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Updating and engaging in social media is – for some professionals – an “I’ll get to it when I get to it” sort of thing. With government agencies getting trimmed and volatile stock and job markets, the time to engage digitally is now.
Don’t just update your LinkedIn profile. Post! Read on for advice from Yes& CommCore on how to leverage social media for career growth.
Our colleague Debbie Bates-Schrott, Chief Marketing Officer here at our award-winning marketing agency Yes& said this about personal social media marketing:
“Your digital presence is the currency with which we gain advocates and get that next position, partnership, project. It fosters a deeper connection with others, as long as you post authentically. ‘Fake it till you make it’ doesn’t apply to social media. The truth does come out.”
Let’s get ready, get set, and go…
Getting Ready:
First, determine how you want to be perceived, what you want to be ‘in-the-know’ about, and
where you want to be engaged. What is your mission, vision, and values? Think like an
organization trying to identify and differentiate itself. Develop the story of you. How do you best
contribute to the working world? What do you care most about? How do you want to spend
your time, and where can you make the greatest impact?
Write it down, trim it down, and this is what should permeate all of your communications going
forward.
Getting Set:
If there’s digital dust, it has probably covered your LinkedIn and Facebook pages – for some, it’s
been there for years.
- Update your content, change your background (yes, you can customize on LinkedIn),
replace the old college graduate picture with a recent photo - Replace your ancient references, reach out to current colleagues, get new salvos
(and offer to write a new one for them) - Clean your database of contacts who have retired or are in irrelevant industries
- Send 100 new invites to people you know, are relevant to your work but for some
reason you’re not connected to – and include some ‘reach’ contacts you want to know - Join online industry groups and associations. For LinkedIn particularly, follow specific
companies or organizations you are interested in or admire. It’s all about curating your
algorithm and bringing more relevant content to you. - Paste in that powerful personal/professional impact statement
Go!:
I get it, you want to start with baby-steps, that’s completely fine. But plan to amp it up sooner
rather than later.
- Comment on others’ posts – and not just with the auto-fill prompts
- Re-post interesting and relevant articles, posts, and announcements
- Caption those re-posts, tethering them to you and your interests
- Start to craft original content and run it by a trusted mentor, colleague, or advisor for clarity, concision, and memorability.
- Use other digital means to prompt contacts to read your posts
Now, you’re off and running. You’ve assembled an active group of people who want to help you
thrive. You time, becomes we time!
Your Resume Doesn’t Make You a Leader. Effective Communication Does.
Our executive coaching services combine our years of experience with proven best practices in communications to prepare you to lead meetings, deliver important news to stakeholders, have difficult conversations, and become more effective on social media and with the press. With interactive exercises, meaningful discussions, and real-life examples, we create training and mentoring relationships that allow our clients to take on even the toughest scenarios.
We offer Executive Coaching programs for:
- Your Executive Management Committee
- Managers
- C-Suites and Division Leaders
- Spokespeople
- Salespeople
- Marketing, Legal, IT, HR, Security, Finance
- PR, Communications, Investor Relations, Public/Government Affairs
- Operations Staff
Learn more about our Executive Coaching services.
Contact Us:
To schedule a training or get answers quickly, use our contact form. We can also be reached at (202) 659-4177 or info@yesandcommcore.com.
