Five tips: how to encourage, utilise and strengthen the digital networking power of your employees

If you have been keeping an eye on professional digital networking, there is a great chance that you have run into Jackie Kothbauer. She is Sweden’s probably most knowledgeable expert in personal branding, influencer marketing and social selling. With that background she is a clear-cut choice of lecturer at SSE Executive Education’s program Managing Professional Services (MAPS), a management program focused on knowledge-intensive service businesses. Here, Jackie shares her top five tips for how you as a manager can best encourage, utilise and strengthen the digital networking power of your employees.

1. Become an engine, not a brake pad
Having success with the digital transformation of lead transformation and talent recruitment is difficult for a manager who is digitally illiterate.

2. Create unique offers using personal branding
The value of a consultant is not only in his or her reference portfolio, but also in his or her personality, way of working and contact network. Invest in a 360 degree presentation of your team.

3. Take advantage of the value of employees who are net-savy.
People develop their digital skills in their spare time by being active on social media, playing computer games and using apps. Everything from training, weight-loss and cooking to managing children’s football teams, kitchen renovation and billiards competitions on the net.

4. Integrate digital training in your workday
Encourage more employees to focus on the development of their digital skills. Why not go around the table at the monthly meeting and offer tips on new apps, interesting clips or tell about personal experiences?

5. Team Branding and Personal Branding go hand in hand
A football team with five strong star players lifts the team, which in turn increases the value of each player in the eyes of the world. Strong personal branding builds the brand of the team and increases the power of attraction with regard to customers and talents. Personal Branding and Team Branding is an obvious tandem that strengthens offers and competitiveness in the market. This is why Jackie Kothbauer is giving lectures at MAPS.