Over the past 18 months we’ve delivered Personal Branding Workshops to over 1500 young adults in schools and colleges
It’s a pivotal stage of development where the possibilities flow of exactly what is possible after college or school
Do you go to university?
Do you go for an apprenticeship?
Do you travel the world?
Do you set up your own business?
Whichever path you take there is one thing that remains true
“Your Reputation Is What Opens Doors” or “Your Reputation Closes Doors”
How do we give the next generation the best possible chance of achieving their dreams?
Here is an indepth look at what we cover in our Personal Branding Workshops
THE POSITIVES – 95% OF SOCIAL MEDIA IS POSITIVE
A JOB FOR LIFE DOESN’T EXIST
My mum was a nurse all her working life and my dad was a postman all his working life
The days of leaving school at 16 and doing the same job until retirement are long gone
Technology is changing at such speed that the idea of doing the same job for the next 50 years is unlikely and even it was likely it’s undesirable to a generation used to constant change
I’m 40 years old and I’ve had 3 different careers
I’ve been a journalist, an events organiser and ran a social media company
It’s a journey that has seen me meet some of the biggest rock & roll bands in the world, put on hundreds of events with thousands of people and worked with some of the biggest brands in the world
Will I be doing this in 15 years time?
Who knows – but my reputation is everything and treating people the right way whatever the industry has played a huge part in my success
SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYS A HUGE PART IN YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
I didn’t grow up with social media
I grew up in the days of landline phones and dial up internet
Face 2 face was the number 1 way you got to know people when I was 16-18 years old
In 2018 you know more about people from what they post on social media than the time you spend with them face 2 face
Social Media plays such a huge part in your personal brand because often it’s the 1st impression, the last impression and the lasting impression of someone
Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and so on can be used to have fun with friends – and that’s fine
Or you can use those platforms to build an audience that makes your dreams come true?
THE IMPORTANCE OF HEROES
Heroes are important
Having those people to look up to and admire plays an important part of the journey that is life
Heroes don’t need to be heroes for life – they can people that help you at a certain time in life and the heroes you have at 16 probably aren’t the same heroes you’ll have at 40 of 50 years old
So who are your heroes?
Who are the people you admire in the field you want to work in?
What qualities do they possess?
And what type of posts do they post on social media?
PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS
The British have an absolutely unbelievably way of putting themselves down
How many times have you said … “But I can’t do that”
Playing to your strengths is important
When it comes to personal branding there’s the written word, audio and visual
If you don’t feel comfortable in front of a camera there’s no reason you can’t start writing a blog about what you’re passionate about
And vice versa
When I was 21 years old I was extremely overweight (nearly 20 stone) – there was zero way I’d have stood in front of an audience so I wrote and I wrote and I wrote and great things happen
In 2018 I feel comfortable in my own skin and I’m a lean 12 stone. I’m as comfortable in front of a camera or a huge audience as I am writing
YOUR NETWORK IS YOUR POWER MOVE
A personal brand is about you
Your network is your power move
Those people say around you in classrooms and lecture theatres are the ones that will lift you up
You need to network your face off
You need to get to know people
And you need to lift people up around you
You are only as strong as those around you and building a team to help you plug the gaps and to help you on your journey
Positive Helpful People attract Positive Helpful People
Negative Selfish People attract Negative Selfish People
What are you attracting?
THE NEGATIVES – THE 5% OF SOCIAL MEDIA
HOW TO AVOID A SOCIAL MEDIA SCANDAL
Stormy, Jack Maynard and Youtuber Zoella have all attracted social media scandals in the past 12 months
What are the things to avoid posting on social media?
Is youth an excuse for posting inappropriate things on social media?
How do you protect yourself from something popping up from the past and causing a social media scandal?
We look at the things to avoid when using social media in a personal or career capacity
HOW TO DEAL WITH TROLLS
1 in 3 young people have experienced trolling
I know how it feels because I’ve been trolled for the past 4 years to the point it involved the police on a number of occasions
So how did I deal with trolls?
How should young people deal with trolls?
How you should prepare for trolling?
And what lessons are there to learn from being trolled?
THE LASTING MESSAGE: THE POWER OF POSITIVITY
When social media is 95% positive and 5% negative
The odds are stacked in your favour
If you work hard, graft, put positive messages out there, help others then you can’t help but win
A personal brand is the icing on the cake for all that
You have the talent. A personal brand means that people know about that talent
And awareness plays a huge part in the success of life
WOULD YOU LIKE A PERSONAL BRANDING WORKSHOP FOR YOU SCHOOL / COLLEGE?
We can deliver the workshops as part of your personal development or UCAS days
Chat to us about about delivering a series of 1.5 hour workshops for your students
Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk
Here’s what people say
“Alex delivered 3 social media talks to our Y12 students.
He was engaging, interesting and provided the students with really useful information about making social media work to their advantage.
It was brilliant to hear from a local entrepreneur who hasn’t developed a career via the “traditional” route. I’m looking forward to working with Alex in the future.” Nicki Cottam, Head of Careers Guidance and Work Experience at Withington Girls’ School
“Alex has recently become involved with Salford Foundation, specifically the NCS program, and has been brilliant.
His knowledge of social platforms, both for personal and professional use, have given our young people the knowledge there were lacking on the internet.
Prior to his presentations I met with Alex on a couple of occasions to discuss exactly what we were looking for. Alex tailored his presentations to the news of our young people and was, and still is, a pleasure to work with.
I would highly recommend him to anyone.” Joe Quigley, Salford Foundation
Alex McCann is owner of Altrincham HQ – a social media management and training company based in Altrincham, Cheshire that has worked with 100s of local business developing their social media strategy. Alex has 400+ LinkedIn testimonials and is ranked number 1 for Social Media Marketing in the UK via independent customer reviews on Freeindex.
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