Posts Tagged ‘linkedin’
Do you have office pet peeves? Most people do. LinkedIn set out to discover what the most common ones are—and the results are telling.
“In nearly every office there’s at least one co-worker whose quirks drive colleagues up the cubicle wall,” says Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s connection director and best-selling author of the book, “Girl on Top.” “Sometimes the most irritating office offenders don’t even realize that their behavior impacts the rest of their team. It is crucial for you to solve the annoyance before it disrupts your work performance and career.”
See if any of these pet peeves also make it on your personal list, then consider how working from a virtual office at least part-time could help you avoid the irritation:
Americans get more irritated than other nationals by co-workers taking others’ food from the office refrigerator. When you work at home from a virtual office, you might have to contend for the leftover pizza with your teenagers, but at least you’ll have something else in the house to eat for lunch.
Brazilians are the most annoyed of any national group by excessive gossiping. When you work from a virtual office, you can avoid a lot of the gossip—or at least you don’t have to hear about it!
Germans are annoyed by dirty common areas (the community microwave or refrigerator) more than the rest of the world. Your home-based virtual office can be as clean or as messy as you’d like and you don’t have to answer to anyone.
Indians react more negatively to irritating mobile phone ringtones. Your own phone might annoy you, but in your virtual office space you don’t have to hear everyone else’s—and you can always turn yours off.
There were also gender differences in the findings. For example, 62 percent of U.S. women were bothered by “clothing that’s too revealing for the workplace,” while only 29 percent of U.S. men surveyed said that was a problem. The Swedish are the most tolerant of what others wear in the workplace, but there is still a gender split: revealing clothing irritates 35 percent of the women in Sweden, but only 12 percent of the men. You can work in your Pajamas from a virtual office and on one will ever know.
Speaking of LinkedIn, Davinci Virtual Office Solutions is conducting a quick, three-question survey on our LinkedIn Group. We’d love it if you’d take the survey!
Looking for some social media tips for your small business? Schedulicity is coming to the rescue with some strategic advice, particularly for your Facebook fan page.
So whether you are a budding entrepreneur or an established small business owner still trying to make social media work for you, read on for some practical advice that will help you drive the results you need on Facebook.
1. Start Using Social Media Now
Schedulicity recommends that you don’t wait to begin using social media tools such as Facebook, blogs and Twitter. Instead, create your personal brand from the moment you consider starting a business. Having a solid online presence will allow professionals to:
- Gain access to an audience that will read and comment on your social media content
- Begin collecting and storing hundreds of e-mail addresses for e-mail marketing purposes
- Listen to what’s happening professionally in communities
- Monitor other competitor pages along with industry pages to stay abreast of current trends
2. Choose your Facebook fan page name wisely.
After your page collects more than 30 fans, you can’t change the name. You can choose something a little more generic with a keyword in it, like stylist or hair pro, along with your name, so it will remain relevant no matter what you might change your actual business name to.
3. Keep your personal page and business page very separate.
A professional Facebook business page will tell a prospective client that you’re a pro and can act like one. The types of posts that you put on your Facebook fan page are much different than what you would post to your friends.
4. Spotlight others on your Facebook business page.
Give credit to employees and clients. These people will in turn ‘like’ your page and share glowing review, a powerful resource when attracting new clients.
5. Let people know you’re socially connected.
Many businesses, big and small, know that they need a social media presence but they’re unsure how to get started. By already having that experience, you will have an advantage not only for your professional skills, but your social media skills, as well. Being an integral part of any business’ social media presence will ensure a lasting place within that business and a successful career.
6. Engage your audience.
In other words, make it sticky. Create an ‘interest list’ with all the different topics that may interest your target audience. Topics a business may want to consider are:
Talk about tradeshow events you’ll be attending (before, during and after).
Share lots of real-time photos on your Facebook business page.
Review something, such as products you carry, shows you watch, your new boots, anything that might interest your target audience.
Share videos, whether funny, informative, educational. Hint: About.com is a great resource for videos.
Act on impulses and share that info on your Facebook fan page.
Search for interesting topics on Twitter and share that with your fans.
Share business tips of the day or the week. Hint: Look for these by using the term ‘business tips’ on search.twitter.com.
Think two months down the road and prepare specials based on upcoming holidays.
Showcase your community. For example, let a local artist hang art in your business and take lots of photos or offer price-reduced services to all police, fire and emergency service professionals in your town.
7. Use social media as a platform to market yourself!
Use a professional Facebook page as an easy, attractive medium of communication to potential and current clients. But most importantly, make it super easy for them to schedule an appointment with you. After all, the main goal is to grow your business.
Check out this YouTube video for additional Facebook fan page tips:
Have you always wanted to try Facebook advertising but aren’t sure you want risk your limited marketing budget on a new vehicle? Need a few tips to get you started? Then read on.
First of all, if you use American Express then you undoubtedly rack up membership rewards. Now you can use them to pay for Facebook Ads.
American Express is tapping into a trend. The company’s research reveals that 35 percent of entrepreneurs are using Facebook to promote their business to new customers. That’s up from 27 percent six months ago. What’s more, Facebook is the most popular social media site for small business owners.
If you want to cash in on the deal, here’s how it works: Cardmembers can redeem Membership Rewards points for Facebook Ads in three steps either on Facebook.com/Open or membershiprewards.com.
1. Log in and Choose Your Amount: Access your Membership Rewards account and choose Facebook Ads denomination
2. Get Your Code: American Express sends unique Facebook redemption code via e-mail
3. Load Your Account: Create your ad and enter your Membership Rewards redemption code to pay.
Now, all you need is a few tips for launching Facebook ads:
- Write a catch title. You only get 25 characters so think creatively.
- Enter your URL. When people click on the ad, that’s where they will land.
- Write a snappy message. You get 135 characters (a few less than Twitter).
- Target your ad: Think about your core audience and use keywords that would likely relate to their profile.
- Optimize your bidding: Facebook will suggest a bidding rate. You can get a good number of impressions for less than half of what they suggest.
For more Facebook ad tips, watch this YouTube video:
Let’s face it. Hiring has slowed recently, and companies have become even more selective about who they are recruiting.
What does that mean for you? Either start your own small business or quickly learn the “must-do” ways to succeed with pickier employers.
“Hiring has improved this year over 2010, with 54 percent of employers in the survey indicating they have added workers. However, companies have become much pickier in the types of employees they want, and job candidates need to adapt to these changes,” says Steve Ford, managing partner of OI Partners/FS&F.
These are the top “must-do” ways that applicants can succeed with more demanding employers:
1. Be ready to undergo more interviews and a longer search process. 32% of surveyed employers said it is taking longer this year than last year to bring people on board as companies conduct more interviews to confirm they are selecting the best candidates.
“There is a greater supply of qualified candidates than there was last year as more people are looking for opportunities in an improved job market,” Ford says. “That means employers can afford to be extremely choosy about whom they decide to hire. Do not become discouraged by the number of times you may have to interview for a job, and bring a high level of enthusiasm to each one.
2. Be prepared to be interviewed by multiple people at the same time. Forty-one percent of employers are more often interviewing candidates in teams or using panels of their employees.
“Conduct mock interviews and practice connecting with several people at the same time instead of just one interviewer,” Ford says. “This is a chance to demonstrate how well you work in teams and seek input from others by including everyone in your responses. Adopt a conversational tone, remain relaxed, and smile throughout.”
3. Convey your suitability to work well in teams and with customers. Seventy-one percent of employers in the survey want employees who are team-oriented, and 63 percent are seeking candidates who are customer-focused.
“Companies are looking for people who work well together and realize how important customers are in this challenging economy,” Ford says.
4. Rehearse being interviewed by telephone. Fifty-four percent of employers in the survey are more frequently screening employees by phone than last year.
“Be prepared to make the most of the limited time you will have, and don’t repeat what is on your resume,” Ford says. “Highlight your achievements and results related to the position and the skills that set you apart from others. Stand up while talking and have a list of bullet points prepared. Close by inquiring what the next steps will be and ask to meet in person.”
5. Round out your social media presence. Forty-four percent of surveyed employers are more often recruiting candidates via LinkedIn and 19 percent are more frequently using Facebook.
“Make sure your online profile is essentially your resume and is continually updated. Showcase yourself as an expert in your field with an impactful headline and description and searchable key words that reveal the breadth and depth of your experience and skills,” Ford says.
6. Persuasively communicate your related experience and the results you have achieved for similar types of employers. Seventy-seven percent of employers said they are looking for people who have experience in their industries–the No. 1 quality survey respondents are seeking–and 62 percent want candidates who have a track record for achieving similar types of goals as those related to the open position.
7. Seek out opportunities on the websites of prospective employers and obtain referrals from the employer’s workers. Thirty-six percent of organizations are using their own Web sites more often to recruit candidates, and 32 percent are more frequently relying on their employees’ recommendations when hiring.
Check out this video for another take on interviewing:
Earlier this week, we looked at how small businesses are using social media marketing to raise awareness of their products and services. Now, let’s take a look at one strategic method of driving more fans to your Facebook page: Facebook page design.
By creating landing pages—pages that new fans land on when they first call up your Facebook fan page—you have the opportunity to encourage visitors to sign up for your newsletters, buy your books, or take some other call to action.
“Internet users spend hours on Facebook to view their friends’ news feeds. By having Entrepreneur Package, business entrepreneurs can give an attractive look to their Facebook pages created for business purposes. A custom Facebook page design will allow them to get engaged with the visitors for long time thereby receiving higher traffic for their business,” says the owner of My Facebook Page Design.
My Facebook Page Design is one of a growing number of companies out there that offer packages for your small business. Those packages may include designing a welcome page with customized layout, designing options to upload video or flash movie, customizing a profile image or banner to put on your Facebook wall or other interactive tweeks to make the Facebook user experience more productive and covert more visitors to fans.
Also, check out this video on Facebook Page design tips:
Social media marketing is officially a top contending small business marketing tool. A whopping 73 percent of small businesses are using social media to market their business—and usage is trending upwards. So says a new study from Constant Contact.
What’s up with the 27 percent of small businesses that aren’t using social media to market their businesses? Well, they are beginning to open their eyes to these tools as well. Specifically, 62 percent expect to start using social media marketing in the coming year. What’s more, 81 percent of small businesses that are already using social media marketing plan to use it even more this year than they did last year.
“The value proposition that social media marketing offers to small business makes it a no brainer for time- and resource-starved small businesses. They simply need coaching and know-how to use those tools in the best way possible,” says Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact. “Our assessment of this data is that more education will only improve small businesses’ results with social media marketing.”
Facebook Reigns Supreme
Of the small businesses that are engaged in social media marketing, 80 percent have used the tools more in the past year. And, not surprisingly, Facebook is the most popular way to get their message out. Ninety-five percent of small businesses that use social media marketing are using Facebook compared to 63 percent a year ago. Eighty-two percent find it effective today compared to 51 percent a year ago.
While Facebook rules, though Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Vimeo are getting some action from small business marketers. But how effective is it? Forty-seven percent of small businesses using Twitter and LinkedIn find it effective while 73 percent of small businesses that use YouTube and Vimeo found these video options effective.
Mixing E-mail and Social Media
OK, so where does e-mail fit into this picture? Small businesses still turn to e-mail, Web sites and event marketing. Indeed, the Constant Contact survey results reveal that social media marketing complements rather than replaces other marketing activities. Despite the growth of social media, other marketing tools aren’t seeing any usage decline:
- 91% of small businesses use e-mail marketing
- 95% use Web site marketing
- 77% use print advertising
- 69% use online advertising
- 53% use event marketing
In fact, respondents also reported that e-mail is the first—and most frequent—tool that small businesses turn to when trying to connect with current and prospective customers. Eighty-three percent report that e-mail is the first tool they check when going online for their business each day and 72 percent check their e-mail six or more times a day. By comparison, 13 percent check Facebook, 6 percent check news sites, and 4 percent check Twitter more than six times per day.
“We’ve seen our small business customers improve their results by integrating tools, such as e-mail marketing with social media marketing,” says Goodman. “Email is still the most obvious choice to make sure your message gets out, and social media puts that message in front of a wider audience. We like to say that email lights the fire, while social media fans the flames.”
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