Giving Back Can Help Your Job Search

 

William Arruda recently wrote an article for TheLadders about giving back to your network. This is geared toward those who are job hunting but when you develop a strategy of giving even when you don’t need something on return you will end up with a stronger more loyal network than you could have built in any other way. Remember that 85% of jobs are now secured through networking.

Social networking is not just an opportunity to take – it’s a powerful chance to make yourself useful to others who can help you down the road.

If you’re in the midst of a job search, you know that networks are important. Powerful. Essential. Most jobs are found through some kind of networking contact, so bolstering your relationships with all members of your network must be among your first priorities as you pursue your next role.

Effective networking is all about giving. And although the holiday giving season is far behind us, when it comes to your network, giving is a year-long activity.

One of the best gifts you can give to members of your network is help in building their personal brands. When we make others look good, we look good – to them! So consider these free or very low-cost, Web 2.0-focused personal-branding presents. It’s time to demonstrate your personal-brand attribute of generosity and your knowledge of social media.

Here are 10 ways to help you give back to your network through social media:

1. Recommend people on LinkedIn. Nothing says “I care about you” in a Web 2.0 world like a positive reference posted on your LinkedIn profile. To do this, just ensure they are in your network, then click on “Recommend.” You are helping make their LinkedIn profile more valuable and credible – the best kind of personal branding.
2. Add them to your Facebook friends. In the world of social networking, virtual popularity is even better than real-world popularity.
3. Buy a personal domain name for them (i.e., www.vickibrannock.com). For a year, it only costs about $9. You can search for and buy domain names at www.godaddy.com. Even if they aren’t ready for their own Web site, buying a domain name is like buying a plot of land: You own it so that when you are ready, you can build on it.
4. Write a blog post about them or reference them in a comment on a relevant blog. To find blogs around specific topics, enter your keywords at www.technorati.com. You can also link to their Web site or blog or put their blog in your blogroll. (We all know how much Google loves inbound links.)
5. Discover their Google Quotient for them. Use the Online ID Calculator to help them understand how their personal brand shows up online. In the new world of work, if you don’t show up in Google, you don’t exist. So help them build their online profile by showing them how they currently show up on the World Wide Web. Use the calculator after Googling them, then e-mail them the results. www.onlineidcalculator.com. It’s free!
6. Quote or reference them in an article you are writing or a presentation you are delivering – and make sure they know about the reference. Post the article or slides online.
7. If you write a press release about your article or presentation, include their name iin all free press-release search engines like www.freepressrelease.com.
8. Provide positive feedback. Rate their YouTube video and share their video with others in your network. Creating and uploading videos can be a lot of work, recognize their efforts. www.youtube.com. For your network contacts who are authors, write a review of their book or ebook and post it at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com.
9. Create Google Alerts for your close professional contacts. Google Alerts allows you to stay on top of new content related to any person, company or topic. When you establish alerts for your network members, you will be notified each time they are mentioned in a blog or quoted in article. Then you can send them a congratulatory e-mail. www.google.com/alerts.
10. And here’s a Web 2.0 gift courtesy of my own company: Give your contacts a link to 360˚Reach so they can perform a personal-branding assessment. Fifteen-day passwords to the newly launched version of 360˚Reach are free – everyone’s favorite price! www.reachcc.com/360v4register. You can also perform your own assessment and include them in your list of respondents. Asking them for feedback about you shows that you respect their opinion.

Remember, networking is all about giving; and during this recessionary period, helping people with their personal branding is a valuable and appreciated gift.

Are you talking to your customers?

 

We all know when the going gets tough the tough get going. What is exciting about the current “tough” market is that it is forcing us choose what really matters, and in business that means the customer.  You know that it costs more to obtain a client than to retain one. Using social media to engage your customers provides you with more than just sales potential, it provides you with retention.

Listening, asking questions and creating a collaborative relationship with your clients and customers will be worth far more to your business than the time and money spent on coupons and print media. What are you waiting for? Join the conversation. Here is a great article posted in USA Today about Twitter.

Not sure where to start. Contact me at

vbrannock @ organizationalArchitects.com or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

Leveraging The Economic Slowdown

Money is tightening and we are all looking at ways to cut back. We recently decided to make room in our garage and save $100 per month by emptying our storage. We have had the unit for two years. It was very convenient to our home and kept the garage neat but it wasn’t a necessity. My husband had become friendly with the owner who lives in our neighborhood. When he gave him our notice the owner shook his head and said “I am losing a lot of good customers like you for the same reason” he went on to say almost a third of his units were now empty where he once had a waiting list. Never did he suggest a discount, free month or any other arrangement that would have been an inducement for us to stay. So many businesses complain of lack of loyalty from their clients when it hasn’t been earned. It isn’t enough to provide a good product or service and expect unconditional support. By modeling the behavior you would like to receive you can not only survive but do something very surprising, you can delight your customers. That makes for something no marketing dollars can buy, a trusting relationship.