Social Networking: Your Professional Image Online

What is your professional image online? What are you trying to accomplish with your social media presence….in the business world?

Below are 5 Simple Tips for Social Networking, and creating a professional image online that is worthwhile and beneficial to your career.

1. Establish your personal and professional boundaries.
Before you craft your professional image online, take a step back and establish just how social you want to be. What is your online image? What information do you want other professionals to know….and not to know? Just how public do you want your personal life to be? What are you doing as an individual, that might relate well to your colleagues? Putting some calculated thought into your online profile will help you establish your persona, and the content you produce.

2. Create your professional profiles.
Appearance is everything and the attention span of your friends, follower and fans can be limited. Choose wisely. Once you have your goals and boundaries set, craft your professional profiles to reflect these objectives. The biggest consideration here are security settings, which can be completely customized to fit your needs. Which of your pictures will be public? What will you say in your messages? Will you engage with people professionally….on a personal level? Ask yourself these questions as you create professional profiles.

3.  Cultivate your niche knowledge.
Find that voice that makes you distinctive! Whatever groundwork you have laid in your strategy and appearance of your profile….stick to it. Consistency is key to maintaining your online image. You will make more valuable contacts and build a better network if you have specific focus with your social networking goals.

4. Link with other professionals and friends.
Continue to build a network, starting with the colleagues, clients and contacts you already have. Making friendly introductions online is no different than in person – it it much easier when you have a friend or a business associate in common. The difference (and advantage) with social platforms is that you can see the linkages between contacts very easily. Use these tools to increase your network!

5. Let’s take this relationship OFFline!
The goal of social networking is to create a better network through social platforms! That can evolve from initial contact in social mediums, to emails, phone calls and face-to-face meetings. In the modern professional world, making contacts online is becoming an everyday phenomenon. Those utilizing useful tools available are able to focus on contacts that are integrated in their industry, and make valuable connections that lead to better business.

Do You FEAR Social Media?

In the spirit of this scary season of Halloween holidays – let’s focus on fears. What is holding your firm back in modern trends of social networking? What is behind these fears, and what are you doing to change them?

In collaboration with my favorite branding & marketing expert Josh Miles, we pose questions you should be asking yourself. (Check out more information at: MILES DESIGN)

FEARS in Social Media: What is plaguing your firm?

Q1: What is the most challenging “fear” of social media that your firm has worked through? How did you overcome that fear?

Q2: Why is the idea of marketing in “real-time” via social media so scary for professional services firms? What is behind that fear?

Q3: Which common fear holds your firm back from a great social presence: the fear negativity, change, or focusing on the wrong things?

Q4: Have you ever received negative feedback from a client or prospect regarding social media activity by you or your firm? Are you afraid you will?

Let’s explore these scary situations, face some fears – and collaborate to change.

Following our tweetchat, check back for more information about these common fears!

Confessions of a “Type A” Blogger: Be a Go-Giver, Not a Go-Getter

~ Article Featured on {grow} Blog and Social Media Today. ~

A perpetual ‘go-getter’ by nature, when I jumped into the Social Media scene it was a calculated attack.  I was on a serious mission: amass followers, craft clever content, lead the industry, innovate online communities, be the first to promote emerging trends.

Then, I read “The Go-Giver” – which forever changed my attitude as a Social Media strategist. And that’s saying something.

This ‘little story about a powerful business idea’ offers volumes of knowledge – that can help YOU become more Social Media savvy. Like me, you may have lofty goals for domination in your online communities. You might be looking to become an outstanding voice, an influential thought leader, a Social Media master.

Take a big step back. What did I learn from this powerful story? Becoming a ‘go-giver’ and applying the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success to my Social Media strategy. Changing my focus from getting to giving….well, that changed my success rate too.

How To: Become A Go-Giver (And Social Media Savvy)

As readers journey with Joe, the quintessential ‘go-getter’ in this business parody, our standard of success is completely redefined. This book puts a topsy-turvy spin on most advice (and intrinsic motivators) of strategic professionals!  Applying the 5 laws of a ‘go-giver’ to your Social Media strategy will develop the approach you need to succeed.

1. The Law of Value: your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.  Help others get linked, promoted, retweeted, liked, mentioned, followed, engaged, connected – do it MORE than you expect in return! In the competitive Social Media community focus on the more you give, not the more you get.
2. The Law of Compensation: your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.  Have a service minded mentality in your Social Media strategy. Guest blog for others, promote tweets, mention and follow thers, link to good content – and do it often! Serving others, and doing it well, provides the biggest payoff.
3. The  Law of Influence: your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first. Go way beyond the old adage ‘treat others how you want to be treated’ -  this attitude requires you to treat others BETTER than you want to be  treated! If you are genuine in promoting and engaging with others,  eventually you will see the rewards of your influence.
4. The Law of Authenticity: the most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.   Be confident. Be bold. Approach industry leaders. Maintain your voice.  Have FUN! Offering up yourself in an authentic fashion makes you more likeable. Try it out, and offer the best possible you in Social Media space – others will respect your genuine approach.
5. The Law of Receptivity: the key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.Your give-give-give approach won’t be for nothing! Keep engaged and be engaging; you will find the opportunities and rewards are exponential. Be open to receiving. Practice humility always, but take credit. Watch as your traffic and influence in Social Media increases.

Becoming a ‘go-giver’ changed my approach and attitude! Is the payoff immediate? Not really. In the beginning I seemed to be giving a lot and getting a little. Yet being a ‘go-giver’ in Social Media has allowed me to form much stronger relationships – a collection of people and companies that are willing to repay favors. Others that now invest valuable time, and want to help me succeed! My influence in Social Media is growing in an authentic, genuine way. Exponentially.

Find your voice and presence in Social Media, by learning to serve others first. Track how your efforts are paying off, and enjoy the rewards of being a ‘go-giver’. Like me. Then savor the success of being Social Media savvy!

More info? 44taryn@gmail.com | @Taryn44
BLOG: SoMeffect

Confessions of a “Type A” Blogger: from a social media go-getter to a go-giver

My post featured on {grow} by Mark Schaefer.

How To: Become A Go-Giver (And Social Media Savvy)

It’s an honor to be featured with this guest post! Learn how YOU  can change your Social Media strategy.

More info? 44taryn@gmail.com or @Taryn44
BLOG: SoMeffect

A ‘twitter-master’ silenced. Mourning my social media friend, Imad.

Shocked. The feeling I had when I learned of the passing of my Social Media friend, someone I admired and conversed with daily. I called it my quest to become a ‘twitter-master’ like him.

Imad Naffa was a revolutionary presence in not only social media, but what we call the ‘AEC’ community (architecture/engineering/construction). He was brilliant with content, a master of efficiency, an innovator with technology….and a friend. Yes, a social media friend.

When I direct messaged him on Twitter today  (12:23PST) asking “Friend….are you alive??” – I thought it was a joking way to reach out to Imad. Since he was the most responsive and amicable person, I wondered why I hadn’t heard from him….

I first encountered Imad on a ‘best of twitter’ list, and immediately we connected. I posted about these twitter greats being my idols – out of the four, Imad was receptive, thankful and always willing to help! It was a great pairing, for both social media trends and our AEC industry interests.

You will be missed, Imad. Your impact was widespread, and your influence was cutting-edge. I am sorry to hear of your passing and prayers for the Lord to bring you to His kingdom, and for healing of your friends & family still with us. I will miss your coaching and support!

More info? 44taryn@gmail.com or @Taryn44
BLOG: SoMeffect

The Tweet Life: 10+ Twitter Tools You Need

Ahhhhh, The Tweet Life. If you are participating on Twitter, aren’t you interested to know more about your tweet success? I recently wrote a piece about Feeling Twitter-pated or Twitter-hated? to help people find their ‘twitter flair.’  However, that article didn’t focus on the tools and tricks that can help you maximize your efforts on twitter.

So what can you do to evaluate your tweets? See who is following you (and more importantly unfollowing you)? Make tweets easier? Time your tweets? And more….?

These tasks seem daunting – YET – there are many applications out there to easily track & trend your tweet success! Monitoring, measuring and maximizing your tweet life will pay off.

The Tweet Life: 10+ Twitter Tools You Need

1. DASHBOARD:  Most of us know about Tweetdeck and Hootsuite applications – a must have if you are on Twitter! Depending on your preferences, either platform is beneficial. These ‘social media dashboards’ allow you to list, query, add columns and integrate multiple accounts (and add other social utilities).
2. AMPLIFY:  Find how far your tweet amplifies using Tweetreach. Search for a url, Twitter name, phrase or hashtag – to show how many users you reached, for the last 50 tweets on your topic.
3. TIMING:  Time your tweets (you can even participate when you are offline). Simply use applications like Twittimer, which allow for scheduled tweets, anytime.
4. MEASURE:  Grade your tweet profile with TweetGrader. With this tool you to check the power of your twitter profile compared to millions of other users that have been graded.
5. COMMUNITY:  Create a twitter club, using tools like Twubs to follow the conversation. This application allows you to search on a hashtag for what is trending, and who is involved.
6. MONITOR:  Evaluate who is UNfollowing you with WhoUnfollowedMe or FriendorFollow. You can investigate who unfollowed you recently as well as other Twitter users that are not following you back. Or use Qwitter to receive an email message when someone unfollows you!
7. TREND:  Search tweets in real time using TweetGrid. Using up to 10 topics at a time, you can create a grid of the trending topics you search.
8. GROW:  Add to your follower base by using WeFollow or JustTweetIt. Simply use a keyword to find Twitter users following the same topics, and list yourself too.
9. LOCALIZE:  Find local tweeps with the tool NearbyTweets. Search who is nearby, and tweeting about the same topics as you.
10. PURGE:  Get rid of Twitter users you are following, that aren’t active, using Twitoria. Check how long it has been since other users last tweeted.

The best part? These applications are all free! Using these Twitter tools will enhance your presence on Twitter. Most take only minutes to master, and will maximize “The Tweet Life” you are living.

More info? 44taryn@gmail.com or @Taryn44
BLOG: SoMeffect

The Social Media ‘Cool Club’ – What’s Your Online Influence?

Article Featured on Social Media Today

Are you using social media? Then pay attention! Your online INFLUENCE is already being scored – whether you like it or not. If you have used Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogs, Google+, YouTube, Photo Sharing….you are playing in this game
of online influence. Right now.

I call it the Social Media ‘Cool Club’ – a significant movement of scoring and ranking your activity online. How well you INFLUENCE others (see Disclaimer at the end).

Why should you care?! Well, a few reasons.

1. SAVVY SOCIALIZER – aren’t you curious? If you are posting, tweeting, blogging, sharing don’t you want to know how well your message amplifies and how many others it reaches? How you stack up in comparison to others? It is intriguing (and addicting).
2. REAP REWARDS – you can unlock rewards, receive free samples & coupons, and be the first to use fancy new apps. I kid you not, free and first just because of how well your influence scores.
3. BUSINESS TRENDS – you become more credible, get more interviews, have a better impression on colleagues and clients. Companies are starting to pay attention to these scores, for hiring and teaming decisions.

So, how is your influence being SCORED? Let’s look at three main measures:

1. Klout – the ‘cool club’ starts at Over-40! Klout is the most integrated scoring system of your influence (incorporates the most platforms into their measurement). Having a score of 40+ out of 100 indicates minimum influence of a ‘networker’ or a ‘specialist.’ Klout claims to measure how many people you influence, how much, and how many people they influence.
2. PeerIndex – measures your social capital, through your activity, audience and authority. This score measures each of these components individually, then creates a composite score for your ranking. This is a sophisticated system, yet lacks including multiple platforms. The median score is 19 out of 100, so don’t be discouraged!
3. TweetGrader – focuses on your tweeting reach, comparing the power of your Twitter profile to others in social media. Your score will reflect a total out of 100, and provides useful tools as well as your latest tweet cloud. It will also rank your Twitter status, out of the 10+ million users!

Whether you like it or not – you are already a Social Media INFLUENCER! This trend is growing, and you can earn some fun rewards, perks and reputation along the way. As you integrate more platforms into your daily social media usage, make sure you are periodically checking your SCORES…. If you aren’t paying attention, someone else is! Enjoy your experience joining the Social Media ‘Cool Club.’

Disclaimer: Succeeding in this ‘Cool Club’ – should it be your main focus? NO. Simply striving to increase your score isn’t the answer! These measures can help with your Social Media strategy! Learn how to enrich relationships. Create more creative (and shareable) content. Influence others more often and better. THAT is the key. The scores should just be a reflection of the influence you are already making.

More info? 44taryn@gmail.com or @Taryn44
BLOG: SoMeffect

How To: Niche in Social Media? Post Featured on “Savvy Social Solutions”

It is truly an honor to have my post featured with my friends at Savvy Social Solutions! Check out their blog and savvy approach to Social Media programs.

Check out the FEATURED posting here:
Top 10 Tips: Target Your Niche in Social Media

Posting Preview:
As you participate in the Social Media revolution, you will find it important to focus on the quality of your audience. Having thousands of followers or fans might not mean much – unless you are targeting your specific niche in Social Media. But with millions of users trying to do the same thing, how is this possible?

Use the Top 10 Tips to find your niche in Social Media!

(Thanks Manon Leroux & team!)

Featured (Top) Posts: Social Media Today!!!!

It has been exciting sharing my Social Media know-how with the team at Social Media Today!

Being published with “the world’s best thinkers on social media” is an honor! Check out my postings & SUCCESS! Cheers.

As of 9|8|11, current articles, views & shares:

The Tweet Life: 10+ Twitter Tools You Need (Over 2,500 views  |  550+ shares)

Let’s Get Social: 3 Big Reasons Your Company Should (Over 2,500 reads  |  670+ shares)

The Social Media ‘Cool Club’ – What’s Your Online Influence? (Over 1,100 views  |  300 shares)

What’s in a Name? 7 Social Media Tips (via Shakespeare) (Over 1,530 reads  |  400+ shares)

Top 10 Tips: Target Your Niche in Social Media (Over 1,300 reads  |  340+ shares)

Twitter-pated or Twitter-hated? 4 Ways to Find Your Twitter Flair (Over 1,900 reads  |  400+ shares)

How To: Make Your Facebook Fierce (Over 1,600 reads  |  270+ shares)

Starting in Social Media? The 5 P’s of a Perfect Program (Over 1,800 reads  |  250+ shares)

• More info? SoMeffect@gmail.com or @SoMeffect | 44taryn@gmail.com or @Taryn44

Top 10 Tips: Target Your Niche in Social Media

As you participate in the Social Media revolution, you will find it important to focus on the quality of your audience. Having thousands of followers or fans might not mean much – unless you are targeting your specific niche in Social Media.

But with millions of users trying to do the same thing, how is this possible?

Top 10 Tips: Target Your Niche in Social Media

There’s power in the niche. Finding the core of your targeted audience will yield higher rewards and payoff. The following tips will help you target your niche audience:

1. Followers: number one: find the followers that are key to your market. (On Twitter, see who is using hashtags most often. On Facebook, you might have to friend some people in your industry. On LinkedIn, participate in industry groups. Etc.)
2. Following: follow people key in your niche market – many times they follow/friend you back
   
3. Tagging: most platforms allow you tags or categories for querying – choose them wisely!
4. Associate: connect to industry associations in your niche, and interact  with them
5. Links: make links in your online community cyclical (keep audience in your social media)
6. Engage: find ways to engage with leaders already in your niche market
7. Innovate: do something different (yet applicable) to your target audience to stand out
8. Participate: in online discussions that are pertinent to your niche market
9. Respond: to content your clients and colleagues are posting
10. Publish: get published online with trade journals and magazines in your niche market

These tips are just the beginning of how to better target your niche audience in Social Media. Finding an audience that is highly relative is key – and then it is critical to engage with them! The masses of followers and friends might not get you the traction you need. Be calculated in the activity and relationships in your Social Media program and the results will be exponential.

More info? SoMeffect@gmail.com or @SoMeffect | 44taryn@gmail.com or @Taryn44
BLOG: SoMeffect