26. Joyner, April. “30 Tips for Using Social Media in Your Business.” Inc.com. Published on 25 Jan. 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2011. <http://www.inc.com/articles/2010/01/30-tips-for-using-social-media.html?nav=related>
Notas do Editor
Business Use of Social Media – Shannon HolbrookI chose this subjectbecause I’ve become highly intrigued by the social media revolution after I started understanding the mass media that was going on outside of Myspace and Facebook. I have to give credit to Joyce’s BTS 110 class--Web Essentials for Communications--which taught me a lot about the web and the html language that is being used every time we log on to the internet.
Thesis statement: Businesses may use social networking sites and integrate these tools into their marketing and recruiting efforts. Businesses should consider the primary goal of their social networking strategy before diving into the social media chaos. A. What are the needs of my business and why am I using this site?B. What are the primary advantages that social recruiting has to offer?C. Which sites should I take on?D. Who’s going to manage my page?E. How do I set up my profile?
When searching for my content for this project, I came across this graphic and found it most fitting for this presentation. Social Media Tip: Tools vs strategyThe rush to start using the tools should NOT outweigh the need to formulate a social media strategy.
If you are starting to consider a social media site for your business, you should find out what are the needs of my business first. Do you want to recruit employees for your department? Are you short-staffed?Do you want to connect to more people in your industry?Do you want to market a new line of products or service?Is your advertising budget running thin?
Social recruiting tools and advantagesAdvantages: Empowers your employees to distribute job information. By enabling them to post information about open positions, you multiply your searching reach by thousands.Helps you put the passive job candidate in your crosshairs.A low-cost method of finding high-quality candidates. Social recruiting helps you zone in on the best candidates, for free. Tools:Use custom searches. LinkedIn for example, you can sift through profiles by company, industry, college, and even how many “degrees” you are from the person. Updating your status message. When you or your employees updated your statuses, it pops up on your friends’ home page, and sits atop the profile until it’s changed. Linking to stories and external content. Facebook & LinkedIn enable users to post external content to their profiles. By linking articles and blogs that contain positive news about your business, you show potential candidates that it’s not just your social network connections that adore your company.This was a poll taken by Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey in 2010; “which social media do you or your company use for recruiting?”
What sites should I take on?Though many of the sites are similar in nature, they can all be categorized by the different purposes they serve. These are the basic types of social networking sites: “Free for all” social sites: Some sites that fall under this category are Facebook, MySpace, Ning, and Friendster. Each of these sites primarily serve as a nexus of friends and associates who want to socialize. Professional sites: Examples of these include LinkedIn, FastPitch, and Plaxo. The professional site can be utilized as an online professional contact database, or “rolodex,” but it’s also where people go to update employment information about themselves. Industry-specific sites: These sites allow you to connect to people who are in your industry. I-Meet, for example, is specifically geared toward event planners, while ResearchGATE is a community for researchers in the science or technology field. Industry sites help you to narrow your search when looking for services, or people with skills in certain fields.
Who’s going to manage my page?Can you find a current employee to take on this responsibility?or do you need to bring in new talent? If you ever find yourself without the staffing resources to manage your page, don’t stick your head in the sand, says the author. “Find some interns”. “In most cases, they’ll do it for free.”Who’s going to be the personality of my page? Your profile is the online representation of your brand and company, so it’s important to know what to add and what to avoid.“People buy from other people, not from other companies,” “In order to solidify trust, pick someone to represent your brand.”What has access?What type of trust level do you have established at your company? Will all of your employees have access or just a select few?Take the time to assess the skills and character of those who can log into your page, or you may run into unsavory situations down the road – especially when dealing with former workers.
How to set up my profile? Are you going to be strictly professional or give some personal information to form connections with your audience?Don’t be afraid to get a little personal. Facebook profiles, for example, allow you to include things like hobbies, favorite music, etc. Including tidbits like these can make your page warmer and more personable. “Some personal information is valuable, because it may create a bond with a customer” Will you post pictures and videos? Adding multimedia to your page gives flair, and offers customers an exclusive look inside your company. LinkedIn even has an add-on that allows you to post presentations and slideshows.What settings will you control? On most of these sites, you can control what people see on your profile, such as pictures and blog posts, and you can even limit what other people post. Depending on the nature of your company, you should consider these restrictions.
Summary: Focus on the audience you want to target by establishing and maintaining the needs for your business.Embracing social media networking is a major component of your success strategy.