What if there were no Beatles?

“Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today,”

Can you imagine if the Beatles never existed? ???? The makers of the film “Yesterday” did, a brilliant movie where all but 3 people in the world remember the great works of the Beatles after a worldwide blackout.

It was just a movie, but can you imagine? Really? ?? What if John Lennon and Paul McCartney had never met? What if JK Rowling never looked beyond her situation and never penned Harry Potter?? Imagine if Thomas Edison had quit after 999 attempts to invent the lightbulb (note: he succeeded after 1000 tries….) ????

These creators weren’t afraid to put their art out there, for others to judge and critique.? All in the service of their audiences. ??

I’ve heard it said that to hold back our gifts from the world is an act of selfishness. These are pretty harsh words, but the opposite of selfish is selfless. Something #contentcreators all aspire to be. ???

Content Creators like:

?? Clare Carroll #contentangel, she’s also creating a platform to ensure content is accessible to everyone, through the use of captions on video

?? Fanny Dunagan - her video creation is top-notch, I love her work!??

?? Gillian Whitney - another video superstar, and her use of Bitmoji’s adds fun and personality to her content

?? Ilia Francis - the short-form video Goddess - she’s using short-form Tik-tok style videos to talk about branding and LinkedIn - she’s such an inspiration!

While not as famous as John Lennon, these content creators are selfless with their art.?

Something all of us should aspire to be.? Me…. and you. ??

My friend, if you have a desire to create, take a note from those that have gone before you. Create without fear, create and give selflessly of your gifts and talents to your community. You may not impact and influence millions, but you were meant to impact others; audiences big and small want to learn and be inspired. People want to hear from you, learn from you, be inspired by you. ???

I can’t imagine a world without you. ????

To your voice and your gifts, ?????

-Leanne

?? Book of the Week - Taking the Work out of Networking: An Introvert’s Guide to Making Connections that Count, by Karen Wickre.? I’ve only just started the book, but I’m really enjoying it! ?? It not only validates what I thought of networking as a fellow introvert, but also provides some additional tips on how to navigate the networking scene. ????

While this feature may not be “new” its a great time of year to polish up on your Features inside your LinkedIn Featured Section. ??

?? The Featured Section is a great place to add visual elements to your profile. Whether you’re using your profile to grow your personal brand, find employment or showcase your product or service, the Featured Section is like a “highlight” reel for you. ??

What can you add to LinkedIn’s Featured Section to showcase your personal brand?

1. Link to your long-form content base – this could be your website, blog, podcast platform or YouTube channel.? If you are posting valuable content consistently on a long-form platform base, this is a great place to direct your audience to engage with you outside of the LinkedIn platform. ??Tip! Sometimes LinkedIn won’t display your link in a visually appealing way.? If it just doesn’t look right, consider creating an image with your website address.? The image will help with engagement and hopefully attract them to move through to the website.
2. Link to your most popular LinkedIn posts that show your thought leadership – Have some of your LinkedIn posts performed better than others?? You can copy the link to that post and add it to your Featured Section!
3. Link to a PDF created that outlines your services and offerings – create a visually appealing PDF that shows how you serve your community, and include that in your Featured Section.??Tip!? Less is more.? While the document is a PDF, it serves more as a collection of images.? Keep your PDF pages clean and clutter-free to create a easy-to-read opportunity for your audience.
4. Link to your call-to-action – Be it to book an appointment with you or to a resource that they can download, including the “next logical step” in their journey with you is a great feature on your Featured Section.? ??Tip! Create an appealing image to accompany your CTA in the Featured section
5. Link to articles and publications – whether they are articles that you wrote for other publications, or articles in which you are featured, link to these brand-builder assets in your Featured Section!?? Tip! Turn one of your most popular blog posts into a LinkedIn article, and then attached that to your LinkedIn Featured Section
6. Link to your company’s LinkedIn page – If your company has an active LinkedIn presence, add a call-to-join your company page in your Featured Section. Ensure your company page is active, and has some content that would appeal to your target audience.?? Tip! Help out your marketing department and give them some content to post on the Company page that would appeal to your ideal client.
7. Link to your Newsletter!!!! If you’ve just started your newsletter, add a link to encourage readership and subscribers. I’ve added Brand New You to my Featured Section, which you can see here.

Take a quick tour through the Featured Section and its “features” in the video below: ????

??? April 4-9, 2022 #OttawaMeetWeek in Ontario Canada - a plethora of events around the #meetings industry to take part in including:

• Shop for Love - a 2-day professional consignment showcase to help raise funds for the MPI Foundation, and protect the environment (I love love love consignment, I can’t wait for this!?
• The one-day partner showcase at Tete a Tete
• The Reveal Social - the industry party that will bring Canadian destinations and planners together for the ultimate networking event
• For the introverts that prefer a quieter setting to connect, the CansPep Happy Hour on April 6th?
• PCMA’s GMID Lunch and Learn - April 7th
• Celebrate GMID with MPI Ottawa

?? What exactly is GMID?? Global Meetings Industry Day is a celebration of the meetings and events industry.? What started in Canada as National Meetings Industry Day many moons ago has morphed into a global celebration of our industry.??

?? To find local events, you can check out your local MPI Chapter, PCMA Chapter, ILEA Chapter, or you can take part in MPI’s 12 hours of Programming on April 7th!

??REGISTER NOW! MPI’s WEC is heading to sunny California!! ??#WECSanFrancisco runs June 21-24 and will feature ground-breaking sessions around event design, contract negotiations, event wellness, and even a couple of LinkedIn sessions with Dawn Rasmussen and yours truly!!

Speaking of Dawn, Dawn is one of my many talented and smart friends lending their expertise to #WECSanFrancisco in June.? Other session experts include:

?? Ciara Feely - Sales expert and one of my mentors!

?? David Allison - Value Graphics Founder and visionary

?? MaryAnne Bobrow - experienced event planner and strategic consultant

?? Tara Liaschenko - event planner, facilitator and speaker

Check out the full roster of speakers hitting the stage at WEC here!

Often what can trip us up about our brands is all in how we can get started.? My friend, I have GOOD NEWS, you possess strengths and skills when it comes to your brand, and if you’re looking at how you can best get started, my friend, start with what you know.

Inside of all of us is the ability to help others through our personal brands. ?? While your gift may need some dusting off, its there, waiting for you to explore and share it with your community.

Some of us are:

??Natural storytellers

??Driven by our value system

??Content creators and givers

??Recognizable in a sea of sameness

??Crystal clear on who we serve

When it comes to amplifying our brands, leading with our Superpower strength is a great place to start engaging and helping our community members! ???Your brand can only go up from there! ??

Have you been leaning into your Personal Branding Strength or Superpower?? Learn more about YOUR Superpower here.

Wishing you branding success, and really good tea, ???

-Leanne

https://ottawameetweek.ca/