How do you use social media for marketing - Inspiring Portfolio Careers

Social media is a powerful tool which is changing the way the world interacts and communicates. Helping women to market themselves is a specialism so this is a blog for women specifically.

Social media also suits women; men are comfortable ‘blowing their own trumpet’ and asking clients directly for business. Women often find it difficult to market themselves, so social media is useful for you as an indirect vehicle for this.

Social media e.g. blogging, Twitter and Pulse on LinkedIn enable you to share your knowledge and help people without feeling like you are brazenly ‘singing your own praises’. Social media is about reciprocity and supporting and connecting with others; this appeals to women.

Using social media

Using social media feels a bit alien at first but you soon get used to it. Women are typically naturally good at collaboration, building relationships and communication and social media is a great vehicle to do this. The nature of social media and feedback from it encourages you to be yourself.

Social media is also 24/7, so you can post and schedule postings to suit your own schedule, e.g. in the evening after putting the children to bed or scheduling social posts at the weekends to go out during the week. Most social media platforms are mobile too.

You can also have a portfolio career on Twitter – I have 3 Twitter accounts for example. I recommend Hootsuite – it is a visual dashboard to tailor Twitter to you.
What are the benefits of social media?

So how do you use social media for marketing?

Benefits of social media include:

• Expanding your immediate circle of contacts without the need for face to face networking
• Meeting potential mentors
• Developing connections with women in other companies for mutual support
• Meeting successful women in lateral professions around the world

Given time, connection and mutual sharing, on-line contacts whether Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook Professional can become business opportunities as well as lead to friendships and mentor/mentee relationships.

Tips for expedient social media

• Set specific S.M.A.R.T. goals for social media e.g.

o generating clients
o finding out the latest real time information
o sourcing a mentor
o developing thought leadership
o gaining media attention

• Identify 3-5 social media platforms that will help you achieve your professional goals
• Start with 1 social media platform and do it well. Choose from LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook Professional – they have a diverse user base and high traffic numbers
• Facebook Professional is relevant if you deal with personal clients, less so business clients
• Use social media tools you feel comfortable with as you will be more likely to use them frequently
• Blogging is perfect if you love writing and analysis
• Twitter is great if you like staying on top of information 24/7 and quick paced banter in short bite sized chunks – a tweet is only 140 characters so helps you to be succinct
• Define S.M.A.R.T. social media goals to stay focused and avoid losing time and getting disengaged e.g. attracting reporters seeking information

You can lose a lot of time if you are unfocused with social media, but when focused and with clear goals, it is an amazing arena that opens up the whole world to you.

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