs and manic energy — especially when he noticed Rihanna in the IG audience — kept the mood up.” What I want to highlight is the preparation that went into the clash from the set up to the attire to the presentation. But I want to single out Bounty Killer. He is the less popular of the two in terms of hitmaker, recognition and reach. He came with his hits just like Beenie, he has been a formidable rival for years- the ying to Beenie’s yang, however, Bounty was more prepared. In fact, between the friendly banter, he kept reminding Beenie and viewers that “he and Beenie are friends but he is here for the clash.” He came with two dubplates, a huge personality, ad-libs, a pallbearer theme, techno beat and dance to match LOL. Even though Beenie Man achieved way more streams after the Clash, Bounty received a 291% increase. The individual percentage impact on his brand was greater.

Takeaway Even if you are amazing at what you do, even if you could close your eyes and deliver well, there is something brand sexy and successful about preparation. When preparation meets opportunity, the results can be mind-blowing. Preparation is respecting your talent, craft, or brand. It is respecting the process, respecting the job and going all -in. It is paying attention to the smallest of details and leaving no room for error to create an unforgettable brand experience that separates you from everyone else.

Whether you are #TeamBeenie or #TeamBounty, they did us proud. My biggest takeaway is don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t try to be like anyone else. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” – Dr. Seuss.

This evening, Sunday, May 31, 2020, Verzuz TV will feature Gospel giants Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond. It won’t be a battle, but a celebration, a virtual hug, a little consolation for all the hurt that is being felt and expressed across America and the world as it relates to racism. I will be tuned in to receive the blessings and anointing. The lessons continue.

The post Beenie Man and Bounty Killer’s Brand Lessons appeared first on Terri-Karelle.

I got bored and stopped using it before I even started. In fact, I don’t even recall ever making a post. I abandoned LinkedIn and enjoyed building my personal brand across Instagram and Twitter instead. While I was on these platforms cultivating an awesome and supportive online community,  I didn’t realise that LinkedIn had evolved. 

I started using LinkedIn after I hosted a 2-day Digital Marketing Conference in Jamaica. An international speaker, Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang took a liking to me and asked that we remain in contact; she asked for my LinkedIn profile. My eyes tore open and I retorted “who uses LinkedIn?” She looked at me, and asked “who doesn’t use LinkedIn?”

Later on, I would find out that LinkedIn has 675 million active monthly users and that when people googled your name, your LinkedIn profile is almost always guaranteed to show up as one of your most prominent online profiles. YIKES! A profile with no photo and an outdated bio was out there representing the brand I was working so hard to build.  Dr. Ai insisted that I start using it; she was of the opinion that the wider world needed to experience my personal brand online. She assured me that I wouldn’t regret it if I posted with as much energy and expertise as I displayed as the host of the Conference.

I went home, thought about it, and then decided to audit the platform to understand it. I don’t believe in jumping into anything without doing research. Much to my surprise,  LinkedIn was appealing. It had become a massive, dynamic, professional platform. I suppose it was always THE professional platform but it had cool features, reaction buttons (like, love, curious, insightful, applause), LinkedIn Learning resources for those who had the premium package and it even had live streaming. Well, to be precise, not everyone gets access to LinkedIn Live and I am not sure when that feature will open up for everyone. After auditing for the week, I updated the profile photo, as well as bio and I started to post.  I doubled down and committed to posting twice a day for at least 6 months. When building a brand presence, consistency is key across all platforms.

Opportunities are waiting

It has now been a year and I have been invited to various countries like Grenada, Singapore, Bahamas, Dom Rep, and Barbados as a host or speaker, all because of my online presence on LinkedIn. It works, it really does and I recommend it to anyone who is trying to build a personal/professional brand. The opportunities are endless once, one positions well and has clarity about messaging and niche. 

I have had a year to observe, use, learn and grow and these are MY Top 13 things NOT to do if you are thinking of joining  LinkedIn:

First impressions matter

If you are coming from TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram etc. just be aware that LinkedIn is THE professional network. It is the only place that you will probably find so many highly, strategic users who are intentional about collaborating, hiring and connecting. Therefore this is not the platform for your bikini line, night out with your crew/squad or stories about your twisted, drunken escapades. Therefore try to avoid duck face selfies as profile pics. It doesn’t mean you should remove your authentic self or your personality. It just means that you have to practice “time and place for everything.” Look the part. Brush up your resume and update your profile and by that, I mean a clear, efficient and well- thought out profile. Outline your achievements and no, that doesn’t mean that you have to include your victory at your Grade 6 Sports Day. No one cares!

Quality over Quantity

When we think of platforms, we think that the vanity metrics (fan/follower numbers) are the order of the day. And I get it! Large numbers play on the human psyche and provides social proof to many, but they don’t always convert. It always comes down to quality over quantity.

Don’t try to connect to everyone hoping that by spreading a large net, you will somehow get more visibility. Linkedin maxes out at 30K connections. So ensure that whoever you are adding as a part of your trusted network aligns with whatever industry or interests you  have. Linkedin is definitely about niches and serving a specific purpose for a specific audience. Research industry, key persons in that field and connect accordingly. 20 solid connections are better than 200K who don’t care about what you do. Your personal brand simply won’t thrive. You also have the option of activating the follow button if you want to still have reach without threatening your connection numbers. When I actively joined in May last year, I strategically activated the follow button so that I could leave my connection requests for perfect brand fits.

Personalise messages

If you choose to connect with someone via a connection request, don’t just send an empty request, especially if you have had no cross talk online, no engagement under posts or anything. It reads like a cold call and you are more likely to be ignored. Eso no es bueno!  Instead, personalise your message and state why you think the connection might be mutually beneficial. You wouldn’t go to a corporate mingle, walk up to a stranger and say, let’s be friends. That usually happens after an introduction and conversation have taken place. Same principle. Connect, engage , explore.

Don’t Over tag

A common practice in the social media world is to tag people. Some users are no different on LinkedIn. The platform allows you to tag persons but don’t fall into the trap of tagging Linkedin influencers with the hopes that they will drive traffic back to your post. If they don’t align with your content, chances are they won’t respond. If they don’t respond or engage on your post, the LinkedIn algorithm will punish you. What does that mean? It will basically rank your profile /posts low and that will compromise your content visibility and reach. If people aren’t seeing your content, you can’t build your brand. TIP: If there is a justified reason to tag persons, don’t do it in your captions, do it in the comments section.

Comment Creeping

A great way to connect and build a brand as a thought leader is to leave meaningful comments on someone’s wall under their post. When you do  that, other persons in the network will regard your comment and will more likely review your profile. This doesn’t mean that you should comment randomly all over the place in the hopes of getting attention. It doesn’t mean that you should try to compete to make your comment better than the original post.That will also damage your brand because people will know what you are trying to accomplish. Position yourself and comments in a manner that shows your knowledge in a particular area and give valuable feedback. 

External Links

Would you typically go to a house party and then convince everyone to leave that party to go to another one? That would make you a rude house guest right? Well it’s the same thing when it comes to external links. If you want to accompany your captions with links of other platforms (e.g. Youtube, IG, your website etc.), place them in the comments section. If you use external links in the body of your post, think of it like this, the algorithm will get jealous that you are trying to send people elsewhere and will reduce your visibility and compromise your reach. 

Hard Sells and Forceful Pitches

No one and I mean no one likes a hard sell. We run from ads and salespersons every chance we get. So don’t spam persons timelines, direct messages or comments sections with hard pitches (especially if those persons don’t align with your area or industry). You will come across as tone deaf, aggressive and self-centred. Your personal brand might be perceived as desperate -looking to make a buck, rather than understanding your audience’s problems, listening and offering solutions in an organic manner. Hard pitches hurt your brand and visibility, especially if people start reporting you as spam. Try storytelling instead.

It’s not about you, it’s about your audience

Users celebrate their victories and wins and there is nothing wrong with that. Whether it is a graduation, landing a big deal, learning a new skill etc. we genuinely root and celebrate those milestones. However, the users on the platform are more interested and intrigued by who you help or how you serve or how you solve their issue.  They want to know what advice you can offer your network and how they can possibly collaborate. Avoid over indulging in self promotion. The more you help your community, the better brand building you will do. People will lean in to you to learn more.

Don’t embellish your personal brand

Be honest! And this goes for all platforms. You are trying to build brand trust and credibility. The world is infinitesimally small. Users connect across the platform and even across industries. You would be surprised to know how they lean on each other for advice and they also seek valuable feedback about other users’ work ethics. If you embellish or lie to create a false impression, you will damage your personal brand on the most powerful business platform in the world. 

Bots won’t beat human connection

Some users utilise automated platforms that allow them to send automated invitation requests or leave automated responses, messages etc. We get that you might want to be more efficient , to cover more ground and the robot tool will get the job done, but users don’t like it. It comes across as disingenuous. After all you aren’t really connecting or engaging, you are letting a robot do that. Scheduling issues can also cause the release of a post with no relevance. It reads as spam and you already know what the algorithm is going to do to your content visibility and connection opportunity.     

Resharing Instead Of Creating Content

There is nothing wrong with resharing content that you value. We have all done it across other platforms. We stumble across an amazing post and feel the need to share it with our community. This is cross pollination however, some users’ content only consist of reshares. They don’t even attempt to create their own. If you decide to do that, you will basically send a clear message that your community (the one you are trying to build) should go follow the other people instead. You have to have a nice balance. At least 90% your original content and 10% reshare. (those stats are my concept, I am not sure if there is actually an expert standard). All I am saying is that you can’t build your personal brand as an expert when all you are doing is resharing other people’s expertise consistently.   

Inconsistent Content

Worry less about beating the algorithm to get more reach across the platform. Concentrate more on communicating who you are, what you do, what your values are and what value you offer consistently ~ the community, opportunities and conversion will come organically. Your content must be quality. It must be something that is different, thought provoking, interesting, exciting, relevant etc. The better your content, the more engagement you receive. The more engagement you receive, the more the platform rewards you and boosts your visibility. It is saying that your content deserves to be seen by more people. You do this by ensuring that you are knowledgable, effective in your communication and targeted.

It’s LinkedIn not Love Island

We know that where humans gather on or offline, attraction is bound to take place. However, respect is due across all platforms. I thought that this point would have been a given but I guess not. The culture of slipping into the DMs has a different meaning and more serious consequence on LinkedIn. A direct message is really about business opportunities, collaborations, partnerships and recruitment. Avoid inappropriate sexual advances or comments. I have never experienced it personally, however, I have seen screenshots, rightful condemnation and destruction of personal accounts. Try and keep it professional. If you admire someone on the platform, be decent in your communication. You have a lot to lose if you come across as a pervert.

I hope this helped if you are considering using LinkedIn. It will feel strange at first, especially if you are accustomed to the other social media platforms. Pace yourself, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Be mindful of guidelines but don’t leave your personality and uniqueness behind. Those are your superpowers and they will help you to stand out on a very active and large platform.

If you come over, let’s grab a virtual coffee over on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrikarelle/ If you would like to book a discovery call, let’s connect https://terrikarelle.com/services/

Cheers,

TK

The post Your Personal Brand -13 Things Not To Do On LinkedIn appeared first on Terri-Karelle.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to be a panelist at CoWork Ja’s Fireside Chat series discussing “Influencer Marketing: A Shift From Who to How”. Kamila McDonald, Romone Robinson, Kemar Highcon, Kristofferson Nunes and I shared some practical advice for both individuals who want to become influencers, as well as for companies wishing to engage them.

I got such great feedback from the event, I thought I’d share some of the key takeaways for anyone considering this path or already on it.

“INFLUENCERS”:

•  Know who you are, what you represent and what your core values are. Authenticity is the best thing you could ever choose to operate in!
• After having figured out the aforementioned, know who you are serving, i.e. your audience/community. Who are you talking to and how do you plan on serving them? Have a good idea of who you are trying to attract and then LOVE your tribe/niche.
• Develop a credible reputation by being consistent with your brand messaging. You cannot be everything to everyone! You can display different things about your other interests and pursuits, but they must all be rooted in your consistent brand messages. 
• Don’t use your audience when it is convenient. The most impactful influencers love their community members and care about their well-being. When you show up for them, you must respect and value their participation in your community. Social media is vast and noisy, be reminded that they have options. Therefore when they opt into your content, put some respect on their names!
• Focus on the engagement and welcome the feedback. Don’t worry about vanity metrics such as likes and followers. Quality is better than quantity any day of the week! Often times your audience steers you in the direction and gives suggestions of how to enhance your content.
• Show up consistently with your content. If you don’t take your content seriously, no one else will. Fans/followers unfollow, disengage and disconnect if your content is haphazard. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
•  “Be wary of the Greeks when they come bearing gifts.” As your numbers grow, you will naturally command attention (whether you like it or not) which means that brands (companies and individuals) will start to send gifts, propose collaborations, ambassadorships and possible endorsements in order to get to the captive audience you have worked so diligently to attain. Don’t be quick to accept things, don’t be quick to sell out your soul and community for brands that don’t seek to enhance your platform but rather take from it. Try to align with those who echo your sentiments or who have similar brand values. When you have a standard, your community and other brands will respect it. 
• If you choose to engage with a company or brand, set your terms and conditions. Remember this is your audience, you stand to lose the most if the deal goes south. Don’t have companies brand all over your page and ask for a ridiculous amount of posts if they are not paying for that level of access and exclusivity.
• Be creative. Lawks, please don’t pose like staged mannequins with branded products and disconnected captions. It isn’t natural and screams ad- you know, the same ads that people are trying to skip. You know your audience best (or at least you should) so you should know how best to communicate to your audience that is mutually beneficial to your client and community.

Influencer Marketing and “BRANDS”:

Local companies are still very clueless when it comes to understanding and respecting influencer marketing. They assume that a one size-fits all non-strategy will help boost their visibility and campaign. 

Where do I even begin with the companies, let me count the ways: 

• Actually research the term Influencer Marketing. Familiarise yourself with what it actually is before engaging “influencers”. You look ill-prepared and out of touch when you throw around words but don’t have a clue about its practical use.
• Research the influencer you want to engage with in order to propose an effective campaign. Do your homework! You want to ensure that that influencer actually represents the company’s brand values as well. It will be a crisis management situation if you engage an influencer who might be popular but serves absolutely no purpose and might even tragically bring disrepute to your brand.
• Do not use recycled influencers. For the love of God, please do not use the same people who are constantly rotated and recycled on social media for a variety of brands. The optics are terrible and your campaign won’t be effective because 1) your brand will probably get lost amongst all the others that the influencer is already promoting. 2) an influencer who is used by everyone literally dilutes his/her brand credibility and by extension dilutes your brand experience.
• Do not just look at the vanity metrics! They don’t mean a thing. I am particularly asking for the agencies who “advise” clients to not rely solely on likes and follower numbers. Choose influencers that may even be micro-influencers who may be more effective for your client’s brand. Some people have bought those likes and followers. Trust me you don’t want to spend bucks on bots (just saying). Look at engagement and actually ask for insights before you engage. Again, quality vs quantity!
• Respect others’ platforms and communities. Influencers have created content at their expense – investing time, effort, equipment, etc. to create and curate content and build their audience. Then all companies only want to do is offer them free samples or free tickets. Come again?! The same respect and budget you put into traditional marketing, make allotments for influencer marketing. Everything has a value and that value even if it can be negotiated, should be respected. Global companies do it and so should you! 
• Be creative. Don’t stick a product in the hand of a beautiful influencer, give them a cheesy caption to copy and paste, then brand the photo with your logo. Influencer marketing is about the soft sell, organic, relatable and hopefully authentic. Please stop using hard-sell tactics on digital platforms. Instead, come with a strategy based on your product/service, what you have researched on the influencer, and your target audience. BTW, to “pick an influencer’s brain” to conceptualize your company’s strategy comes at a cost. You pay your agencies, so pay influencers who develop creative concepts for you. 

Take a look at some of the (hilarious) photos from the event

The post Influencer Marketing Isn’t Dead, We Just Do It Wrong appeared first on Terri-Karelle.

1. Personal vs Professional Pages

There is nothing wrong with having a personal/private page separate from a professional one but don’t get it twisted, customers don’t just do business with brands anymore, they want to know who is behind the brands and they want to get a sense of what the person (CEO, M.D., Chairman down to the line staff) stands for personally. Do not treat your pages as if they do not affect each other. It only takes one wrong post on a private page to ruin the professional side. Therefore remember that personal views (whether political, social, racial, gender etc.) on private pages will be measured against the company’s values. Once there is an association with the company brand, you both are always on show and as such, whether private or profession, the two must speak the same brand language.

Click here to read the rest of this article on LinkedIn

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