How Google+ can help you when you have the mindset of a beginner

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

beginGoogle+ seems to have exacerbated this conversation with a whole raft of debate on the new platform and brands.

For many, there will be at least a part of them that sighs and wonders how they will add in yet another social network. (is that you?)

For others, they will be keen as mustard to tell you that it’s another great marketing tool and that as soon as Google let you, you should be all over it.

I agree with those who see the opportunity to actually take a more measured approach allowing you time to see how it works in with other plans and your objectives.

More importantly, having entered early, it was a great reminder of what it is like to come to something fairly new. Coming to a social network anew can be bewildering, to say the least! The advantage of understanding it personally first, is that it’s less high profile. It gives you time to see what is working and hoe others are using it.


If you use social media for your work this can be an invaluable time to play and experiment so that then when the doors are open, it’s not a case of jumping on the bandwagon but because you are absolutely confident of knowing and communicating the benefits.

Luxuriate in the opportunity to learn

Please do share in the comments how you get comfortable with the new social media tools out there. It’s more powerful when we learn together!

At the moment, as professionals and as business people we have the opportunity precisely because Google+ feels so new to approach it with a beginners mind.  As a marketer, your opportunity is to think about how someone who is not a marketer (or not very techy) may be experiencing it.  To share your learning as you find it, before you forget the lessons as you get more confident.  To see what people you trust are saying about it, and how they are using it.

Here are a few links to people who are talking about it.  Enjoy!

A full overview from the folks at Social Media Examiner

PC Mag Poll on whether people will leave Facebook for Google+

Mashable – 10 tips for new users of Google+

Chris Brogan on The Google Plus 50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Business Lessons Tagged With:

Social Media house and home

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

home I’ve just finished reading Have a little Faith by Mitch Albom and really enjoyed it.  This story is from the author of Tuesdays with Morrie and is about someone asked to write a eulogy and what they learnt about their rabbi – and themselves, in the journey to fulfilling that request.  I’m not sharing here anything about religion, just one particular story which stood out in the book and inspired me to write this post.

It refers to a little girl who is the daughter of a soldier.  She is sat waiting, as they are readying to move to a distant post, surrounded at the airport with all her belongings.  Someone comes past, and says “Poor child.  You haven’t got a home”.

She replies “But we DO have a home.  We just don’t have a house to put it in” (P111)

This inspired me in thinking about the homes we create for ourselves, both on and offline.

I’ll give a personal example, that I hope helps you think about your own situation.  My content homes are subjects I am interested, and that I love to talk about.  In a professional setting, that’s coaching and how it impacts people, and social media.  They’re my homes.  In online terms, they are the base of the communities I join and the place I feel comfortable.

Sometimes when we change role, although our home is always with us, in our heart and our actions, we get the feeling that we are slightly lost, without the house that is the physical manifestation of our home.  A move from employed to self employed can do this.  Or to self employed to employed, or from agency to client side – you get the idea.

It is all about how you get that house back to put your home in.  Your home is what you are comfortable with, and what is integrally important to you.  Your house may change over time.  As you’d research and start to make new creations when you physically move either house or jobs, you can take similar action when the changes you make mean that your online presence and communities also shift a little bit.  Make your own home comforts again.

How to make your house, your home

In social media terms, there are actions you can take to help you make that new house feel like home

  • List all the similarites that are still true from what you’ve done before, that will help you be effective in the new social media home you’d like to create
  • Explore what it is like going on the journey, as what you learn may also be something which helps others
  • If you’re just thinking about the change, start building your knowledge and new communities now, so that when you do move you feel much more confident and ready to get started.
  • Think about the steps you’d take when you’re preparing to move home, or job, and how you can apply these to the connections and content you share online.
  • Use Google Blog search and news updates to find other relevant bloggers to see the relevant content, and to find out who it’s useful to reach out to.

Have you experienced this shift?  What helped you make the change successful that you’d be happy to share?

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Inspiration Tagged With: , , ,

6 tips to avoid the blank sheet blues on creating social content

July 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
new post pop upWhen I work with people on using social media, one of the primary concerns is about what to share.  This comes in 2 key forms – not having enough to say, and people not being interested in it.  My primary tip is to jump in and see what works for you, but I wanted to share some tips to get you started so you avoided that awful feeling of looking at a blank page (whether that’s getting started on Twitter, writing your first blog post, or writing a LinkedIn status update

Be clear about your topic – stand out for what you want to be known for.

Although you may share a range of updates, it’s important to be clear about the top messages and themes that you want to be known for.  It will be what your business delivers, or a subject you are passionate about and that you could talk about all day long!  You’ll have experience and interest.  It’s also likely that there will be other people out there talking about the same topic.  That’s your community, even if you haven’t met them yet.

Action:  Complete the following:

I most want to be known for…

I am most passionate about…

I love to help people with….

I can talk all day long about…

See what other people are talking about, in relation to your topic

This will help you in two ways – finding people who are the experts, and potential role models and people to connect with.  It also connects you with relevant content that is similar to yours, and which will help you get started with ideas about what interests you.

Action: Connect to the current content

Search Google or other search engines for your topic to see who is already creating content in that field.  You can also use Google Blog Search and Technorati, to find blog content.

Sign up for regular updates via email, or RSS for those you find personally most interesting and relevant.  You can always unsubscribe if you find out that they aren’t for you.

Set up a Google Alert for your topic to keep relevant content coming into your inbox on a regular basis.

On Twitter, set up a search, or go to Twitter search, to see what the topics of conversation are on Twitter.

Listen before you jump in.

One way to avoid feeling like a failure with what you share, is to make it a clear part of the way you are setting up to listen before you jump in and create content yourself.  To start off with, you may just listen in, using a few of the ways I shared in the section above.  Your next step is to respond to content that you find interesting or have a perspective on – a reply on Twitter, a blog comment.  It will help build your confidence in using that particular social media tool.

Action: Think about what you see

Make notes about the content which really resonates with you

Reach out to at least one blogger or tweeter this week about something you’d like to know more about, have a view on or would like to discuss

Be yourself – personable, professional, authentic

Sometimes when I talk with people, it’s like they have to share the most perfect, insightful piece of content ever.  Heavy!  Even if you have a strong existing personal and professional reputation that you’re worried about damaging, if you’re being yourself, authentically and professionally, it’s unlikely that you’ll go far wrong.  People connect with people, and being yourself is crucial to social media.  For professionals, it can be uncomfortable to share personal information, so think personable instead – sharing an element of who you are and what makes you tick.  If you’ve got company guidelines about what you can do in social media, make sure you check those out as well so you don’t damage your relationship with your organisation unwittingly.

Action: Share appropriately

Find out if there are social media guidelines where you work and stick to the recommendations – they are there to protect you as much as the organisation

Think about what content and elements of your personality / life you are happy to share with the world  (Tip – if it involves talking about someone else, check with them first!)

Take yourself lightly!

Don’t see it as too heavy to get started.  See what you like from others, and use that as your guide along with your compass of what you’d like to share.  Treat sharing as an experiment, rather than feeling you have to be perfect from the get-go.  As you get more confident and grow your networks, you’ll see what gets a response and can use that to help you refine your content ideas.

Here is a quick list of topics that you could get started with on Twitter:

  1. A book review of a relevant industry book
  2. A link to a piece of news, with your insight added
  3. A link to your own blog post, if you already blog
  4. Sharing a link to your favourite blog where you find news and information about your topic
  5. An update on a hot topic affecting your industry
  6. A change to legislation or regulation affecting your industry
  7. A tip based on personal experience
  8. A favourite quote (some people avoid lot’s of quotes/ re-quotes from others, so take this into account and make it just one thing you share)
  9. A relevant industry video you found on YouTube
  10. An industry event happening today/ this week
  11. Where you are speaking next
  12. A presentation you have written which is now on SlideShare
  13. A thought for the day
  14. A question you’d like answering about your topic of expertise

 

 Action: Get started!

Now you’ve got a list of tips, you can get started with sharing topics of conversation and growing your online community.  Let me know what tips you liked, and any additional tips you have to share, right here in the comments section.

 

 

Filed Under: Blog

Socially savvy students can strengthen their online profile with Linkedin

July 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Linkedin just announced some new updates which should help students get ahead of the game with getting the most from LinkedIn.  Some of the key items of the new profile sections for students include projects, organisations and scores.  So if you’re standing out in school, either academically or via other ways you contribute, now you can share that much more easily on LinkedIn.

It’s a win for linkedin
- Linkedin have a much clearer reason foe students to join from the get-go. A little like joining your bank and staying there for life, it makes it easier for students to get benefit earlier in their career which should translate to continued updates and value to staying with, and actively using linkedin
- it shows that they are constantly looking at more ways to add value in the professional networking space.

Its a win for students
- start your professional footprint online much easier
- additional tool alongside your cv/ resume
-shows you as up to date in your career management and makes it easier for potential employers to find you
- a credible place to direct your profile online, allowing you to lock down facebook to those you choose to let in
-start building a professional network much sooner
-Showcase your strengths as they apply today

I like that LinkedIn seems constantly to be looking for new ways to add more value to their users.  It’s good sense, both for the end user, and for them as a business.  It reminds me of the model that banks use to offer great deals for students, in the knowledge that usually banking decisions you make as a student, you’ll continue with (unless you have a very poor experience!).  We want to stay with, and trust, the organisations we place our trust and relationships with.  By enabling students to connect their experiences earlier in their careers, it’s clear that the hope is that will enable more relationships to be nurtured over time.  It should also set students up for success as they transition out of the world of being a student, into the world of first work experience, summer schemes, and finally into their careers.

Many students won’t know straight away what their career choice will be.  But by building out a professional network early on, it’s easier by far to keep track of those early relationships and skills that you may miss when you start counting with your first, full time job.

Are you a student, recruiter or organisation? What do you think of the updates?

Filed Under: Blog, LinkedIn

The power of refining

June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The power of refining is the opportunity to be more impactful. When we refine we usually, and literally make things finer. It was fine- and now it’s great.

Refining is also about time, and process. Let’s take a look at that in terms of social media. Where you start is the jumping off point. As you get used to the tools, as you learn their ecosystem, and as you apply the general to your specific situation, you’re constantly refining as you go.

Refining also enables you to take a step back and see what’s working so you can do more of it, which means measurement and knowing what you want – and what others think about it.

When we start, we often think we’ve done our best work. Refining enables us to take that personal judgement and up our game into being effective and influential.

Easy? No. But ultimately much more satisfying.

Filed Under: Blog, credibility

You can do it – but do you actually?

June 28, 2011 By 2 Comments

Sometimes I will look at a piece of content and think “I could do that” sometimes it comes with a judgement about how I’d do it, or how I’d compare if I did. Do you ever find yourself doing the same?

If you do, like me it maybe worth challenging yourself about what is stopping YOU taking action. That idea you had. That project you’ve been meaning to kick off. That person you really wanted- or needed- to connect with.

Often we don’t get started because:
* We are worried about doing it wrong
* We don’t know how to get started
* We have too many diverse projects on so lose focus

Ask yourself what is holding you back and then list 3 actions you can take to get started, list 3 people you think you need to speak with to get help or buyin, and 3 things that will turn it from an idea to a commitment.

And stop by to let us know how you got on!

Filed Under: Blog, marketing, networking Tagged With: , , ,

You can do it – but do you actually?

June 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Sometimes I will look at a piece of content and think “I could do that” sometimes it comes with a judgement about how I’d do it, or how I’d compare if I did. Do you ever find yourself doing the same?

If you do, like me it maybe worth challenging yourself about what is stopping YOU taking action. That idea you had. That project you’ve been meaning to kick off. That person you really wanted- or needed- to connect with.

Often we don’t get started because:
* We are worried about doing it wrong
* We don’t know how to get started
* We have too many diverse projects on so lose focus

Ask yourself what is holding you back and then list 3 actions you can take to get started, list 3 people you think you need to speak with to get help or buyin, and 3 things that will turn it from an idea to a commitment.

And stop by to let us know how you got on!

Filed Under: Blog, marketing, networking Tagged With: , , ,

Happy Talk – what is your social first impression?

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When you look at what you say online, is it “Happy Talk”?

I am a huge believer in my social output being positive, yet authentic.

It mirrors how I like to be in real life- interested, enthusiastic and energetic.

Do I have bad days? Of course I do. The great thing about both real life and online is that I can make a choice. I can make a decision about what I share, who I share with and what platforms I share on. Social should be a mirror of our “real” life – I’d share more with my husband/ close friend or family, than I’d share with an acquaintance or colleague.

Pay attention to what you share, where you share it and what the impact of sharing would be. Then take that logic to the social space and do a further self checkin about your choices.

Some questions to get you started:

- How would you most like to be seen?
- How does what you are sharing support that?
- What would you like your online legacy to be?
- what first impression are you creating online? How does it fit with the first impression you leave in real life?

Filed Under: Best Self Online, Blog, connection Tagged With: , ,

Social language for social tools

June 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

social circleI was thinking about Twitter today and how it can be used. Many people seem to think about tweeting “at” their audience. “at” implies a one way broadcast and being directive.

Even if your company us still getting to grips with the differences of social, a simple shift in language helps with the real opportunity of a shift in perspective.

We can move to “to” and “with”. As people we speak to someone rather than at them. We seek to work with them and connect with them. When we think about social in a human way, it also helps as a reminder that when we speak we also take time to listen and to respond.

Who are you seeking to speak with? What messages do you have to give to them?

Filed Under: Blog, connection Tagged With: , ,

5 reasons to create your own content

June 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

createDo you create your own content?

It can be easy to spend all your time looking up to- and looking at- what someone else is producing.

5 reasons this isn’t the answer…

1. You think they are the expert

Guess what- if you think that, sometimes it is true. But sometimes it is because we spend so much time comparing ourselves to others that we lose the opportunity to stand up and be counted ourselves. Plus even if they are the expert now, it doesn’t stop you having your own success and becoming a peer.

2. You lose your own voice

When you spend all your time looking and listening to see what others are doing it increases the risk that you’ll try to mimic their style and approach. Get started and see what works for you. Which leads me nicely point three…

3. Their audience is not your audience.

There may be similarities, but not everything will be the same.
- You are different
- Your audience us different
- Your stakeholders are different
- Your commitments are different

When you do exactly the same, you may still find different results for all the reasons above.

4. You don’t know what results they are aiming for, or receiving.

It may look successful but is it really? See point three- even if it works for them it may not be right for you.

5. It’s all new so you can experiment!

Even where social media is more well established it’s still fairly new to many businesses. Creating your own content, for your own audience, enables you to create the best fit as you see what works. By doing this you can start creating your own internal case studies and success stories.

How do you feel about creating your own content now?

Filed Under: Blog, credibility Tagged With: , ,
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