An Interview with Jay Palter

Jay Palter

Chief Engagement Officer at Jay Palter Social Advisory

Key Topics:Social selling, social networking, social capital, fintech, payments

Location:Calgary, Canada

Bio:

Jay is a digital business strategist, specializing in the strategic use of social influencer networks for building online visibility and brand in B2B settings. He works with businesses and individuals, helping financial professionals, as well as business executives and owners to develop productive social selling strategies in their industry. His business experience spans over two decades, during which he has held a variety of leadership positions in financial services, software development, and marketing.

How did you get to become an expert in your key topics?

On-the-job experience is the best way to learn. Every strategy and tactic I use in social media has been refined through hands-on experience and trial and error.

What sub-topics are you most passionate about?

Business IS social. I’m passionate about that. So, when we go online and do social networking properly, we should be focused on building relationships with strategically important people in our business ecosystem – clients, prospects, and influential thought leaders. When we do this right, the result is boosted revenue performance and business success.

Who influences you within these topics?

It’s going to sound cliche, but my parents. My mom was not a business person, but she was a relationship person – a people person. And it rubbed off. My dad was a salesperson and he taught me the importance of consultative selling – of framing your business solution in terms that solve your buyers’ highest priority pain points. And you don’t just get that information handed to you – you have to earn it through building trust in a business relationship.

What challenges are brands facing in this space?

Brands are not human. They are often told they need to “humanize” but a brand acting like a human is not the same as interacting with a person. Brands need to mobilize their human assets to be effective ambassadors – to actually engage clients, prospects, and influencers online on behalf of the brand, but as people. This is often about striking a fine balance between personal and corporate brands, so it’s not easy. But it’s worth it.

What do you think the future holds in this space?

The more online social networking and engagement becomes automated and augmented by AI, the more valuable real, human engagement will become. Human relationships and the social capital they embody will never cease to be important in B2B decision-making, especially when stakes are high and sales cycles are long.

If a brand wanted to work with you, which activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?

We are looking for brands that want to support their corporate business leaders to increase their online presence and visibility. We work with those corporate leaders to articulate a personal brand that is complementary to the corporate brand and we provide strategic support for identifying key influencers to engage and content to create and curate. Since these leaders are high-value members of your business, they require support and attention that often outstrips the capacity of internal marketing teams. Plus, the goal is to support these business leaders in building online relationships with other high-value individuals, so traditional marketing approaches to social media don’t work. This is highly bespoke work that most businesses don’t have the capacity to do in-house.

What are your passions outside of work?

Cycling, particularly performance e-bikes. Cooking comfort food. Music, particularly jazz, blues, pop, classical – basically all music! Life is great when I can ride my bike, cook a tasty meal and share it with friends, all while listening to awesome music.

What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?

By Email.