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HOW TO… USE SOCIAL NETWORKING, PART 1

by | Nov 7, 2010 | Hints and Tips | 0 comments

By CLAIRE CHAPMAN

In these difficult times coaches need to stay on top of their game – by keeping ahead of the curve. Social networking is the perfect vehicle – constantly updated, highly visible, of the moment and, most importantly, free

In coaching IT seems there is always something new to learn. There are updates in professional standards, new tools and techniques, and interesting sounding training courses – never mind any changes to your niche industries/services. It’s more important than ever that we leverage our time and financial resources to stay ahead of the curve.

Social networking is one way you can develop your knowledge without financial investment. Be selective – it needn’t take as much time as you think.

Stay ahead of the curve

As a coach you already know the importance of setting the right goal. Ask yourself what curve you want to stay ahead of, why, and whether social media is appropriate. Then do your research. Here are some of the key areas where social media can help:

  • Keeping up to date with what’s happening in the coaching industry
  • Keeping up to date with changes and news from key relationships and influencers
  • Keeping up to date with your niche such as financial services or IT
  • Putting yourself ahead of your competition by building visibility and credibility

Fatal flaw

  • Not creating this clear goal to start with. It’s easy with social media to jump from one piece of information to another, without stopping to consider how it is really serving you.

Be selective

Start with just one of the key areas listed earlier to see how it works for you. Being selective is about making smarter choices. If you are just starting to use social media in your marketing, be selective about your learning process. Try just one tool, for a set period, say two months, to see how it works for you.

Do some research before you get started. Decide whether you’re seeking information (media), such as articles, blog information, or updates, or want to stay ahead of the curve in terms of what key people are doing (networks).

Make it work

  • Ask your audience. Find out what social media tools they are already using. www.surveymonkey.com will help you do this. Or search for them using LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Bear in mind that many professionals lock down their Facebook accounts to their professional connections.
  • Use the resource suggestions in this article to help you prioritise finding news and updates from people, depending on your priorities.
  • Put your best self out there by creating your own profiles Make it easy for people to recognise you, whether commenting on blogs, present on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

Fatal flaws

  • Spending all your time wading through information with no purpose. Use an alarm or egg timer to limit your time on social media.

Stay ahead using Twitter

Twitter is a micro-blog – a mini-update of 140 characters or less. Many who tweet share links to useful information – either their own content, or useful sites they have found. These are shared via links, which are usually shortened to fit into the 140 character limit. You can also share your own blog posts.

Twitter for news

  • Use Twitter Search to look for keywords about the news you want to see. You’ll find tweets about your subject. You can follow, retweet or have a conversation with the tweeters.Another tool, Social Oomph, mentions keywords you are interested in.
  • Click through to interesting links or comment to build relationships.

Twitter for people

  • Use both the tools to check out which people are having those conversations, so you can start following them and stay up to date that way.
  • People’s LinkedIn profiles will often have a Twitter account listed that you can connect with and start following.
  • Twitter will suggest people for you to follow, based on those you are already following and connected with.
  • Set up your own lists to help you filter information. Use a third-party tool like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to set up a column to see the information. The easier you can see it, the more likely it is you can interact, both with the content and the person publishing it.

Fatal flaws

  • Twitter is probably the easiest social media platform to feel overwhelmed on (and to get sucked into spending lots of time on). Be clear about your goals, and limit your time. Recognise when you’re working, and when you have crossed over into social time.

Stay ahead with LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the platform for professional networking. The focus is on trusted connections, which is why LinkedIn will always ask you how you know the person you want to connect with. If you’re looking for other coaches, and professional people, then LinkedIn is great for building presence.

  • Create a strong presence with your profile. Make it more than just a CV or list of achievements, by sharing results with people you want to connect with. Have a purpose behind your presence.
  • Keep up with news by joining a few of the many groups on LinkedIn. Look out for regular volumes of discussion, and a good level of membership.
  • Use your home page to keep up to date with status updates of the people you are connected to.
  • Download LinkedIn’s social connector tool so you can see updates from your contacts, directly in Outlook.

Fatal flaws

  • Not putting time in to build up your profile and connections. The clearer you are about what you want, the more that will be reflected in your posts.

Building a presence is the first step, and responding and listening to information a great way to stay ahead of the curve.

The real results come when you start proactively sharing the resources and news of your network and creating action from the knowledge and relationships you started to build. n

Resources

About the author

Claire Chapman is a professional coach and the UK Social Media Coach. She offers training, coaching and brainstorming for business owners to create their own social networks. See www.twitter.com/coachclaire and free tips at www.uksocialmediacoach.co.uk

Coaching at Work, Volume 5, Issue 6

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