Rachel Levy: Social Media & Marketing

I had an opportunity recently to interview Diane Darling from Effective Networking and wanted to pass along what I learned from her. I also watched a video from a presentation she made to the Salty Legs Networking Group, so I have also incorporated her advice from that as well.

To me, one of the most valuable things that Diane said was her definition of Networking: Building of relationships before you need them. I think this is a great definition, as many people (including myself) build up their network during a job search, and then stop being in contact with their network once they have a job.  This definition encourages people to continue networking even when they are not looking for a job.

Communication

Most of us have heard that your body language and HOW you actually say something are more important than the words you use.  But, Diane shared the numbers behind that information, which really brought the point home for me.  Based on these numbers, “every time you send an email, you forfeit 93% of your communication”.  Wow!  I do tend to use email a lot, as it’s easier and faster, but think I should start to reconsider that.  When you talk on the phone, you’re still only getting 45% of the communication.

Another tip Diane gave was when you are calling someone at the recommendation of someone else, start with the connection first.  So, “Susan suggested I call you about working in Marketing at your company.  My name is Rachel Levy.”  As opposed to “This is Rachel Levy…. “  It’s easier for the person to hear it that way first to connect the dots in their head.

What is a network?

Diane also described that everyone should look at their entire database of contacts in the following format:

• Database - Everyone in all of your contact databases (email, LinkedIn, personal address book, Twitter, etc.).
• Network - These are the people who would return your phone calls!  They’re people you are in touch with and you trust.  Based on statistics, this group shouldn’t be more than 200-250 people, as after that amount, it’s more difficult to stay in touch with people.
• Inner Circle - People you could go to to ask their advice about what they think you should be doing for a living.  Diane actually surveyed her Inner Circle with 4-5 questions about this, including asking them what her strengths and weaknesses are.  Great idea!
• Personal Board of Advisers (PBA) - These are the people who should champion you in your life.  It’s like a Board of Directors, but for you, rather than for a company.  You should have about 4-5 people on your PBA each year.
• Friends, Family or Fools (FFF) – This is an obvious group… and Diane says “These people have to like you”!!

Each of these groups should be looked at in a different way and used for different purposes.  Not everyone in your database should be called for a networking meeting.

Tips for attending networking events or job fairs

The most important thing you can do for a job fair is to have a plan of what you want to achieve before you go.  Many people have a goal of “collecting x number of business cards”, but these aren’t necessarily meaningful connections for you.  You should decide ahead of time who the companies are that you want to work for, and find them, or find people who know someone who works at that company.

Obviously you should bring business cards with you.  Diane suggests printing your skills on the back of your card.  I do something slightly different, where I show what type of position I’m looking for: “Marketing professional seeking a position where I will be able to make an impact in my areas of strength of social media, branding, strategy, advertising and online marketing.” I think both methods help the person remember who you are after meeting you.  Also on your card, you should add your website address and an email address that is professional or represents you.  Do not include your home address on your card (oops, I guess I need to reprint my cards!).  I would also suggest adding your LinkedIn profile address and your Twitter ID to your card.

Give people you meet 3 bullets about you and what you’re looking for. Be clear and concise, so they can remember what you said.

One of the parts of networking that I personally find the most difficult is how to end a conversation.  Diane suggests something simple like “It was great seeing you.  I look forward to crossing paths again.”

Bring a small notebook with you to take down your follow-up notes, and send everyone you met an email after the event.  Categorize the people you met into the following groups:

A – Action – need to connect them with someone

B – Want to have coffee with

C – Whenever/If Ever – Nice conversation, but no immediate need to connect with them

Random Thoughts

The rest of this post includes some miscellaneous insights Diane said that I wanted to pass on!

• If you’re looking for a job, say you’re looking for a job — don’t just say you’re networking.
• Be careful not to act like this when networking… “you’re not important, but your Rolodex rocks”.
• If you’re out of practice with networking, talk to people where it’s unlikely that anything would happen from the meeting… “learn on a junky car, not a Porche”.
• If the person says their company is not hiring, you can say “I might know someone in your network that I can help you with” or “I’d like to understand your business, maybe there are some ideas I can come up with” or simply “Thank you”.
• Network with job searchers because they are “in the know” about open jobs.
• Email isn’t bad, just don’t get dependent on it.
• You need to be involved in Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) as it shows you’re relevant today.  But, it should be the beginning of the conversation, not where you should stop.  Diane calls this “hybrid networking”, where you use the online and the offline together.  For example you meet someone online, and then go have have coffee with them.  What I described in my “Using Social Media in a Job Search” post about Diane Hessan is a good example of this.
• “Before Google, there was gossip.  Now you have a role in creating your reputation.”  You can really see who people are online, and how they behave as a person.

My own personal advice is “JUST ASK”… ask anyone and everyone you want to network with if they will network with you! The worst that can happen is that they say no.  I recently attended a panel session with CMO’s of Boston area companies.  I didn’t meet them personally (except for Diane Hessan), but found their contact information and made arrangements to meet with them.  I have sought out people on Twitter who work for companies that interest me, and just asked if they would meet with me.  Most people are very open to it if they have the time.

What do you think of Diane’s tips and my thoughts?  Anything else to add about networking?

Last week was my brush with fame. I am a member of a networking group called the Boston Salty Legs Career Club, which was started by Susan Kang Nam as part of Tory Johnson’s Good Morning America Job Club.  A couple of weeks ago, Susan called me and asked if I’d be willing to be on a GMA segment about being unemployed.  Um… yes, of course I would!  She then sent me a few questions I had to fill out for GMA, all of which were about being unemployed:  the challenges I faced, what have I been doing to find a job, etc.  After I completed the form, a couple of days later I got a call and an email from the producer asking me to come last Monday for the taping.  Wow, I couldn’t believe I might be on Good Morning America!!

I showed up on Monday ready for the taping, and was excited!  It was supposed to be a 5-10 minute interview 1:1 with Tory!  I was brought into the room, and was told I would be taped as soon as I walked through the door.  Instead of seeing two chairs next to each other like in morning news shows, it was more of a job interview setup…. Tory on one side of the table and me on the other.  We introduced ourselves, and she asked the standard interview question, “Tell me about yourself”.  I started with “I’m unemployed, and am looking for…” As soon as I started, I thought to myself, “why did I start with the fact that I was unemployed??”. I never start with that.  But, she let me continue, and then asked exactly what I was thinking: Why did I start with that?  At the time, I didn’t really know, but looking back, I think it’s because every piece of information I got about this taping was that it was going to be about being unemployed, so I had it on my mind.

She then told me the secret… the segment was not about being unemployed, but rather, “First Impressions”.  Oh boy, clearly I failed the test!  I started thinking, “Great, if I get on GMA, I’m just going to be the example of ‘what NOT to do’!”  Her message is, you should lead with the positive (i.e. your experience) and put the fact that you’re unemployed (or better said as “looking for a new opportunity”) at the end.  She asked how I would revise my statement and I said “I am a marketing professional with experience in consumer products and non-profits, with strengths in strategy, consumer promotions and social media.”

Anyway, I felt really set up (which of course, they had to do, in order to get a true “first impression”.  I would never normally answer the way I did, except for that I felt this segment was going to be on the topic of unemployment, so I had it on my mind.  But, the next day, in talking to a fellow salty-legger Robert Padgett, he encouraged me to look at the learning here.  Even if it was supposed to be about unemployment, no matter what, I should start with the positive. Great point, and I think I did learn something here.  I need to stay positive, although I might not always feel that inside.

This actually came up again for me when I was out last night.  The question I got was even more direct… “Where do you work?”  I couldn’t help but laugh, given my GMA experience.  I told her why I was laughing, but then that I also realized I need to give some thought as to how to answer that direct question, especially when it’s in an informal setting (my revised answer above is just too formal).  I think what I would say is “I am actually doing some marketing consulting right now.  My background is in Marketing, and I have worked in consumer products and non-profit.  I am looking for a new position now.”

Anyway, I didn’t get my 10 minutes of fame on the final GMA segment, but I did learn a valuable lesson about first impressions… no matter what situation you’re in, don’t start with the negative!

What do you think?  How do you answer the question “Tell me about yourself”?  How about in an informal environment?  Please let me know your thoughts in a comment below!

In today’s economy it’s a common, and understandable, fear that you might get laid off (sorry for the dose of reality). So rather than being stuck like a deer in the headlights if it happens, here are a few things you can do to get prepared, in case it happens to you:

1. Get involved with networking groups

Find a couple of networking groups in your area, and start attending the meetings. Overall, many people only network when they are actively looking for a job, but it’s a good idea to keep up your network even when you are not looking. Be sure to find general networking groups that cover a wide variety of people and industries, as well as industry specific groups. You never know who knows who, so your next job could come from the most unlikely person.

In Boston, I recommend the following: Boston Young Professionals Association, Downtown Women’s Club, Boston Salty Legs Networking Group (small group, so it may not be open) or American Marketing Association, Boston.

2. Connect through online social networking

Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are key ways to network in this day and age.  Now is the time, to start connecting with everyone you know through these websites.  Have each site scan your email address book to find people you know.  Look at the people you are already connected with, and see who you know that you can also connect with.  Update your profile so it’s current as of today.

Now is a good time to decide how you are going to use each of these sites.  For example, I use Twitter to connect to people with whom I have similar interests.  I use Facebook for friends or people I know on more social basis.  And LinkedIn is more for networking, but only for people I have met or spoken to.  Everyone has their own personal style on these sites, but it’s a good idea to decide your plan ahead of time.

Another way to use LinkedIn is to find groups that interest you or you are somehow affiliated with, and join them. For example, I am part of Innovative Marketing, PR, Word-of-Mouth & Buzz Innovators, Social Media Pros, and 7MBAClub.  You should also reach out to people you have worked with in the past and ask them to write recommendations for you on LinkedIn.  When applying for jobs on the site, it helps to have recommendations.

3. Start looking online at job postings

Even if you are not ready to apply for jobs yet, it  never hurts to start looking.  You will have a better sense of who is hiring, what the market is like and what the current salaries are.  Set up RSS feeds now to start getting the job postings coming to you.

You can also never start too early in applying to jobs.  The application and interview process can take a long time, so you might benefit from being ahead of the game.  Just be careful with confidentiality related to your current employer.

4. Update your resume

Start writing your resume early, so you’re not rushed and stressed about updating it, and so you have time to have other people in your industry review it.  You are also in a better position to access numbers and information from your current employer to show the impact you have made in your job.  You can create your resume in MS Word and/or use a program like Visual CV.  An example of someone I know who uses this is Ari Herzog and his virtual resume looks great!

5. Get back in touch with recruiters

Scour your contact list for recruiters you may have been in touch with.  Send them your resume, and tell them you are not actively looking for a job yet, but to keep you in mind if they come across something that would be appropriate for you.

6. Take on consulting projects

Start putting the word out to your network that you are willing to take on consulting projects.  This will help you make some money the short term, and will also keep a flow coming in the event you are laid off.

7. Start a blog

A blog is an important way to communicate with people who are interested in finding out about you.  A potential employer will most certainly look for information on you online, so why not give them something that you have written that interests you.  It makes you more human, and adds personality to your resume.  If you start early creating a blog, you will hopefully build up your readership prior to the lay off news.

It’s really much easier than a lot of people thing to start a blog.  You can use WordPress or  Blogger or many of the other blog writing programs out there.  You should also be sure to use the Blog Link program on LinkedIn, which will update your contacts when you write a new blog post (this has led to great exposure for my blog!).

(Photo credit: Nicole Sunday)

Do you have any other ideas for how to be prepared for a layoff?  Please leave a comment below!

One of the things that makes my days different from when I was working full time, is managing my diverse daily schedule. When I was working, sure, every hour was different, but I was at work, working on the same job. Now, my days are filled with networking meetings, emails, twitter, checking job listings, going to physical therapy, babysitting, consulting, and more. I find it great to have the variety, but also find it very tiring. So, here’s what my day looked like on Friday:

I met someone for coffee who wants to change careers and get into marketing. She also is very intrigued by the online space. I love sharing what I know, so had a great meeting, giving her some advice about marketing, they way I’m conducting my job search, what I’ve learned so far in social media, and where to look to learn more. Great meeting!

Next, I was off to a physical therapy appointment for my back. I have had back trouble for a long time, and finally found a great therapist. Feeling much better!

Then it was time for the Salty Legs Networking Group meeting. More on this group in a blog post to come. Anyway, this week’s meeting had Chris Brogan (social media god) as our guest speaker!! Very lucky to see him in person, with such a small group. Here are a few things he said:

• Everyone should read “Tribes” by Seth Godin – we are all in a Tribe, and should strive to be in multiple tribes
• Go after the 1,000 PASSIONATE people, versus 10,000 people
• Facebook and Twitter are different in that FB doesn’t allow you the opportunity to necessarily find like-minded people; Twitter does. (BE where the conversations are that you want to have)
• I asked him how can using Twitter help in a job search, when you don’t want to be “screaming” to people all the time telling them you’re looking for a job. His number one recommendation was to use Twitter Search. And learn how to use the OR function, so you can put in strings of words of what you are looking for and terms that would help you find a job. And then listen for the opportunity. And then contact those people. He gave a great example about an ISP company that did this and searched for “ISP is down”. Their sales rose due to this proactive approach.
• How does Chris manage 20,000+ contacts? Well, if you google “no I don’t sleep” he’s #1! (I googled it, and he wasn’t #1, but he was #5… pretty impressive (or scary depending on how you look at it!)
• Write strategically — Blog on the types of jobs you want. For example, if I want a job at a specific nonprofit doing marketing, I can blog about ideas I have for them.
• Comment on other people’s blogs — that’s the new way of networking
• 30% of online social media is the content; 70% of it is being the human around the content
• Chris’ Book “Trust Agents” – how to use the web to humanize business – is coming out in May
• When a brand talks back to you, it makes you feel good. For example, Chris was on a bad Northwest flight, and tweeted “I wish I was on JetBlue” and JetBlue wrote back saying they loved him too.

Chris is truly amazing, and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to hear him speak!

After the Salty Legs meeting, I went over to the JCC (my former employer) to meet with my programmer, and the webmaster there. I’m working on a website for them on a consulting basis. Summary of the meeting… we are very behind… the programmer has been slow, and I’m hoping we don’t launch more than one month late :-(

So, that was my day. A great variety of things, but I was exhausted by the end of it!