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What day is it? We’re not exactly certain…we recently came back from ProMat in Chicago, and we’re in a bit of a daze. But in the best way! We learned so much and met so many people! We can’t wait to share all of our incredible interviews with you!
However, one conversation definitely stood out from the rest– at least to us. Why? It was a confirmation of what we’ve been saying for months.
Videos and LinkedIn marketing can help you and your industrial company build your personal brand like nothing else.
If there are two things we like to talk about on this show, it’s videos and LinkedIn. Both were major friends according to our Sales & Marketing Report for Manufacturers this past January.
1. “I SHARED IT LIKE CRAZY.”
One of the best moments of the Chicago trip was when we reconnected with TJ Tweddle of Hoppecke, whom we interviewed last year at MODEX.
One year ago, TJ was a brand new sales rep with very few contacts who was still learning the ropes at his new job. MODEX was his very first trade show.
But, he was young and hungry and ready for anything– which is why he stopped our camera crew last year. Once our video of his interview was complete, he posted it on LinkedIn with a blog article of his own and pushed the link everywhere he could.
He asked friends and family to share; he posted it all over his social media accounts; and he did his best to use it whenever and wherever possible.
And guess what?
2. “I DOUBLED MY NETWORK.”
Of all the interviews with multi-million-dollar companies we may have conducted, TJ’s interview was actually the video that got the most views and the most attention. His network expanded and he made dozens of new professional connections.
That didn’t happen for larger businesses who let the videos sit in one place. We gave them all the resources and guidelines, but nothing came of it. You can lead a horse to water and all that.
And just to reiterate– these videos were free. The interviews were free. The embed codes to the videos were free.
We didn’t take a dime when creating these interviews: we even sent follow-up instructions telling all these companies how to maximize their videos to get the best return!
But most of them did very little. TJ, however, knocked it out of the park.
Videos can be major digital assets, whether you’re in a minor or major company. They can be extremely inexpensive (you’ve probably got a high-quality camera in your pocket right now). However, if you do nothing with them, they will do nothing for you.
The important thing, as we learned recently when talking to Chris Luecke, is to get started– and to keep at it. The majority of your competitors won’t begin, or they’ll stop after two or three tries.
Tactics like building your personal brand on LinkedIn with videos are one of the main reasons why “young whippersnappers” like TJ are rapidly accelerating in the industrial space. Digital techniques are accelerating smaller companies and younger individuals to nearly equal status with industrial titans who spent years earning their spotlight.
If your company isn’t learning to accelerate alongside everyone else, then you’ll soon find yourself falling behind.
Take it from TJ– LinkedIn videos are absolutely worth it.
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If there’s a particular topic that you’d like for us to talk about, or if you have a particular a challenge that you’d like us to take a crack at, send us an email. We’d be happy to answer them for you – and if your topic gets picked for a future episode, you’ll win a free IndustrialSage t-shirt!
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