July 28, 2010

Social Media: Fad or Your Future

Engage in Social Media for Job Searchby Cindy Ludford for the Job Search Circle

Why Should I Learn Social Media

Let’s talk about change… Remember when you were first introduced to the Internet and

E-Mail? How did you feel about it then? How does it impact your day to day life now? Generation Y and Z consider e-mail passe.

Social Media is the fastest growing industry in the United States This equals unsurmountable job opportunities for those who

wish to embrace the change Companies are incorporating Social Media platforms and

requiring proficiency of employees at a rapid pace Social Media provides the avenue for Job Search research

and network development not found in other avenues

What is Social Media?

Social Media makes people and services visible

Social Media allows companies and individuals to exchange information

There are a million different definitions from a million different people, but over at Duct Tape Marketing they say “social media is the use of technology combined with social interaction to create or co-create value.”

Is Social Media a Fad?

Or the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?

96% of Millennials have joined a social network Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the U.S 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. met via social media 78% of consumers trust social media peer recommendations.

Only 14% trust advertisements

It’s NOT A FAD, but rather a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.

Social Media is here to stay!

Years to Reach 50 Million Users

Radio – 38 years TV – 13 years Internet – 4 years iPod – 3 years with 1 billion downloads in 9

months Facebook – added over 200 million users in

less than a year

Traditional Advertising Decline

Only 18% of traditional TV campaigns generate a positive ROI

90% of people skip tv ads via TiVo/DVR Kindle eBooks Outsold paper books last

Christmas 24 of the 25 Largest Newspapers are

experiencing record declines in circulation Print industry is scrambling to provide

eCommerce sites due to the drastic decline in hard copy advertising

Social Media ROI

Will still exist in 5 years Social Media spending is expected to increase

from $716M in 2008 to $3.1B in 2014 Social Media spending is growing faster than

any other interactive marketing category 86% of Marketers plan to increase Social

Media budgets in 2010 83% of CMO’s are tracking their number of

fans in Social Media 88% of executives at US non-profits use social

media

Social Media = Branding

25% of search results for the World’s Top 20 largest brands are links to user-generated content.

34% of bloggers post opinions about products & brands.

Do you like what they are saying about your brand? YOU BETTER!

Social Media Platforms

Communication – Facebook, TwitterEducation – Transition Agencies, LHHIM – Instant Messaging, YahooBlogs – Category Specific InformationVideo – YouTubePodcasts – iTunesJob Search – LinkedIn, Career Builder

Social Media Platforms

How Does This Apply to Me?

Increase your visibility online both personally and professionally, but keep them separate!

Listen first, sell second and find out: If your professional Title and skill level is

sustainable Who are the companies to work for based on

current employee opinion Where you can obtain FREE education: YouTube

and other Transitional Organizations Answers to all the other career development

questions you might have

Rules For All Social Media

Separate Personal from Professional Don’t say anything on any site you don’t want

others to repeat or use to interpret your character!

Give more than you receive Don’t flood people with requests for help

Be nice and respectful Negativity and nastiness will get you nowhere. If

you have a complaint, suggest a solution Be accountable for your actions

Facebook – Did You Know?

60 million status updates happen on Facebook daily

If Facebook were a country it would be the 3rd largest

Fastest growing segment on Facebook is 55-65 year-old females

99% of online retailers plan to have a Facebook page by 2011 Imagine what this means for bad customer

experiences! You will know about them and they better be resolved quickly and to the customers satisfaction!

Facebook – Job Search Tips

www.Facebook.comFamiliarize Yourself with the Help Feature at the bottom right corner of the

home page.

Search ‘Create a page’ if you’d like to create a page for a Local Business, Brand, Product, Organization, Artist, Band or Public Figure. Community and Group pages are also available.

Check security settings once a month!

Twitter – Did You Know?

Best Buy has over 2,500 employees helping customers on Twitter as part of the Twelpforce initiative

Dell has attributed over $6.5M in revenue directly to Twitter

91% of online retailers plan to have a Twitter page by 2011

53% of Fortune 500’s have at least one active Twitter account

56% of Twitter users use the service for business purposes

Some of the best discounts, coupons, rebates and contests can only be found on Twitter

Twitter – Job Search Tips

Use Twitter to discover what’s happening right now anywhere in the world.

Use your Twitter account to follow companies, networks, alumni groups, industry experts etc.

Re-Tweet articles of interest that apply to your profession You can Add articles of interest to your LinkedIn and

Facebook pages to draw interest to YOU!

Utilize the ‘Help’ Center for all answers

LinkedIn – Did You Know?

Use LinkedIn to re-connect with professionals, power your career and get answers to your professional questions.

80% of companies use social media for recruitment. 95% of these are using LinkedIn

50% of participants are decision makers in their companies!

LinkedIn – Job Search Help

Just Do It!

Word of Mouth = World of Mouth

We no longer search for the news, products and services. They will find us via Social Media!

“We don’t have a choice on WHETHERWE DO social media,

The question is HOW WELL WE DO it.”- Erik Qualman

Resources

Social Media Revolution 2 – YouTubeSocial Media for Business: 31 Stats and

Anecdotes – Adam Schoenfeld: YouTube

SocialProfitFormula – Don Crowther