We organised our second LinkedIn Local event last week in Nelson, New Zealand. A topic that was at the forefront of our meeting, and that actually makes these networking events so special, I think, is: people. People who Karaena Vincent Photography captured so beautifully here.

• Mark Rawson, Chief Executive of the Nelson Regional Development Agency (NRDA) spoke about how using the platform enables him to share the stories of the extraordinary place we live in - mentioning the two latest local success stories of the new airport- and a world class finfish research facility -, and how it can bring growth, talent and business development to the #NelsonTasman region.

​A great example of connecting people beyond locations and connecting local to global.​

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• Evelyn O'Neill, our venue host from Bank of New Zealand Nelson shared how she is using LinkedIn to make a difference and add value to business owners by posting about 4 subgroup topics like:

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1. Leadership & Personal development
2. Trends & looking into the future
3. Business & Banking advisory
4. "For the hell of it - because it resonated"

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A great example of connecting global and bringing it back to local.

Isn't it exciting to see what works for others? To get inspired by how other business owners use social media? To get more visibility, to share messages? To connect with clients and customers, to showcase products or services? To grow?

Well, thanks to public Facebook Pages, Instagram profiles and more, it's easier than ever to look at best practices. This time, we made it even easier! Check out these spot on social media tips from our very own local business community, and hear why we love using social media. 

#bsocialnelson

So, are you ready? B!Inspired! :) 

And a special thanks to Amar and Alain for connecting local to global by sharing their tips, too!

​I hope you enjoyed reading, watching and listening to the special features! This is what works for some of the local business owners!  

What works for you? What will you try? Feel free to share in the comments! Let's inspire each other!

Watch the video and/or keep reading! 

So why am I so passionate about Social Media? Because it has this massive potential to connect people. To bring me, you, us together, wherever we may be, anywhere in this world. Bring us face to face, maybe first online, and then eventually take that online connection offline. In person, in the real world. To start a conversation. To learn from each other. To share. To inspire.

This is why I love Social Media, and I would love to invite you to celebrate with us and the whole world!  

​In the next few days, you will be seeing some posts from different people, featuring different businesses all around Nelson. They will be sharing their experiences, their tips or why they love using social media from a business point of view.

People, connecting with people. And that's what I love about social media for business, too! Because, again, it has the potential to connect you and your business to people. To real people behind the profiles. To your guests, to your clients, to your customers.

So come and join us in this local & global celebration! Let's all get inspired! 

#bsocialnelson #bsocialnow

This is how you can join:

Send me a photo or video where you share your social media tip that works well for you. You can also say why you love using social media. 

• If you send a video:

- keep it to max 1 minute
- say "Happy Social Media Day Nelson" at the end if you wish

• If you send a photo:

- best is a photo with you, but also feel free to feature your products or services next to you
- show a sign with #bsocialnelson (eg. write it on a piece of paper and hold it in your hands)
- send your tip in the message together with the photo so I can quote it

Deadline: best before 25th of June. The features are already live and I will be adding a new one every day until the 30th of June, so send it as soon as you can please. Please state what name and business name you would like to be featured with.

Send: via email or through Messenger to B!Social

I will edit it (add your name and business name, music & some branding) and will post it on B!Social's social channels & here on the blog, too. Once your feature is live, I will tag you and share your tip with our local community!

Looking forward to celebrating with you!

#bsocialnelson | Celebrating Social Media & each other 

Some of the topics that caught my attention:

• IT & Tech is currently the 3rd largest industry in NZ - definitely a good momentum to be involved.
• The new digital curriculum that will be compulsory starting in 2020 - every child in NZ will be exposed at school to digital technologies, concepts on how technology works and how to get the most out of it. 

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Educating the future generation to be able to use digital technologies, but even more, how to use them smartly and with a purpose. New Zealand is definitely aiming high here and looks like they are going to be among the leaders of change in this field on a global level. It will be exciting to watch the story unfold.

I was also pleased to learn that ITP NZ supports professional development by organising networking events, offering educational programs and also certifications.

The Nelson Branch is one of the newest additions to the 7 ITP NZ branches across the country, and there will be more and more opportunities for the local professionals to participate in IT & Tech related discussions.

This audience is definitely present here, as we could see it during the Startup Weekend and the recent HackNelson, not to mention various local meetups, already established businesses, and also newcomers who all bring their talents to the region.

In my opinion, with a good strategy to reach and attract the interest of people who will find this topic compelling or relevant, ITP Nelson has a great potential to connect local professionals and become a new hub for discussing ideas, trends, education and developing partnerships. Partnerships that will all contribute to the region’s growth.

I am looking forward to being part of this process, and considering joining ITP NZ myself. Talking to some of the members, my impression was that leveraging the power of social media will definitely be one of the important areas to focus on in the near future.

​The next event is on the 7th of December - ICT Lunch. More info here.

Please share it with your network if you feel it’s relevant. Let’s connect the local professionals in the Nelson region so ideas, as well as local IT & Tech thrive.

​The original article was published on LinkedIn.

​And then we have events and education with the Tribe members. If we haven’t got a Tribe member who can give us what we need, then we bring someone in.

All the events are on there, and this is also where the public can comment and engage. We have just done a huge fundraiser for a Tribe member, too. It was particularly powerful because a large group of people came to the event who are not Tribe members. They also donated and showed up on the night and spent money, which was amazing.

B!Social: Yes, the Shine Your Light event, a fundraiser you put together with the help of Tribe members for Whole Lotta Life Foundation, a charity supporting young adults diagnosed with cancer in New Zealand. How many people attended the event?

Caron Proctor: I think around 120, and I would say about 30 non-Tribe members who are our followers on social media.

B!Social: How did you reach out on Facebook to get help from the members to organise this huge event?

Caron Proctor: In front of the group, and mainly on Facebook. The whole thing would not have happened without Facebook because it all started with a picture I put of a Tribe business to guess where we are having coffee… then I met Kristin Paterson [the Director of WLLF], and fell in love with what she was trying to do. So it all started then. Without social media, the event would not have been half as successful.

B!Social: Are you on other platforms as well?

Caron Proctor: Yes, we are on Instagram, I am not quite sure about Instagram yet, we have a lot to learn. We have almost 700 followers there, most of them are local or New Zealand businesses. That’s awesome because they are very engaged.

B!Social: How do people find you? Does it spread by word of mouth? Do you use any advertising as well? What is your experience?

Caron Proctor: I am keen to boost a post if it is good. We share a lot of information and we work very much on the philosophy of sharing information, not selling. We promote good stories, and if I see it is getting lots of reach, then I will put a boost on it. For the Shine Your Light event, we probably spent a few hundred dollars on boosting it with different things, making videos. It was an absolute success, and it is the easiest and cheapest form of marketing I have ever tried. It is also the easiest way for us to attract new members.

B!Social: What is your experience with the engagement? People engaging with the posts. Do they like to like your posts, or comment on them, share them? How has it been going over the time?

Caron Proctor: Yes, it is a good question because at first it was a bit challenging, especially for the Tribe members, as we had the group page and the public page. There was a lot of confusion which was which, and a lot of fear about liking things in public. But we changed that this year, and now we get a lot more comments and likes, lots more of sharing, like someone had a coffee with someone, or bought a hair product. It is growing and we want to carry on facilitating. So I try to lead that fiercely and quite clearly, this is where to go, this is what we are doing. Lots of education, and we have got still a long way to go. 

But we are already successful so I just wonder where is it going when we grow into understanding what the possibilities are. I also think the group has changed. We have started to attract women who get it. Also the way we are refining, as I said to you earlier -  we have been a lot clearer and stronger about our values and what we stand for. We cannot stand for everything and everyone.

B!Social: Well that is amazing. We wish you a lot of success, and thank you Caron for sharing your experience with us.​