You know that I’ve been talking about the growing power of social media sites. I’ve also shared that I am not the world’s quickest adopter of social media or technology. In fact, I never spent enough time to feel at home in Second Life (not a really compelling reason to spend the time). Plus, at the time I was on dialup and every time I visited, they made me download the site again - a four hour process. But, I do have profiles and some activity on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Social media sites are a critical component of professional networking going forward. These ten reasons support your time investment.
Stay in touch. If, like me, you have “lost” people over the years, look them up on the popular social media sites. You may find them. And, if your whole network is profiled and linked, you’ll never lose them again.
Be found. I can’t tell you how many former colleagues, friends, and associates have found my profiles and contacted me. Just recently, one of my best friends from high school, whom I sought for thirty years, found me online and called.
Find candidates for jobs. You can email your network with job requirements and ask for referrals. Tap into the power of your current employees’ networks by asking them to broadcast available positions to their networks. This is one of the top ways to find passive candidates, people who may not currently be actively seeking work. Search on keywords to expand your contacts even beyond your network. As an example, here’s how to use LinkedIn for recruiting.
Develop a recruiting network for employees with skills that will become increasingly scarce. Especially as the boomers retire or seek part-time opportunities, determine where you will find the employees with technology, medical, and quality skills, as examples, that your organization will need. Various social networks exist for a variety of career fields.
Plant your foot firmly in the social networks that will provide the future employees for your organization. Seek the assistance of your current employees, too. They may already be networking on these sites – or they may be interested in helping you find the kind of people with whom they want to work.
Find a new job. Desire to move on from your current employer for whatever reason? Use social media sites to assist you in your job search. Everything recommended for recruiting candidates is recommended for your job search.
Establish your online brand. Who are you? What expertise do you have? What do you want to be known for accomplishing. The information you put in your profiles will eventually serve you well or not at all. When a potential employer or a potential employee “googles” your name, will the employer find the credentials of a proficient professional? You want to establish an online image before you need it. Establishing this image can take awhile. Why are you waiting?
Join groups that share your interests, your community, or your profession. Facebook, as an example, allows you to create groups. I’m a member of the job searching group and other members point me to interesting online articles. Following people on Twitter also yields content recommendations. Twitter groups are increasingly scheduling in-person meetups so that people who are interacting online can meet face-to-face. The mid-Michigan group is planning their next meetup. If you attend conferences or trade shows, Twitter is a great way to schedule get-togethers.
Develop social connections over time on social media sites. Sites such as Facebook and MySpace allow much more “fun” than the more professionally oriented LinkedIn. Connections send me karma and virtual plants from Facebook as an example. While both of these sites started for young people, mature professionals are increasingly joining them. Despite the fact that a friend’s daughter tells us we are too old for Facebook, it is increasingly populated by professionals.
Be careful what you share to safeguard that professional image referenced above, but don’t doubt its power to expand your relationships. An added plus? College students, whom you may want to recruit, populate these sites and are well-versed in their use and comfortable reaching out from them. One of my nephews disappeared from email and another niece sent him a message on Facebook and he was back in touch with me that day.
Provide a space in which the users of your product or service can interact with you. Consumers want to have a conversation with you about their wants and needs. They want to tell you how you can better serve them. Many of them want to build community around products or services that they love. Give them the opportunity. Blog, sponsor user forums, and answer user comments.
Use your customers’ feedback to improve; it’s much easier to zap a note off to you on Facebook, or to comment on your blog, than it is to write a letter to an anonymous company address. Be out there. Interact. Zappos, the only shoe store I use anymore, has a lively feed on Twitter. It’s just one example. And, if you need a strategy for helping your customers find you and talk with you, go where they are already talking and join the conversation. In fact, do this, too.
Build community around your product or service. Are the people who are the “face” of your company approachable, likeable, knowledgeable, and out there? You need to find these people and nurture them. They are increasingly the voice of your company. More than paid media opportunities, such as ads, television commercials, and traditional mass media approaches, the online world seeks evangelists who build a community of people who follow them and whom they follow.
Forums and blogs on your company Web site, forums and blogs within your human resources Intranet, and other community opportunities build this sense of community. Both within and outside of your company, you need to develop relationships. They are your communication life line. Create them; use them.
Finally, Betsy Weber of TechSmith Corporation, sent me a note worth heeding today. Your company, in addition to individual employees, needs to establish a company presence on significant social media sites. The recent Cone Business in Social Media study indicates that "93% of Americans believe that a company should have a presence on social media sites and 85% believe that these companies should use these services to interact with consumers." Of the study responders:
--60% of Americans regularly interact with companies on a social media site,
--43% of consumers say that companies should use social networks to solve the consumers` problems, and
--41% believe that companies should use social media tools to solicit feedback on products and services.
The Internet has opened up communication across world boundaries. Why not use its social media components to expand your network, add friends, make connections, recruit employees, find people with scarce skills, and enlarge your world view? I’m participating. Why not you, too?
Regards,
Ajay Kumar.
Social media sites are a critical component of professional networking going forward. These ten reasons support your time investment.
Stay in touch. If, like me, you have “lost” people over the years, look them up on the popular social media sites. You may find them. And, if your whole network is profiled and linked, you’ll never lose them again.
Be found. I can’t tell you how many former colleagues, friends, and associates have found my profiles and contacted me. Just recently, one of my best friends from high school, whom I sought for thirty years, found me online and called.
Find candidates for jobs. You can email your network with job requirements and ask for referrals. Tap into the power of your current employees’ networks by asking them to broadcast available positions to their networks. This is one of the top ways to find passive candidates, people who may not currently be actively seeking work. Search on keywords to expand your contacts even beyond your network. As an example, here’s how to use LinkedIn for recruiting.
Develop a recruiting network for employees with skills that will become increasingly scarce. Especially as the boomers retire or seek part-time opportunities, determine where you will find the employees with technology, medical, and quality skills, as examples, that your organization will need. Various social networks exist for a variety of career fields.
Plant your foot firmly in the social networks that will provide the future employees for your organization. Seek the assistance of your current employees, too. They may already be networking on these sites – or they may be interested in helping you find the kind of people with whom they want to work.
Find a new job. Desire to move on from your current employer for whatever reason? Use social media sites to assist you in your job search. Everything recommended for recruiting candidates is recommended for your job search.
Establish your online brand. Who are you? What expertise do you have? What do you want to be known for accomplishing. The information you put in your profiles will eventually serve you well or not at all. When a potential employer or a potential employee “googles” your name, will the employer find the credentials of a proficient professional? You want to establish an online image before you need it. Establishing this image can take awhile. Why are you waiting?
Join groups that share your interests, your community, or your profession. Facebook, as an example, allows you to create groups. I’m a member of the job searching group and other members point me to interesting online articles. Following people on Twitter also yields content recommendations. Twitter groups are increasingly scheduling in-person meetups so that people who are interacting online can meet face-to-face. The mid-Michigan group is planning their next meetup. If you attend conferences or trade shows, Twitter is a great way to schedule get-togethers.
Develop social connections over time on social media sites. Sites such as Facebook and MySpace allow much more “fun” than the more professionally oriented LinkedIn. Connections send me karma and virtual plants from Facebook as an example. While both of these sites started for young people, mature professionals are increasingly joining them. Despite the fact that a friend’s daughter tells us we are too old for Facebook, it is increasingly populated by professionals.
Be careful what you share to safeguard that professional image referenced above, but don’t doubt its power to expand your relationships. An added plus? College students, whom you may want to recruit, populate these sites and are well-versed in their use and comfortable reaching out from them. One of my nephews disappeared from email and another niece sent him a message on Facebook and he was back in touch with me that day.
Provide a space in which the users of your product or service can interact with you. Consumers want to have a conversation with you about their wants and needs. They want to tell you how you can better serve them. Many of them want to build community around products or services that they love. Give them the opportunity. Blog, sponsor user forums, and answer user comments.
Use your customers’ feedback to improve; it’s much easier to zap a note off to you on Facebook, or to comment on your blog, than it is to write a letter to an anonymous company address. Be out there. Interact. Zappos, the only shoe store I use anymore, has a lively feed on Twitter. It’s just one example. And, if you need a strategy for helping your customers find you and talk with you, go where they are already talking and join the conversation. In fact, do this, too.
Build community around your product or service. Are the people who are the “face” of your company approachable, likeable, knowledgeable, and out there? You need to find these people and nurture them. They are increasingly the voice of your company. More than paid media opportunities, such as ads, television commercials, and traditional mass media approaches, the online world seeks evangelists who build a community of people who follow them and whom they follow.
Forums and blogs on your company Web site, forums and blogs within your human resources Intranet, and other community opportunities build this sense of community. Both within and outside of your company, you need to develop relationships. They are your communication life line. Create them; use them.
Finally, Betsy Weber of TechSmith Corporation, sent me a note worth heeding today. Your company, in addition to individual employees, needs to establish a company presence on significant social media sites. The recent Cone Business in Social Media study indicates that "93% of Americans believe that a company should have a presence on social media sites and 85% believe that these companies should use these services to interact with consumers." Of the study responders:
--60% of Americans regularly interact with companies on a social media site,
--43% of consumers say that companies should use social networks to solve the consumers` problems, and
--41% believe that companies should use social media tools to solicit feedback on products and services.
The Internet has opened up communication across world boundaries. Why not use its social media components to expand your network, add friends, make connections, recruit employees, find people with scarce skills, and enlarge your world view? I’m participating. Why not you, too?
Regards,
Ajay Kumar.
