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Social Media is Not Just Limited to Facebook!

Tom Sullivan — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:41:55 +0000

It seems like somewhere along the way people began to simply equate “social media” with Facebook. It makes sense given that Facebook is the largest social network online, but it overlooks the meaning of the term “social media.” Social media is a broad term that refers to the use of web-based or internet-based applications that allow for the creation and exchange of user-generated content. This means everything from blogs and forums to text message marketing to review sites to social networks.

The purpose of this article is to discuss how social media can help every business, regardless of whether they’re using Facebook or not. Obviously the first thing you need to research is where your target market is, and where they are looking for answers to their questions. One notable network that has proven the most valuable for connecting with executives is LinkedIn. There are two key ways to connect with people on LinkedIn, without having any prior relationship with them. The first is to join an established group. The second is to get involved in LinkedIn advertising. The latter is a new feature of LinkedIn, but like Facebook, allows you to selectively target who sees your ads.

If you are a cosmetic physician then you want to go where your patients might be. Unfortunately, your potential patients likely do not have Facebook or LinkedIn profiles that express their desire for or interest in plastic surgery, so advertising on these networks is fruitless. Instead, focus on user-generated forums such as Real Self and Make Me Heal. This is where patients go to ask questions when they’re in the research phase.

If you are a freelance copywriter looking for work then there are several networks that you should look into. The first is Craigslist. Typically companies looking for a consultant, independent contractor or part-time freelancer will use the “gigs” section of Craigslist to post what they need. Another option would be Elance. The only problem with Elance is that you will likely be competing with many foreigners who will do the job for much less than you. Fortunately, if you’re a copywriter this is a good thing, as your writing should be more advanced than a foreigner’s.

Facebook may be the right social network for specific professionals to focus on. If you are a photographer, then Facebook would be a great network to put up ads. Why? Because you can specifically target and advertise to the types of clients that you want to find. Most photographers want clients that they can establish a relationship with. This means shooting photos of their engagement, then their wedding, then their pregnancy, and eventually the birth of their children. Not only does Facebook allow you to target geographically, but you can also target by relationship status. Since almost every 18-35 year old engaged woman has announced this status on Facebook, so if you’re a photographer you should market to them!

Obviosuly I can’t give an example for where every professional should turn to in order to find their ideal partners or clients, but no matter what your area of expertise is, you can find where your potential clients are looking. When all else fails, do a search on Google for your profession followed by “reviews.” If, for instance, you are a general contractor you’ll see this brings up Angieslist. If you’re a dentist this brings up DoctorOogle, among others. If you’re a chiropractor this brings up ChiroHub, among others. Get listed in these directories and review sites.

If you’re looking to connect with potential clients, find partners, and increase your businesses’ exposure online, Facebook may not be the best place for you to be spending your time (at least to start). Instead focus on review sites, forums, blogs and directories where your target market is researching and asking questions. Focus on websites where visitors are making comments. These are the types of social media sites that you need to be involved with.

If you have any questions about how you can grow your business online contact Turbo Social Media today or call 877-673-7096 x708.

Using Social Media to Find a Job

Tom Sullivan — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:39:50 +0000

With unemployment lingering at about 9%, the team at Turbo thought it would be helpful to discuss some of the best ways for job seekers to find employers who might be looking for their talents. Just like businesses use social media for branding and promotions, so can you. In this case we’re talking about self branding and self promotion. Here are several sites that can help you get your name out…

1) LinkedIn: By far the best website for job seekers. Make sure that you take the time to completely fill out your profile (including your photo and detailed descriptions about your previous job experience and accomplishments). Also, make sure you optimize your profile. What I mean by “optimize” is use keywords related to your job experience in the headline and description of your profile. For example, “medical device sales rep” or “software database engineering expert.” I would also add your location as well, for example “Chicago website graphic designer.”

LinkedIn also has a premium service for job seekers. It’s $29.99 per month and it allows users to contact recruiters and hiring managers directly with InMail messages, save profiles and organize your job search with Profile Organizer, get introduced to inside sources at companies, and much more. If you don’t have the budget for this you’ll notice that with just a basic profile you’ll see a box that says “Jobs You May Be Interested In.” LinkedIn is targeting jobs for you based on your profile.

2) Blogging, Facebook, Twitter: I decided to combine these three into one because by themselves I don’t think they’re enough (or equivalent to any other networks mentioned in this article). The first step is to set up a blog about yourself. You can do this pretty easily with WordPress and Blogger. Also, while I recommend the self-hosted version of WordPress (.org), the hosted version is easier to set up and there is no monthly hosting fee. Once you have a blog in place you’ll want to write articles about your skill set, your goals, and why you’re the best at what you do.

Once you’ve started to blog you’ll want to set up Facebook and Twitter. If you already have a Facebook profile, but it’s full of your college drinking buddies’ inappropriate comments, then create a new professional profile. Do the same for Twitter and then set up your blog to automatically update both networks. On Facebook you can also use the “Marketplace” to look for posted jobs. Facebook allows you to message the person who posted the job listing . For Twitter, you’ll want to make use of the hash tag (#) in searches for #jobs, and more specifically, jobs that you’re looking for: #softwareengineerjob. Also make sure your Twitter messages include links to your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, and blog.

3) Jobster: This is an up-and-coming network that deserves to talked about more. Users can upload their video resume, showcase links to their website (or blog), add their picture, and “tag” their skills. You can also search for open positions, find out who posted the job, and add that person to your network and connect with them individually.

4) Plaxo with Simply Hired: This is a network that is similar to LinkedIn in that it allows you to create a profile and add a steam of updates from your other networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. The biggest benefit to Plaxo is that it keeps track of your location and where your contacts live. Since Plaxo is integrated with Simply Hired, a job aggregator that searches thousands of job sites and companies and aggregates them in a single location for you, you can search for jobs locally more efficiently.

This is just a simplified list. There are many others to look into, including Craiglist, Xing, MyWorkster, JobFox, VisualCV, Ecademy, and YorZ. Also, consider joining a Meet Up group in your area. They’re typically informal networking meetings that don’t require any membership or affiliation with an actual company. This in-person networking, combined with a strong presence online, will drastically improve the visibility of your talents to recruiters, hiring managers, or people who have connections to businesses that are seeking new employees.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can use social media to help land a job then fill out this form and we’ll get back to you.

Arguing Business Week and Their Call Out of Social Media Myths

Zack — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:30:16 +0000

Recently someone forwarded me an article from BusinessWeek, outlining “Social Media Myths,” and asked me if this was true and if they should be concerned. I told her that there is nothing to be worried about, and that the article was not researched well and that his arguments were superficial at best. Social Media Marketing is a powerful tool and one that is not going anywhere, anytime soon.

This article that was featured on BusinessWeek, outlines some myths about Social Media Marketing, and explained why you should steer clear of it. The first problem with this article, is he only uses Social Networking sites as his examples, which we all know is only 1 part of Social Media Marketing. He never mentions, video marketing, social bookmarking sites, Information pages, Press Releases or blogs. His understanding of Social Media Marketing is narrow and un-educated, as he feels all social media marketing is, is Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and LinkedIn.

As we know by now, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are all crucial staples in the Social Networking arsenal, but there is a reason we do not talk about Myspace. Prior to the time BusinessWeek’s article was written, Myspace had started making changes to their site, being more geared towards celebrities and musicians. Myspace was not a big place for companies to begin with, just a place for tweens to gather and gawk at their favorite celebs, or a place for rising artists to share their new music. Myspace targets these users, knowing that it cannot compete with what Facebook and Twitter have to offer

He mentions that if you want your social networking site to work for your business, you have to invest money in it, and not just in the ‘free’ side of it. This right there should tip you off that he is not exactly sure what he is talking about. Social networking is a simple and easy tool used to connect with other business’ and business owners, or like minded people that can all help your business. These sites offer hundreds of free tools to add to your page to make it powerful. Just take Kelly O’Neil’s fan page for example: in the left hand sidebar you find a little opt-in box to sign up… that is just a basic HTML box… done for FREE!

Towards the end of their article, the author mentions that Social Networking sites are NOT for Marketing. Is this guy kidding? It was at this point I figured his article was just an early April Fool’s joke. Sure these sites may not have been developed for marketing, and it may not be their ONLY purpose, but these sites do an incredible job at marketing. On Facebook you can set up a fan page for your business allowing you to give information and connect with your clients at the same time. On both Facebook and Twitter you can link up your Blog articles via a RSS feed to bring the visibility of your company to that many more people.

To close his article, he mentions that Social Networking will be swept under the rug and forgotten in coming years. Newer and better things will come along and make it pointless…. I am pretty sure this same argument was made about the TV… and computers… and even the internet. In January of 2009 (2 months before this article was written) Facebook had 150 Million users. Today (14 months later), Facebook has over 400 million users. That is an increase of OVER 265%!!!

Social media marketing is showing no signs of slowing down. Heck, everyday, more and more people join the Social Media army and set up camp on Facebook, Twitter or one of the many sites on the internet used to connect with other people and promote themselves or their business. If Social Media was slowing down, I am sure large companies such as Pepsi, would not be ditching their famous Super Bowl Ads, in lieu of Social Media Marketing. The world is online, Business’ are Online. People are online. Maybe your marketing should be online too….

To learn more about Social Media Marketing, click the red button at the top of the page to watch our free video series or give us a call at 877-673-7096.

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more about the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here.

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media

Grow Your Business Through LinkedIn Groups

Zack — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:38:35 +0000

Facebook? Check! Twitter? Check! LinkedIn?…. LinkedIn?

As we have discussed before, Social Networking is an extremely important and integral part of Social Media Marketing. However, in order to get the most out of it, you want to be sure you are using every part of these Social Networking sites to their fullest. If you have been doing everything we tell you to do (as you should be… let’s face it, I am amazing…), then your business is probably flourishing. However, we have not yet reached the pinnacle, as there is always more we can do.

One of the best ways to really grow your business, is the use and joining of different groups on LinkedIn. First of all, the groups are indexed by Google, meaning if you create a group, or join a group, the title of the group can be found in Google Search results. Secondly, the groups are a great place to interact and meet new and exciting individuals. There are discussions, and emails and a lot of networking that happens in these groups, and that is a great way to grow your network, which we all know is a great way to in turn, grow your business.

Just like all Social Networking sites, the best way to get results is to take full advantage of all options they offer. If you have a business, then a Facebook Fan page is important to you. If you have a Twitter account, a Twitter Management tool such as Hootsuite is important. And if you have a LinkedIn account, then joining groups is the way to go!

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more Social Media Marketing and the Importance of LinkedIn Groups, check out the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here or give us a call at 877-673-7096

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media

Getting Hired by Social Media: LinkedIn and Social Networking

Zack — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:04:00 +0000

Imagine yourself, fresh out of college, a degree in hand, 3 summers of internships under your belt and a GPA of 3.7… but you cannot find a job. For many of you, this may not be too hard to imagine, as it is happening all over our beautiful country. The economy is in a downward spiral (not like I have to tell you this) and companies are just not hiring like they used to.

The above qualifications are great, but if you do not have any connections in the business world, then finding a job becomes very difficult. Lucky for us, we live in the world of technology and we have the powers of Social Media at our fingertips. In order to find a job these days, you have to go above and beyond, make connections and meet new people, which is where Social Networking comes in. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are great ways to meet new people and converse with all of your friends simultaneously. However, when it comes to finding a job, one site reigns supreme: LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a Social Networking site that focuses on the business world and helping people make connections with likeminded professionals and business industries that interest them. LinkedIn has a great job searching function that allows you to search for a job and see how many degrees of separation exist between you and a hiring manager, which is helpful for making the right connections to help get you an “in.” LinkedIn also has a place to insert all of your accomplishments and previous jobs, much like a resume would format it, and even incorporates a place for people you have worked with, to write recommendations for you, which in turn are looked at by Hiring Managers.

In this economy, finding a job can be very time consuming, but it does not have to be too difficult. LinkedIn is a great tool for any level of business professionals and really makes it much easier to find a job, even in poor conditions such as this.

To learn more about Social Media Marketing and Social Networking, fill out the form on the right to watch our free video series or give us a call at 877-673-7096.

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more about the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here.

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Mediav