PICK ME, PICK ME!The Value of Professional Networking, Social Media, and E-Portfolios

Presented at 2015 GROW Conference

By: Madeline Roberts (@MadelineBray)

& Rachel A. Adler (@RachelA_Adler)

Agenda

■ Social media platform overview■ Creating a personal brand– Twitter– LinkedIn– Digital portfolios

■ Homework■ Final thoughts

Why We Use Social Media

■ Communication■ Building relationships■ Reputation management■ Customer service■ Information■ Entertainment

Not All Social Networks are Equal

■ LinkedIn• Professional network connecting 300+ million members from 170

industries, worldwide• Digital resume and professional image■ Twitter• Timely content in 140 characters or less• Professional and personal branding

“YOU NEED TO THINK AND ACT LIKE YOU’RE RUNNING A

START-UP: YOUR CAREER.”

Reid HoffmanLinkedin co-founder

Author of The Start-Up of You

How Are You Perceived?

■ Online Reputation– What do search results say about

you?■ Professional Relationships– What do your colleagues &

managers say about you?■ Personal Relationships– What do your friends and family

say about you?■ Audiences tend to trust people m

ore than corporations

Creating a Personal Brand

What are Your Goals?■ Gain awareness (be visible)■ Build trust (be consistent)■ Earn loyalty (be valuable)

3 Steps:■ Discover who you are– Your USPs (Unique Selling

Points)– Your passions– Your skills■ Create your identity– Consistency is key■ Make it visible

A Quick Note About Facebook

■ Companies use Pages, so can individuals■ Think you’re private? Think again.– Manage privacy settings– Be comfortable with what you post

Read more: Being Professionally Personable on Facebook (Harvard Business Review)

Using Twitter to Build Your Brand

Build Your Profile

160 CHARACTERSUSE # AND @

PROFESSIONAL PICTURE

HANDLE THAT MAKES SENSE

Build Your Profile

■ Header photo (1500 x 500 px)■ Profile photo (400 x 400 px)■ Name■ Bio (max 160 characters)

■ Location■ Website■ Theme color■ Birthday

Who to Follow

Create/Subscribe to Lists

■ Lists are curated groups of Twitter users – create your own or subscribe to ones created by others

■ Useful for reading tweets, not tweeting to a specific group

How to Tweet

■ 140 character limit (includes text, spaces, images & URLs)

– Twitter counts the characters for you

– Try abbreviations to fit limit– Links & images take up 20

characters

■ Retweeting lets you repost to your followers or comment

What’s With the Symbols?

■ @mention – tags user within a tweet■ # (hashtag) – searchable word/phrase; groups conversations

Hashtags for Financial Professionals

@ #

What and When to Tweet

■ What?– Trending topics– Mix of professional & personal– Source attribution■ When?– Depends on audience &

location– Live tweet events or TV

shows– Participate in Twitter chats– Schedule it!

Share a Variety of Content

Read more: How to Balance Your Personal and Professional Brand on Social Media

Crafting the Perfect Tweet

■ Use hashtags & links together■ Don’t hashtag overload (2 = ideal)■ Tweet longer (120+ characters work best)■ Clear Call to Action (CTA)■ Urgency■ Tweet frequently (1-5 times per day)■ Use pictures (2x engagement)Read more: 10 Tips for Crafting the Perfect Tweet

Anatomy of a Perfect Tweet

Branding Yourself on LinkedIn

Complete Your Profile

■ Professional photo■ Descriptive headline■ Experience, education, certifications■ Organizations, volunteer work■ Publications (articles, videos, photography)

LinkedIn Profile Checklist

■ Photo: Professional, high quality■ Headline: Tell people what you’re

excited about now & what you want to do in the future.

■ Vanity URL: Make yourself easy to find.

■ Summary: A few short paragraphs of what motivates you, what you’re skilled at, and what’s next.

■ Experience: Jobs you held and accomplishments at each. Include photos, write ups, or videos.

■ Recommendations: Ask managers, peers, or co-workers to write a recommendation. This gives authority to your strengths and skills.

■ Education: List all of your educational experiences, including summer programs.

– Courses can show skills & interests you’re most excited about

■ Volunteer Experience & Causes■ Skills & Expertise: Add 5+ skills

you want to be endorsed for.■ Honors & Awards: Don’t be shy to

brag about your accomplishments.■ Projects: Showcase digital

campaigns or projects.■ Interests: Add anything else about

yourself; helps with search!■ Organize sections

Make Connections & Find News

■ Join groups based on…– Area– Industry– Interests■ Start & join discussions■ Use Pulse to find news– Comment– Share with your network

LinkedIn Publishing

■ Way for members to contribute professional insight

■ Long-form content becomes part of your profile

■ Searchable on/off LinkedIn■ Added to Pulse (if content is

relevant)■ Read more: Writing tips

Build Your Digital Portfolio

About.me

■ Personal homepage■ Summary■ Location■ Job history■ Education■ Interests■ Link to social profiles

BrandYourself.com

■ Mission: help people take back control of their own lives online

■ Look better in Google results■ Digital resume■ Social stream■ Links to additional projects

Why You Need to Build a Website

■ A website isn’t static; it’s dynamic

■ Having a website makes you more findable

■ Not many people have one – having a website can help you stand out.

■ You gain some new skills

■ Top Free Personal Website Builders:

– Self-Made/Self-Hosted– Tumblr– Flavors.me– Weebly– Wix– Re.vu– Enthuse.me– Designedyou.com

Personal Blogs

Guest Blogging

■ Blogging is one of the best ways to build your visibility, credibility, and brand message online.

■ Recruiters and hiring decision makers routinely search the blogosphere when they're vetting candidates.

■ Do some research before diving in:

– Look for blogs relevant to your expertise and/or industry.

– Find out which blogs the recruiters and hiring decision makers you want to attract are visiting.

■ Some ideas to find the right blogs:

– Consult with your professional network.

– Do a Google search of relevant key words for your industry/field and your areas of expertise.

– Use the LinkedIn Groups search feature to connect with relevant professional networks.

– Look at the blogrolls

Your Homework

■ Create or update your LinkedIn profile– Goal: connect with 30+ people by end of month– Post or share an update at least once/week– Leave and request a recommendation from colleague/manager■ If Twitter is right for you…– Create/update your branded profile– Have a conversation– Share news/relevant posts to your audience

Final Thoughts

■ Personal branding is a way to – Establish credibility– Grow your network– Attract opportunities■ Before you post, ask yourself...– Is it valuable?– Does it fit with my personal

brand?– Did I include source attribution?– Did I add relevant hashtags?

QUESTIONS?