Day 73 - How to start your love affair with Social Media

Social Media Marketing is about much more than just “spreading the word” about a product or brand online. It's about engaging with consumers in real time. It's quickly proving to be the necessary ingredient in many marketing plans. It adds value to any business. Venturing into social media is much like having a “love affair” with the buying public. Your audience needs to feel good around your brand. Here are five main rules that will help you establish a “loving and lasting” relationship with consumers.

#1 Research and plan
Research what your public is interested in and plan the social media campaign around that. If you do this right, you've won half the battle. The way to do this all-important research is by first finding out where your customers go - which websites, forums and communities… then be there! Don’t waste time on sites your target audience would never visit – like a gaming site if you are targeting young mothers (they have no time for games). If you are working in the beauty industry, for example, check to see if your consumers are interested in things like the potential side effects of certain ingredients on the skin, environmental impact and animal testing. Become a master of the "soft" sell. If consumers have certain concerns, explain your point of view on them in friendly conversation by joining forum conversation threads. Be sure you never lie!

#2 Be Honest
Telling the truth (in this case about your company, yourself, your services or products) is essential to building a reputation and creating your positive image. People will trust you if you follow this guideline. Even more important, if you do make a mistake, go ahead and fess up then apologize. People are more prone to “forgive” when you are upfront.

#3 Engage
Do you have something to say? Then say it in an interesting and creative manner. Don’t just throw random messages into the social media space. Every post in your blog, every Tweet or LinkedIn discussion should be planned around a pre-determined social media strategy (yes, you do need one). Respond to questions and comments from everyone who visits your networking sites; comment and compliment other people's posts on a competitor's blog, re-tweet good stories - share. Use tools and widgets to spread the word as fast as possible. Try adding the “share” button to your own posts or connect the company website to your own Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. You want your message to reach as far as possible.

#4 Listen, listen, listen
Talking and sharing are half of the conversation necessary when using social media. Listening is equally as important if not more so. If you have an unhappy customer, find out why. Consider the complaint and answer it immediately. Show respect and understanding for everyone who takes the time to enter your conversation, even those who are not potential customers. Everyone will be appreciative and flattered by the attention. Every person you connect with online has a personal network with an average of six layers of "interconnectedness." Conversing with one individual also means potentially spreading your message to others.

# 5 Get ahead of the competition
Monitor what the competitors are doing online. Equally important, you must also start tracking your own reputation using online tools and software programs. Trackur, twitrrart, trendpedia, socialmention, buzzlogic insights, streamwall, socialminder, blogpulse, and even simple google alerts can be useful toward this end. Follow the trends. What are other consumers in the industry interested in or talking about and what are your competitors doing about it? Be “one step ahead,” whenever possible. If you can provide more helpful information, interact more often and pay extra attention, you will come out the winner.

Trying to market anything via social media is a lot like being in a successful relationship. It requires planning, effort and lots of attention!

Day 72 - How young is too young for career planning?

OK. This is getting out of hand! Kids as young as nine years old are scheduled to receive career advice in a new program underway in London. Children in the British primary schools are now slated to receive advice via Internet sites (like YouTube) on their future career paths under a new government plan. The program is designed "to help children of all socio-economic backgrounds realize their goals." Each student will be assigned a mentor, have a chance to visit a university, and receive counseling on what subjects to study (some of this will be done via social networking sites like Facebook).

A recent study showed that 75 percent of 11-year-olds in the UK already want to attend a university. So, why implement the new program? Some say it's because parents said they wanted the government to put an end to the "old boy" network which saw only the children from privileged backgrounds getting into universities. The Brits have said that age 14 is simply too late to influence young citizens, but seven, eight and nine are better ages for career counseling. (Really?) This new British program is being tried out initially in 38 schools. It was designed to encourage students to think about what they want to do for a living at a much younger age.

At nine, I think I still wanted to be a starship captain! If anyone had made a serious career suggestion to me then, I think it would have shortened my childhood and stunted my imagination. Opinions?

Of course, some might say that at 50, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Hmmmm. They would not necessarily be wrong. But would extra career counseling in elementary school have made a difference? It's certainly food for thought.

Day 53 - Career advice for job seekers (of all ages)

...Another gorgeous day in Murray, KY.

Today, I attended Murray State University's Fall Career Fair. As a non-traditional student, I admit that I almost talked myself out of this one. Thankfully, I gathered my courage and went ahead. It's one case where being older did feel intimidating - to me. I assumed I would be the only student in my age range at the event - and I was not wrong. But my thinking was all wrong, since my age was a completely unimportant issue. I also worried the exhibitors might be interested in only talking to undergrads seeking entry level careers. I was wrong again. Despite my initial misgivings, I made some valuable connections. Lesson learned: Attend any event that garners you professional exposure and networking opportunities.

Employers are looking for talent, knowledge and self-confidence - in every instance. Regardless of your age or experience - whether you are a grad student or undergrad, 20-something or 40-something, seasoned professional or neophyte - you can benefit by making a trial run at an event like a job expo or career fair. It's a terrific opportunity to network, get a refresher for writing your best resume or practice interview techniques. The recruiters at these events are there to provide you with information. It's their job!

MSU's career day was well attended by both students and potential employers. In just over an hour, I found six companies and spoke with representatives. I chose to leave resumes with three of the potentials. That may sound like a small number to some, but keep in mind that I am purposely being picky about my unique situation. (For any fellow students who attended the MSU event, note that it is also a good idea to follow up with thank you notes or emails to the people you met with. Hint. Hint.)

Since we've established a theme here, I've also included some suggestions of websites to assist in the search for potential employers (or careers). There are so many sites online now! If you're not job hunting at the moment, you probably know someone who is. Feel free to share the post.

Sites for Employment and Career Assistance:

1. Career Info Net (http://www.careerinfonet.org) This site helps you to explore career opportunities and to make informed employment and education choices. The website features user-friendly occupation and industry information, salary data, career videos, education resources, self-assessment tools, career exploration assistance, and other resources.
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov). Is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government as it relates to economics and statistics. Type in any career or job title on this site and you can learn everything about that job including the nature of the work, educational requirements, training, advancement and other qualifications, employment, job outlook, projections, earnings and other related careers. This is a great tool to use to learn if the type of career you are interested in really offers a strong future.
3. Projections Central (http://www.projectionscentral.com/default.aspx) This site gives projections of occupational employment growth for all States and the nation as a whole. Individuals can use these projections to help them make informed career decisions. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among States. It also allows projected employment growth among occupations to be compared within one State.
4. Career Voyages (http://www.careervoyages.gov/about-main.cfm) This web site is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education. It is designed to provide information on in-demand occupations along with the skills and education needed to attain those jobs.

No matter what route you take when selecting potential employers, consider your personality, skills, likes and dislikes. Talk to people who work at the company you are interested in and get an idea of what the work day is like. Research company websites and explore all the other opportunities. Be honest with yourself about what is important to you. If making a lot of money is important, then look for a job with growth potential.

Educate yourself. I can't stress this enough. If you have chosen a career that does not make you happy, then change it! I am here specifically to share the myriad benefits of going back to school. If college is too daunting a prospect, then enroll in a weekend seminar or take a local adult ed class. There is no downside to increasing your knowledge and expertise.

Consider this saying, "A bend in the road is not the end of the road—unless you fail to make the turn." Let me assure you that making a few turns in your career path is not only likely, but perfectly acceptable.