Crossing the 5k on a:gain LinkedIn and why that is important
By Christian Wittrup, 05/07/2024
the a:gain team
Introduction
An Interview with our Market- & Relations Chief about a:gain crossing the 5.000 Followers on LinkedIn this week and his insights on the LinkedIn Platform.
Question: Why do you appreciate and find joy in a:gain passing 5k followers on Linkedin?
- I have come to realise that we – besides the climate and biodiversity crisis – have an even larger crisis on our hands, which is the communication crisis. Hence, I chose, years back to put myself on the line and share as many insights as I possibly can. With the purpose of making people think, feel and act differently tomorrow from what they did yesterday
- We have had high temperature records being beaten on this planet for 13 months in a row. And still, on the national news on TV in prime hour yesterday, they spent 5 minutes of a section on who will win the finale of this years TV-show, the Bachelorette. Unbelievable.
- I like and appreciate LinkedIn because I find it to much more knowledge-based and rewarding than e.g. Instagram, Twitter, Tik-Tok and many other platforms. I know that some people do not find it to be so. In my mind, then you are just not using it efficiently enough. I get inspired by the articles that people share. And I hope that people are inspired by mine.
- We have reached the 5k followers only by organic growth and 0 paid marketing. I take that as a great success and as an indicator that we are on the right path. I have made 49 out of 50 posts since the start of a:gain, and I hope to have brought insights to all my colleagues and partners work efforts.
- It all starts with awareness. Then Brand. The first acquisitions and trials. Then mock-ups. Then small-scale project references. Then large-scale project references. In my role as Market & External Relations Director, I am very aware that selling to the B2B segment within the professional building sector has very long lead times. Now, we harvest the efforts made two years ago. Our project reference bank is getting more and more impressive.
What do you find the most difficult about posting for yourself and for a:gain LinkedIn platform?
- I talk too much. I write too much. Always have, and always will.
- Communicating to an unspecified audience. At a:gain we need building owners and developers to know how we can effectively lower the CO2-e, the use of scarce virgin resources and protect offsite biodiversity. Also, the architects need to fall in love with the aesthetics and design of our products. The engineers must feel safe knowing that we provide product guarantees, do all kinds of third-party tests (e.g. fire, strength, sound absorption etc.) and provide LCA and/or EPD data. The contractors want to see project references and be ensured that we can deliver in scale and to the right price. Facility Managers want durability and ease of maintenance. Lastly, our LinkedIn is also read by our board of directors and existing and potential new investors. That is a really difficult task finding the right balance. To complicate even further, also the various job roles within these parts of the value chain have different ‘pains’ whereto a:gain can be of help.
- Greenwashing and Greenhushing.
- In regard to Greenwashing, I truly and honestly believe that the human race, in a biological sense, is to be termed a parasite . We live off the Earth as the host for us being parasites and opposed to all other living beings on this planet, we do not stop feeding off the planet even though we are full. We, opposed to all other living beings, have the luxury to come up with the concept of waste. Why do we have the right to do so? Every single human activity is followed by some sort of negative impact on this planet. We can do much less harm, but transportation, buildings, clothing, food and beverages .. they all affect, and in my opinion always will, the Earth ecosystem in a negative direction. Hence, on a Greenwashing scale from 0 to 100, none of us are below e.g. 10. But the biggest issue is that a very small percentage of the world act within the 80 – 100, and the scary part is that SoMe and marketing platforms focus and promote the lifestyle of these people. If we all aim and strive for heavily overconsuming lifestyles, we are all doomed (much quicker than we already are).
- In regard to Greenhushing, we ruin so much for each other in unnecessary and unnuanced trolling. Not only on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is mostly constructive. So many people and organisations hold back in communicating really valuable knowledge as they fear a shitstorm and they fear to put their professionalism at stake. It is so sad that the people who know the most and have so much to share hold back. We will never be perfect. The good initiatives must be shared, even though they are not perfect. The highly skilled people with intense building sector know-how, not just communication people, must share their insights and learnings . Dare to be vulnerable. Dare to put yourself on the line. We need to learn from you!
What are the hindsights of being a LinkedInfluencer?
- We are already now upgrading heavily on digital skills, on including the strengths of AI, of aligning all of our digital platforms, and soon younger and digitally more skilled people than I can and will create much greater content for all of our platforms. My strength is that I know the business as well as I do, I know which messages need to be brought to who, I know which wordings that are sensitive and which information that might be confidential and/or aligned with partners, and often I know the project settings the best. Hence, my skills are mainly what is to be said to who on which time and with what wording. But, I am not a journalist, I am not a graphic designer, I am not a SoMe algorithm master. Naturally, therefore younger forces will be added and we will do more and more paid digital marketing.
- Expanding the knowledge of a:gain across borders. +50% of our followers are within the Greater Copenhagen area. However, we also have followers from New York, to Sydney, to Buenos Aires and all over the world.
- Increasing the number of followers for a:gain Instagram and letting people know we have images on Pinterest. Further, we are thinking about a:gain Facebook to target more of the small and medium-sized contractors. Finally, we also all the time need to challenge our prejudices on what works best.
- I hope that people follow a:gain, myself and my collegaues at LinkedIn. I hope they get inspired. I hope that they consequently also will share more. I hope we bring hope and tangible solutions taht people can relate to much more than powerpoints, speaches and white papers can. Act. Don’t just talk.
