Faces, Spaces and Places In My (Digital) Life

Maybe it's because I read David Remnick's thoughtful portrait of Paul McCartney in The New Yorker.

But I woke up this morning and couldn't get The Beatles' In My Life out of my head.

So I played it a few times during some errands.

To me, the song is memorable because ... well, because it's The Beatles, and it has evocative lyrics and a soulful tune.

It's also memorable on a meta level since it's all about reflecting on the people who made a mark on our lives.

Of course, it was released in the mid-60s, long before the advent of streaming and social media.

Yet it got me thinking: how do we create a memorable digital encounter today?

Get Back ... to Basics

I don't think that's easy. For one thing, you have to break through all the online clutter and noise.

And you need to embrace the basics by thinking about the way you present and express yourself and how well you listen.

Consider what your actions say to the person on the other end of the encounter and how they reflect your attitude, attentiveness and approachability.

You can start by paying attention to:

1. Faces
2. Spaces
3. Places

1. Faces

Think of your face as the image that shows who you are and by extension what you stand for. It could be your actual face (on a webinar or video call) or your logo, branding or avatar. What do people perceive when they begin an interaction? Are you open, funny, helpful, wise? Or are you more of an expressionless shell? How you present your authentic self is the gateway to getting people to understand, empathize and trust you.

2. Spaces

Here I'm referring to the space where your customers engage with you and your brand. How inviting is it? If someone finds you, are they greeted by a jarring popup that might scare them away or are they welcomed warmly? When you're on video, think about your background and how it reinforces your personality and story. That gives your customers a shorthand that makes them feel at home.

3. Places

This refers to the channels where you choose to be active. It could be your website, social media accounts, email, a newsletter like this one. You can't be everywhere at the same time so it's important to prioritize the places you'll be active and where your customers can find you. And it goes without saying, that should start where your customers already are.

Face, Space, Place on Digital Marketing Trends

Faces, spaces and places is also what I talk about in this week's Digital Marketing Trends video. From the increased length of Instagram Reels to co-hosts on Twitter Spaces to marking and sharing your places on SnapMaps, it's all about the who, what and where of social media.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Time for a Virtual Celebration and LinkedIn Premium Giveaway

I'm going to close this week's newsletter by sharing an exciting milestone: we just reached 300,000 subscribers!

Cue the virtual streamers and champagne.

And I want to say a big THANK YOU! to all of you who've signed up, commented, shared, liked or just dropped by to read my bi-weekly musings. I'm thrilled, humbled and excited! And I hope you'll continue.

To mark the occasion, I have 10 three-month LinkedIn Premium passes to give away.

The premium account gives you access to the full LinkedIn Learning library of courses, added metrics around who's looking at your profile, inMail credits to help you connect, additional job info and more.

Here's How to Enter

In the comments section, please respond by telling me: What digital marketing trend had the biggest impact on your business this past year and why?

The first 10 people to reply will get one of the passes.

Good luck and happy networking!

Connect With Martin

And with that, it looks like we've come to the end of the celebration known as issue #42.

Be sure to reach out if you have questions about any of the videos in Digital Marketing Trends, or my other?LinkedIn Learning courses.

And if you want to find me, follow me on?LinkedIn?or?Twitter.

Or visit?my website?and send a message or a question.

You might also enjoy the?Inside PR?podcast I co-host with?Gini Dietrich?and?Joe Thornley.

And speaking of ideas, if you've got any you'd like me to cover in my next newsletter, be sure to send them my way.

Thank you again for reading and subscribing!

And thanks also to the team at LinkedIn who has supported and encouraged me along the way including: Stephanie Evans, Kate Gagnon, Toby Malina, Max Wong, and my first producer, Melissa Lalum, who set the stage for it all way back when.

I thought I'd wrap things up with an entertaining clip of Paul McCartney and James Corden doing a special version of carpool karaoke in Liverpool.

Enjoy! See you next time.