#TrendingThursday 2.0 – Num. 9

Does guest posting even work anymore? by Olivia Angelscu
After five years of successful blogging, I frequently have aspiring bloggers reach out to me and ask for advice. One of the many staple suggestions I provide is to offer to guest blog on other sites. This article examines how effective that suggestion really is and how to do it strategically.

What is the Best Résumé Font for You?
As a professional development consultant, I review and work on quite a few résumés each week and one thing I will say is that fonts do matter. You want to catch someone’s eye but not scare them off. Keeping a solid résumé ready is a must for young professionals like those of you who are reading this blog.

5 Common Mistakes Leaders Make: Which Ones Are You Guilty Of? by Jordan Kasteler
Consulting is a tough gig. Some people start off by rolling the dice but it’s always good to have some insight on best practices. This article gives some solid tips on how you can keep from ruining relationships that could pay dividends in the long run.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Investing In Me

I couldn’t do it all myself. I couldn’t keep tossing pennies into a wishing well and hoping that some magical genie would appear with a stack of opportunities. I had to put my money where my mouth was and pay someone who had the resources I don’t have to get me where I needed to be. So I did.
Yesterday, I transformed my WordPress blog from a basic paid blog with nothing but a domain to a premium website with bells and whistles. I also hired the amazing artist Charity Coleman to design my new blog logo and header.

Yesterday was not cheap for me but no one is going to build your brand for you. And you can’t bank on riding the coat tails of anyone else’s successes. You have to invest in yourself.

Buy a book. Read it. Develop a blog. Gain followers. Start speaking. Sometimes your investment is going to be one of time. But, whatever you invest in your brand, do it with the goal of having a return on that investment.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Never Stop Building

You can never stop building your brand (until you stop working and then maybe you can, but I’m nowhere near there and I’m assuming you aren’t either if you’re reading this so let’s settle for the word “never” in this case). Last night I had a beer with a new friend of mine, Doug, who I was introduced to by a mutual friend. Doug  is a couple years my senior (years enough to provide reliable wisdom but not so many years that I can’t comfortably joke with him). We chatted about everything from Duke School to L.A. (he recently moved here from there) to my trip to his home state of Massachusetts when I decided it was a wise idea to sport my Yankees cap (which was, in fact, a very unwise idea) to life, wife, and kids. It was great. Before we got together, he had checked out The Reader and said he liked it and the content I put out on it. Though I put a ton of effort into this, I’m always humbled when someone, especially an established professional, says they enjoy reading it. Just in the past week, I’ve had a website designer say it’s visually appealing and a state’s attorney say that it provides great insight for young professionals who sometimes know the stuff but need a reminder. Doug provided a suggestion though. He asked about my logo. And I showed him my logo for Daniels Professional Development Company. He asked “But what about for The Daniels Daily Reader?”

Wow. I had never even thought about it. I push branding every day of every week with every breath. From the social media work I do for Berean Baptist Church of Raleigh to the fundraising I do for my school to my own brand, I am always pushing branding. But my blog, though well-branded and extremely visual, is missing a key element: a logo. So, this morning, I hopped on it. When you don’t realize something, you just don’t realize it. But once you know, inaction is a sin. We all have blind spots. That’s what makes us human. But thank the people who point the blind spot(s) out to you and make sure you do what you need to in order to fix them.

And, no, the header photograph on this post has nothing to do with branding or even my blog but you can’t deny that it’s a beautiful view.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Your Brand is Looking Hazy

So you want to start a blog… or a clothing line… or a consulting firm. Cool. But what sets you apart? I see screen printed tees every day with logos that are only slightly different than what I could find on Instagram. How are you special? If you’re going to brand yourself, brand yourself. Don’t replicate someone else. Improve upon the foundation that they’ve set. Add value. No one in the history of the earth has ever been a bonafide original but, in order to establish something you can call your own, it has to be different. And, if you want to be more than a flash in the pan, it should be both different and of high quality.

What sets you apart? What gives you an edge on the competition? If you can’t answer these satisfactorily, maybe you should figure it out before taking any more steps.

 

Make professional development a priority.

The Name of the Game

Consistency.

That’s the name of the game.

Welcome to 2017. No one knows me for being a blogger exactly. My brand doesn’t rely on the fact that I have a professional development blog. There are millions of “bloggers” across the world. But I can’t think of many who are daily bloggers. Consistency is what keeps people consistently seeking me out for advice, speaking engagement, and professional development services. I have a track record that shows I’m always learning. Every day, you can learn bits and pieces of what I learn.

Now, consistency is usually seen as a good thing but it could be a bad thing too. The question is, “What are you known for on a consistent basis?” Are you known for keeping your word? For making good decisions? For being disciplined enough to do the tougher things? Or do you begin things and then quit? Do you give just enough effort to get by? Are you consistently inconsiderate?

This year, focus on being consistent in the right things and nonexistent in the wrong ones.

In each instance, consistency begins with a single action and, from there, it is continued.

 

Make professional development a priority.

 

Automate. Personalize.

Automate content. Personalize responses.

It’s that simple. Create content for everyone. Content that all of your readers want to read. Content that even those you aren’t looking to reel in will click on so that they can copy and paste the link to their family member or friend or coworker. Your content has to be relevant to someone that everyone (at least in your home country) knows.

Create the content. Schedule it. Automatically tweet it out. Then personalize your response to blog posts, tweets, and Instagram comments.

Just so you know what to do when you build a following. I’m still working on mine, follower by follower.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Google Me! (And Yourself While You’re At It)

Every time I get an opportunity to speak somewhere, I know that the group of students and/or young professionals I’m speaking with will search for me after I leave (if they’re not Googling me as I speak). And when I interview for a job, I know that the person interviewing me will likely do the same. So, in order to be proactive and protect my brand, I search for myself periodically. I make sure to take a look at the web results as well as the images associated with my name. What I don’t ever want to do is to be speaking to a group of students about professional development and a student raise his hand to ask me why there is a photograph of me passed out drunk or wearing a shirt with obscenities. See, my brand leaves room for me to have a drink or two from time to time. It even allows me to question the status quo as far as political issues go. But what you do not see when you search for me on Google is me swearing (with the exception of me directly quoting others). So, how do you establish an online presence? I’m glad you asked.

1) Formulate a plan of action
The coolest thing about the internet is that you can choose who you want to be. Of course some people take that too far (hence shows like Catfish). But really, the World Wide Web allows you to develop a persona that otherwise would not be possible. For me, I decided that I wanted to be recognized as a professional development consultant. Take some time to write out your goals and then decide how you can use the internet to leverage that brand. Social media is a great tool. I recommend toying around with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to begin with. Pinterest is also an awesome way to get your content discovered.

2) Clean all negative content off the first page of results
Most employers will not look past the first page of search results. And, those who do probably won’t look past the second page. So you have to get your name out there. The more positive content you have out, the more quickly the negatives will fall down in search results. So write, write, and then write some more. Post your material to your blog, message boards, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other websites that are intended for sharing. Before you know it, people will have clicked on your positive content so much that any negatives you may have had will be on the fourth or fifth page of search results.

3) Write!
I said it before but I’ll say it again: Write. The better you get at writing about your subject matter, the more people will trust your judgment. The more they trust your judgment, the stronger your brand will get. Not to mention that the ability to write just might be what gets you noticed by the right people. My blogging has given me the opportunity to write for magazines, journals, and other blogs across the nation. The consistency of my posts has gotten me numerous speaking engagements. So, please write. You never know who will read it.

4) Make better decisions
I’m not big on New Year’s Resolutions. But, since it’s the first Monday of 2015, I will ask you to resolve to do one thing: Make better decisions. At a point in history where almost everything done outside one’s own home is recorded by one camera or another, your ability to make great decisions is what will keep your online presence intact. My father told me time and time again that it takes years to build a great reputation but one bad decision can ruin all that you’ve worked hard to build. So make a decision today to be intentional in everything you do. If you go out for drinks, do so with the knowledge that too many will land you on Instagram as a meme. If you tweet an offensive statement, just know that words are often misconstrued years later and, if you have any hopes at a corporate career in the future, that may be pulled out of the Twitter archives 15 years from now. For those of you who, like myself, are set on entrepreneurship and, therefore, believe they haven’t got anyone to answer to, how wrong you are. Poor word choices made by owners of major companies can cost them millions in revenue every year. So choose your words wisely. They will be what make or break your future.

Take my advice folks. I don’t know a lot but I know a few things and I know that how you are perceived is what is going to put you in a position to make your dreams come true. So protect your name. Enhance your brand. And Google me.

Social Media Marketing From A to Z

By MELINDA F. EMERSON

As 2013 approaches, you may be developing your year-end to-do list. If you are like a lot of small-business owners, one of the items near the top of that list is something about finally taking the time to figure out social media marketing.

Maybe you set up a blog, but you haven’t been up updating it. Maybe you set up a Twitter account, but you have yet to post that first tweet. Maybe you can’t remember the last time you updated your Facebook page. Well, now’s the time.

Social media can be a great equalizer for small businesses. It used to be that guy who had the most advertising dollars was usually going to win. These days, people are much less interested in being sold; they are looking for useful information, and if you have some to offer, you have the opportunity to build a relationship.

Inspired in part by my 6-year-old son, who has been working on letter recognition, here is an A to Z checklist to help you get as much as possible out of your investment in social media marketing.

Action. Create an action plan to get started. It is important to decide what you want to do before you try to do it.

Budget. Set aside money to invest in a copy editor and/or a social media virtual assistant to teach you the ropes and review your content. This person can also manage the back end of your blog.

Consistency is crucial. If blogging is going to be central to your social media strategy, you have to decide how many times a week and which days you are going publish. And then you have to stick to it.

Differentiate. Create content that is thoughtful and cuts against the grain. There is a lot of noise in the marketplace. Don’t be just another food blogger. Carve out a lane for yourself.

Execution. Develop a daily execution plan. How much time will you invest each day?

Format. Pick the format or formats you will use to develop your content. Will you write, record podcasts, post pictures or create how-to videos? Or will you do all of the above?

Goals. Create 30-, 60-, and 90-day goals for developing content and seeing results. For example, how many shares, page views, or inbound links do you expect to attract each week?

Help others. Providing useful content for free to your target audience is the most valuable thing you can do to build your brand. Avoid sales pitches. No one wants to be sold to.

Images are everything. Create an archive of pictures that you will use with your blog posts. Be sure to add meta data to those pictures to you improve your search-engine optimization.

Journalism. Think of yourself as a journalist. Be factual and informative with the information you share. Try to approach common topics from fresh angles. Most readers tuned to the same frequency: WII-FM (as in What’s In It For Me). Let them know you are invested in their success.

Kick start your blog by developing content two to three months before you introduce it. Create an archive that you can pull from when you are busy running your business.

Listen first. Conduct a listening strategy to find out where your target audience hangs out online, so you can focus on one particular social media site first.

Mobile. It’s time to invest in a mobile Web site. So many people are using smartphones, and for many it’s the only way they check the Internet, which is why local retailers especially need to make sure they can be found on mobile devices. Google has created a free Web site to help small business get started with a basic mobile site.

Niche. Find one. The more specialized your content the faster you will rise to prominence as an expert in your field. People want content from people who specialize in solving their problems.

Optimize. Search engine optimization is essential. Use your keywords to develop your blog titles and article content. If you do not understand S.E.O., do not panic. You don’t have to hire a firm or a guru. Here are three WordPress plugins that will help: WordPress SEO by Yoast, Online Backup For WordPress, and W3 Total Cache (to help your site load faster).

Pinterest is likely to be the hottest social media platform for small businesses in 2013. If you sell anything that is visual, start using Pinterest — especially if you are aiming at women.

Quality. If you are going to publish a blog, make sure your posts are top quality. Readers have other ways to spend their time.

Recycle. People learn different ways. Some like to read, others like to listen, some like to watch. If you write an article, turn that same content into a two-minute video. If you conduct an interview, transcribe that podcast into a blog post. If it’s helpful, people will want more of it.

Share. Share other people’s content.Spend time “friendraising” before you start developing original content. Take the time to earn the respect of other industry experts in social media by sharing other people’s content. Use a 4:1 ratio of sharing other content over your own.Be sure to comment on other people’s blogs too.

Time. You must put the time in to your social media platform. It probably will take 12 to 18 months of consistent activity before you start to build traction.

Use technology tools. There are many plug-ins and apps that will help you share your content more efficiently.Here are three I suggest: Hootsuiteto schedulecontent sharing, Backupify to back up data for your cloud apps (such as Google Apps, Salesforce, Facebook), and Tweet Old Post to make sure your content is circulated through Twitter 30 days after it was posted.

Video. The Internet is the new television. YouTube is the second-most-searched site on the Internet. If you want to stay relevant online, video should be part of your strategy.

Write. The more you write, the better you will write. If you can, set aside a day to develop content each week.

X-Ray. Think x-ray when you search for data within your social media networks. Use Google Analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of your blog. Pay attention to what content is shared most often and give your audience more of it. Scout LinkedIn to find groups that your target customers join. You can filter search results on Facebook by people, groups, pages, events and even posts. Go to http://www.Facebook.com/search to get started.

You. Your personal story is the most valuable element of any content you develop. The more authentic and transparent you can be, the more your content will be shared. The truth is always better than anything you make up.

Zingy. Every year, give your blog and your social media profiles a zingy new look. Update your bio and head shot, too. You want to show growth and that you are constantly investing in your brand.

Melinda Emerson is founder and chief executive of Quintessence Multimedia, a social media strategy and content development firm. You can follow her on Twitter.

Source: The New York Times

#TrendingThursday Week 71

I hope you’re all enjoying this week as it comes to an end.  I’ve had another great week of reading more and more so I can help you all (and myself) develop as young professionals.  Keep pressing toward the mark so you can redefine it.  Read and share these articles with your friends, family, coworkers, supervisors, mentees, and anyone else you can think of.  Have a great weekend!

• If You’re Serious About Talent, Reward the Assist by Whitney Johnson
• How to Spot a Gap in the Market by James Cann
• How to Write a Rockstar Twitter Bio by Amy-Mae Elliott
• A Scientific Guide To Writing Popular–And Shareable–Headlines For Twitter, Facebook, And Your Blog  by Leo Widrich
• No–You Don’t Need To Learn To Code by Ciara Byrne
• Our Debut Ranking Of Law Schools — Stanford Comes Out On Top by Maya Itah
• Three Things that Actually Motivate Employees  by Rosabeth Moss Kanter
• What I Learned in Business From Failing in College Football by Matt Garrett
• The 5 Words You Can Never Speak In Customer Service by Micah Solomon

30 Ways to Promote Your Blog Posts

I’m a blogger (obviously) and so are a lot of my readers.  So why not post something this #TechTuesday that will help bloggers be more successful?  This infographic has some great techniques for promoting your blog or anything else you want people to check out (YouTube, website, etc.).  I’ll definitely be implementing quite a few of them over these next few weeks to see which work best for me.  You should do the same.