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Dear Julia: I’m reaching out for some career advice. I’m relatively new to the social media field, and have taken on a few advising positions for organisations in the hope of building the foundation for a consulting career. Do you have any advice on how to establish myself? — Thinking High, Hoping to Rise
Dear High Rise: Do I ever! First of all, even realising that your social media savvy — or lack thereof — will play an enormous role in employment opportunities — or lack thereof — puts you in good stead.
Every single business, company or organisation needs people with impressive skills in this arena. This gives you a considerable advantage, because:
— Social media is free.
— Your competition has, at most, a few years of experience under their touchpads.
— The social media field and corresponding mores evolve so rapidly that once you fling yourself into the fire, you have just as much chance as anybody to keep your fingers bloody on the cutting edge.
How to start? Try this:
Create your own personal brand and set up online accounts to reflect it. What’s your chosen niche? What value can you offer your target audience? “Create something that shows you’re passionate about your industry on social channels,” says Adam Singer, social media director for Lewis PR and editor of popular web marketing blog The Future Buzz (http://thefuturebuzz.com/).
Offer value to your readers. Social media is about communicating, and great communication is a value proposition. You educate, entertain or inspire — and the other person joins a loyal audience looking to you as a trusted source. Always ask yourself, “What will my desired audience (in this case, possible clients) take away from this?”
Discover your happy medium. There are many ways to “do” social media, explains social media expert and public speaker Lewis Howes (http://www.lewishowes. com/), a bestselling author of two books about LinkedIn. “Figure out how you best communicate: Are you better at writing content, shooting how-to videos, conducting interviews or recording podcasts? What best showcases your talents and differentiates yourself from others in your industry?”
Be authentic. Perfection is neither expected, nor required. Don’t feel you need to start as a fully actualised expert. Take your readers along as you learn, sharing links, articles, realisations and theories along your journey to master of your domain (name).
Go beyond Facebook and Twitter. “Using Facebook and Twitter by themselves is fine, but at this point not remarkable,” explains Singer. “If you really want to stand out, you need to create a reason for others to pass on your name or connect with you. Just ‘being on social media’ is not enough. What are you actually doing that’s so great beyond simply networking?”
Singer cites copywriter Alec Brownstein, who, instead of blasting out his résumé to dozens of creative directors, actually targeted them with paid Google search ads. He not only received job offers, but almost a million hits on the YouTube video he made about it (http://youtube/7FRwCs99DWg). The lesson? “If you want to be hired,” says Singer, “do something creative which gets noticed by targeted companies or key executives.”
Research and follow leaders in the space. It’s crucial to understand what they’re saying, how (and on what platforms) they’re saying it, and to whom they’re connected. But if you follow a leader on Twitter, don’t just tweet them with an “LOL” (and NEVER with a “Follow me back!” — big no-no.) Try tweeting them no more than once a week with a link to an article you think they would find relevant, or a suggestion for a helpful resource. Don’t ask for anything in return.
Focus on quality. Volume impresses no one but chemistry teachers, so don’t try to out-tweet or outpost anyone. I’d rather read two well-written, intriguing articles with tonnes of helpful information than slog through 17 hastily shot YouTube vlogs. And keeping a steady pace is important, too. “Showing dedication through consistency is powerful,” adds Singer. If you carefully retweet one thoughtful, relevant link to a news story every day on Twitter, you’ll demonstrate your knowledge and insight.
Remember, as Singer says, “On the web, it’s ‘Show me, don’t tell me’!”
Just don’t show us any keg stand photos.
