Social Media – What’s the Real Point of it All?

The key to making any social media site work for you so you can become memorable is to use the site regularly. That means posting something, either an update or a question/answer, every seven days at a minimum. Why? Because the more you use any social media site, the higher your “Google Juice” will be—in other words, Google’s algorithm will notice your regularity and you’ll get a higher ranking with Google than you would otherwise. Additionally, the more you interact and post on these sites, the more prominent you’ll become within your network—your name recognition in your industry will grow.

Remember that these days, people will look you or your company up online. That’s why you want a positive presence in the social media scene. For example, in 2008, I Googled one of my executive coaching clients Steve, a petroleum engineer, and got six results. Today I Googled his name in quotes with the words “Oil and Gas” after it, and I saw 475 results. All he did was put up a LinkedIn page, offer his expertise to others, and speak on his specialty in the US and Canada.

Even if you are an engineer, scientist, or doctor and already work over 60 hours a week, you still need to be present in the virtual world. If you can just pick one thing to do, pick LinkedIn. Then join a couple of groups so people with like minds can see what you are all about. If you have a recent article, post it. You don’t have to spend more than 30 to 60 minutes a week to at least be visible.

For aggressive, results-oriented business leaders, staying active on LinkedIn in particular is of paramount importance because you always want have an eye out for top talent. Realize that currently there are over 90 million LinkedIn users worldwide. One new user joins every second of every day. And unlike social media sites like Facebook where many people use the site for entertainment, all LinkedIn users are business minded. That means the connections you develop on LinkedIn are more likely to positively impact you or your company in some way, whether it’s now or in the future. Therefore, if you want better or more professional business relationships, LinkedIn is the place to be. Even if you have a business profile on Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn makes a perfect addition to your personal or business branding efforts.

 

Social Media – Have a Clear Purpose

The following is the third in a series on social media.

Many people think they’re going to get business from being on social media sites. While you can get business from your online activities, this shouldn’t be your ultimate purpose. Rather, your purpose should be to make people aware of who you are by sharing your expertise.

Any business networking site is a place for you to give, not just to get. So to get business from your social media activities, you have to contribute meaningful content. You can find many groups to belong to that have strong, relevant conversations going. If you post something in the discussion that’s smart and useful (good content), then chances are someone will ask to connect with you. Now you have one more person to share your message with.

Other examples of good content are asking thought-provoking questions, posting a motivational quote, and sharing a business tip. No matter what you post, if you get a reply, acknowledge the person for their feedback or contribution. Just as you can’t take people for granted in the brick and mortar world, you can’t take them for granted in the virtual world either. Everyone who reacts to your content is a potential relationship and you need to treat them as such.

When you’re replying to a question someone else poses, you want your answer to be in that first page that comes up. That way anyone who replies or scrolls after you will see your photo and business information, as most people go to the start of the conversation and read several responses before they dive in. With that said, pay close attention to what the question is and don’t answer anything capriciously. Always remember that your reply is posted forever. Make it work for you. Make it count.

Social Media – Don’t be a Contact Collector; Be a Contact Cultivator

The following is the second in a series on social media.

The goal of social media is to build relationships, not just to collect contacts. If you’ve been on any business networking sites, you’ve likely seen people with 500+ connections on LinkedIn or 4,000 friends on Facebook. At first you may think, “Wow, that person sure knows a lot of people.” But does he or she really know those connections? Or is this person just collecting contacts?

Rather than accepting and sending invitations to anyone, be mindful of whom you connect with. When you do make a connection with someone, look over his or her profile and then add a personal note to the person where you indicate a shared interest, club, affiliation, etc. For example, you could respond to someone by writing, “I see you attended Northwestern University (or are a member of the Miami Business Association, or have a pet beagle…). I have a similar interest in that I (also attended Northwestern…am a member of the Tulsa Business Association….have a dog named Summer…etc.).”  You get the idea. Find a shared interest to build upon that will make you stand out and open the lines for real communication later.

My Thoughts on Social Media’s Role in Business and Your Career

Email isn’t the only way to get your message across and isn’t the only communication-oriented technology tool at your disposal.  There’s also social networking (also called social media).  I use both Facebook and LinkedIn for business.

And let’s face it…regardless of what anyone thinks about social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.), the fact is that they are here to stay.  Sure, they’ll evolve over the years and will likely look very different than they do today, but ultimately they’ll still exist.  And while purely “social” social networking sites can have a business aspect to them, it’s important for business owners, executives, and managers to have a strong presence on the tried and true business networking sites (example:  LinkedIn).

Why?  Because your clients, customers, colleagues and others look to business social networking sites for evidence of your character.  For example, when a prospect is thinking about doing business with you or your company, he or she will likely do a social media search.  Never before did average people have the ability to research anyone or any company they wanted.  While in the past background checks were expensive and time-consuming, these days a few mouse clicks and keystrokes can pull up a goldmine of information.  That’s why you and your company need to be on business networking sites…and you need to be using the e-networking sites effectively.

The Top Meeting Pet Peeves that Plague Organizations – Tip #5

The following is the fifth and final tip on meeting pet peeves.  For more information on what the Jean Kelley Leadership Alliance can do for you and your company, visit www.jeankelley.com/our-solutions.

Pet Peeve #5: Listening to Unprepared or Ineffective Speakers

Nothing is worse than listening to a monotone speaker who says “um” or “ah” every other word…or having someone start their portion of the meeting by saying, “I really didn’t prepare anything for this, so let’s just wing it.”

While everyone should speak and offer ideas at these meetings, some people may have to give more thoughtful, polished information. These people should be identified beforehand so they have time to prepare. This is crucial, because in most organizations, to be promoted you must have solid public speaking skills.

Additionally, if someone simply isn’t good at giving presentations, no matter how much preparation he or she does, that person needs to get support and training to become more effective. Granted, no one wants to tell a colleague, “You need to work on your public speaking skills,” but offering support to others will not only make meetings more effective, it will also make the company stronger.

Do Your Part

Business meetings are a mainstay in our work-world, so no matter what you think of them, they’ll never go away. Knowing this, isn’t it time we all work to avoid the top meeting pet peeves? If we all do our part, we can make meetings more enjoyable, more productive, and more meaningful for everyone involved. And that’s one kind of meeting everyone will love to attend.

The Top Meeting Pet Peeves that Plague Organizations – Tip #4

The following is the fourth meeting pet peeve in a weekly series of 5.

Pet Peeve #4 – Using PowerPoint When It’s Not Needed

PowerPoint is an essential business tool, but it’s not effective for all meeting types. Unfortunately, many people believe that ALL meetings require the use of PowerPoint. Not true! Typical information sharing meetings require a facilitator asking questions and everyone contributing in round-robin style. Watching someone read PowerPoint slides is not how these meetings should run. After all, if people simply needed to read pages of text, you could just send them the file and skip the meeting completely.

Of course, if your informational meeting needs more of people’s senses involved, then use PowerPoint to add that visual component. Likewise, if you’re combining everyone’s data and showing it in chart or graph form, PowerPoint is great. But don’t use PowerPoint just for the sake of it. Know why you’re using it, and then do it right.

The Top Meeting Pet Peeves that Plague Organizations – Tip #2

The following is the second meeting pet peeve in a weekly series of 5.

Pet Peeve #2: Lack of Facilitation

Some people mistakenly believe that meetings run on their own—that all you have to do is get a group of people together in a room and they’ll automatically produce good results. Wrong! Getting the people together is the easy part; leading them in a productive discussion takes skill. That’s why solid meeting facilitation is so critical.

The facilitator’s job is to control the flow of the meeting, to help attendees work together, to provide structure to the meeting, and to get everyone involved. When attendees are allowed to have their cell phones ringing during the meeting, when one or two people are permitted to dominate the conversation, or when it’s acceptable for key people to not contribute to the discussion, good facilitation is lacking. Therefore, make sure all your meetings have an effective facilitator at the helm.

The Top Meeting Pet Peeves that Plague Organizations

Tell most business people that there’s another meeting on their agenda, and you’ll likely see them shake their head, roll their eyes, and mumble something under their breath. That’s because nearly all meetings succumb to a few pet peeves—those annoying meeting happenings that derail the meeting’s purpose, waste time, and cause friction and frustration among attendees.

While all types of meetings fall prey to pet peeves, it’s the process-oriented, information sharing meetings that most business people dislike…and that are the most common. Even though the role of this sort of meetings is to keep others informed and to learn how what they’re doing fits in the big picture, many people leave these types of meetings feeling confused, aggravated, and sometimes overwhelmed.

This is a huge problem for business, because if a meeting isn’t informative at the very least and enjoyable at the most, then the company is wasting a lot of money getting people together. Additionally, if your meetings aren’t on the mark, you’ll get the reputation for holding poor meetings, which erodes morale and productivity.

To ensure your meetings are effective, informative and enjoyable , be aware of the top five meeting pet peeves and avoid them at all costs.  The following is the first pet peeve in a weekly series of five.

Pet Peeve #1: Not Having an Agenda or Not Sticking to One


The top three rules for Toastmasters are to start the meeting on time, end it on time, and always have an agenda. This rule should be true for business meeting too.

Having an agenda is not only simple courtesy; it also tells attendees that the meeting has a goal and will be productive. An agenda gives the meeting facilitator control over the meeting’s flow, keeps the meeting on task, and reduces confusion among participants. Realize that the agenda does not need to be elaborate; a simple bullet list of topics is all you need to prepare.

Remember to send the agenda out a day or so before the meeting so attendees can prepare. And if you forget to send it out early, bring copies of the agenda to hand out when the meeting starts. On meeting day, stick with the agenda. If a topic comes up in conversation that is not on the agenda, offer to address that topic after the meeting. This way you keep the meeting on schedule and don’t derail the meeting’s purpose.

Are You Executive Level Material? Tip #10

10. Communicate effectively.

How you communicate, both verbally and in writing, can make or break your career potential. Using poor grammar, foul language, or an inappropriate tone make you appear less intelligent. Most executives are very polished when it comes to their communication skills. If your communication skills are lacking, find a resource (a class, a book, a mentor, or a coach) to help.

Get Ahead Today

Realizing your goal of attaining an executive level position is possible. You simply need to go beyond your technical or job-specific skills and add some focus to your executive presence. After all, you can’t become an executive if you don’t act or look like one. By concentrating on these ten areas and keeping your skills up to date, you’ll reach the executive suite sooner than you ever thought possible.

Visit www.jeankelley.com/our-solutions to find out how a member of our team can help you reach your career potential.