Ian Shields’ Post

Sunshine, laughter, and brainstorming with over 50+ marketers? That's the recipe for a perfect summer meetup! ☀️ New ideas spark, fundamentals are reinforced, and cutting-edge strategies take flight. At Activate's recent Marketer Meetup, one term that sparked conversation (for some it was a familiar friend, for others a new acquaintance) was Smarketing—the seamless alignment between sales and marketing. ✨ Imagine your ideal summer beach day. 🏖 Marketing has set the scene with stunning visuals, luring potential customers in with the promise of relaxation. Sale is able swoop in like a friendly lifeguard, ready to answer questions and ensure a smooth experience. The whole team is working together to build strong customer relationships. Then there are those who feel it’s more like getting a sunburn—disconnected and struggling to find who forgot the umbrella. From panelists to attendees, the consensus is that the key to success lies in constant communication. This partnership isn't a handoff; it's a HANDSHAKE 🤝 —a commitment to open communication and shared goals.

This moment gave me chills! ☃️ A few weeks ago, I had a PartnerOutreach.io kickoff call with an awesome SaaS brand. Two people joined: → VP of Partnerships → Head of Brand They both had different goals, unique to their departments. But during the call, we found a way how they can support each other. Here's how: 📝 A blog post where they'll feature thought leaders from their industry. This approach will: → Make a fantastic piece of content (VP of Brand is happy) → Start conversations with potential partners (VP of Partnerships is happy) Talk about a win-win. The brainstorming, the ideas, the exchange… I left the call so energized and pumped to launch the project. 🤩 Have you considered creating content with your ideal partners or customers? How did it go? - PS: This picture was taken last year by Alina Zaidullina in Nice, France... 📸 Can't wait to visit again! (And yeah, the image has nothing to do with the post)

5 Reasons MnSearch Summit 2024 is the Must-Attend Event of the Year: 😴 No Boring Speeches Allowed - We’ve banned all snooze-fest lectures. Only dynamic, caffeinated content here! 🤓 Network Without Awkwardness - We promise networking events that are less 'awkward prom night' and more 'finding your tribe'. 💻 Escape the Office - Perfect excuse to wear something other than that one Zoom-appropriate shirt. 👑 Real-World Tools, No Fairytales - Because your marketing strategy shouldn't rely on magic beans or fairy dust. 👕 Free Swag! - Because everyone loves free stuff, and let’s be honest, it’s a great conversation starter.

Exciting update from my recent venture into video outreach! 🚀 After embracing a new approach to outreach, particularly in the realm of video, I decided to put the strategy into action. Here's what unfolded over an impressive 4-day period: - Sent out 62 personalized videos 🤯 - Achieved a remarkable 58% open rate with 36 videos viewed - Received responses from 18% of recipients - Successfully booked 4 meetings! 🎉 - The results speak for themselves - a 1 in 3 response rate for those who engaged. It's a game-changer compared to traditional cold emails. The key? Recording each video natively in the LinkedIn app. This not only ensures a personalized touch for each prospect but also significantly lowers resistance to open, as there's no link or third-party application involved. The power of video in cold outreach is undeniable, and I'm thrilled to share these success metrics. Looking forward to more impactful conversations and nurturing relationships for future opportunities. Let's keep elevating our outreach game! A huge thanks to the incredible team over at Pointer especially Ricky Pearl & Cameron Morgan for imparting their knowledge and expertise. Your guidance was invaluable! #VideoOutreach #SalesSuccess #engagement #Safety #healthandsafety #salesdevelopment Evotix

💜🧡 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨! 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰! 🧡💜 Don’t worry, we’re not barking… 🐶 Bullhorn’s Engage Boston 2024 will take place next week (May 14-15) and on each of those days SourceFlow CEO Matt Comber will be hosting a morning run club. Networking’s not all about drinks and tech. We believe this run club will be a great way to start each day of a great event. Several other lovely sponsors and partners have already signed-up to join the pack: 🏃♀️➡️ CloudCall - Laura & Nadine 🏃🏻♂️➡️ Odro - Ryan  🏃➡️Chat Automation Ltd - Dries 🏃♂️➡️SourceWhale - Dougie 🏃🏻♂️➡️ Candidate.ly - Jan  🏃➡️ Kyloe Partners - Your Bullhorn specialists - Raymond If you’re attending Engage this year, you’re welcome to join us. You can find out all the details for the runs here 👉https://lnkd.in/eJxNQYQQ Feel free to just show up or DM Matt with any questions. P.s. Don’t forget to sniff out our stand at Engage. We’ll be talking about the beautifully-designed industry-leading websites and careers portals we build for staffing and recruitment firms. #BullhornEngage #ForwardTogether #recruitmentmarketing #recruitmentwebsites #recruitment #staffing

Want to stay ahead of the competition but not sure where to start? Here are some simple strategies to try. ➡️ Focus on building new leads ➡️ Provide solutions to your customers – not just products ➡️ Hire friendly staff who love interacting with customers ➡️ Go digital and expand your opening hours ➡️ Support your local community to get your name out there ➡️ Take advantage of social media Follow us for more business tips and tricks! #MarketingAdvice #SmallBusinessMarketing #MarketingTips

WHEW! Just wrapped up back-to-back Zoom convos with two groups of KAPs - an opportunity to discuss the basics of LinkedIn! I started posting aggressively on this platform for Stand Together Internal Comms about a year and a half ago. I'm far from an expert, but I'm making progress every day! I've scored some wins and learned some important lessons, for sure! Mostly, through my experience I've become increasingly convinced that connecting with colleagues on public platforms like LinkedIn should be part and parcel of just about any org's internal comms strategy. Social media isn't a replacement for all-staff emails, events, and a robust intranet, but it sure is a valuable complementary tactic! After all - the name of the game in communications is attention - we gotta meet people where they're at! It was great hearing from these talented social entrepreneurs, doers, and problem solvers today. Thanks again for the invite Cody Green & Sally Hoffmann! Always a pleasure supporting your efforts! See you in a few weeks at the upcoming KAP Innovation Summit! PS Thanks to everyone who replied to my earlier request today for feedback on where and how my LinkedIn posts create value - we scrolled through all your comments in each session and it helped illustrate the "why" behind my efforts. See: https://lnkd.in/ebc4PfvU #BelieveInPeople #internalcommunications #internalcomms #socialmedia #communications #culture

The wrong impression may have been given this morning. I mentioned we'd been fortunate enough to agree 2 new partnerships exclusively from our outreach efforts over the last 2 months. Which is true. What I might have suggested is that this is all we've secured during that period. And if I did, let me correct that. Because its false. Training packages. Groups members. Management collaborations. All acquired through inbound enquires and referrals from amazing people. The real message throughout all of this is clear... Effective content + Clever direct messaging = Happy days. Use all the platforms features in harmony. Not just the easy ones. Stay Unconventionall.

Is our increased connectivity in the digital realm truly enhancing productivity, or is it simply making us feel more inundated with tasks? The rise of platforms such as Trello, Monday.com, and Slack, each designed to streamline productivity and foster communication, yet becoming billion-dollar industries, raises the question. This may be a testament to our inherent need for social interaction. This notion fuels the energy behind Total Product Expo, the premier B2B trade show in the industry, steered by the seasoned Senior Sales and Development Manager, Dawn Conger. Check out HQ’s latest on Total Product Expo and the Power of In-Person Networks!

Real life connection is powerful 💪 Today I attended the Open House and Expo Event at The_Trackbr where local businesses came together to promote their work. As humans we gravitate towards people with the same values and there are those who we feel most aligned with. This is where the magic happens. ✨ Online we often focus on numbers, “I’ve only got x number of followers” But, put it this way, if you had 100 people in a room and you got the chance to connect with them and understand them, their wants & needs, that would be hugely valuable. So online, we need to approach building relationships in the same way, gaining trust and listening, being constructive and helpful. It doesn’t happen overnight and it shouldn’t be forced. It’s all about quality and genuine, long-term relationships. How do you feel about this? Let me know 👇 Thanks also to Seaglow Media for my fabulous banner🤩 #networking #paidsocial #digitalmarketing