Social media has been evolving since Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989. Six Degrees, launched in 1997, is considered to be the first social network (it closed in 2001). It enabled users to upload a profile and make friends with other users, but at this time the internet’s infrastructure wasn’t really ready for social networking and,…
When it comes to social media, there are so many questions – and lots you don’t know you don’t know! It’s also very difficult to find straight answers. There is no definitive guide on what to do, and what not to do, although I wish there was! A question I hear all the time is ‘What are the…
From prehistoric cave paintings to big-budget Hollywood movies, the desire to tell and hear stories is an important part of the human experience, and a valuable way to remember sequences of events. As children, we learn through stories. A story gives people a reason to sympathise with characters, to care about what they are saying, and to…
The word ‘strategy’ is so often misused. Just because something’s important (or new and shiny) doesn’t automatically follow that it needs a strategy. The origin of strategy and tactics lie in military definitions. Strategy represents the overall approach, the direction that should be taken and/or the results that should be achieved. Strategy must identify the nature of the…
On a Monday morning, August 2014, I posted on LinkedIn: “Why social media shouldn’t replace face-to-face conversation”. It was clearly a subject that resonated – within hours the views passed 1,000 and it kept going (it has now had over 10,000 views). The link was being shared on Twitter and comments were appearing in my inbox. I knew this…
Keywords have been an important factor in online marketing for a number of years. Anyone with a website will be familiar with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), of which keywords play a large part. But keywords – the words and phrases people are using to search for something - are also a key part of social media. They are…
In training sessions or presentations, people often ask me whether it’s acceptable to have multiple accounts on a single social media platform. The answer is that it depends on the platform. Individuals should only have one Facebook profile and one LinkedIn profile (as per their terms and conditions). A business can have a LinkedIn company page, and use…
LinkedIn Company Pages. Yes, all business should have one... but they also need to understand and define their role for doing so. I see just three key benefits of Company Pages. Employees When employees link their profile to their employer it allows me to find out more. If I'm on an employee's profile page, I can take a look…
My number one tip for improving a LinkedIn profile, is to take a good look at your headline. You've got 120 characters that need to work hard, get you found and explain what you do. It's the shortest elevator pitch or job interview ever - so make sure you don't just stick with the default current job title…
LinkedIn Skills and Endorsements - by the far the biggest subject discussion in any LinkedIn seminar or in-house training session! LinkedIn skills are an important factor in your profile getting found. Anyone searching for a new business contact, supplier or employee will be using skill-related keywords. Therefore, if skills are going to help my profile get found, it's essential…
