Updated December 2018 So I'm having an early morning breakfast at a hotel where I'm speaking that day for a group of financial advisers. I strike up a conversation with the guy sitting at the next table. And it turns out that he is attending the conference. He shares that he's been in the business for 20 years and has been pretty successful, but he actually came to the meeting to hear me speak about social media and LinkedIn, because he "...just doesn't get it. Why should I post what I'm doing? Who cares about that? Isn't it just people talking about what they had for lunch?" Create Visibility in a "Noisy" World After explaining … [Read more...]
Should You Really Put Recent College Grads in Charge of Your Social Media?
"Give the job to Mikey, he understands this stuff!" "Mikey" in this scenario is a 24-year-old recent college grad who is looking for his or her first job in marketing (or probably anything because of the crappy job market). "This stuff" is the entirety of your company's social media marketing and branding work. Strategy, tactics, execution...the whole shebang. Instead of kids trying to get their brother to eat cereal, it's executives trying to fill their social media positions. It's an understandable response considering how quickly social media has evolved and how much influence it is exerting on business. Trying to keep up with … [Read more...]
You Should be Sharing Photos in LinkedIn Status Updates! Here’s Why (and How)!
This was a view from my hotel room at a recent speaking engagement. A little more engaging than posting on LinkedIn "I'm speaking at a conference in Mexico", right? Many of the professionals I train are resistant to social media because they think it's simply a way for people to waste time. They think social media consists of updates on what people had for lunch and random pictures of themselves and their kids and their friends and their pets. And the problem is, they aren't completely wrong. Pretty much everyone has a camera in their pocket on their phone; and sites like Facebook and Twitter (not to mention Pinterest and Instagram) … [Read more...]
How to Use LinkedIn Status Update “Tags”
LinkedIn is most useful when you leverage it as a tool to engage with the people in your network. When you tag someone in a status update, they'll get a notice in their LinkedIn account (and an email in their inbox, depending on their account settings). So now we have a way to grab someone's attention! Instead of hoping they'll stumble across your mention, they'll know that you have brought them up in conversation. This has a number of positive effects. It puts you back on their radar, which is helpful in a world where our network is bombarded with messages and information. It's a light touch in your networking relationship; maybe … [Read more...]
You Aren’t Using the Correct Communication Technology
Over the last century (and decade), there has been an ever-growing number of communication tools available to us. It used to be that the only way to talk to someone was to find them and actually speak to them (or maybe mail them a letter). Now with the rush of new technologies, there’s a virtual buffet of options when you want to reach out to someone. It’s important to remember, though, that not all forms of communication are created equal. This is especially true in the business world, and even more critical when having a conversation where your goal is to influence someone else’s actions (for example, a sales call). Business success … [Read more...]
This Big Mistake in Online Networking Can Sink You
It used to be that bad spelling and poor grammar would only hurt you if you were writing an essay for English class. Now, because so much networking is done online, it can put a damper on your career or lose you credibility in the professional world. With the explosion of written forums that are open to the public (social networking, blogs, online reviews, etc.), how you write can be just as important as what you write. If you are using the internet in any professional capacity, you need to make sure your writing skills aren’t sending the wrong message. You Are Always Being Judged It has gotten easier to communicate with new … [Read more...]