I used to have an earring when I was in my early twenties. A big, fat, silver hoop. My father had always said that I couldn't have one while I lived under his roof. That was fine. I just waited until I was 21 and living in an apartment in college. My friend Chrissie took me to the mall and I got my ear pierced. I was young, a musician, and I thought I was totally cool. And in case you are wondering, I absolutely wasn't. Who We Were Isn't Necessarily Who We Are Have I scared you away? Do you want nothing to do with me now because of what I did almost 20 years ago? Have I lost all professional credibility? My guess is that you're … [Read more...]
Is it Time to Upgrade Your LinkedIn Account to Premium?
When working with professionals on their online brand, one of the common questions that I hear is, "Should I pay to upgrade to the premium LinkedIn account?" It's a great question and one that doesn't necessarily have a clear cut answer. I don't work for LinkedIn so I don't have a vested interest in someone anteing up for the paid accounts. On the other hand, I do help people use LinkedIn and social media to improve their businesses and careers so of course I think it makes sense to engage with the platform as much as possible. In the end, my answer is usually some variation of, "Yes...eventually." Don't Upgrade to Premium Too … [Read more...]
Playing Both Sides of the Ball On Social Media
What does "using" social media mean to you? When I work with professionals on their social media strategies, the most common questions I get tend to be around what people are actually supposed to do with all of the new platforms that have popped up (seemingly overnight). They say things like, "OK, fine, I gave up and got a LinkedIn profile - now do I actually do with it?" Or, "I've had a Twitter account for six months, but I've never tweeted - should I?" Personal Social Media Strategy These are important questions; but they are also hard questions to answer because everyone will and should approach social media in a way that supports … [Read more...]
Your Social Media Problem is You Think You Don’t Have One…
Let me set the stage. It's the fall of 1960; and for the first time in American history, two presidential candidates, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, are going to debate each other publicly on this new-fangled invention - television. Both are capable candidates and experienced politicians. But that's not what the electorate sees...and it became a deciding factor in the election. Kennedy is widely regarded as having "won" the first debate. Presenting himself as poised and confident, he had the aura of a confident movie star. He had spent the previous days with his campaign team planning for the debate and rehearsing his … [Read more...]
The Cool Kids are Leveraging their Alumni Network on LinkedIn
Of all the networks we build in our lives, one of the earliest and deepest networks we create is that of our alma mater. People take their connection to their school seriously (just watch the boosters at any basketball game). The fundraising department at your school depends on that when they have students call and ask you for money. Take me for example. I'm a busy guy and I don't have a lot of spare time just laying around. But if you want to have 5 minutes of my time, call me and tell me when you graduated from Northwestern University. I'll definitely give you a few minutes. Use LinkedIn to Stay Connected In the past if you wanted … [Read more...]
Make Your Next Business Meeting Better with LinkedIn
You did it. You got the meeting that you've been pursuing for months with a prospective client, business partner, or investor. You've got your pitch rehearsed and your presentation rocks. You've got your best outfit back from the cleaners. You are ready to go. But hang on a second. There's something else you can do - that you should do - before you go into that meeting. What do you know about the person you are about to meet? There's a saying that most sales are won or lost before the conversation ever starts, and that applies to all sorts of business meetings. Spend some time researching the person you are about to talk to. Going … [Read more...]
In Social Media, Attitude is Everything
When someone brings up social media, do you cringe or do you get excited? You don't have to tell me what you thought, but your answer to that question is the strongest indicator of your success in using social media to drive your career. In training thousands of professionals on how to effectively use sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to accomplish their goals, I've found one certainty: Attitude is everything Your Social Media Approach Matters How someone approaches social media is the biggest determinant on how effectively they integrate it into their business life Why? Because social media isn't about technology or about … [Read more...]