Pick me! Personal Branding & Networking

Use the power of social media to promote your business & yourself!
THE VALUE OF PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING,
SOCIAL MEDIA & ONLINE PORTFOLIOS
PICK ME!
By Rachel A. Adler, Business Development Manager,
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority

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The Greater Merrifeld Business Assoication (GMBA), a non-profit organization formed in 1984 to bring together businesses in Merrifield, is a
networking group, a community advocate, and a place to promote how people live, play, work, eat, and shop in Merrifield. Enjoy fine dining, watch a
movie or take in a concert on the oversized outdoor screen, enjoy a short commute to work, shop at specialty stores, or attend one of our fun
festivals. Merrifield has it all.
Membership in GMBA offers a variety of benefits to anyone who desires to promote their business. Additionally, there are volunteer and
sponsorship opportunities available.
We invite you to contact any of our board members, or attend our next luncheon or mixer to get to know us and learn more. .
For more information, call GMBA at 703-208-1161 or email at Secretary@GreaterMerrifield.org
The Greater Merrifeld Business Assoication (GMBA)

Agenda
• Social media platform overview
• Creating a personal brand
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Digital portfolios
• Homework
• Final thoughts

Rachel A. Adler Adler is a Business Development
Manager at Fairfax County Economic Development
Authority.
You can find me at:
@RachelA_Adler
I am Rachel A. Adler
Hello!

“Don't post anything online that you
wouldn't want published on the first
page of the New York Times.”

6
As social media usage continues to grow at a steady
rate it’s essential that entrepreneurs and marketers
implement a social media marketing strategy for
their business - and a key part of any successful
strategy is understanding the stats and trends that
can affect the outcome of your efforts.
How we use social media daily:
• Communication
• Building relationships
• Reputation management
• Customer service
• Information
• Entertainment
81%
81% of Millennials check
Twitter at least once per
day
76%
Facebook Users
visit the site daily in
2016- up 6% over
last year.
17 Min
The average LinkedIn
user spends 17
minutes on the site
per month.
Social Media?
WHY

Social Media Usage Statistics
• Ninety-five percent of online adults
aged 18 to 34 are most likely to
follow a brand on social media. Think
about your existing audience and
who else you would like to reach.
Figure out what social networks
those people are most likely to use
and create social profiles on those
networks. (Source)
• There are 1.65 billion active mobile
social accounts globally with 1
million new active mobile social
users added every day. There’s no
question about it. Your social media
campaigns should be optimized for
mobile because that’s how a majority
of users will view your content.
(Source)
• Seventy-one percent of
consumers who have had a good
social media service experience
with a brand are more likely to
recommend the brand to
others. Social media is an
effective customer service tool
and can be used to increase
brand awareness to win over
potential new members. (Source)
• Visual content is more than 40
times more likely to be shared
on social media than other
types of content. Social media is
a visual platform, which means
it’s important to create visually-
appealing content in addition to
innovative and interesting copy.
(Source)
7

8
TOPS OF 2016: DIGITAL
The Stats
Digital Media
Surprisingly, the heavy social media user
group isn’t Millennials. In fact, Generation X
(ages 35-49) spends the most time on social
media: almost 7 hours per week
versus Millennials, who come in second,
spending just over 6 hours per week.
They’re female, 25% of their time online is
spent on social media (vs.19% of males),
and they reach across cultures. They’re
likely to be on Facebook on Sundays via
smartphone, while watching primetime..

ONLINE ADULTS AGED 18-34 ARE
MOST LIKELY FOLLOW A BRAND
VIA SOCIAL NETWORKING (95%).
Think about your audience and see where they are most likely to follow your
brand. (Source: MarketingSherpa)

150 Million People use Pinterest Every
Month
A jump of 50 percent in 12 months indicates something happening on the platform that all companies—small businesses and behemoth brands
alike—can pay attention to
$35 BILLION
Social media ad spending is likely to exceed $35 billion in 2017, representing 16% of all digital ad spending globally.
$750,000 per day
Snapchat’s Sponsored Selfie Filters, which could cost up to $750,000 per day, are forecasted to reach 16 million viewers daily

Not All Social Networks are Equal

YOU NEED TO THINK AND
ACT LIKE YOU’RE RUNNING A
START-UP: YOUR CAREER.
Reid Hoffman, Linkedin co-founder, Author of The Start-Up of You

How Are You Perceived?
Online Reputation
• When is the last time you Googled yourself?
• What do search results say about you?
Professional Relationships
• What do your colleagues & managers say about you?
Personal Relationships
• What do your friends and family say about you
**Audiences tend to trust people more than corporations**

Creating a Personal Brand
What are Your Goals?
• Gain awareness (be
visible)
• Build trust (be consistent)
• Earn loyalty (be valuable)
3 Steps:
1. Discover who you are
I. Your USPs (Unique Selling Points)
II. Your passions
III. Your skills
2. Create your identity
I. Consistency is key
3. Make it visible

Facebook
Create a Facebook Fan Page (Public
Figure if you are your brand)
And Contact information to CTA (Call to
Action)
Add Social Media Accounts as Fan page
tabs
Create an Instagram & Facebook – if you
have a product.
If you are using Facebook – use Facebook
For Business: Facebook Business gives
you the latest news, advertising tips, best
practices and case studies for using
Facebook to meet your business goals.
https://www.facebook.com/business

HOW TO CREATE A FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE
Step 1: Choose a Classification.
To begin, navigate
to https://www.facebook.com/pages/cr
eate.php. This page will showcase six
different classifications to choose from:
Local Business or Place
Company, Organization, or
Institution
Brand or Product
Artist, Band, or Public Figure
Entertainment
Step 2: Complete Basic Information.
Finish “About” Section
Upload Profile Picture
Add Favorites
Reach more people.

Step 3: Understand the Admin Panel
In the top navigation, you'll see an option
for "Settings." Click that. Along the left
side, a vertical navigation bar with
different sections should appear. We'll
focus on three core ones now:
Page Info: This is where you can add
additional details about your
business. This section will also unveil
different fields based on the
classification you chose in Step 1.
Notifications: This section allows you to customize when
and how you'd like to receive Page alerts. Set a frequency
that fits your social media marketing schedule.
Page Roles: Whether or not you'll be the main manager
of the Page, there may be others at your organization
who need access to your Facebook Page. Here, you
can invite other colleagues to make changes to your
Pages. Some common use cases here include:
A public relations manager who needs to respond to any
delicate questions.
A support representative who can assist those asking
technical questions.
A designer tasked with uploading new photo creative to the
Page.
Step 3: Populate Page with Content
Plain text status
Photo with caption
Link with caption
Video with caption
Event page
Location check-in

Step 5: Measure Your Growth
Facebook has embedded in some
decently helpful metrics for us to
take advantage of. Simply click the
"Insights" option in the top
navigation to see the following:
Overview: This tab shows a 7-day snapshot of your metrics
such as Page Likes, post reach, and overall engagement.
Likes: This tab shows your overall fan growth and losses. If
you're employing paid efforts, you'll be able to see the
breakdown of paid versus organic growth.
Reach: This tab highlights the raw number of people your
Page is reaching every day. If you notice spikes on a specific
day, try cross-checking what you posted that day to see if you
can replicate that reach.
Visits: This tab indicates where on Facebook your viewers
are coming from. You can see the difference in visits on
Facebook Timelines, your information tab, reviews, and
others.

A Quick Note About Facebook
Companies use Pages, so can individuals
Think you’re private? Think again.
• Manage privacy settings
• Be comfortable with what you post
Read more: Being Professionally Personable on Facebook (Harvard
Business Review)

What is
Instagram?
Free smartphone app used to capture
and share the world’s moments
Fast, beautiful & fun way to share
your life with friends through a series
of pictures and videos

Why Use Instagram?
 Consumer change
Consumer behavior and shift towards visual content
80% of the brain is dedicated to visual processing
 “Content is king, distribution is queen, and she wears the pants,” said Jonathan
Perelman, VP of Agency Strategy at BuzzFeed
Instagram allows you to create and publish content easily
Source content
Get influencers and locals (including photographers) to help build your content bank by
introducing your own #hashtag
Republish content (and give credit) to your content creators (when they use your # or give
you approval)
 Highly engaged community

Taking
People
With You
Instagram is great for
showing a moment or a
snapshot
Great Instagram accounts
take their followers with
them…
 On the road
 Behind the scenes
 Sneak peaks into
new products or
events
Think Instagram is just for
younger consumer
audiences? These B2B
brands can make you think
again.

Who’s on Instagram?
TV SHOWS ON-AIR PERSONALITIES BLOGGERS LOCAL BUSINESSES

Using Instagram
 Newsfeed  just like Facebook where you’ll find
images from the instagrammers you follow
 Explore  find instagrammers and topics using
#hashtags
 Take a pic or video, upload an existing image or
video file
 Your notifications  See who’s followed, liked or
commented on your pics
 Your profile  See your bio, followers, who you’re
following, your pics & pics you’re tagged in

Hashtag = Content Distribution
 Use ones relevant to your destination (research in www.iconosquare.com )
 Add popular hashtags to relevant images to grow audience & engagement
#qotd
#instagood
#photooftheday
 Add a unique hashtag to source content and build a community
 Communicate your hashtag in your profile
 #CalmYourFarm  too many hashtags or ones that don’t make sense will
be ignored (especially in the 1st comment)

Instagram
Extras
 Repost
 Snapseed
 PicStitch/PicFrame
 Hyperlapse
 TimeHop
 Top hashtags &
users

SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING BUDGETS
HAVE DOUBLED WORLDWIDE OVER
THE PAST 2 YEARS—GOING FROM $16
BILLION U.S. IN 2014 TO $31 BILLION IN
2016
But despite this growing investment in social advertising, 46 percent of B2B marketers say they’re
unsure whether their channels have generated any revenue for their business.

Twitter Shorthand
 RT – Retweet
 MT – Modified Tweet
 # - Hashtag
 @ - Tweet directed to
specific user
 .@ - Tweet directed to
specific user that your
followers can see

Build Your Profile
160 CHARACTERS
BIO WITH USE # AND @
PROFESSIONAL PICTURE
HANDLE THAT MAKES SENSE
BRANDED HEADER PHOTO

Build Your Profile
• Header photo (1500 x 500 px)
• Profile photo (400 x 400 px)
• Name
• Bio (max 160 characters)
• Location
• Website
• Theme color
• Birthday

Create/Subscribe to Lists
Lists are curated groups of Twitter users – create your own or
subscribe to ones created by others
Useful for reading tweets, not tweeting to a specific group

How to Tweet
140 character limit (includes
text & spaces)
Twitter counts the
characters for you
If you have more to say
Quote a tweet / Retweet
Try abbreviations to fit limit
Links & images take up no
characters
Retweeting lets you repost to
your followers or comment

What & When to Tweet
 What?
Look at trending topics
Mix of professional & personal
Source attribution
 When?
Depends on your audience
and geographic location
Live tweet events or TV shows
Participate in Twitter chats
Schedule it!

What is a Hashtag?
 Word or phrase beginning with a # symbol with no spaces or punctuation:
#tbt #dcjobs #GRAMMYs #entrepreneur
 Hashtags group conversations about topics making them easier to find,
follow, and join
 Extend your own brand and distribute your content to certain interests and
groups

Writing Great Tweets
Know the difference
between voice and tone. Voice
doesn’t change, but a business’
tone should vary based on a
situation. If a follower did not have
a positive experience, a business’
tone may be more sympathetic and
understanding.
Talk with people, not at
them. Reply to @mentions and
address both positive and negative
feedback. It’s a real-time network,
so businesses shouldn’t keep
followers waiting too long.
Keep Tweets conversational.
Be professional without being overly
formal. Avoid business jargon when possible.
Think about how your content will be
consumed by your followers. Would they
want to retweet it or pass it along to others?
Incorporate humor, inspiration and
newsworthy content to draw followers in.
Need more help? Twitter’s downloadable
#MtgKickstart resource.
37

Crafting the Perfect Tweet
Use hashtags & links
together
Don’t hashtag overload (2 =
ideal)
Tweet longer (120+
characters work best)
Clear Call to Action (CTA)
Urgency
Tweet frequently (1-5 times
per day)
Use pictures (2x
engagement)
Read more: 10 Tips for
Crafting the Perfect Tweet

TWEETS WITH IMAGES
RECEIVED 18% MORE CLICK-
THROUGHS, 89% MORE
FAVORITES, AND 150% MORE
RETWEETS.
Buffer (Source: https://blog.bufferapp.com/the-power-of-twitters-new-
expanded-images-and-how-to-make-the-most-of-it)
40

Share a Variety of Content
Read more: How to Balance Your Personal and Professional Brand on Social Media

Twitter Tools
 Publishers
Tweetdeck
Hootsuite
Buffer
Sprout Social
IFTTT (if this then that) – triggered actions, not just for Twitter
 Analytics
Twitter Analytics
SocialBro
Twitonomy
 Content Discovery
Klout – curates articles based on your interests, allows you to schedule
and improves your social influence
Nuzzel – discover what your friends are reading

Complete Your Profile
 Professional photo
 Descriptive headline
 Experience, education,
certifications
Organizations, volunteer work
 Publications (articles, videos,
photography)
Header Image
Images and video make your profile stand out.
The large header image is like a billboard where
you can utilize that real estate to brand yourself.
Currently, the image size is 1400 x 425. When
the new desktop redesign rolls out, which you
can expect anytime the image size will be
changing to 1536 x 768.
Video is driving social media engagement
across all social platforms. You can upload a
video to your profile such as a company video
and you can post videos in your status updates.

LinkedIn Profile Checklist
• Photo: Professional, high quality
• Headline: Tell people what you’re excited
about now & what you want to do in the
future.
• Vanity URL: Make yourself easy to find.
• Summary: A few short paragraphs of what
motivates you, what you’re skilled at, and
what’s next.
• Experience: Jobs you held and
accomplishments at each. Include photos,
write ups, or videos.
• Recommendations: Ask managers, peers,
or co-workers to write a recommendation.
This gives authority to your strengths and
skills.
• Education: List all of your educational
experiences, including summer
programs.
• Courses can show skills & interests
you’re most excited about
• Volunteer Experience & Causes
• Skills & Expertise: Add 5+ skills you
want to be endorsed for.
• Honors & Awards: Don’t be shy to brag
about your accomplishments.
• Projects: Showcase digital campaigns
or projects.
• Interests: Add anything else about
yourself; helps with search!
• Organize sections

LinkedIn 2017 Updates
• Explore the homepage
• Tour the Me section
• Get to know search
• Messaging
• Recruiters
• Check out Notification
Transform Your LinkedIn Profile for
2017
• Make a list of anything that has changed in the past
year.
• Write about who you are at your best.
What accomplishments have you made in the past
year
Update your headline
• Highlight those experiences and skills your target
audience wants.
• Focus on what makes you unique.
• Create an informative headline.
• Optimize the summary section (SEOO/SEM)
• Update your recommendations
• Add new media including your header image

LinkedIn Publishing
 Way for members to contribute
professional insight
 Long-form content becomes
part of your profile
 Searchable on and off LinkedIn
 Added to Pulse section (if
content is relevant)
For more information on how
to get started please see
SlideShare.
47

Make Connections & Find News
 Join groups based on
your…
Area
Industry
Interests
 Start and join discussions
 Use Pulse to find news
Comment
Share with your network

About.me
Personal homepage
Summary
Location
Job history
Education
Interests
Link to social profiles

BrandYourself.com
Mission: help people take back
control of their own lives online
Look better in Google results
Digital resume
Social stream
Links to additional projects

Why You Need to Build a Website
A website isn’t static; it’s dynamic
Having a website makes you more
findable
Not many people have one – having
a website can help you stand out.
You gain some new skills
Top Free Personal Website
Builders:
Self-Made/Self-Hosted
Tumblr
Flavors.me
Weebly
Wix
EnhanceCV
Re.vu
Enthuse.me
Designedyou.com

Guest Blogging
Blogging is one of the best ways to
build your visibility, credibility, and
brand message online.
Recruiters and hiring decision
makers routinely search the
blogosphere when they're vetting
candidates.
Do some research before diving in:
Look for blogs relevant to your
expertise and/or industry.
Find out which blogs the recruiters
and hiring decision makers you
want to attract are visiting.
Some ideas to find the right blogs:
Consult with your professional
network.
Do a Google search of relevant
key words for your industry/field
and your areas of expertise.
Use the LinkedIn Groups search
feature to connect with relevant
professional networks.
Look at the blogrolls

Canva.com
Canva makes graphic design
amazingly simple for everyone.
Ready to get creative? Everyone
is designer.
1. Know Your Key Messages
2. Keep It Simple
3. Be Consistent
4. Use Purposeful Hierarchy
5. Consider Text Formatting

Recruiting: Finding & Vetting Candidates
 LinkedIn Recruiter
Powerful search capabilities
Contact candidates through InMail
Track & manage talent to hire now or in the
future
 Twitter Searches & Chats
Participate in chats (ongoing or create your
own)
Follow hashtags used by job seekers
#hireme
#needajob
#resume
#unemployed
#MBA
#jobhunt
 Facebook Directory
Search pages, groups, users

Digital Brand Scorecard
• Strategically Aligned
• Believable/Instill Trust
• Sounds Like a Person not a brand
(This is for personal branding)
• Distinctive & Visual (Remember
Canva.com is your best friend)
• Engaged & Responsive
• #HugYourHaters
• Consistent
• Frequency
• Audience Growth in followers &
conversations
• Integrated across platforms
Regularly assess your digital presence. Rate each component (1-
5). Add them & divide by 10 for your score.

Align Social Media With Business Goals
• Be intentional
• Be distinctive
• Add value, not noise
• Apply best practices
• Be visible & visual
• Have a consistent voice
• Be time, energy & resource
efficient
• Monitor, measure, refine
Identity
Visibility
Credibility

Automate Everything – But be HUMAN
You have better things to do than
execute the same repetitive tasks
over and over again. When it comes
to social media marketing,
automation is everything. Here’s a
short list of some of the tasks you
can automate now and no longer
waste your time on:
Following people back when they
follow you
Retweeting interesting messages
on Twitter
Mentioning other users in your
messages
Responding to direct messages
Automating posts from another
expert’s website
Posting to LinkedIn ,Twitter,
or Facebook from another network

Final Thoughts
• Personal branding is a way to:
• Establish credibility
• Grow your network
• Attract opportunities
• Before you post, ask yourself...
• Is it valuable?
• Does it fit with my personal brand?
• Did I include source attribution?
• Did I add relevant hashtags?

Your Homework
Create or update your LinkedIn profile
• Goal: connect with 30+ people by end of
month
• Post or share an update at least
once/week
• Leave and request a recommendation
from colleague/manager
If Twitter is right for you…
• Create/update your branded profile
• Have a conversation
• Share news/relevant posts to your
audience

Thanks for downloading
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