Or, “Yes, Virginia, there really is a business use for social media.”
Many professionals still wonder if social networking is worth their time. Social media IS an important business asset for both individuals and companies. So I visited AWC Houston to show members how they can sift through the myriad options and get started on just a few networks to help enhance their professional lives.
1. Becca Taylor – Enterprise Business Social Media Manager @beccataylor | www.linkedin.com/in/beccataylor Presented to AWC Houston March 17, 2010 Social Networking: Work or Play? Or, “Yes, Virginia, there really is a business use for social media.”
54. What if I say the wrong thing?Weighing Risks & Benefits Enhance your professional image & brand Build a skill set Expand your network Solve business problems (and help others solve theirs)
55. Setting Your Goals What do you want to get from social networking? How much time can you (or are you willing) to spend on it? Who do you want to connect with? What image do you want to project? Are you comfortable mixing personal updates with professional ones? Can you be flexible and accept that you’ll learn as you go?
57. Choosing Your Conversations Pick one network, develop it, then add another: Save time & make the most of your investment My recommendation for newbies: Twitter: your conversation lounge LinkedIn: your digital portfolio and contact list Facebook: your personal playground
59. First Things First: Your Profile Always fill out your profile! Make it easy to find you by using Your real name so colleagues can easily find you The same e-mail address you use for everything else A bio that includes important key words for the audience you want to attract Upload a photo of yourself Link to other network profiles or your company web site
60. Twitter Don’t forget your profile! Listen first Understand who’s talking about topics that interest you and see what they’re saying Enter the conversation before following a lot of people You might get only one chance to convert a browser to a follower, make sure you’ve posted tweets already that represent you and your contribution to the conversation Find people to follow and add them slowly Search keywords and hashtags Browse follow rosters Search and subscribe to Twitter lists (www.listorious.com)
61. Twitter Optimize your tweet practices Use hashtags to connect your tweets to an ongoing conversation Re-tweet often Follow the 80/20 rule Follow your followers (www.friendorfollow.com), but! Be selective about who you follow Don’t be afraid of blocking Do not use auto-follow or auto-DM apps Test drive Twitter apps like TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com) or HootSuite (www.hootsuite.com) Utilize RSS feeds to help tame the content flow when you follow a lot of people
62. LinkedIn Don’t forget your profile! Keep in touch with connections Ask for and offer recommendations Demonstrate your expertise by participating in the community* Join groups Browse and participate in LinkedIn Answers Connect LinkedIn to other networks and apps (like Twitter or blogs) *Your mileage will vary—content quality is hit-or-miss and watch out for spam!
63. Facebook Find your comfort zone with personal info “Split personality” is common approach New privacy settings make combined approach easier than before Limit “fun” stuff if using for professional contacts Know your audience & use those privacy settings
64. Putting it all Together Connect traditional networking with social networking Contribute to (as a writer) or create a blog Follow the same steps: listen, establish, engage, repeat Follow, read, and engage social media gurus That’s a very subjective and context-sensitive definition, but a few general resources: Chris Brogan (www.chrisbrogan.com) Seth Godin (www.sethgodin.com) Problogger (www.problogger.net) Twitter Tips from TwiTip (www.twitip.com) Social Media Examiner (www.socialmediaexaminer.com) Social Media Today (www.socialmediatoday.com) Read Groundswell for great business groundingin the social phenomenon
The Conversation Prism, created by Brian Solis (a PR guru) and Jesse Thomas (a graphic designer, owner of JESS3), helps to illustrate the scope and relationships of the social media landscape. As vast as that landscape is, it’s still easy to distill all of those communities and networks down to a few so that getting started is a manageable feat.Speaker note: Visit www.theconversationprism.com for more detail and a new interactive version of the Prism.