The perfect time to Learn Engage Discover
Chesamel stands under its three brand pillars; Learn, Engage, Discover. While these principles guide our offering, they also guide the way our team operates and how we move forward in business. In the present state of affairs, while a vast number of us are working remotely, circumstances which are unfamiliar to many of us, we believe it is the perfect time to turn those principles inwards and Learn, Engage and Discover on a more personal level, to grow individually and collectively as humans and businesses.
The perfect time to Engage
Being engaged, not passive is the key to creating success and creating your own path in business, and in life. Generating engagement is a significant part of what we do here at Chesamel; we know the value in both being engaged and engaging audiences, teams and partners.
In April 2020, the way in which we interact with each other, locally and globally, has now changed and, we would anticipate, will continue to evolve further as we settle into these new norms. Therefore, the way that we approach connections must also change if our networks and relationships are to continue to thrive regardless of external economic and social situations. Existing contacts need to be nurtured; as with any kind of relationship, the level of effort applied is reflected in their success and longevity. However, the situations we usually utilise as means of making new business and even personal connections have been all but eliminated when networking events and gatherings, both business and social, were. Again, thankfully, the digital age has our backs, turning to online interactions can help us to continue to build our brands and also our personal networks.
We can still simply reach out to existing contacts via email, WhatsApp, video call or over the phone, and we should continue to do this, however, what about making new contacts? As a business growth and transformation agency, with a focus on marketing, digital and people, we appreciate the profitability which can flourish from steady and continuous growth, driven by the connection of individuals. We also appreciate that technology can be a fruitful tool for those individuals.
Conferences, exhibitions and events are not only a great way to network but also a great way to learn, to expand ideas and benefit from the experiences of others. While many events have chosen to postpone and rearrange for later in the year, many have chosen to go online. By going online, where possible, it allows attendees to still benefit from and engage with the event, and for attendee networking to still take place.
If you’re in need of a little inspiration, we’ve highlighted a small selection of industry conferences and expos which have gone digital all ready:
- SMX London: This is one of the biggest SEO & SEM conferences, taking place in May and now, virtually.
- Apple WWDC: Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, as large as it is, was unlikely to be cancelled and will now be going ahead with a whole host of online content in a completely new format.
- In-House Diversity & Inclusion Virtual Conference: This Recruitment Diversity & Inclusion Conference is concentrated around fostering a purposeful workplace culture and has now been moved online.
And, if you’re in need of a little direction as to which apps and technologies can help you to get events or networking opportunities up and running online:
Eventbrite has also partnered with Zoom so you can simply sell tickets to your webinars and other online events.
Social media offers us the key to reaching those we have not already connected with from afar. If this is not already an area you’re comfortable in, then just take some time to learn the ropes… we all have a little more of it these days! We all know LinkedIn is the social media platform to ‘Build and engage with your professional network’ however, have you been using it to its fullest potential? LinkedIn has seen a 55% increase in engagement between connections, so there are plenty of others on this very platform waiting to connect. You’ll also find groups which may be more local or specialist to your industry on Facebook, supporting others in similar lines of work and ready to connect.
Idea – Use your current network; create a space which is focused on growing networks, for example, creating a Whatsapp or Facebook group of current contacts, where each of the members introduces a new contact each week.
We’re saying, take this time to engage with people, people you wouldn’t usually, past contacts and new contacts; however, you can, grow your network and come together. We have more time than normal and fewer distractions, to enable us to apply the time and think about who and what might be good for our businesses and for our careers.
We’d also love to hear what is working for you, so please, share with us the highlights of your Learn Engage Discover journey through this socially distanced time. We love to hear how individuals and businesses are evolving.