Whether it’s growing your network, extending your influence or reinforcing your personal brand, every social media platform, used effectively, has the power to elevate your professional self.
Discover the innovative ways you can use each medium to stand out among crowded newsfeeds and charge onwards.
READ MORE: Workbook: Making the most of your online profile
In one simple move, Twitter has become the go-to platform for canvassing public opinion with a simple two-answer poll feature anyone can create. A great way to showcase your areas of professional interest to existing and potential new followers, this feature also offers a meaningful way to connect with your audience and generate useful content.
A recent study finds that Twitter users with the most diverse networks and who expose themselves to people and brands outside their usual reading material, are more likely to generate creative ideas. Think outside the box and follow a few random thought leaders, tech start-ups and quirky brands that fall outside your industry or areas of interest. Segregate them into a list you can dip into when you’re in need of some fresh thinking.
READ MORE: Webinar: Establishing your personal brand online
Creating and maintaining a useful LinkedIn group requires time and energy if it’s not quickly to become a graveyard of old articles and out of date debates. But done well, it can elevate you beyond the vast majority of LinkedIn users – the volume of whom is growing at a rate of two per second – and into the realms of industry thought leader. If you’re about to embark on group leader status, heed the following advice from those who’ve been there before you:
Facebookers are often wary of personal and professional lives clashing in one space and many opt to use Facebook for friend and family time only. In doing so, you’re opting out of a huge knowledge base of industry news as well as local or regional events – the latter being something LinkedIn hasn’t yet nailed. Do a few keyword searches around your industry or profession to discover groups you can dip in and out of as you please, as well as staying on top of industry events.
If you think your role in banking, retail or manufacturing doesn’t lend itself to a visual scrapbook of ideas, think again. Pinterest isn’t just a bottomless pit of sunset photography and inspirational quotes – what you pin is perhaps the most powerful way you can visualise your personal brand; a picture, after all, speaks a thousand words.
For finding local networks: Scour meetup.com for local interest groups and watch your online connections transform into living, breathing networks.
For finding and sharing expertise: Sign up to interest areas on Q&A website quora.com where you can share your expertise with those asking for it, and pose your own questions to encourage healthy debate.
For showcasing your presentations and being inspired by others’: Slideshare.net is where professionals share their professional presentations. It’s a wonderful source of inspiration and a great way to get your name out there as an expert in a particular field. Just make sure that you have permission before sharing any business-specific information in your slideshows.
While you’re in the social mood, make sure you follow us on Twitter, connect with us on LinkedIn, and like our Facebook page.
More social media resources on the everywomanNetwork:
Elevating your online presence: 3 social media lessons for individuals and start-ups
#techmums Founder Dr Sue Black’s rules for elevating your personal social media presence
TWITTER TAKES POLL POSITION
In one simple move, Twitter has become the go-to platform for canvassing public opinion with a simple two-answer poll feature anyone can create. A great way to showcase your areas of professional interest to existing and potential new followers, this feature also offers a meaningful way to connect with your audience and generate useful content.
Share insights from events you’re attending
Listening in to a panel discussion where two diametric viewpoints are battling it out? Let your following know what’s going on and ask them to choose a side.
When thousands of heads are better than one
Weighing up two different ideas? Use Twitter polls as a way of AB testing whatever’s on your mind.
Use the results to tell a story
If you blog, Twitter polls can be embedded in pages where you can explore the significance of the results you’ve garnered, meaning you also get some meaningful content to use.
TWITTER MAKES YOU MORE INNOVATIVE
A recent study finds that Twitter users with the most diverse networks and who expose themselves to people and brands outside their usual reading material, are more likely to generate creative ideas. Think outside the box and follow a few random thought leaders, tech start-ups and quirky brands that fall outside your industry or areas of interest. Segregate them into a list you can dip into when you’re in need of some fresh thinking.
READ MORE: Webinar: Establishing your personal brand online
BECOME A GROUP LEADER ON LINKEDIN
Creating and maintaining a useful LinkedIn group requires time and energy if it’s not quickly to become a graveyard of old articles and out of date debates. But done well, it can elevate you beyond the vast majority of LinkedIn users – the volume of whom is growing at a rate of two per second – and into the realms of industry thought leader. If you’re about to embark on group leader status, heed the following advice from those who’ve been there before you:
Keep it niche
The most successful groups are those where the purpose is clear and distinct. That means doing your background work to suss out the competition, and finding a gap where your group sits in wait for interested parties.
What’s in a name?
A lot, if you’re a LinkedIn user trying to find a group for new graduates entering the banking sector, or a woman in transport and logistics looking for females with whom she can discuss the sector’s gender challenges. Think carefully about how your ideal group member is likely to discover your group – a clear name filled with relevant keywords, while it might be less exciting, is more likely to show up than a zany abstract title!
Establish your influence
Who are you and why are you the best person to lead this group? What rules do you want to impose on the types of posts and discussions the group allows? Why are you excited about this group and what do you hope members will get out of it? Pack all this into a succinct and meaningful welcome message for group newcomers.
Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t
Are there particular discussions that always seem to bring out the debaters? Articles on certain topics that seem to resonate right now? As group moderator, giving people more of what they want and less of what they don’t is the key to growth.
Don’t be afraid to engage
Leading the group doesn’t mean throwing out starters for ten and then standing back as members pile in. Get involved, whether that’s in thanking particularly useful contributors, sharing your own thoughts, or encouraging inactive members to get more involved.
FACEBOOK KEEPS YOU IN THE KNOW
Facebookers are often wary of personal and professional lives clashing in one space and many opt to use Facebook for friend and family time only. In doing so, you’re opting out of a huge knowledge base of industry news as well as local or regional events – the latter being something LinkedIn hasn’t yet nailed. Do a few keyword searches around your industry or profession to discover groups you can dip in and out of as you please, as well as staying on top of industry events.
PINTEREST: YOUR LITTLE SCRAPBOOK OF INSPIRATION
If you think your role in banking, retail or manufacturing doesn’t lend itself to a visual scrapbook of ideas, think again. Pinterest isn’t just a bottomless pit of sunset photography and inspirational quotes – what you pin is perhaps the most powerful way you can visualise your personal brand; a picture, after all, speaks a thousand words.
Keep a log of what inspires you
Think of Pinterest as your personal online scrapbook of all the digital gems that have made you think. Inspiring TED talks, fascinating industry infographics, photos of events and conferences you’ve attended, blog posts by your role models – pin them onto your board to showcase what makes you tick and allow you to dip into personal motivators when the mood takes.
As your confidence grows you can experiment with creating mood boards for projects you’re working on, featuring images and articles that set your mind wandering alongside original images of your brainstorming boards.
If you’re looking for inspiration, why not try searching for whatever professional projects you’re working on at the moment? Seemingly work-based terms including ‘sales strategy’, ‘grow your business’, ‘marketing plan’ or ‘client management’ all bring up bright, beautiful images which might spark ideas in your day-to-day desk life.
THE BEST OF THE REST
For finding local networks: Scour meetup.com for local interest groups and watch your online connections transform into living, breathing networks.
For finding and sharing expertise: Sign up to interest areas on Q&A website quora.com where you can share your expertise with those asking for it, and pose your own questions to encourage healthy debate.
For showcasing your presentations and being inspired by others’: Slideshare.net is where professionals share their professional presentations. It’s a wonderful source of inspiration and a great way to get your name out there as an expert in a particular field. Just make sure that you have permission before sharing any business-specific information in your slideshows.
While you’re in the social mood, make sure you follow us on Twitter, connect with us on LinkedIn, and like our Facebook page.
More social media resources on the everywomanNetwork:
Elevating your online presence: 3 social media lessons for individuals and start-ups
#techmums Founder Dr Sue Black’s rules for elevating your personal social media presence 
