The Basics of Creating a Public Face For Your Company
“Adventure is just bad planning” -Roald Amundsen Our goal is to help prepare you for what you are going to find outside of Norway so you can survive and thrive. - Innovation Norway
What You’re Here To Learn 2 Priorities for managing the “the basics” How things link together The Basics: What you need to set up so people can find you
Why This Is Important 3 VCs invest in people Companies do business with people they understand Employees are tied to people they can follow Public perception is driven by linking the team to the company, not the company to the team Almost every meeting you set up with starts with someone trying to figure out who you are and what your company does. Success is driven from how people view your team within a company Almost every company you encounter outside of Norway knows what we are about to discuss. In fact in Silicon Valley its taught in high school here!
About.meLinkedin Personal Blog or Website Twitter Company Blog Company Website Filling In The Basics Establishing your company is about creating a spider web that holds your audience to you!
About.me
What to do with About.me About.me is a service designed to act as your business card online.About.me is a service designed to act as your business card online. You are given a URL ( are given a URL ( Your about.me page links to the other websites and services you want people to findYour about.me page links to the other websites and services you want people to find The page is registered with search enginesThe page is registered with search engines What is About.me? Position yourself the way you want to be seenPosition yourself the way you want to be seen Use a photo that you think captures “you”Use a photo that you think captures “you” Use the URL for your about.me page in your signaturesUse the URL for your about.me page in your signatures Use the service to show that you are well roundedUse the service to show that you are well rounded Your workYour work Your interestsYour interests Your friendsYour friends How to use About.me
What to do with Linkedin A service that provides a virtual resume and significant networking and business intelligence tools What is Linkedin? Use Linkedin to identify yourself to people who would might want to work with you Use Linkedin to establish a company profile Have all of your employees, board members, affiliates, business partners, etc. connect to your profile Have all of your employees, board members, affiliates, business partners, etc. follow your company Use Linkedin to find people you need for your business How to use Linkedin Connect to over 500 people. There is a widely viewed (and untrue) perception that the more people you are connected to, the better your network is. The truth to it is that perception of value drives value…so get to 500+ Connect twitter and your blog to LinkedIn so your daily activity is your business activity. Join related groups (to your business) and participate in discussions Set a calendar for all of your involvement (e.g. tweet at least once per week) – Establish habits Special Tips
Your website(s)
What to do with your website(s) Website should be in engelsk and cover the solution and your management team Establish a history for the company Should be clear and concise (ask yourself – Can someone understand what value I provide to the market?) Should be free of typos (Edit911) Should contain no information about your IP (Patents) Should tell the world why your team is the best team in the industry (without bragging or embellishment) Should look stylistic and professional Company & Personal Websites Whenever your have a meeting (before or after), someone WILL look at your website to understand more about you and the company The website is a reflection of you If you are having a business meeting, you are not in stealth Press releases on your site establish a history of the company Press releases should be milestone driven (e.g. you announce a partnership, you launch a product) Keep in mind…
CrunchBase CrunchBase is the free database of technology companies, people, and investors that anyone can edit.
AngelList AngelList matches technology companies with potential investors.
Other Sites and Services Keep your words professional (no profanity) Blog observationally (about an article, a company, etc.) Twitter Same as twitter plus… Avoid politics unless it is what your company is about Avoid race and religion If your blog is business related, blog to a schedule (make your wisdom somewhat predictable) Your Blog Same as Blog plus… Avoid images a 5 year old child would note be able to take to show and tell Photo Sharing Service Once you hit return, it is part of the public record about you General Rules for everything
This Is For All Of You! Linkedin, Website, Blog, Twitter, Photosharing, etc.
What To Do Tomorrow… Make a list of what you have not done so far and finish it Be prepared for people to read what you create and view your words as a reflection of you Have employees, friends and family review what you have created Ask for criticism (not “it looks great”