the five social media platforms you must use for career & business success in 2012

The Five Social Media Platforms You Must Use for Career & Business Success in 2012

Presented by Audience Matters, Inc.When You Audience Matters,

Your Message Matters.

Audience-Driven, Social Web Branding Strategy(404) 913-3340

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http://www.myaudiencematters.com/

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Who am I and what the heck do I know about social media for career and small business?

I’m Dahna M. Chandler, a professional social media, digital publicity and content development strategist..

I am an award-winning , long-time, entrepreneur and journalist and former reporter for Black Enterprise magazine.

My current clients have included the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, Small Business Finance Institute and the Department of Justice via NeighborWorks for whom I provided social media, publicity and editorial content strategy consulting.

I’ve been conducting social media marketing strategy since 1992. I used social media in 1998 to become an internationally-published journalist.

Between Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, I have over15,000 direct connections.

I’m a social media marketing strategy fanatic. Passion counts!

© 2012. Audience Matters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Fact: Today, whether work for yourself or someone else, both career and small business success mean

being able to effectively use social media.

Photo: Getty Images


But, the social media landscape is so broad, it’s hard to know which platforms to choose, right?


So, in this brief presentation, you will learn:


The five social media platforms both career professionals and small business owners must use to drive business and job success;

A brief overview of how to use them effectively;Some tools and resources to help you develop social

media savvy; and,Some major mistakes to avoid on social media.

So, Which Five Social Media Platforms Must You Be On for Career and Business Success in 2012?


LinkedInFacebookTwitterYouTubeBlogs

Let’s do a brief overview of how to leverage each with some basic strategies for maximizing your use of each.

Linking Up with


There are over 150 million professionals on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is primarily for business networking and numerous career

professionals and many business owners use it. Perceived as more ‘professional’ than Facebook, so more comfortable for

professionals and business owners to use for career and business development.

Join groups based on your profession, industry, business and interests. Create your own groups based on the same criteria or a personal interest

or cause. Connect with people globally who share your career or business interests

(but understand the Business Network’s terms and conditions for connecting with others).

Linking Up with


Do research by using “Answers” to ask specific questions about business development, products and services, concepts, business planning, marketing, etc. (Be careful about LinkedIn’s rules related to career development, though. You can’t job search or recruit using “Answers”.)

Become an expert on the site. Answer questions in Groups and using the “Answers” feature above to show industry and professional expertise.

Follow other professionals and experts on the site. Get news and information on the site and share it with others. Post your own blog articles and other content created by you. Create a robust, keyword-optimized profile with work/business history

and start a Company page for your business. Build your credibility by leveraging all the platform’s robust features.

Friending and Fanning with


Facebook, as of May 2012, had over 900,000,000 users globally. Facebook is not just for personal sharing. It’s for business and

professional development, too. You can set up a Business or Personal Page (which is different from

your Personal Profile) and get “Fans” to “Like” your Page. You can create or join Facebook Groups to interact with your

colleagues, customers and prospects—whether prospective clients or employers.

You can find products and services for your business on Facebook but you can also show your expertise to land jobs and clients.

You can use it for advertising using Facebook ads or look for job ads.

Friending and Fanning with


You can network with other business owners, and prospective clients and employers.

You can promote yourself or your company and build your brand identity.

Share useful content with status updates consisting of links, photos, videos, surveys, coupons, giveaways, contests, discussions, and other content that drives conversation and engagement.

Add apps that allow you share your Twitter feed, blog, YouTube Channel, Flickr Photostream and more; create your own apps.

Share your professional expertise, interests and objectives.

Tweeting and Teaching on


Twitter is a microblogging site that adds over 500,000 users a day. You share information about your product or service and information from

others with followers in under 140 characters. Share links to valuable content, professional and business expertise. Find and follow other businesses, current and prospective clients and

vendors; share useful information by “retweeting” it. Retweeting encourages people to follow you and “retweet” your content

producing valuable “mentions” and increasing engagement. Find and follow other industry professionals and companies of interest

and start conversing with them regularly. Get news, career advice, coaching and other training. Be a source of news, career advice, business coaching and training and

other high value information by sharing your expertise, perspectives.

Tweeting and Teaching on


Plan and participate in tweetups to network off Twitter with those you meet on Twitter; engage in live-tweeting at events and tweet chats on Twitter to learn or share relevant industry or professional information.

Conduct tweepstakes, contests and other promotions. Find and follow members of the media and tweet press releases; develop

relationships with your favorite journalists and be one of their “go-to” sources. (Useful for publicity.)

Share photos of your or your company’s products and services, videos you made about what you’re doing or of press interviews you got and audio recordings you make, including podcasts.

Share visual aspects of your professional portfolio to promote your expertise.

Making Use of for Business and Career


YouTube is a video sharing site and the second largest search engine online.

You can create and upload your own videos to share with your clients, students or customers about your products and services.

If you are an expert, record content that provides valuable information or coaching to your audience.

Find content by other experts and by consultants, coaches, trainers—almost anyone with a video camera who posts content that you can use.

Create a Channel and place video content created by other YouTube users on that Channel that you can share with your customers or clients. Doing that boosts your credibility.

Making Use of for Business and Career


Be a curator on YouTube by aggregating the best content on the site for your industry to show your expertise.

Create live events for your company and add value to your company by increasing revenue and brand position.

Do the same for your business and get similar results. Find opportunities to be interviewed as an expert by Channel

owners who produce news and on-demand video content. Upload your own video recorded interviews (with permission) as

part of a professional portfolio or for promotional purposes. Many people are more likely to find you on YouTube before they

find your website; that can drive SEO, traffic to your website or blog.

Putting Your Expertise on Blast with a Blog


Promote your ideas and expertise on your blog. Today, blogs are meant to curate content from across social media so do that to share industry

expertise and to show yourself an expert in your industry. Integrate your other social media network content into your blog like:

Your Twitter feed. Your Facebook Profile and Page wall status updates. A link to your YouTube Channel (and from your YouTube Channel). Your Flickr Photostream. Slideshare presentations.

You can also turn your blog into a mini-community. Blog articles can also be video and photo sharing opportunities that allow you to introduce

new products , services or expert concepts. You can add resource links like a blogroll or industry websites to the sidebars that show your

breadth of understanding of your industry or subject. Use your company blog to capture customer contact information so you can contact them

useful information and limited promotions.

Putting Your Expertise on Blast with a Blog


Your blog can also be your website. You’ll promote your brand, products, services and professional

expertise/background on your blogsite the way you would on your website.

Make sure your blog is consistent with your brand. Remember, your product or brand can also be brand you if you’re a career

professional. Create affiliate programs or participate in them from your blog. Use a blog format that allows you to post the type of content you want to

showcase like a photo blog for photos. Blog regularly, at least a few times a week. Create a content strategy for your blog and stick to it. Turn your blog into a newsletter and use it to develop a mailing list.

Now that you know what to do with social media, here’s what NOT to to ON social media.

Social Media Don’ts…


Don’t rant about or make fun of your boss, coworkers or clients. Don’t admit to activity that would embarrass or anger your boss or clients. Don’t say or post anything you wouldn’t want shared, even on your “private”

profiles and, especially, on other’s profiles. Don’t forget to set your privacy settings appropriately and know what social

media sites aren’t private. Don’t forget to create a social media strategy. Don’t set up social media profiles and forget about them. Manage and use them

and do it effectively. Don’t forget to use available tools on social media networks and off to measure

your social media success. Don’t be unwilling to add value on social media. Don’t hesitate to ask for or hire help or get training if you know you need it to

succeed on social media.

Tools and ResourcesYou’ll need some expertise in order to maximize social media. Here are a few tools and resources to get you started.

Tools and Resources You Can Use to Start or Enhance Your Social Media Marketing Campaign


Websites and blogswww.hubspot.comwww.allfacebook.comwww.mintblogger.comwww.problogger.comwww.youtube.comwww.entrepreneur.comwww.socialmediaexaminer.comwww.slideshare.net

Tools and Resources You Can Use to Start or Enhance Your Social Media Marketing Campaign


Newsletters and other Resources Smartbrief on Social Media MarketingProfs Forrester Research Social Media Experts’ Facebook Pages. (Do an internet search

on “top social media experts”. Then find their Facebook Pages and “Like” them, either with you personal profile or company page. You’ll get their posts in your those News Feeds.)

Social media groups on LinkedIn. Also, use “Answers” to ask questions about social media.

Social media experts on Twitter and YouTube.

A Few Last Words…


Social media today is like the internet was a decade ago. Those who didn’t get on got left behind. If you don’t get on social media with a clear social media plan, you and your business will be left behind.

Start with personal social media profiles to ‘test the waters’ but, again, don’t do anything on them you wouldn’t want broadcast globally. What you do can be broadcast globally.

Know which social media platforms are relevant to your audience(s); keep up with changes on social media and on the major search engines.

Remember, some employers forbid the use of social media sites at work. Know and obey the rules so you don’t get fired.

Employers have the right to monitor computer use on their time and equipment.

A Few Last Words…


Prospective clients and employers may use social media to conduct background check and may ask for passwords. Know laws about privacy and social media.

Similarly, many employers are looking for employees with social media skills. Know the hiring trends when it comes to social media and develop those skills.

Build up to business profiles once you’ve done your marketing or career plan and know how you want to proceed—do it yourself, get a coach or get a consultant.

The first costs you your time, the second costs your time and the coach’s (you pay for the coach’s time and expertise), the third costs you primarily the consultant’s time (for which you pay). It’s the most expensive.

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