September 15th, 2008
Social networking enhances career growth -- only if used correctly
Guest editorial by Mike Murray
As a career coach and speaker, one of the first questions I get from any audience is some form of:
“How should I be using LinkedIn/Facebook/{Insert name of social network here} to enhance my career?”
When Jennifer asked me to comment on this topic for her blog, I was ecstatic to take the chance to get the message out. And, while I can rant about this topic for hours, this is a blog and not an book. So, I’ll keep it somewhat brief:
Social networking sites provide an incredible opportunity to make radical changes in your career. But those changes aren’t necessarily going to be good ones unless you do it right. Ultimately, social networking tools are much like a race car — they help a good driver become a great one, and they help a bad driver become a pile of twisted, smoking metal up against a concrete wall.
The main thing that a social networking site can help you with is the concept of your “personal brand” — that is, the sites can be used as tools to allow you to become known within a target audience of people. Used well, you can turn yourself in to an expert among experts. Used poorly, you can easily turn yourself into that guy with the 55 pictures of himself drunk and passed out on the floor of your college fraternity house. Caveat emptor.
What I’m going to offer today is the top three ways to use social networking tools to enhance your brand and your career.
1. Niche-ify
As I mentioned earlier, social networking tools give you the opportunity to brand yourself — to become known. This means that you have to decide what you’re going to be known FOR.
And, lest you think that you can just drift along, it’s like the sage old Rush song lyric says: “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”
The first rule in marketing (and, truly, this is a form of marketing yourself) is to choose your niche. Choose what your product (in this case, you) will be known for. Are you going to be the girl who is always there when people need help? The social networking expert? The nuclear physicist who dabbles in playing the piano?
It doesn’t matter what your niche is — you just need to decide what you want to be known for and tailor your online presence to that message.
If you want an example of this, there is none better than my blog hostess today, Jennifer Leggio. If you look at any part of Jennifer’s online presence, it’s clear what her niche in the world is: she’s a social networking guru who works with security geeks.
There’s only one person who has that niche, which is what makes it so special and what makes Jennifer successful. Because anyone who is looking for someone who understands social networking and security will find her easily on any one of the social networks.
You need to do the same thing. Pick a niche that you can become known for, and anybody who is looking for someone to do a job in that niche will naturally find you.
Next: Cool friends = cool you –>
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Jennifer Leggio, aka "Mediaphyter," writes about the "social business" side of social media - including enterprise, security and reputation issues. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
For daily updates on Jennifer's activities, follow her on Twitter.
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