Last week, I wrote about an online business-networking Web site I planned to review called LinkedIn.com. First off, I want to thank those of you who joined linkedin.com and linked to me.
For those of you who have yet to check it out, please go to www.linkedin.com. Or better yet, go to my profile page and link to me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimwgilbert .
While I’m not ready to write a full review just yet (that’ll come next week), I can tell you the following:
1. I met two contacts in the catalog business in Europe who were looking for products to sell via catalog in their respective homelands—an intriguing premise.
2. I’ve received some great ideas for articles, which I’ll share with you over the next couple of months.
3. I’ve reconnected with people I haven’t spoken to in years, always a nice thing to do.
So the whole goal of business networking is to meet people of influence in your industry. The goal of LinkedIn.com is to provide access to people you may not have been able to connect with ordinarily.
When I started looking into the contacts that are linked to my contacts, I immediately noticed it was a veritable who’s who of catalog/multichannel and direct marketing industry folks, both executive and staff.
Many recruiters who service our industry also are linked in. There’s also a whole jobsite within the network.
Your comments are welcome. If you use the site and want to have your comments heard, click the submit link below or e-mail me “offline,” and I may use them for next week’s review (jimdirect@aol.com).
What Shameless Self-promotion Can Do
Awhile back, I was working in an industry that shifted and became troubled. There were lots of rumblings and whispers about layoffs coming in my company due to market conditions. I started to notice some scrutiny being placed on me and my work product. Nothing major, but enough to make my antennae go up.
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Shameless Self-promotion For Dummies (in the Catalog/Multichannel Business), Part 1
Last week, I wrote about an online business-networking Web site I planned to review called LinkedIn.com. First off, I want to thank those of you who joined linkedin.com and linked to me.
For those of you who have yet to check it out, please go to www.linkedin.com. Or better yet, go to my profile page and link to me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimwgilbert .
While I’m not ready to write a full review just yet (that’ll come next week), I can tell you the following:
1. I met two contacts in the catalog business in Europe who were looking for products to sell via catalog in their respective homelands—an intriguing premise.
2. I’ve received some great ideas for articles, which I’ll share with you over the next couple of months.
3. I’ve reconnected with people I haven’t spoken to in years, always a nice thing to do.
So the whole goal of business networking is to meet people of influence in your industry. The goal of LinkedIn.com is to provide access to people you may not have been able to connect with ordinarily.
When I started looking into the contacts that are linked to my contacts, I immediately noticed it was a veritable who’s who of catalog/multichannel and direct marketing industry folks, both executive and staff.
Many recruiters who service our industry also are linked in. There’s also a whole jobsite within the network.
Your comments are welcome. If you use the site and want to have your comments heard, click the submit link below or e-mail me “offline,” and I may use them for next week’s review (jimdirect@aol.com).
What Shameless Self-promotion Can Do
Awhile back, I was working in an industry that shifted and became troubled. There were lots of rumblings and whispers about layoffs coming in my company due to market conditions. I started to notice some scrutiny being placed on me and my work product. Nothing major, but enough to make my antennae go up.
Jim Gilbert has been creating direct marketing programs that drive superior ROI for almost 30 years. Fluent in consumer or B-to-B, creative, operations, and analytics, he marries the strategic and tactical sides of direct and social media marketing in a seamless fashion that gets results. He's CEO of a multidiscipline direct marketing agency, Gilbert Direct Marketing, Inc., which focuses on direct mail, catalogs, DRTV, telemarketing, print, alternative direct marketing media and social media marketing. Jim has been involved in start-ups, expansions and turnarounds, and is an expert in helping multichannel marketers get to the "next level." He's a former adjunct professor, teaching direct marketing at Miami International University, and is President of the Board of Directors of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. Jim loves to talk direct marketing, and has done many lectures on direct and social media marketing.