This is a compilation of LinkedIn posts that show trends in what I am writing about. The articles I am referring to are published articles with links, authors and titles credited.

1. Have you ever taken the time to
review all the LinkedIn posts you
engaged in over the previous
month? I know this might sound
like a useless exercise, however,
I decided to take a look at my
recent activity, and discovered a
very interesting trend. Enclosed
are my Favorite 12 articles and
comments - A peek inside the
marketing brain of Scott
MacFarland. It’s a whole lot more
interesting than you might think.
If you like marketing, business,
social media, innovation and
entrepreneurialism... You might
want to read on.
What
do
Your
LinkedIn
Posts
Reveal?
{Trends}
Scott MacFarland 10.6.2103

2. Article: Increasing the Value of Customers You Don't Have
Credit | Source: LinkedIn
Author: Don Peppers
URL: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131002154132-17102372-increasing-the-value-
of-customers-you-don-t-have
“I truly believe wholeheartedly that in order
to increase the value of customers we
don't have means, we must close the gap
between first customer touch point, and
live communication with a company's
representative. This gap will never go away
unless you close it. By closing it, you
instantly increase the value of those
customers because you bring them closer
to your brand and able to make an informed
decision faster.”
! ! ! ! ! ! ! - Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
Article: Nike: The No. 1 Most Innovative Company of 2013
Credit | Source: Fast Company
Author: Austin Carr
URL: http://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2013/nike#!
As an Apple snob, I came to fully
appreciate their mentality of being hush-
hush about innovation. Now that I have
read about Nike's rise to the top of the
Innovation and Leadership charts, I see why
they are viewed as the king of the hill --
good thing I wear Nikes :)
- Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
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3. “I went to the HubSpot Inbound conference in
Boston recently - I think they rubbed-off on
me :) “
! ! - Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
Article: The Best Way to Raise a Young Entrepreneur
Credit | Source: LinkedIn
Author: Gary Vaynerchuk
URL: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130930171500-10486099-the-best-way-to-
raise-a-young-entrepreneur
“I find myself thinking
about entrepreneurship
f i r s t , i n s t e a d o f
t h i n k i n g a b o u t a
corporate way to start
something. I just
realized it the other
day when a friend asked
me if I thought it was
a good idea to do this project internally at the company in which we both are
employed. My first thought was, wow... incredible idea, why not launch your
own business and get it started as a side business? And my brain was
instantly off and running. I think this must come from my dad who was, and
still is an entrepreneur. I began working as a young boy in his hardware store.
Little did I know that entrepreneurship would grow inside of me and help
make me who I am today.”! ! ! ! ! !
!! ! ! ! ! ! ! - Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
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4. Article: Advice to Start-ups: Stack The Deck
Credit | Source: Inc. Magazine
Author: Eric Paley
URL: http://www.inc.com/magazine/201310/eric-paley/writing-advice-for-start-ups-and-
entrepreneurs.html-#!
If you have the entrepreneurial spirit like I do, and
find yourself agonizing over the need to write a
BP... read this article and save yourself about 6
months of time and 1000 cups of coffee. "Stack
the Deck" is about as short and sweet as it gets
to giving advice on writing a plan.
! ! ! ! - Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
Article: How I Hire: I Don't Care Where You Went to School
Credit | Source: LinkedIn
Author: Tom Keene
URL: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130924104721-205519992-how-i-hire-i-don-t-
care-where-you-went-to-school
I believe in hiring people not only with
credible, proven skills, but also with a value
system that is in line with mine, and the
company I represent. Sooner or later, if the
values do not line-up, you will wish you had
known it at the beginning. If you already have
a staff person that falls into this category,
you know that managing them is tedious and draining. You probably spend more
time managing them and their character challenges than on the business
critical initiatives you need to spend time on. I wish I had known this years
ago when I was tasked with hiring.
- Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
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5. Article: How to Choose the Most Effective Social Media Platform for Your Brand
Credit | Source: Social Media Today
Author: Brianna Smith
URL: http://bit.ly/180TZ9P
“If you are unaware of what social networks
can be most impactful for your brand, take a
look at this infographic. It provides a clear, easy
to read snapshot of the characteristics of many
of the top socials. Thanks to Social Media
Today.”
- Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
Article: 14 Ways to Boost Employee Morale
Credit | Source: Small Biz Trends
Author: Laura Roeder
URL: http://smallbiztrends.com/2013/09/boost-employee-morale.html#!
“Number 4 in this list is absolutely brilliant.
‘Emphasize That Everything Is Experimental’ -
Coming from one that truly believes in innovation
and creativity, this is a great way to engage
employees, get them on-board, and allow them to
step outside their box and experiment. This is
one of the toughest things to accomplish as a
manager - awesome article! Thanks Laura.”
! ! ! ! !
! ! ! - Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
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6. Article: Ding, Ding, Ding! Steve Jobs Calling
Credit | Source: LinkedIn
Author: David Sable
URL: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130920164308-234814-ding-ding-ding-steve-
jobs-calling
“I have been truly inspired by Steve Jobs, and his legacy lives on in the Apple
product life cycle. Something tells me they have a few incredible things up
their sleeves, and countries like China which
are heavily populated and over-commerced,
need Apple's innovative brain power. When I
was in Beijing, Hong Kong and western China,
I saw a very different place than what I
thought I would see. I saw a rather
disjointed and fractured business climate
that wants the appearance of having it all
together, but in actuality it does not. Maybe
Apple can and will help with that.. maybe not. Regardless of what happens,
someone will come along and step in if Apple does not.”
- Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
Article: How To Use Pinterest To Build An Ideal Customer Persona
Credit | Source: Forbes
Author: Allie Siarto
URL: http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2013/09/16/how-to-use-pinterest-to-build-an-ideal-
customer-persona/#!
“Thanks Allie for your input on how to build an
ideal customer persona. It's such an important
mental exercise to go through before undergoing
marketing and brand building. I never thought of
using Pinterest in this way to help in this manner.
Great idea!”
!! ! ! ! ! ! ! - Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
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7. Article: Why Are Marketers Killing So Many Personas?
Credit | Source: LinkedIn
Author: Shane Atchison
URL: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130918152104-224083-why-are-marketers-
killing-so-many-personas
“This is a very useful article, especially for
young marketers who do not dive into the
"persona" world of their customers. Shane
makes a very good point when he says... "Bad
personas may have a tendency to get killed off
early, but almost all personas are dumped
before their time. The reason is that most
marketing teams use them only for the Big Project, not as an ongoing business
asset. They give them to creatives, enjoy the outcome, and then forget about
them. This is a mistake. In fact, the bulk of their value may actually be
realized post launch." The key message here is, don't just create your
personas for the "Big Project" and forget about them. Leverage them well
beyond launch time. “
! ! ! ! ! ! ! - Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
Article: Five Things Every Business Blogger Should Remember
Credit | Source: LinkedIn
Author: James Cann
URL: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130912135556-32175171-five-things-every-
business-blogger-should-remember
“As a blogger, I really like this
article. For those of you
questioning blogging, don't buck
the system, just get on board and
do it. You will be so glad you
did.”
-Scott MacFarland, LinkedIn post
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