Did you know that many businesses are looking for someone to be their Social Media Manager? It’s true — because social media is fast becoming an essential part of marketing and customer relations, companies need somebody to devote a lot of time to doing it right. Scarlett Wilson recently shared the Top 6 Skills Employers Look For In A Social Media Manager on B2C (Business 2 Community) and the list is worth considering:
- Experience in using social media tools — the more, the better.
- An analytical mind-set — the ability to use analytical tools to interpret data and explain what the numbers really mean.
- Ability to plan long-term social media strategies — understanding your particular market and trends, etc.
- Ability to write quality content — this is crucial because search engines increasingly look for relevancy, and people insist on it.
- Additional digital marketing skills — blog writing, keyword optimization, formatting, or anything in this category should be on your resume because they are in demand.
- Communication skills — because social media is all about communication. So is business, actually.
Social Media Skills Are Marketable
It used to be that things like LinkedIn Profile Development were considered to be a good networking device for an individual career and that was all. Most business owners didn’t think about their business social media development unless reputation management became an issue. But today the reality of internet marketing means social media has to be an integral consideration.
If your company doesn’t do any social media marketing, and you have these skills, you could be able to convince your boss that it would be good to let you start doing something in this field. If you are looking for a job, make sure that you have any social media skills listed in your resume and can explain why they are there.
An old-school employer may not understand why it’s important until they are shown some facts. Any employer who is at all concerned about the company’s internet presence will be very interested in what you have to offer.
There are many CEOs who are not interested in social media because they are incredibly busy. Let’s face it though, we are all busy. However, BRANDfog’s 2014 survey on The Global, Social CEO indicates that C-level executives who ignore social media are losing the ability to influence brand reputation and company leadership. The global conversations are happening on social media, and not being part of the conversation means others are controlling the topics.
How The Survey Was Conducted
A diverse selection of companies, ranging from small startups to Fortune 1000 companies in several industries, was represented. BRANDfog surveyed 1000 UK and US employees in these companies asking 15 basic questions about social media for executive and C-Suite communication. This is an annual survey and shows a definite shift in perception regarding social media and industry leaders.
Highlights and Conclusions
There were three observations of recent trends made in this year’s survey results. These are:
- Social CEOs make better leaders.
- Social CEO engagement leads to brand trust.
- Social media is modern PR.
It’s clear that anyone interested in being an effective upper level executive is going to need to come to terms with social media. To quote from this survey:
“C-suite executives who embrace social media gain a competitive edge. They use social channels to provide context for business decisions, address brand issues, showcase company culture and most importantly, demonstrate thought leadership.”
What This Means For You
Anyone interested in moving into the upper executive levels of a company should be working right now to be a competent, professional social media expert. Careful monitoring of your social media use now, in areas like LinkedIn profile development, is going to pay off in the future. Developing social media competency keeps your personal brand clean, your professional brand impressive, and becomes a habitual discipline.
As you move higher in the corporate world, a habitual discipline is going to make adding new responsibilities much easier because you already do the basics. It’s also going to make you more attractive to those looking to fill leadership positions. A social media-savvy candidate will be preferred in tomorrow’s business world.
One of the assumptions about executives and those higher on the career ladder is that they have expertise in their field. The problem is, people have to realize you have that expertise. Your plan for your business, career, or any kind of future acknowledgement really needs to include ways to show the world you know what you are talking about. Fortunately, it is easier today than it’s ever been to establish yourself as an authority: an expert in your field.
Ways To Establish Your Authority As An Expert
- Write a book. This is so easy with e-books because you can self-publish right away and update as needed. And the benefits are huge: you “must be an expert” because you wrote a book or two. It’s also a good way to let potential employers know what your expertise is, and it looks impressive on an executive resume.
- Be a great blogger. Writing consistent and useful content builds up an audience of readers who welcome your next post because it helps them somehow. If you are sharing your insights and making a difference in your reader’s lives, you are building a reputation for expertise. You are proving your expert status with every post.
- Utilize online networks. Whether it’s LinkedIn profile development and posting regularly, guest blogging, Google+, or taking thoughtful part in online discussions, there’s an impression being made about who you are. Make it a positive and authoritative impression and there will be lots of good reasons to see you as an expert in your field.
- Curate content carefully. Link to authoritative sites or articles and share your expert opinion on the information. Create a reputable source for research in your industry.
When you think about it, this is marketing. You are in the business of selling yourself as a well-deserved expert in your field by getting the message out to the people who need what you offer. Anyone who aspires to become an executive or any type of professional needs to be seen as an expert, or nobody sees them at all.
LinkedIn is one of the most important places to have an online presence because it is currently the top networking site for professionals of many industries. This is where a potential employer will look you up to see if you are a good fit for the job opening and where many people find the connections that bring them a career. It’s a very valuable resource and worth taking the time to make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and contemporary.
If your profile is out of date or incomplete, how is being on this vital networking site doing you any good? In fact, an out of date, incomplete profile will probably be doing your career harm because it reflects badly on you. So make the investment and get that profile in shape because good things will happen as a result.
5 Ways To Start Updating Your LinkedIn Profile
- Turn off the notifications while you are editing. Nobody but you needs to know that you are updating your profile until you are ready to present it in complete perfection. Do you want to know when others are tweaking their stuff? I didn’t think so.
- Be very, very picky about your profile pic. There are plenty of professional photographers or good amateurs who can do the job and give you a polished, professional photograph for your polished, professional profile. No selfies can match that.
- Keywords are how the search engine finds you. That means your profile has to use the words you want to be found by. Put those keywords in your headline, your summary, and the various sections in a natural manner.
- Add personal details. You are a unique individual and this is one place you can show that individuality with volunteer work, publications, and more. Look at all the possible additions to your profile and consider them carefully.
- Create a custom URL that is easy to remember; it is an easy process on the right side of the page when you are editing your profile. Keep your name and lose the numbers and look like the professional you are becoming.
LinkedIn Profile Development is an ongoing process because you should be adding to your completed profile regularly as you progress in your career. It’s much easier to update a professional profile once you have done the foundation work.
I hope you have a presence on LinkedIn, because it’s one of the biggest sources of professional networking available right now. They’ve just added to their worth by introducing the new LinkedIn job search app for iPhone. According to LinkedIn’s research, forty percent of their members are looking for jobs on the site using a mobile device.
Why Make An App For That?
The faster you apply to an opening, the more apt you are to be considered for the job. This makes immediate action very important but a bit tricky if you are trying to keep your job search private. This app addresses that issue by acting independently of your network — everything you do with the app is discreet.
You can customize and streamline your search using advanced search filters like location, industry, company, job title, or seniority level. The app will also make suggestions based on your LinkedIn profile, saved searches, and jobs you have looked at.
You can whip out your phone and check the latest results while your coffee cools and research a possibility right there, looking at the company’s profile and seeing if you know anyone who works there. You can apply and on your next break see if a recruiter viewed your application. The app even reminds you about job openings due to expire.
The Thing You Need To Do First
This app is pretty nice for expanding the usefulness of being on LinkedIn, but you have to be part of the network first. If you aren’t, or haven’t done much to your profile because you don’t have time, it isn’t going to be very helpful.
Our LinkedIn Profile Development service can get you up and active in the most-used social network for professionals. Then you’ll see why so many of your professional peers are relying on this site for connections. Once you have a profile on the site, you can explore the potential and see why it is so popular.
If you think about it, you have “employees” of your own. You pay them to do things for you — find information on what concerns you, keep track of data you need to access again, and anything else you don’t want to do yourself. Some of your employees are paid when you get the bill from the phone company and your internet provider. Others are paid when you get your electric bill. Some are actually people who provide a service you appreciate.
Technology can be an excellent employee, if used correctly. How much easier is life when your smartphone works? How much harder is it when you can’t figure it out? If you don’t have a smartphone (“substitute computer”), or whatever technology you use on hand, life can feel out of control.
One problem with this employee of yours is that technology changes over time. Your comfortable way of doing things gets out of sync with the way the rest of your world is moving and you miss out on important details. This is when a person who provides a service can help. You could catch up with the current technologies yourself, if you spent the time and energy to figure it out. But employing someone to get you started lets you get up to speed much more quickly and you get a head start.
The LinkedIn Profile Development service is a good example of what I am talking about. Right now, LinkedIn is one of the best technological tools available for connecting with others in your career field. But they are moving at a very fast pace. This service puts you in the best position to start putting technology to work.
“Branding” has become a buzzword, one that is losing meaning for many people tired of hearing it. That doesn’t change the importance of what “branding” actually is: your reputation.
It’s all the little pieces of information someone has about you wrapped up in their perceptions about that information. It’s important because it directly affects your career. Your reputation can get you the job or get you on the “do not call” list. People’s understanding of who you are can get you promoted or get you fired. With the internet and social media, there’s just a lot more information out there to be aware of.
Who you are, the choices you make and the way you do your job are part of your brand even though it happens off-line. Think of it as being the spokesperson for your personal brand. The best way to deepen relationships is to face time, and it happens best when you are not on a screen (although videoconferencing is becoming a popular substitute, it doesn’t work for everything). So step away from the computer and go to workshops and seminars. Do the volunteer community service. This gives a huge chunk of information to your branding because it is as big as you are.
Online, your brand is also made up of pieces of information. You have control over most of them if you are diligent about privacy settings, security, and consistent postings. Many are even choosing to have their own site with their name.com in order to be first in a search. LinkedIn profile and online branding development is so important that you should invest in research and possibly coaching to make sure your online brand is professional and current.
Your brand is not just the history of who you are. Your brand is the hope of who you aim to be. It’s your reputation and your potential all in one package, and you can choose what that looks like.
Did you know that your use of social media can get you hired? (It can also get you fired but that’s a different subject.) Your online presence and social media connectivity is an increasing factor in how potential employers fill openings.
This recent article on Mashable caught my eye with the title, “Job Seekers Recruited via Social More Likely to Be Hired,” and it increased my interest with a great infographic. Usually, I see horror stories of what NOT to do, but there are increasing success stories of the advantage you have with great online branding. In a nutshell, here are some facts:
- 94% of companies already use social media to recruit candidates or plan to begin using this form of recruiting in 2013
- Candidate & Employee Referral quality and quantity along with Time To Hire have been enhanced measurably
- 14% of applicants sourced through a job board get hired
- 61% of applicants sourced through referrals and the company career page get hired
This is interesting stuff. The takeaway is that your online social networking really does make a difference in your career if you are wise with it. That means paying attention to your online brand:
- Remember, the internet is like a public park, and everything you do is visible
- Keep your online presence professional by monitoring photos and data on sites like Facebook
- Invest in LinkedIn Profile Development or Online Branding Coaching to make sure you are equipped for this new era of job searching
It can be kind of overwhelming to look at all the details involved with social media and employment. Fortunately, you don’t have to figure it out by yourself!
