Photo Credit: by Tony Faustino
Personalized invitations in LinkedIn’s Mobile App became available on iOS and Android smartphones on December 17, 2015. Yay!
A hat tip and Thank You to Stuart Rosenthal for tweeting me and Imrich Tatiersky when this important LinkedIn Mobile App feature went live!
Tweet From Stuart Rosenthal on LinkedIn’s Mobile App
Here are step-by-step instructions for iOS / iPhones when personalizing our LinkedIn Invitations with the latest version of LinkedIn’s Mobile App.
Humans Are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will by Geoff Colvin is an inspiring book about how and what we can individually do to prepare ourselves and our children for the 21st century workplace revolution happening before our eyes.
White Collar Middle Management Ranks Will Continue Disappearing At An Accelerated Rate. Geoff’s detailed, fact-based research is sobering. Continuous advances in software design, machine learning, and artificial intelligence results in the need for fewer, white collar workers.
Remember, white collar workforces? MBA-types, MD-types, JD-types, aka the left-brain masters of the universe?
Cognitive, analytical work is on an accelerated chopping block. Increasing automation and computing power means replacing humans isn’t isolated to blue collar Americans.
A Phenomenon Extending Beyond Decades-Old Outsourcing. Why? Because machines do old-school, cognitive, and analytical work better than humans. That prowess IS EXACTLY what machines do better.
Photo Credit: Anton Diaz
Hi Social Media ReInvention Community. Sorry for not publishing and keeping in touch over the last few months. Some personal hiccups derailed and distracted me. Writing about these share-worthy links and sharing my take on why you’ll find them valuable is part of the process to get myself on track. (more…)
To say today’s #AppleLive stream event went poorly is an understatement. I tried to watch from my iPhone, but the audio glitches with simultaneous translation and poor video quality made it unwatchable. Apparently, I wasn’t alone in my frustration:
Instead, I monitored the Twitter streams of the Wall Street Journal’s Johanna Stern, Geoffrey Fowler, Daisuke Wakabayashi, Brian Fitzgerald, and Wilson Rothman. Kudos to them for providing the real-time support and updates #AppleLive failed to deliver.
Apple acquired Topsy in December 2013. It was a brilliant move to bolster their real-time and mobile capabilities in their products and services because consumers live in a one-screen world. So with all this rich Twitter data, why isn’t real-time Twitter communications with its rabid fanbase a strategic priority among senior leadership?
Let’s examine how Apple’s Senior’s Leadership used Twitter during the biggest and most important live event in the company’s history in five (5) years:
It shocks me Apple’s top digital talent posted a total of four (4) tweets during the live event. 4. That’s it. Why was he silent during the #AppleLive stream meltdown? Why wasn’t he communicating with fans during this crisis?
The media hype teed up this event as an unprecendented public relations coup for Apple. Didn’t Apple remember the negative criticism it and other Silicon Valley royalty received in recent months about gender imbalance and lack of diversity?
Therefore, why wasn’t Angela Ahrendts a visible part of the whole damn event and the introduction of Apple’s most important product in recent memory? She transformed Burberry into one of the most coveted and successful global luxury brands. The Apple Watch pricing is clearly positioned for the luxury demographic.
Instead, we get this. One (1) tweet. Are you kidding me????? Why was one of the world’s greatest marketers silently sitting on the sideline????
The #AppleLive stream disaster exposed the consequences of Apple deciding not to participate in real-time communications during the Steve Jobs era. Sadly, they’re continuing on the same path with Tim Cook.
Smart competitors will capitalize on this opening. If you can’t compete on size and brute force, compete on speed and agility. That’s how David beat Goliath.
Bonus #1: Check out Dan Munro‘s LinkedIn post: Apple’s Colossal Marketing Mix
Bonus #2: Read Emmanuel Kolade‘s LinkedIn post: Apple Pay – Why Apple is Giving 500 Million People a U2 Album for Free
Bonus #3: See Georgia Wells‘ Wall Street Journal article: ‘Songs of Innocence’ Giving You Vertigo? Remove U2′s Free Album From iTunes
Bonus #4: Go to this Apple Support page to remove U2’s “Songs of Innocence” album from your iTunes Music Library and Purchases:
If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
If Yes, Grab Some Coffee (Because This is a Long Post). Social Media ReInvention Community Members know of the tremendous respect I hold for Mitch Joel. His books and art have tremendous influence on my marketing strategy and creative perspective.
CTRL ALT Delete Is a Gift on 21st Century Career Leadership and Opportunity Management. Mitch frames and delivers his compelling arguments in two (2) sections:
1. Reboot: Business – The 5 Massive Movements
2. Reboot: You – The 7 Triggers
Yes, his book describes corporate and marketing strategy opportunities impacting organizations (big or small). Yes, his book contains important personal branding / personal reputation implications.
But, all twelve (12) principles focus on individually identifying and framing opportunity (and having the collective or individual courage to pursue it).
We All Have the Opportunity to Differentiate Ourselves and Lead. CTRL ALT Delete's resounding themes are to:
That's why our futures depend upon studying and practicing CTRL ALT Delete's teachings. Others with vaster audiences and authority than mine share that opinion.
Invest in Yourself and Buy CTRL ALT Delete. Here are four (4) important questions Mitch Joel asks about building competitive advantages to reboot our organizations and individual careers:
Creating a Unique Competitive Advantage. Direct relationships as a competitive advantage (versus price) is best described by these CTRL ALT Delete quotes (page 11) on how Apple executes its retail strategy:
The solution for Apple was to create a "cradle to the grave" business model where the customer is–at every touch point–directly speaking with Apple's brand. A true, direct relationship–in every sense of the word. Apple could not win on price (their computers and other devices are usually much more expensive than their competition's), so they had to win by being there for the consumer and by making these consumers a part of a more complete brand ecosystem.
At the time that Apple first launched retail stores in 2001, the common practices among retailers was to cram each nook and cranny of space with merchandise to maximize the sales per square foot. Sadly most retailers (and businesses) still hold on to the traditional thinking. For Apple, it was less about every square foot of retail space and much more about evey square inch of the direct relationship. Apple didn't start in the retail business to compete with other consumer electronics stores; they went into retail for the direct relationship with their customers. Apple's attitude was: "Why give that power to Best Buy or anyone else?"
Apple Hired Angela Ahrendts Because of Her Ability to Build and Nurture Direct Consumer Relationships. Angela Ahrendts hiring as Senior Vice President of Retail is Apple's signal to re-engage its devoted following. Her retail philosophy is grounded on the ability to feel, empathize, and become a brilliant brand ambassador. That's the foundation for direct and strong consumer relationships (from Austin Carr's October 15, 2013 Fast Company article):
"My dad used to always to say that he could teach anything but he couldn't teach how to feel. That's the hardest part when you have 11,000 people: How do you teach them how we feel?"
"The thing is, I don't want to be sold when I walk into a store to be welcomed. The job is to be a brilliant brand ambasador. Everyone is welcome. Don't be judgmental whatsoever."
"Don't sell! NO! Because that is a turnoff."
Converse Directly With Your Connections and Followers. Don't just tweet out links and "like" stuff. Mitch's observations about building direct relationships highly applies to our personal social network connections. For example, participating in Twitter by sharing links your followers find helpful is a starting point for establishing authority and reputation.
But, if you want to "own and nurture" a long-term direct relationship, you have to directly converse with your followers. Mitch talks in depth about this concept throughout the book. These types of direct conversations are powerful and solidify lifelong loyalty and relationships:
Check Out Mitch's Video Sharing Several Factoids on Mobile Trends:
Real-World Case Example: Apple Acquires Topsy. The rationale for the Apple-Topsy acquisition comes straight from this section in CTRL ALT Delete: The One Screen World – The Shift From Four Screens Down to One (pages 90 -109).
The entire chapter describes how consumers operate in a mobile, one-screen world. The only screen consumers care about is "the one currently staring them in the face."
Mitch further makes a compelling argument: The most important consumer screen resides on our smartphones.
Twitter Is Mobile, Untethered, and One-Screen Savvy. It's a social media platform focused on telling Apple WHAT We're Thinking WHEN We're Thinking AND WHERE We're Thinking It. This November 2013 Bloomberg-Businessweek article describes how the Twitter API, its meta data, and tweets provide rich consumer data.
Here are Mitch's thoughts on Twitter and the one-screen world (from page 99 of CTRL ALT Delete):
"Twitter's metoric rise and continued success have less to do with how many followers Lady Gaga has and much more to do with the fact that it was the first-ever online social network that worked better on mobile than it does on the Web. The sheer simplicity of those 140 characters of tweets makes it that much more workable and easy for consumers. Twitter's focus (from day one) was on connecting people as they were on the go. To this day, everything that Twitter does — from acquisitions to business strategy — is driven by a one-screen-world philosophy."
Consumers, Followers, and Connections Expect and Demand Immediate, Real-Time Responsiveness. Communicating and responding with our respective audiences with real-time immediacy is now a competitive differentiator (in both our professional and private lives). According to the eMarketer article: Key Trends for 2014: Always On Means Always Social, mobile, social networking via our smartphones and tablets will continue driving our "real-time" communications:
Whether we like it or not, consumers (and personal connections) expect us to be there in real-time with the right message, at the right time, in the right place.
A Personal Blog = Personal Competitive Advantage. The Internet affords anyone with a laptop and broadband access an opportunity to stand out. But, we often allow ourselves to be defined by our current job titles and bullet points on our resumes. That's a mistake.
Mitch thinks strategically and critically. In a social media age, when most tweets or Facebook status updates provide diminishing returns on our attention, the opportunity to differentiate ourselves as entrepreneurial, credible, forward-looking strategic, critical thinkers has never been higher.
Writing a personal blog allows you to maintain an identity separate from your employer (i.e., it's a portable asset). Dorie Clark, in her great book, Reinventing You, defines a personal blog as valuable, intellectual property showcasing individual expertise by:
1. Showing how you think
2. Demonstrating your individual creativity
3. Making it easy for a potential employer / great connection to find you (e.g., SEO benefits)
4. Giving you practice in an important and portable business skill set — writing
5. Proving you're technology and Internet savvy
6. Informing people first-hand how you're driven to learn new skills
Isn't Blogging Supposed to be Dead? Hardly. As Mitch points out in the section, "Your Life in Startup Mode," a personal blog describes important aspects about ourselves that a resume fails to represent:
(page 227) "You're writing to exercise your critical thinking skills."(page 225) "But for the purpose of this book, I'll define a blog as an online journal of your work. The spirit of the blog is to create a living and breathing resume and portfolio of how you think and work."
(page 224) "I still believe that a blog is a canvas that allows you to think, share, and connect with an audience."
(page 228) "Because if you care enough to blog, it means that you have something to say. If you have something to say and you're blogging it, it means that you want to share and connect. Ultimately, the world needs more people like that."
Seth Godin and Tom Peters on Why We Should Blog. This classic video from two great marketing teachers on why blogging matters deserves viewing:
Pages 190 and 193 from The Marketing of You explain the ultimate goal for connecting (online or face-to-face):
(page 190) "There's nothing wrong with asking for help, but you will always see a more positive result if you start by delivering value first—by being valuable to others before asking them for favors. Give abundantly and be helpful."
(page 193) "True influence comes from connecting to individuals, nurturing those relationships, adding real value to other people's lives, and doing anything and everything to serve them, so that when the time comes for you to make a request, there is someone there to lend a hand. Worry less about how many people you are connected to, and worry a whole lot more about who you are connected to—who they are and what you are doing to value and honor them (in their spaces)."
That sounds like a great philosophy towards achieving professional and personal fulfillment.
If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Fast Company writer, Austin Carr, published two (2) great articles yesterday about Apple's recent hiring of Burberry CEO, Angela Ahrendts, as its Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores. Apple created this new position specifically for Ahrendts, and she'll report directly to Apple's CEO Tim Cook.
In one of the articles, Carr shares videos of Fast Company interviews with Ahrendts from July 2013 and early August 2013. Within the context of these videos, Carr describes what he thinks these interviews signal about Ahrendts' strategy to rejuvenate Apple from an offline (retail) and online perspective.
I think Carr's great article signals something bigger. I think Apple's hiring of Angela Ahrendts signals Apple's return to the values of what made it an iconic company.
Angela Ahrendts' retail philosophy as described in interviews from Fast Company, Apple's New Consumer Experience Chief, Angela Ahrendts, on the Future of Retail by Austin Carr, October 15, 2013
"My dad used to always to say that he could teach anything but he couldn't teach how to feel. That's the hardest part when you have 11,000 people: How do you teach them how we feel?"
"The thing is, I don't want to be sold when I walk into a store to be welcomed. The job is to be a brilliant brand ambasador. Everyone is welcome. Don't be judgmental whatsoever."
"Don't sell! NO! Because that is a turnoff."
I Invested in a MacBook Pro 15 Because of How It Makes Me Feel. My MacBook Pro makes me feel like I'm a writer / artist. It's the easiest-to-use, best-looking, slickest, and coolest thing I've ever had the privilege of using. And, my company-issued iPad is rapidly making me feel the same way in my day job ever since I paired it with a Logitech Ultrathin iPad Keyboard.
Owning and / or using my MacBook Pro 15 and my company-issued iPad are cherished privileges. That's how good they make me feel.
I Invest in Myself and in this Blog Because of How it Makes Me Feel. Members of the Social Media ReInvention community know the reasons why I love blogging / writing. Blogging / Writing forces me to use critical thinking and creative muscles I never knew existed. Exercising those muscles makes me feel good.
Exercising the other muscles. That's a different story. But, I think that's a little more manageable now that my 2-year old daughter finally sleeps throught the night …
Who are the people, the organizations, the heroes, and the experiences that you cherish most in your life? For me, it's the ones who share my values. Those are the people, the organizations, and the experiences that have made the most lasting and positive impression on me.
For the things that mean the most to you, did any of the above try to sell you on why they should be a part of your life? Did they try to pitch you and drone on and on with a PowerPoint deck filled with waves of God-awful, just-makes-you-want-to-hurl-all-over-the-room bullet points?
I doubt it.
I'm Excited About Apple Again. After watching these videos, I'm excited about Apple's future. I now believe they're focusing on making us feel the way we all individually felt when we first fell in love with Apple.
You Know Who Angela Ahrendts Reminds Me Of in Those Interviews? This Guy.
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. I would love to hear from you. I’m here to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE. Comments are open. So let’er rip!
Ideas that spread win. Please share my work with your friends.
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