Who's Who on Your Social Network

How many social networks are you on?  There are plenty out there, like: 

Facebook	LinkedIn
Twitter	Google+
FourSquare	Tumblr
Flickr	MySpace

                            and so much more! 

Now, how do you interact with everyone on each of your social networks?  

If you're a small business, then knowing the demographics of the people online should definitely be a priority.  Tailoring your social marketing efforts towards these demographics will hopefully increase your conversion rates and help you understand the importance of knowing your audience.  Here's some insight into the demographics on the a few social networks.

While I enjoy looking at infographics to help me get a broad understanding, I've simplified it down to the top 5 social networks (in the United States) for which small businesses should take notice.  

Facebook: 

(stats are based on population aged 12+ .... http://www.slideshare.net/webby2001/the-social-habit-2012-by-edison-research)

• 54% of the American population has a Facebook profile (up 3% from 2011)
• Avg. of 143 million Americans!!!
• 1/2 of these users are 45+ and make on average annually $55,000
• 25% of users check their personal profile page at least 5x daily
• 47% of population influenced on purchase decision from Facebook
• In 2011, only 24% said Facebook influenced their buying decision...HUGE INCREASE!

Twitter:

(stats are based on population aged 12+ .... http://www.slideshare.net/webby2001/the-social-habit-2012-by-edison-research)

• 10% of population on Twitter (up 2% from 2011)
• Avg. of 26 million Americans 
• 29% of users are using their accounts multiple times daily 
• This is up 11% from 2011, a SIGNIFICANT increase in usage ... TAKE NOTICE!!
• INFLUENCERS are on here.  Reach out to influencers to help you spread your brand BUT don't become a spammer! 

Pinterest:

(http://dailyinfographic.com/a-marketers-guide-to-pinterest-infographic) 

• 60% of users are Female
• This is NOT TRUE in other countries, example..UK Pinterest users are 56% MALE!
• 29% are btwn the ages of 35-44
• HUGE DRIVER OF REFERRAL TRAFFIC!
• Pins should give DIRECT URL to products
• FASTEST growth of a social networking platform EVER!

Google+:

(stat info taken from the Chase BIS event with speaker Tim Sanders http://timsanders.com)

• 67% of users are Male
• 42% are single
• 20% are students 
• Engineers are the 2nd highest occupation
• In my personal opinion .... jump on this bandwagon now & start building ASAP.  I think this will take off pretty quickly since BUSINESS PAGES have just launched. 

LinkedIn:

(stats are based on population aged 12+ .... http://www.slideshare.net/webby2001/the-social-habit-2012-by-edison-research)

• 71% of users are most likely to have a 4-year College Degree
• Average annual income of a LinkedIn user is $109,000
• Tip ... most businesses don't see the value of LinkedIn for their business.  Depending on your business though, networking can help increase drive and you should utilize this site to drive traffic to your business website.  These users have $$$$$!  

My Online WHAT???

REPUTATION! (also referred to as G-Cred, E-Reputation, etc.)

Yeah, yeah. Most people, outside of the social media world, don't even realize there is such a thing but believe me when I say...welcome to the new age of online EVERYTHING.  Let's just give a brief overview of what Online Reputation is and how you can take control of managing yours.

Online Reputation
One of the BEST definitions I've found comes from an Infographic actually.  I'm a visual learner so I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE when a great infographic comes around.  The infographic states:
"Your online reputation isn't just what you put up online; it's how you put it online, where you put it online, and when you do it! And it is also affected by what others say about you." 

So to put it bluntly, everything you do on the internet = online reputation.  The Facebook status updates, Tweets, sharing of articles/news threads, the sites you visit, where you shop, AND all those horrible pictures/places your friends tag you at make up your reputation.  EX: This blog post I write will go into building my online reputation.

Why Should I Care???
The question I get the most is, "why should I care about what other people think of me online?"  My answer to this ..  perception is reality.   What does this mean?  Well, it means that what people see of you online is what they have to go by to determine your character.
If you're a job seeker, you'll definitely want to care about your online reputation has to say.  Your resume is not the only information taken into consideration anymore; you'll be googled and then every social networking site profile you have will be visited.  Same goes for students in this day of age.  Colleges can determine a students eligibility for scholarships/admission by online reputation because you'll be a representative of the school.
Both are just examples of the people who will want to take their online rep. serious right away, but everyone online should care.  You won't always be in the same place you are right now…the future is unknown but you can take control of your reputation today.

Managing Your Online Reputation…Good or Bad
Google yourself.  What comes up?  Is everything on that first page relevant to you?  Does anything come up at all?

Nothing appears:  Yay!!  Nope…wait a minute…don't get too excited and think you have a good online rep since nothing appears.  Unfortunately this is a really big negative.  You'd be better off having a few results with some "eh" information than nothing at all to be honest.  This is because most people will wonder why you're not online at all…I mean, who isn't online at least somewhat these days?  How are you going to adapt to change in a work environment if you haven't even embraced the online revolution.

Results w/bad information:  The first few pages are filled with pictures of you passed out half naked, around illegal/criminal activities, negative comments about you from a frenemy, your manifesto of how much you hate your ex….then this means you've got a bad online reputation.  Its time to be worried.  These are the things people are seeing that represent you.  They don't see that you've volunteered the past 10 years building homes, that your GPA is a perfect 5.0, or that you're the youngest supervisor in your department.

Results w/relevant information:  Good job!!  You've been building your online credibility, which is a definite positive.  Now does each result directly correlate to you?  Click thru each link and see what people will see, don't just assume it goes to the correct site because it may be a corrupt link.

Now that you know how you're viewed, managing your reputation is key.  If you have a positive reputation, then ensure it stays this way.  If you have a negative reputation then you'll want to fix it.  And if you have no reputation…BUILD ONE NOW!

These are some quick, simple tips on how to make sure you're always building a positive reputation:

1. Google yourself regularly.  
• I try to google myself at least 2x a week.  I want to continually make sure what appears on the first page of results is relevant to my personal brand because this is how I grow my business.  If you google me (Ana Santellana) you'll see that 95% of the results generated within the first 10 pages are all relevant to me.
2. Enhance your Security!
• What I mean by this is, make sure you have to approve those photo/location tags.  You don't want the world to see that you partied all night at the strip club and ended up puking out the window down the highway.  Yes, maybe your friends may find this hilarious but it doesn't show you're a person I'd want in charge of my financial investments or an athlete representing my school.
3. TAKE CONTROL
• This can be a hard one for some people (especially if you have no online reputation currently) because it means that you have to be active online.  One of simplest things to do is to consistently update your status on Facebook, LinkedIn, G+, Twitter…wherever you choose to be.  Log in once a day, throw out a positive status update or even share a link to some news article you find interesting, and then you're done.  That's it.  Simple as can be, but it can enhance your presence and build a positive reputation easily.
4. Have fun with being online. 
• Everyone thinks to have a good online reputation that you have to be 100% professional.  I disagree.  In my opinion, showing some personality will get your further and help you stand out.  Instagram, Spotify, Tumblr, Blogging sites…these are all places where you can go and be yourself (to an extent) and allow people to get to know you outside of social networks.  I share photos, my playlists, this blog, everything and anything I can because it's what I love.  So what if someone else doesn't love it…I'm letting the world get to know me, where I control whats being seen and I know it's all helping me build a positive online reputation.  

Feel free to ask questions or email me (anasantellana@gmail.com) if you want further info or follow me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

Sources:
Infographic quote (http://mashable.com/2011/11/02/protecting-your-online-reputation/)
Cartoon Pic (http://spinsucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Online-Reputation.gif)

Social Networking Platforms 101 - My Top 3

With so many different Social Networking sites online nowadays many people get overwhelmed.  Well, Ana is here to the rescue.  One of the things I ABSOLUTELY LOVE is reading (yes, I'm a bit of a book nerd, don't hate) and so what I've been doing lately is reading up on all the different Social Networking sites out there that actually are useful.  Whether for business or personal use, these Top 3 sites are ones that I recommend every person look a lil bit more into before just tossing it to the side as a "fad".

Note: Many of the you reading this right now probably have a working knowledge of the sites I'm about to mention.  I'm just doing a quick overview for the newbies BUT if you want more information about any of these, just shoot me a message.  I'm more than happy to share my thoughts and even give more info on books to read to learn more.

Social Networks:
1. Facebook

• Probably one of the more "popular" and "mainstream" of the social networks.
• Females are the majority user.
• Age range of most users btwn 45-54 followed by the 25-34 crowd.
• Average income = $25K-$50K.
• One of the most appealing things is that its free to join and you can probably find most of your friends/family on here.
• One of the annoying aspects is the integration with every single app known to mankind right now (I really don't want to play farmville or mafia wars or whatever new game is going on).
• NOT a good place to find investors.  More of a share your pictures/status updates/plan a party type of medium.

2. LinkedIn

• A MUST JOIN NETWORK for any working professional or college student.
• Considered a "professional network" rather than "social network".
• Male dominated.
• Age range of users btwn 35-44 followed by 45-54.
• Average income around $50K-$100K.
• It is free to have a membership but if you really want to get the most out of the site, upgrade to Business Plus ($49.99/mo).  You'll be able to connect w/a lot more people.
• Great network to learn from established professionals and to grow your network.  
• One of the better sites to find investors in a project.

3. Twitter

• Fastest growing social networking site at the moment.
• Male/Female ratio is about the same.
• Age range of users are 35-44 followed by 25-34.
• Average income $25K-$50K but slowly rising into the higher brackets.  
• Great way to send out quick bursts of info to a massive amount of people (followers) that can be spread like wildfire with re-tweets. 
• Business professionals are taking to Twitter, using it to find investments/investors and share ideas.
• I'm a fan of twitter because of its simplicity.

I'll go more in-depth to other Social Networking sites that are available in my next post, but these are my TOP 3 choices for every person to have when they first start out.  Each offers its own pro/con aspects but if used all together can be a great tool for any person looking to grow their business, enhance their online reputation/presence, or just a good way to interact with the world around them. 

What are your favorite Social Networking sites and why??

Connect with me on all 3 sites!!  I'm always happy to find new people to connect with and share thoughts/ideas.
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/LXDoZJ 
LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/KDPU2E
Twitter: http://bit.ly/MemXZv

Sources:
http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/social-media-stats/2011-social-network-analysis-report/#Linkedin
http://thesocialskinny.com/99-new-social-media-stats-for-2012/
http://www.socialmediainformer.com/2011/statistics/twitter/

It's time to find a job … The Final Step.

You've revised your resume, networked your butt off (with your inner circle and via social networks) … now its time to get that job.

THE FINAL STEP!!!!

To be honest…this step is different for every person, in my opinion.  I'll give you 2 scenarios.

Scenario 1: 
You're über focused on the job hunt and ready to dive right in.  Yay for you!!  Okay…so now its time to start applying.  Job boards, applying in person, and company websites are just a few of the mediums you can use to apply.  Which is the best?  In my opinion, focus on company websites.

• Company websites will give you the most up-to-date job availability.  While on the website, look for information about the Director/Supervisor/Manager of the department you're looking to apply for and then try to find out who their administrative assistant is.  The assistant is key…believe me.  I was an assistant to the VP of a Business Unit for 4 years AND basically managed the Dallas office employees...I was like the lock/key to get to any of them but mainly my VP.  I monitored his phone calls/messages and would get calls transferred to me from our HQ receptionists when they received calls asking to speak with him.  The amount of info I gave depended on how the caller treated me on the phone.  Be rude and demanding, you're getting nothing BUT be polite and engage me…well, I'm more likely to give you helpful info.  

Don't forget to utilize your newly found contacts from all your networking!  Send a follow-up email, phone call, text (depending on how well you know them) and ask to meet for coffee/lunch so that you can learn more about them and get advice.

• At the meeting, don't start off right away with "I'm job hunting, do you know of jobs that I can apply for?"…..this will have your contact tune you out for the rest of the time and ready to leave as soon as possible.  Instead, engage them.  Ask them about what they do, how they got to that position, their best advice for up-and-comers, etc.  People LOVE to be asked about themselves….you know its true.  Use this!  Engage them into conversation to build a repertoire.  After you've engaged them, they'll be more apt to start asking about YOU.  This is where you can start your "pitch".  You'll get more info at this point and probably (hopefully) the request that you schedule to come in for an interview with them or to meet their boss.  

Scenario 2:
You're beat.  You've revised the resume, networked your butt off, and now…well now you just want to rest and have time to gather your thoughts and take a breather.  What I say to this…eh.  You've done all this hard work to just give up now?  WHY????  Get off your butt and don't start to get lazy now.  BUT…do take a deep breath.  Relax.  Don't let yourself get overwhelmed because that will just make you more anxious.  I've been here, done that, gotten through it and had some regrets.  I'm not telling you this because I read it somewhere…I'm telling you this because I've been there personally.  It's hard, the job search.  You've done it all, now you're doing it again and you're just constantly thinking…"what will make this time different?".
Well, its the way you go about the entire situation that will make this time different.  Don't get worked up, enjoy the search.  Research different companies, find the career that you actually want, and apply to a place that can give you both.  This is your time to make the change.  I fell into this scenario after I was laid off in June 2011 and here I am now.  I took the time after I revised and networked to figure out exactly what I wanted to do.  I always had a notion of the field I wanted to get into, but never thought out specifics.  Taking the time to do this helped me realize what I wanted to do.  I went back to school full-time to finish my last few hours towards my Marketing degree.

So…..
Things happen differently in this step for a lot of people, like I said.  You never know how the final step will go for you.  You could land a job/any job right away, you could realize a speciality that you want to focus in on, or your plans could change entirely.  The final step is where you're able to find yourself.  Realize which way you want your path to go.  Don't be scared to take this step either…there are TONS of possibilities.

I'm 28, a full-time student at UTD, and I've decided to start my own consulting business (on top of a Mary Kay business too….yup, just loading it all on bc I like challenges).  I NEVER thought I'd be here, blogging or even consulting with individuals/businesses but it's where I landed and I've got to say….being thrown into the job search bc of a layoff has been one of the BEST things that has happened to me and it can only get better!!!!!!  Happy Job Hunting!!!

It's time to find a job … Part 3

Let's get straight to the good stuff.  You've got your newly edited resume, you've reached out to your inner circle for referrals, now what do you do…??  Network some more of course!

Step 3:  Live/Breathe/Love SOCIAL NETWORKING!!!
Oh yes.  We're expanding the networking step.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past 10-15 years, you've heard about MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, BranchOut, G+, Twitter, and so on and so forth.  You're even probably on one or more of these sites, I'm on quite a few myself (follow me by clicking the icon on the right sidebar).  

Now you're probably thinking how these sites can help you find a job.  You keep saying, "my friends on Facebook already know I'm looking for a job and they're no help" or "I'm already on LinkedIn but still haven't found a job".  My response…rethink your approach and try again.  There's a reason these sites are called social NETWORKING sites and not social "stalking/sheep throwing/here's my 12th status update of the day/I'll join and do nothing" sites.  You have to utilize your resources to work for you.  Here's what I  did to make each site work for me during my job hunt.

Facebook/G+:  I didn't realize how many of my friends were willing to share info on available jobs at their company, introduce me to people they know, or even just give me advice on places I should look into.  Literally, after a few seconds of putting up a post asking my Facebook friends about leads, I had so many comment posts that I couldn't keep up!!!

What most people do wrong in this step is just put up a status update telling people that they lost their job or about how they should get a job soon.  Stop telling people these things, their response is to be sympathetic; rather, ask for job openings that your friends may know of and they'll respond with useful information that you can use.

LinkedIn/BranchOut: This is a MUST HAVE RESOURCE.  If you're not already on either or both, sign up NOW.  I'll be honest and say that I haven't played around too much on BranchOut but LinkedIn has proven to be a great networking site for me and I've actually learned a lot in the process of job hunting.

LinkedIn not only lets you post your printed resume on its site, but it also integrates it into a virtual resume.  Your profile page lets you add more content to the virtual resume, which is helpful because it gives you examples to use.

One of my favorite parts of LinkedIn is the recommendations section!!!!  If you've ever needed a good reference, you'll understand my absolute adoration for this part.  You can request your former boss/coworker/professor for a recommendation post on your profile page/virtual resume and it will post for anyone who views your page to read!  Such a great way for potential employers to read all your accolades and get a sense of who you are.

I actually had a few interviews due to my LinkedIn profile; specifically due to the recruiter reading the recommendations posted from former coworkers and boss.  These interviews proved a great learning experience for myself too.  It helped me form a great "elevator pitch", realize where I needed to practice my approach, and experience new interview mediums like being interviewed via Skype!


Utilizing your social networks the correct way allows you to have a wider reach than one has had in the past when job hunting.  Don't just think of these sites as a place to reconnect with old friends and share pictures with family…instead use these sites to benefit you in the best possible way.

Reach out to people you normally wouldn't have.  Don't be afraid to ask for help.  And remember…social networking sites are there to help you, not hinder you!!!