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...]
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...]
5 LinkedIn Status Updates You Can Post Right Now
LinkedIn Status Updates are a critical tool in developing your online presence. The opportunity to speak directly to your network is incredibly powerful, but sadly, still underused. Your LinkedIn network is made up of professionals who have opted-in to you, but if you don't share anything, they can't stay informed. They want to know what's going on in your professional world, and they are looking to you for information that can help them. "But I don't know what to share!" I hear that all of the time when I'm coaching and training individuals on how to make the most of their networking on LinkedIn. So let's get tactical. Here are … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Rock Your Second-Half Networking
Ah, July. We're all sitting on a beach, enjoying the summer. But soon the fall will be here and with it the mad dash to accomplish our 2012 goals. Make it easier on yourself by having your network poised to help you as the weather starts to cool. Here are three ways you can make your networking more effective: 1. Create a plan – Many people fail at building a strong professional network because they don’t develop a strategy first, they just blindly flail about. Networking is much more effective when you create clarity around your objectives first. Think about the questions that journalists ask: Who, When, What, Where, Why, and How? Who … [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...]
9 Ways the Pros Use Their Status Update on LinkedIn
Updated December 2018 One of the most common features on social networking websites is the status update. Using the status update feature, a user can type in a short message that is broadcast to their entire network. Facebook’s popularity is based largely on people’s ability to share information through the status update feature, and Twitter has taken the process one step further – it’s just status updates, and nothing else. It can be exciting to share in this way, and many business people are using it to share professional information as well. Unfortunately, the ubiquity of status updates makes it hard to be “heard” above the … [Read more...]