LinkedIn: The Power of Networking

There are over 250 million registered users on the site with over 15 million being college students. Additionally, 90 of the Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn as a way to recruit prospect employees. LinkedIn is the new Facebook for professionals. If you do not have a LinkedIn then you basically are putting yourself at a disadvantage.

How LinkedIn Can Help Create Your Personal Brand

You should use LinkedIn to show why you stand out from all the other millions of users. Use it as a way to showcase yourself and your personal brand since the platform is just like a resume but with a special touch. You can optimize your LinkedIn page in order to include any projects you have done such as research and presentations. This will give your LinkedIn page strength because recruiters will get an insight as to the work you are capable of accomplishing.

Also, you include recommendations from colleagues, professors, previous supervisors etc. vouching that you are qualified. Recommendations and endorsements are a great way to build your brand since it is validating all of your skills. Employers will see this, so be sure to put the most important endorsements at the top.

You might think your picture will not make a big difference, but you are wrong. It is proven that a LinkedIn profile is 7 times more likely viewed if it has a photo. Be sure to include a professional photo where you are smiling and confident. Remember a picture is worth a thousand words!

Why You Should Make Connections

LinkedIn is a world of possibilities where you can practically connect to anyone you want.You can simply connect to a person in your same industry without appearing to be creepy. This is a great way to network and build social capital. In addition, you are able to network through your first connections by having them introduce you to industry leaders as second connections.

Joining LinkedIn Groups is also a great way to see what others in your industry are talking about. If you want to get noticed then post on the discussion boards. In order to stay ahead of your competition, you can sign up to receive the latest job postings. This is a great way to show your intellect and how you are involved with the trending topics of the industry.

Always remember you will be searched! So do not post anything that could possibly put you on the “no pile.”

THE POWER OF A HASHTAG

Hashtags in SMM

Hashtags are becoming a popular element of social media. They began with Twitter and now have expanded to most social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, and Flickr.

A hashtag has no real value, but when it comes to social media marketing it could be one of the most powerful tools. Once a hashtag is made and it becomes a trend there is no stopping the information from reaching thousands, if not millions of people.

Hashtags in Twitter have been the force that has made many topics go viral. These topics going viral is also due to the fact that twitter has made arrangements with search engines so they can better access hashtags. This arrangement has brought millions of more users/viewers to twitter pages since it gave search engines such as Google access to more than 50,000 popular hashtag pages.

Brands have to see this as an opportunity to make consumers talk about the brands product or service. There are millions of people searching for brands on the Internet everyday and if Google has the brands Twitter hashtag page as one of the top organic results they are more likely to click on it. Consumers enjoy this since they can tweet to the brand, see how the brand is responding to other consumers, and view opinions and experiences consumers have had with the brand. The main reasons consumers enjoy this is because it is real time information in 140 characters.

How Hashtags Can Help Your Brand

Hashtags are a great way for brands to interact with consumers. Once a consumer writes a tweet or post a picture with the brands hashtag, the brand can automatically view what has been posted. The brand can use the hashtag as a source of feedback from consumers. Brands can monitor everything consumers are saying and answer any complaints in a timely matter.

A great example of customer-brand interaction in social media with the use of a hashtag is the picture below of JetBlue Airways.

JetBlue is connecting with its consumers who are giving a positive feedback about the brand. This is a great way for the brand to receive positive PR and generate future sales from these consumers. JetBlue also does an excellent job when consumers are using a hashtag to give complaints about the brand:

This is a great way for JetBlue to show consumers how they care for their customers. Not only can they monitor what consumers are saying, but it is also an opportunity to minimize negative word of mouth on the brand.

So remember to always include a hashtag because it is a powerful SMM tool!