HIT IT ALLISON!

Since I just finished my life as a college student at SDSU, it’s got me thinking about my next step in life: a career. As I enter in the professional market and have started looking for job opportunities, I have realized the importance of optimizing your Social Media profiles. Listed below are ways Social Media has helped me and can help you in your professional job search:

Consistently Branding yourself on Social Media Profiles:
It’s very important to brand yourself on your Social Media sites and make sure you are consistent within each one. This makes it easier for potential employers to search for you on the web. One way to brand yourself as a professional is to claim your own Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn URL’s.

Connecting with Professionals:
I have found it very useful to follow and connect with professionals in the marketing and social media industry on Twitter and LinkedIn. Through connecting with these professionals I am not only expanding my professional network, but I am also learning more about the careers and industries that I am interested in. You never know who you will connect with who may have a job opportunity suited for you. I’ve also noticed different job postings by professionals I’ve connected with.

Tailor Social Networks:
It’s so important to tailor your Social Networking sites towards the position or career you are interested in. For example, for someone interested in Marketing, it’s important to tweet about up-to-date marketing strategies or blog about topics relating to Marketing. This shows potential employers that you are truly passionate about the position or career you are pursuing. It’s also important to edit your Social Networking sites to make sure nothing too personal is being displayed. It probably wouldn’t be the best idea to post pictures of you doing a keg stand at some party on your Facebook page. Since Social Networking sites are often employer’s first impressions of you, you want to post or tweet about topics that are appropriate.

These are just a few tips that have helped in my job search so far! Thanks to a prior blog post from Melodie on 10 Ways to Land Your Next Job Through Social Media, I also learned other ways to  utilize Social Media to find my next job. If anybody has some more great tips that would help me in a job seeking, feel free to follow me on Twitter, I would greatly appreciate it and look forward to hearing from you!

The evening started off with a networking dinner so of course, I had an opportunity to meet some great community leaders, UCSD students and affiliates. The photo below is a prime example of never eating alone!

I followed one of Keith’s golden rules for meeting the speaker at the event. Get to the speaker, before he goes on stage! I saw Keith Ferrazzi walk by and immediately went up and introduced myself to him. He’s extremely personable, enthusiastic and positive. I manifested this exact moment into my life because in 2009 when Who’s Got Your Back came out, I told Keith Ferrazzi that I would get his second book when I met him so he could autograph it and that’s exactly what happened!

 After enjoying a great dinner, Dr. Irwin Jacobs and Keith Ferrazzi took the stage. Keith Ferrazzi’s job was to be curious and ask Dr. Jacob’s questions related to the topic of “Why great relationships matter in business?” Keith did a great job at asking questions that prompted Dr. Jacobs to share his inspirational story. As both a Marketer and an Entrepreneur, I really resonated with both Dr. Jacobs and Keith Ferrazzi. I definitely learned a lot about having a vision and following it, being a great leader and of course networking! Below are some networking tips I’ve learned from Keith Ferrazzi, some of them definitely came into play during this particular event!

1. Reach out before the event- If you’re attending an event and want to meet someone specific, reach out to them before the event. I’ve already discussed how to work a conference before it begins. This tip is very similar. Social Media is a great resource that allows you to connect. Before attending the event, I tweeted Keith a bunch of times and of course wrote my post to welcome Keith to San Diego. Reaching out can also be done by a simple email. You can let someone know that you enjoyed an article they wrote, congratulate them on a recent accomplishment or connect with them on a more personal level if you know a hobby they enjoy. (In the tweets below I engaged several people in conversation about Keith Ferrazzi and I even received a reply from him acknowledging that he would see me tomorrow!)

2. Arrive Early- If you want to meet the Speakers, they’ll definitely be at the event at least 30 minutes before hand. Chances are the speaker won’t be bombarded by everyone else so you may have an opportunity to introduce yourself before anyone else. If you wait until after the event to try and connect with a speaker, chances are they’re going to be busy talking to everyone else and also thinking about going home so it’s harder to make a personal connection. I actually arrived at UCSD 30 minutes early so was one of the first one who was let into the room.

3. Talk To the Organizer- Arriving early also gives you a chance to find and introduce yourself to the organizer and let him/her know who you may be looking to connect with. Ask the organizer if there’s anyone they feel would be a great connection for your industry. The organizer knows everything that’s happening behind the scenes and everyone who’s going to be at the event. See if they can introduce you to some other attendees or even the speaker. When approaching the organizer, make sure to be mindful of their time since they’re probably still planning last minute updates and make sure to thank them for hosting you.

4. Ask Questions- After many presentations and panels there is often a chance for audience Q & A. This is your golden opportunity to get in front of the room and let others know what you do. Before asking your questions, clearly state your name with a brief intro. Since you have everyone’s attention, there very well may be others in the room who are seeking your service, product or who many want to collaborate with you. Asking questions not only gives you mic time, it also allows you to interact and stand out to the speakers and attendees.

5. Give Books as Gifts- Since the holidays are approaching so quickly, tis the season to start thinking of gifts for your prospects, clients and colleagues. Books are full of information and are personal because you’re recommending something that has helped you. Autographed books are even better! Keith reminded me of how great of gifts books can be as he was signing mine. He asked if there was anyone I’d like to give “Who’s Got Your Back” to so he could sign the book to that person. I didn’t have anyone in mind, so I just told him to sign his name in case I did want to give the book away as a gift. Well Keith came up with an even better idea by writing “Melodie’s Got Your Back”. This way I’m able to keep the book myself or also give it away as a gift.

Again, it was such an honor to meet my favorite author, hear Dr. Jacobs speak and connect with other Entrepreneurs. I’m grateful that attending the event inspired me to refresh my own networking skills, allowing me to share tips with you. If you have additional networking tips, please leave them in the comments below! I’m personally hosting a networking event and seminar coming up on Wed. November 2nd! If you’d like to attend my next seminar where you’ll definitely have a chance to apply these networking tips, you can register here. If it’s your first time attending one of my seminars, please email me: melodie at marketing melodie dot com and I’ll send you a code fore $10 off. Happy Networking and if you don’t already have Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your back, check them out at your local library or purchase them! You won’t be disappointed.

Thanks to the infinite power of Social Media within 10 minutes I had a list of over 30 movies featuring a Journalist as a main character. Movies on the list include: All The Presidents Men, True Crime, Almost Famous, the mysterious Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Insider, Shattered Glass, Good Night and Good Luck, State of Play, the fashionable Devil Wears Prada, the indestructible Super Man and the list goes on.

The high response rate to my question made it crystal clear that “traditional” media jobs are extremely popular and even sexy on the big screens.  But as technology continues to evolve and the occupation “Journalist” (in the traditional sense of writing for a newspaper ) continues to diminish as a position companies are seeking, having a “Journalist” in a new age movie doesn’t match up with current trends. This became evident to me in the past week as I’ve had the privilege of watching two sneak previews, both featuring Social Media: Catfish and The Social Network.

The rest of this post isn’t a spoiler. I’ll be sharing some of my insight and observations after watching two movies that feature Social Media as the main component.

Catfish-  This documentary is about a photographer, Nev who lives in New York. An eight-year-old girl, Abby from rural Michigan contacts him and asks permission to draw one of his photographs that appeared in a newspaper. He receives her remarkable painting and starts a friendship and online correspondence with Abby’s family. This is just the beginning of an online mystery. The main topics brought to my attention were online persona’s versus real life and online security. We often don’t think twice about who we’re corresponding with online and take everyone for face value. But the internet can be a dangerous tool that allows us to create different personas, use different photos to identify ourselves and hide from our real identity through a computer screen. For many people, our online persona is a true reflection of our personality, but not for everyone. Nev’s correspondence turns into a mystery that brings up the questions of online security. He doesn’t think twice about disclosing secrets, personal information and even developing a romantic connection with someone he’s never met met until things start getting fishy one clue at a time.

The Social Network- The deep rooted desire for humans to have connections with others is fed through online social networks. The Social Network is a story about Facebook, formerly called The Facebook’s creation and evolution into today’s powerful tool that most of us can’t live without. This movie brought back memories to me for the early days of Facebook in 2004. The “mini-feed” that used to annoy everyone showed up on the big screen, now we can’t live without the feed of current information about 500 of our closest friends. The movie portrays the crucial moment when “Relationship Status” was invented which now allows us to find out if there may be a chance with the hot guy or girl we just met. “Can I have your number?” is so 1990’s, we all know the real pick up line is “Can I add you on Facebook?”  The Social Network is a true story and drama that perfectly depicts the rapid growth of technology, how our lives are so quickly transformed by the digital age and the viral power of the internet.

Seeing Social Media on the big screen continues to validate it’s importance in our every day lives.  While traditional media jobs were so prominent in a significant number of movies, my prediction for the future of movies is that occupations of featured characters will center more around technology jobs, the internet and more specifically Social Media.

Have you seen other movies that feature Social Media?

1. Find out who’s going to attend- Many conferences don’t post attendee lists on their website so social media is the key here. The best resource I used to find attendees is Facebook Events. Although many profiles are private you have the first and last names of those who RSVPed. You can then look up on LinkedIn. LinkedIn events is second to Facebook events and then I will use Twitter Search.

2. Do research on sponsors and exhibitors- Find out what companies are going above and beyond to have a presence at the event and do research as to why.  Are they working on a new product launch? Is there a specific promotion they’re putting resources into? Knowing these facts allows you to position yourself as to why you will be a great resource or partner for that company. You will be prepared with knowledgeable conversation starters when meeting someone from the sponsoring organization or visiting an exhibitor’s booth. A list of sponsors and exhibitors can always be found on the event website . Go on the companies’ websites and carefully read the about, news and press release sections.

3. Socialize on the web with those you’d like to meet- When doing your research on attendees and sponsors, create a list of those you’d like to connect with and have a valuable reason for why they would want to meet with you. Connect and interact with these individuals on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, their blogs etc.  This helps build your credibility and shows that you’re engaged in their work, it will make the next tip a lot easier.

4. Set specific times for meetings- Invite your prospective business clients and partners to meet at lunch or for a coffee break. Conferences get hectic so make sure you have a confirmed date/time and place in advanced. Having an established is essential. Do research on nearby coffee shops or find out if the conference has private meeting rooms or quiet table areas. You may have to move the meeting time during the event but at least you have a commitment to meet which is much better than “let’s touch base during the day to see if we can meet up”  many times this doesn’t end up happening.

5. Set up a small intimate happy hour or dinner- One of the things I love doing is connecting various people who will all mutually benefit myself and each other. Set up your own small happy hour 5-8 people who work in different disciplines. Invite a few people you know, a few you may have met during the conference and a few people you have identified as wanting to meet. Use your best judgement when deciding if inviting a specific person will benefit the entire happy hour group.

6. Post reminders on Social Media in advanced- Use EasyTweets to post sessions you are speaking at, participating in or know you will be at in advanced. Post the exact date, time and location. You will need to be cognizant of event schedules that may change to update these tweets if necessary. This makes your tweeting more efficient as you won’t have to worry about tweeting your schedule during the event. Set up tweets to post anywhere from an hour to 30 minutes the session so people know where to find you. Use Selective Twitter Status to post reminder udpates on Facebook, especially if you’re speaking.

7. Have an agenda but be flexible- Review the agenda and highlight sessions, educational panels and forums and you’d like to attend. Do research on those presenting and their specific topics. Be prepared with specific questions or insights that may relate to the topic being presented. This prepares you to learn something valuable that matches up with your needs during Q & A time. This also allows you to prepare your introduction to the speaker after they leave the stage with relevant content and information.

8. Meet other business contacts in the area- Go through your contacts and LinkedIn to find out who else lives in that area and any companies you may want to work with that are headquartered in that city.  Even if they aren’t attending the conference set up a time to meet a day before or after. Depending on your schedule this may not be possible, but it’s always something to keep in mind. Since you’re flying all the way out there might as well optimize your presence.

9. Technology Packing list- This seems silly, but at every conference I go to I run into multiple people who left their phone charger or laptop charger at home. Make a list of all technology you need and ensure that it’s packed right before you leave for the airport. This includes your phone charger, laptop charger, extra batteries for equipment, mp3 player, camera, equipment to upload videos and photos (especially helpful for live bloggers) and anything else of that nature. Not having a piece of technology definitely puts a damper (more so than anything else that’s missing)  in your day so avoid this by being prepared.

10. Establish a follow up strategy- Don’t wait until you return from the event to establish a follow up strategy. Have this set before you leave. Identify key resources you can offer to attendees so you can excite those you meet and prompt them to expect a follow up with valuable information. Perhaps you have a new white paper, an upcoming webinar, a future speaking engagement or a new product launch. Let people know to look forward to an email from you that will provide something valuable such as those items I listed. Have an email draft that can be customized for each individual which includes your value offering. This reduces the chance a follow up email will be viewed as spam and increases the chances that your follow up will be success. Refer your follow up back to your conversation at the event. “Here is a link to the white paper I promised you during our conversation.”

11. Have fun! This is a bonus and just a friendly reminder that although you are traveling for work, there is no reason not to enjoy yourself. If you don’t meet someone or miss a session then there will be other opportunities so don’t let that bring you down.

What are some other things do you do to prepare for a conference? Share your own tips in the comments and see you all at PubCon!

Here are tips on increasing the chances you’ll get a reply and create a business connection. I’m using real examples from follow up emails I’ve recently received and will share my insight on how to enhance these follow ups as I share my tips. (All names removed)

1. Familiar subject line:

Emails to me: Subject: “Analytics and Marketing Science Services” and “1:1 Marketers have incomplete Online Marketing Capability”

Both  subject lines are descriptive but immediately resemble a sales pitch as opposed to a personalized email. I receive hundreds of emails and will skip over emails that I know are sales pitches and do not catch my attention with something personal. Subject lines that are more enticing can be as simple as “Nice to Meet You at DMA09” and “Thank You for Attending My Session at DMA09”. Notice these examples include a specific event that will be familiar to your recipient. The subject line should not be used as a sales pitch. Rather, a hook to get you to read more or a simple personal greeting.

2. Personalize the greeting:

Emails to me- Addressed as: “Dear Subscriber” and “Dear Colleague”

The greeting is the first thing your recipient sees when they open the email. Using the person’s name makes the email much more inviting. If your reader feels like their email address was entered into an automated system, you will lose them immediately. An automated service to send follow up emails may save time initially but taking the extra few minutes to personalize your greeting will yield more replies that turn into business connections in the long run.

3. Refresh their memory:

Email to me- “Melodie- what great memory and follow through. Impressive.”

After the greeting, it’s a great idea to bring up something specific that was discussed. I easily meet over 100 people at a large conference so it’s difficult to keep track of specific conversations. After meeting someone I immediately jot down a note about our specific discussion so I can refer to it in the email. The email I received for this tip was written to me after I addressed something very specific from a conversation. People appreciate if you refresh their memory about your discussion, especially since most people don’t do this. It shows you are truly engaged and interested in the conversation.

4. Call to action:

Email to me: I am trying to reach you to discuss the management of  your  meetings and events, which I understand may be an aspect of your job.

This sentence does not sound confident. It is very ambiguous as to what the company offers and why I will benefit from responding. Create specific calls to action. Another way to craft this sentence is “I’d like to speak with you to discuss a great opportunity I’m offering for the management of your meetings and events”. I’m currently offering a complimentary consultation to anyone who schedules an appointment before the end of this month”. This new sentence has a specific offer (free consultation) and is also time sensitive prompting  the reader to respond right away. Make sure your follow up email is accompanied by an additional item that keeps the connection alive and gives the reader a reason to reply.

5. Socialize your email:

I see very few follow up emails that incorporate social media. Include a link to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or blog in your follow up emails. By socializing your email you allow your recipient to connect in a more interactive way. You are also showing your potential customer that you care about community building. By linking to your blog and other networks that have relevant content you will enhance your credibility as a resource and expert. I often send a LinkedIn invite that corresponds to my email.  I will reference my email “I have sent you an email in regarding our conversation.” If your recipient receives 20 follow up emails from attending a conference, a personal invite on LinkedIn  significantly increases your chances of creating a connection because you are showcasing your credentials and can show an established professional background.

6. Follow up your follow up Email:

To conclude your email I recommend stating your intention to follow up again after the initial email. This lets your recipient know you plan to follow up again so they your next communication. “I appreciate you taking the time to read this email. I will follow up by phone next week to set up a meeting”.

Keep all of these tips in mind when drafting follow up email and motice your connections accelerate. What other tips do you have to enhance follow up emails? Please share your tips I am always open to learning more from other industry leaders!

Keith Ferrazzi on Larry King

I’m so happy to see Keith utilizing the power of social media to connect with his fans, clients and readers. He truly understands and embraces evolving technology to strengthen his own relationships. Little did he know that social media would open up a great opportunity for me to nudge him through Facebook and Twitter to make an appearance in San Diego. He’s near the end of his 16 city Who’s Got Your Back Road Show to promote his latest book, Who’s Got Your Back? but missed a stop in San Diego!

Why am I such a Keith Ferrazzi Enthusiast? Not only is he a Marketing Maven, he inspires people authentically and has it in his nature to build strong, long lasting relationships. I strive to achieve everything he’s already accomplished and see him as a prime example for someone who’s taken my ambitions to the next level. There are several inspirational leaders I look up to but none of them are in a field that I’m so passionate about, Marketing. Keith couldn’t have said it any better on his very own media reel:

“…at 25 years old (this would be me, age close enough but not exactly accurate!) You’re going up to them (this would be you, Keith) and saying I WANT TO BE YOU SOMEDAY. You’re being immensely generous to them by saying that to them”. When I describe Keith to those who many not know him, I say I want to be him!

I’m confident Keith will find a lot of value in connecting with San Diego’s tight knit community of entrepreneurs, marketers and tech savvy crowd. Here are my top 3 reasons why I want to meet Keith and attract him to San Diego at an event I will host.

1. Inspiration : As a marketing professional and aspiring inspirational leader, I can’t think of anyone else who fits the description of success in my career path better than Keith Ferrazzi. I see marketing as a means to inspire others to do great things with their business and believe in mutual success with my clients. Our greatest leaders can still be inspired so I believe San Diego will inspire Keith in such a positive way he’ll make sure to include us in all future tours!

2. Networking Extraordinaire: I attend many networking functions because I believe connecting in real life strengthens relationships. (with the popularity of social networking, networking in real life is sometimes taken for granted). Keith has taken networking a step further by identifying key ways to network that allow you to connect more intimately and authentically. He ensures you never have to attend another useless networking event. I am assuring Keith that his time in San Diego and participating in an event I host will be well worth it!

3. Collaboration: Keith talks about working together to reach goals. There truly is strength in numbers. Collaboration is the ultimate key to success. Working with others allows you to combine strengths, maximize each others’ talents and create mutual success for all involved that extends far beyond what an individual can achieve. Keith will really gain a lot of value and insight in collaborating with some of the brilliant leaders we have right here in San Diego

San Diego, now I need your help! Please repost and retweet this blog post on all of your social networks! Every time you tweet about attracting Keith Ferrazzi to San Diego, use the hashtag #WGYBSD (Who’s Got Your Back San Diego). Lets get the momentum going and show Keith Ferrazzi that San Diego has his back!

To conclude this post, I must admit I don’t yet have a copy of Who’s Got Your Back?. I do however have it on hold at the library so look forward to it being ready for pick up soon. Why haven’t I bought my own copy? I look forward to receiving my own autographed copy when I meet Keith in real life in San Diego!

Attending events and networking in person goes hand in hand with social networking. While we have a myriad of ways to communicate virtually, the power of a handshake still adds a personal touch that can’t be achieved through online communication. Having both is essential for me to build credibility and authenticity to strengthen my relationships.

If you follow me on Twitter you may know I generally follow people I have met in real life (IRL)  or people I will probably meet IRL. I have met about 90% of the people I follow IRL. Those I haven’t met may be business accounts or high profile people.  I choose to follow with this strategy because knowing someone IRL significantly strengthens the value of their tweets for me. I am able to place a face and personality to the short 140 character blurb which really makes a difference in how I process the information that’s presented to me.

I had the pleasure of meeting several of my online friends IRL. Upon the initial handshake, I immediately felt connected and comfortable as we dived right into conversations as if we were catching up from when we last saw each other which in this case was online.  I’d like to give a shout out to a few of my online friends who I met IRL at Twiistup.

Adena DeMonte- @AdenaDeMonte is  from Diddit. Her company was featured as a Showoff at Twiistup. I have used Diddit before and found her through the service so it was great to meet the face behind a social network. I always find it exciting to meet people who work for social networks or big online companies that don’t have a brick and mortar location because it really humanizes the brand and allows me to identify with the service I’m using.

Marvin Tabangay-@Sketch678 is well involved in the Los Angeles tech scene. I always love connecting with other like minded people in different cities. He also happens to be one of the people on Twitter who motivate me to run! There are a few marathoners I follow and it’s always inspirational to read about their training, progress and then race day! I’ve been following him as he was training and fundraising for Rock and Roll Marathon and also know he is a designer so I immediately had a many questions to ask him about how things have been progressing in the tech world and fitness.

Chris Brogan- I told a friend who didn’t know who @ChrisBrogan was about how excited I was for the opportunity to meet him (friend is not as involved in the online space). I described Chris Brogan to my friend as someone who is “famous on Twitter”. He is one of the few people I follow not from California who I hadn’t met in real life nor did I expect to meet soon.  But really, Chris Brogan is more than just someone who has a lot of Twitter followers. He is a true leader in the social media space because he is authentic, caring and truly passionate about his work.  He projected these qualities in person just as his online persona does in the digital space. Meeting him in person really gave me a chance to confirm why people including myself respect him as a leader in social media.

There are many other people I’ve met online then IRL but I wanted to feature a few to give you guys an idea of how I strengthen my relationships by combining social networking with real live meetings.  Please feel free to share a story of how combining online and offline networking has strengthened some of your relationships. I look forward to connecting with more of you in person soon!

For some more Twiistup fun join me on Facebook and check out the photos. Please feel free to tag the photos as I don’t know everyone in all of them.

Although I’m well versed in social media I embrace the opportunity enhance my knowledge. I have yet to walk away from a conference where I did not learn a piece of valuable information that I will actually integrate into my marketing strategies. At the Cool Twitter Conferences in San Diego I’ve already gained insight on:

1. How to distinguish between different types of green consumers from Maryanne Conlin’s presentation. From a marketing perspective this gives me great insight on how to communicate with different audiences in the green market.

2. I learned more about the power of photo sharing and it’s ability to enhance and strengthen relationships with a personal touch from one of my favorite leaders to follow in the Social Media space, Rodney Rumford of TweetPhoto. He has definitely encouraged me to participate more in photo sharing. I loved his analogy of saying “No one cares what you had for lunch, but they do love seeing photos of your lunch”

3. In addition I learned some important ways to craft your message if you’re strictly using Twitter as an e-commerce tool from Mirna Bard.

The next Cool Twitter Conferences event I’d like to highlight is taking place in Los Angeles on Friday July 31st, 2009. I’m honored to be one of their featured speakers. My topic is: Authentically Build Your Credibility as a Subject Matter Expert on Twitter.

Here is a preview of my presentation. I will focus on building your credibility as a subject matter expert in your industry with an authentic voice.  I will provide tips on how to be portrayed as an authority and resource in your area of expertise so potential clients and customers will know to contact you in time of need. This will include details on how to stay top of mind with your customers, how to present information so you are seen as a positive influence in your area rather than someone who is strictly promotional, how to reach out to those seeking your service and how to engage in conversation regarding your specific area of expertise in a way that allows people to understand your business and how you  will really solve one of their needs. The main message I will resonate with the audience is how to be a true resource and authority in your industry that people are eager to follow, retweet, recommend and work with.

I am looking forward to the Cool Twitter Conferences in LA and as always I want to provide my readers opportunity to attend on my behalf so it’s contest time!

The winner receives a complimentary pass ($295 value) to Cool Twitter Conferences in LA

There are 3 ways you can enter. You can enter once from each option to be entered a total of three times.

1. Blog Entry: Leave a comment on this blog answering the question: How were you introduced to Twitter?

2. Facebook Entry: Add me on Facebook . Click on the discuss box and reply in the discussion about The Cool Twitter Conferences.

3. Twitter Entry: Retweet this blog post with the Tweet button on the top of this blog. Please add the hashtag #CTC.

I will choose a lucky winner on Monday July 27th, 2009. Good luck and I look forward to connecting with you both at the event and on MyMelodie’s Twitter.

1. I joined Facebook in 2004 when it was limited to very few colleges (Did I just date myself ?). The etiquette was  that you just DID NOT accept random people you had not met IRL (In Real Life) as friends on Facebook. I started getting a lot of friend requests from people I did not know but am not used to my Facebook being an open forum. With my Facebook page everyone can connect with me and I don’t have to worry monitoring my updates to make sure it’s appropriate for my networking audience.

2. I was not maximizing the networking and professional opportunities of Facebook. Even though I know the value of using Facebook for business I was not using any of these best practices on my profile because it has always been a social tool for me.  My Facebook profile has no content relevant to marketing, people tagging me in photos  I don’t approve of and rarely did I update my status. On my Facebook Page I have a Marketing theme and will provide real value about my industry while still being able to add a personal touch.

3. Since my Facebook Page is an open network it is more interactive than my profile. Having an interactive social media campaign is important because it’s a way to really communicate and engage with your audience which builds credibility, friendships and often times authority in your specific industry. I’m also starting to host fun contests and giveaways as an additional incentive.

So there you have it. Three simple reasons on my decision to create a Facebook Page. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to Fan me!

Marketing Melodie's Facebook Page

Many people have been calling me a Twitter Expert. I don’t consider myself an expert and there are still negative associations with people who call themselves a Social Media Expert. I do however have a lot of experience on the social network. I have executed many social media campaigns utilizing Twitter and built up my own brand and online persona using Twitter but I still have so much to learn! Technology is changing by the minute. What may have worked yesterday could be history today so it’s important to always stays ahead of evolving technology to ensure you surpasse industry standards.

Dating is a big part of building relationships which is where the correlation with Social Media comes in. Social media campaigns focus on building relationships and community around a brand. Social media is used to establish connections and engage with your consumer. I’ll refrain from giving dating tips in this post (PHEW). You can turn to DeAnna for that but I do want to give a few simple tips in building customer relationships through Twitter.

1. Listen- Be an active listener on Twitter. Listen to what your community is saying. Listen to what your community wants.  Many of us have poor listening skills. Before we finish hearing what the other person is saying we stop listening and start to formulate our response. This prevents us from really understanding what the other person’s needs are. Before you start blasting out promotions, make sure it’s what your customers want.

2. Show You Care- Now that we’ve got our listening skills fine-tuned take action to show you really care about your community’s needs. Listening allows you to provide useful content and information that your followers want. Perhaps there were complaints about your product being too expensive? How about offering a discount to Twitter followers? Perhaps your followers had many suggestions. How about posting changes on Twitter your company made through customer suggestions?

3. Count On You- By listening and showing you care, your followers will begin to believe you’re a leader. Make sure you’re proactive in keeping this reputation. Be the first to post industry news and unique information. Be an authority and useful resource in your field. When a situation comes up where your service is needed your company will be top of mind because your followers already know they can count on you.

There you have it, three simple ways to build good customer relationships on Twitter. If you have any other tips, please leave them in the comments below. If you’d like to find out more how to enhance your customer relationships through Twitter and other Social Media networks please don’t hesitate to contact me.