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Some Fascinating Stories Category
Alicia speaks at Association of Business Psychologists Conference
I’m very excited about my next speaking engagement at the Association of Business Psychologists Conference 2012.
The ABP is a charity that represents business psychology by actively championing the benefits of the use of psychology in the workplace.
Their annual conference is a chance for practitioners and academics to share experience, insights, and maintain their professional network over three days in an informal setting.
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Shaping our future: Integrity, Insight, Impact’.
For my talk, I’ll be exploring LinkedIn and in particular:
- Why everyone in business needs a LinkedIn profile, including you!
- The key ingredients for a winning profile
- Low maintenance, high return strategies for building your network in just 20 minutes a week
I’ll also be holding informal Twitter sessions throughout the day to answer questions and queries about my favourite networking tool. So expect lots of tweeting from me while at the event using the hashtag .
If you’re attending the conference remember to come say ‘Hi!’ and connect with me on Twitter at . You can follow the too!
Alicia Cowan Travels: blogs & brainstorms with The Lake Como Wedding Planner
In March my business friend, , and I were invited to visit The Lake Como Wedding Planner, our clients based in yep, you’ve guessed it; the gorgeous Lake Como, Italy.
This fantastic business, owned by Rachel Birthistle Cooke, provides fairytale experiences for couples wanting a special wedding in one of the most picturesque and romantic destinations in Europe.
Keren and I met Rachel and her daughter, Taimar (who’s also on the wedding planning team) when they attended our Social Media workshop in London. They loved the workshop and felt that they could do with some extra in-depth help with their online marketing strategy.
So off we went to help Rachel, Taimar and the rest of the team map out a social media and content plan in time for the busy wedding season ahead (and provide a system that will serve their marketing planning long into future).
For us to fully understand the business Keren and I had to visit the location, meet the team and experience it first hand. D’you think we needed our arms twisted?!
During our 4 day visit we were introduced to the busy workings of a thriving wedding planner business, as well as the cultural delights of the area.
It was a real family affair as we were staying with the owner, Rachel, and her family in their amazing villa with a view of the lake. Even my husband was invited to join us!
We worked with the entire team to develop a 6 month blog and facebook content strategy through managed brainstorm sessions, and training workshops. This gave the team the tools and systems that will enable them to continue sharing their expertise, passion and experiences of organising exceptional weddings in Italy through social media.
We felt strongly that we should avoid the continual stream of case studies found on most wedding planner blogs. Instead, create a journal of articles that include wedding inspiration; tips on marrying abroad; real life stories; an insight to the Italian culture and unique service the business provides, with a pinch of what really goes on behind the scenes…
The aim of a business blog like this is to show the personalities behind the business, and build trust with their customers and prospects while demonstrating the very unique ways they serve and assist their clients. When done well, the blog visitor should think ‘I want to have my wedding planned with them!’.
This is what we covered during our sessions
- Blog headline creation
- Blog content and theme brainstorm
- Blog editorial calendar planning
- Important blog formatting tips including how to edit and upload images
- Facebook page redesign and optimisation
- Facebook training and strategy
- Facebook content planning
- Using cloud based tools (like Google Apps, Dropbox, Buffer) for team collaboration and managing projects
It was really important to provide the team with the knowledge and tools to easily build on our sessions after our visit. It’s one thing understanding how to blog or use a Facebook page, another being able to keep up with it on a consistent basis. This learning is crucial for success.
The entire team fully embraced our ideas and it was hugely rewarding for us to see their passion for the business and excited to get started sharing their stories through their blog and Facebook page. They got stuck in immediately with their first blog post: The best Tiramisu I ever ate in my whole entire life
Since we’ve been back it’s been great seeing their regular blog posts and Facebook updates – we love it when a business understands how powerful social media marketing can be after a little help from us. 
It wasn’t all work and no play. We experienced the beautiful scenery, ate delicious food at some of their chosen wedding venue restaurants (wow – amazing!), went for morning runs beside the lake with Guinness the dog, and spent time with Rachel and her family. Not only was the experience hugely rewarding for us professionally but we made some new friends too.
You can read more about the adventures of The Lake Como Wedding Planner on their blog, and on .
Alicia Travels: Farm & More Event, Edinburgh
I’m going on the road!
I’m flying to Edinburgh to present a talk on social media at Farm & More – The Farm Diversification Event – an annual get together for the farm retail and diversified farming sector.
This includes producers of fantastic local and artisan foods, owners of farm shops and the ever popular farmer’s markets, parks and ‘pick your own‘ farms who offer great family days out.
This is all as a result of my talk at The Speciality Fine Food Trade Fair at Olympia in London last year.
Farm & More is organised by FARMA – the only UK-national organisation representing farm diversification.
Farm retail plays a huge part in the UK small business sector developing into wider areas including agri-tourism, entertainment and educational aspects. It’s worth over £2 billion a year adding valuable skills and jobs to rural communities.
It’s a real privilege to be speaking at the event. I’m a big supporter of local business and often choose independent shops and cafes over supermarkets and larger high street chains.
What’s more, I’m really excited to be sharing some creative and fun ideas on how social media can help promote the products and services of the local, small retailer. Plus, I’ve never been to Scotland!
What I’ll be speaking about on the day
- The one essential ingredient you need before you even start on social media
- Oops! The most common social media mistakes and how to avoid them
- Real life examples and success stories
- Turning the tables: audience social media clinic
Farm & More are on Twitter – you can follower them here:
And you can find me on Twitter here: