Woohoo!
Woohoo! My photo won 3rd place in the July Contest. Yeah.. there's more where that came from - I'm sure.
One Night Stand Revenge
A friend of mine had a one night stand with a guy she met through friends. Yeah.. we've all done it. She doesn't do it very often so had trouble reconciling with the idea that it was just one night. And naturally, the guy turned out to be a jerk who sent her mixed signals; calling her and inviting her out but not showing up, not texting her back, and then texting her from another country. So in her anger and frustration she sent him this hilarious questionnaire.
1) When do you think it is appropriate to respond to emails?
a) Within 24hrs
b) After 2 weeks
c) While you are on vacation
d) Never
e) All of the above except a)
2) When do you respond to a text message?
a) After hanging out on the beach
b) Depending on what the subject is
c) Before Sex
d) 4th of July
e) All of the above
3) What is the right thing to do after a one night stand?
a) Make plans for the following week
b) Make sure you can’t get access to any private or public transportation
c) Take a long nap
d) Text the next day to explain yourself
e) All of the above
4) What do you say when you call after 2 weeks later, while you are on vacation?
a) Hope you're having a good summer
b) I don’t really know what to say
c) I don’t even know why I made this phone call
d) It's weird but I will leave her a message after all
e) All of the above
5) When you say you will call in a couple of days, what is going through your head?
a) couple = more than 2 days
b) few = at least 3 days
c) week = not sure
d) month = too many days to count… forget it
e) hmmm… did I really made that call?
Social Network
This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing two awesome movies, Inception and Salt. The trailers looked just as good. Especially this one - maybe it's the music but it totally gave me the chills. Yeah, it's probably the music which I'm downloading as we speak - Creep (live) by Scala & Kolacny Brother. Enjoy.
Dating = Energy
My friend and I had a four hour "conversation" via email yesterday (34 emails in total!) about the time and energy that dating takes out of us. I'm not even looking for anything right now because I could be across the country in a few months.. but alas.. somehow I fell into dating and all the stress that comes with it.
"A" commented that, "we put so much effort, time, and brainpower into thinking about the opposite sex - whether dating, trying to have sex, flirting, hooking up, etc. I wonder what people our age who are married or in long term relationships think about and use all that excess energy on."
To which I responded that they put all that excess energy into planning dinner parties and telling their single friends to stop looking/thinking about finding someone because they'll find them when they least expect it.
What do you think?
In other news - I've decided that my problem is that I get enamored with the idea of someone before I've really evaluated if we have a connection; i.e. the idea of dating an artist, or a writer, or a former musician, or a computer geek. Totally lame. I know. I do, however, try to stay open minded and don't turn down guys just because they don't fit my mold - if I even have a mold. Yeah, speaking of energy, I was totally putting all my energy into other things besides men for a bit. I'll work on getting back into that zone soon before I get too side tracked.
Exercise Adventure - LITA Movement
Hello! This morning I took my first official LITA Movement class at SPiN New York. I took a 45 minute class that started at 10 and included fairly simple exercises that had a big impact - proof that you don't need fancy, expensive equipment to achieve an effective workout. But you definitely need someone to show you how to do the moves. Being slightly off with one angle or body part can render an exercise completely ineffective. I've known the founder, Karen Nuccio, for a few years now through Crunch. She has great energy and you can tell she genuinely cares about her clients. She also knows her shit. She let me take a class for free for a variety of reasons.At 11, she offers a 25 minute abs and stretch class that I took as well. She has three instructors in each class (I believe) so you can get some major one on one. Karen helped me stretch instead of just instructing me what to do. So you're getting the attention of a personal trainer for only $10 in this class! In all honesty, the classes were challenging but because they were mostly strength training, I didn't even break a sweat. You can wear yoga clothing and go barefoot, making it the perfect quick workout before work. I know I sound like I'm selling this.. cause I am. Iz good! The 45 minute classes are only $20 each. It sounds pricey but many moves had the same impact as Core Fusion for a fraction of the price. I'm going to try not to disregard the fact that for a while, I was only going to Crunch once a week - bringing my spinning class to $20 a class. Hmm. Puts things in perspective. Anyway, check out their website for more information. This is going to be big so reserve your spot now before classes fill up.
Happy Monday!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8WiyX21A1c&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1&w=640&h=385]
Fitness Friday
Yesterday, I had to meet someone downtown so I figured I'd get my workout over with at the Union Square Crunch since I prefer it to the-all-underground 59th street location. The plan was to go for a casual workout which usually translates to an ineffective, 30 minute lame run and 15 minutes on the machines. Instead, I stayed for about 2 hours, probably burned about 500 calories and had a super intense workout. Roar. First, I took Tread N' Shed with Tomas, a half hour interval workout on the treadmill. It started out with some serious inclines, like the kind you wouldn't normally subject yourself to. The biggest challenge was going sideways at a low speed but with an increasing incline.
After dripping in sweat along with the other 3 brave souls in the mini class, I was encouraged to try Tomas' next class; BOING with Kangoo. What the?! It's a roller blade boot attached to a circular, spring like contraption that involves jumping in various directions for an hour. I can proudly say that I did not fall on my ass or even come close. Tomas has great energy and obviously enjoys teaching the class. It's not something I'd do every week because it doesn't seem great for my joints in the long run, but is a decent (and way healthier) alternative to a night of dancing in da' clubs. Hello adrenaline. As I jumped this way and that to re-mixed Michael Jackson and C&C Music Factory, admiring my seemingly taller and thinner physique (thanks to the added 6 inches of boot), I began to think - wouldn't I enjoy life as a gay male out on the club scene.... Anyway, now that I have more time, my goal is to try different classes at Crunch and I'll report back!
I don't know why it took me so long to get back into my workout routine - but I'm there! Recap: Monday took two back to back spin classes. Wednesday took Core Fusion at Exhale Spa. And tomorrow I'm taking my first class with LITA Group. A free outdoor class in various parks. Oh yeah, and all that doesn't include miles of walking and the usual 5 flights of stairs to my apartment!
Cheers! Next time you're bummed, may I remind you of the positive, endorphin inducing effects of exercise!
Music Mondays
Happy Monday! I finally sent off an application that's been taking up loads of my time so I'll have more time to post. I'll let ya'll know what it is when I (hopefully) get in. I also got my lease extended another month which is a huge relief. Otherwise I would have had to look for a place not knowing if I got into this program that starts in October. So I've learned to take things one day at a time (again) because you never know what the next day may bring. And in this case, things actually went my way.
Saturday evening I went to my spin class, then sat around Union Square killing time before seeing Eclipse (!!!!!!) with my roommate. Wow, maybe I shouldn't have admitted that. But it was entertaining non the less. I took this fairly crappy video of this entertaining street performer. His best line was that we should give him lots of dough because his mom thinks he's a lawyer. In an effort to showcase some of my favorite music, I decided to make a very quick video. To my surprise, they synced up perfectly. Check it. It's set to "The Hustle" by Night at the Box.
Union Square Street Performer from Molly A on Vimeo.
Web Wandering Wednesdays
I went to my third New York Tech Meetup last night. Nothing entirely revolutionary but I'll definitely be signing up to the dating site How About We. Already got good reviews from a friend of mine and was written up in the New York Times. Just had the classic - saw pictures of my ex with another girl on vacation in a foreign country - experience. Oy vey. Only mere months after we broke up. So yeah.. if my life wasn't so up in the air about now, I'd say a good round of dating would be a great idea. Maybe I'll try it anyway :)
New York Is a Very Small Island
Okay.. It's come to this. Another "it's a small world post." On Saturday, I went to a World Cup Soccer game party at a bar in the West Village. I was invited by a friend of a friend - someone I had just met a week earlier through (try to follow me here) my ex boyfriend of 4 yrs ago's, friend's ex girlfriend. Even though my friend wasn't going, I figured I'd keep with my "When in doubt, go out" motto of meeting new people. I noticed, oddly enough that on the guest list, there was a girl I met a few months ago at a bar and became friends with because we're in the same industry. Small world. Then while I was watching the game, I noticed someone who looked like some guy I went to high school with. Actually my sister's good friend's brother. Finally, I got up the nerve to talk to him and it turned out it was him! And he works in advertising. Small world. He actually thought I looked exactly like my sis. I guess people think that if we're not together. Small world.
Then last night, I went to an Advertising Club of New York panel discussion. I was sitting down, waiting for it to start when a girl came up to me, asking if I was at the event alone. Hmm.. yes I was. So she sat next to me and introduced herself. Fast forward to this morning. My friend Gchatted me and mentioned her roommate was at the event. She knew I was there because of my FourSquare. She said her name and I described the girl sitting next to me. Same person. Holy cow. Small world.
The end.
Music and Images
For the last few days, I've been trying to find the right music to put in the background of a photo slide show I made for this application. One of the biggest struggles is to prevent myself from choosing the music just because I like it. Or the music makes me happy.. motivated, etc. So I thought - hey, why not make a slide show with music I like on my blog. Here it goes. This first video was made sometime during the winter (wow - feels so far away) using video I shot on my iPhone at a Body & Soul party. The song is Mr. McGee by Zero 7 off of their latest album. I kind of lucked out in that the flashing lights matched the music.
Music Video from Molly A on Vimeo.
Exercise Advice: I should be sleeping... but I'm posting
My sister sent me a great list by Forbes of top 100 Website for women. So I've been going through the list. I don't usually share exercise advice. Not entirely sure why. Mainly cause I rarely do anything nowadays beyond walking up 5 flights of stairs multiple times a day and my ridiculously hard spinning class.. but found this on a great site: Jane Has a Job.
Got Only 30 Minutes at the Gym? Here’s How to Make the Best of It
[Ed.: This workout comes from a real, live personal trainer. Don't worry, it's not from me -- I don't think anyone would ever mistake me for a fitness expert.]
It’s easy to convince yourself to skip a workout, especially when it’s just one. The thing is, usually that one will turn into another, until eventually you’ve missed a whole week or month of fitness.
One of the number one reasons that people give me when they’re rationalizing their infidelity to health is their lack of time. I’m going to kill that excuse for you right now and give you a fast fat-burning workout to kick your results into high gear.
The best thing you’re going to hear in this whole post is that to get a nicely toned body you don’t have to do any cardio at all. None. Without getting into the complicated bioenergetics too much, doing resistance training burns way more fat than cardio does.
Now I know exactly what you’re thinking, “but I always bulk up when I do weights!” There are a few reasons that you’ve bulked up in the past, but the workout I’m going to show you at the end of this post won’t make you bulk up.*
*Note: Everyone will “bulk up” for the first 2-4 weeks when starting a new resistance program; it’s your muscles defending themselves. That means stick with it past 2-4 weeks, and the swelling will go down.
Let’s get back to that whole cardio thing. Conventional wisdom is that 1 hour of cardio with a few hand weights and ab exercises will get you fit. While you may burn more calories during a workout like that, the benefits pretty much stop right after. With a workout that gets your heart rate up by incorporating resistance training you can increase your metabolism for up to 72 hours. Pretty sweet, right?
On top of that it’s nearly impossible to keep up the intensity of these kinds of workouts for an hour, meaning that you can get everything done in a half hour (or even 10 minutes if that’s all you’ve got). No more “I don’t have time” excuse.
No boring cardio. Awesome results.
Without further ado here’s that workout I promised.
Results-Oriented Workout in 30 Minutes or Less
Perform each of these exercises back to back for as much time as you have, or up to 30 minutes. Take breaks when you have to, and do the first round of each exercise at an easy pace to allow your body to warm up.
1. Lunges – complete 10 on each leg
2. Push-ups (yes, knee push-ups are okay) – complete 10
3. Squats – complete 10
4. Plank (like a push-up, only you’re on your elbows and you don’t move) – hold for as long as you can. Here’s an example from YouTube, but hold it for longer than she counts.
5. Squat thrusts (squat down to the ground, jump your legs back to a push-up position, do a push-up, jump back to the low squat, jump in the air) – Complete 10. Here’s a good example with some progressions.
A quick word of caution: Don’t go beyond your limits! This workout is for those who have consulted with their doctors.
You can do this kind of workout on non consecutive days (Mondays and Wednesdays, for example), and you can also substitute or add other exercises — just make sure that they are big movements like squats or push-ups.
Kian is an A.C.E. certified Personal Trainer, STOTT Trained Pilates instructor, and is finishing his masters in Kinesiology. He made his transition from “fat kid” to fitness professional, and it’s his passion to help as many people as possible reach their fitness goals. He is currently the owner of Ameli Training in Concord CA, and runs a health and fitness blog at www.amelitraining.com.
Friday Morning Inspiration - Scott Belsky
I wanted to share with my readers one of the most inspirational, informative talks I saw during Internet Week New York a few weeks ago. Part One:
Scott Belsky, from the creative network Behance and author of "Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming Obstacles Between Vision and Reality" spoke about idea generation and actually working on ones creative endeavors. He studied people who make ideas happen and how they push them to fruition; Google, writers, photographers, etc. And he realized the success of the idea has nothing to do with how great the idea is. Wouldn't it be cool if our society was an "Ideatocracy," he asked. For example, you'd never see a bad movie again. But obviously that's not the case so he spoke of the creative process and how to complete a project.
Most people get a project plateau right after the initial idea realizing they have to actually execute it. The biggest problems is that we're in a "reactionary workflow" constantly inundated with communication. We're constantly reacting to emails, Tweets, status updates, etc. instead of our own work. Ignore the clutter. Set aside time (use a timer) where you're off the internet or can discipline yourself NOT to check it.
Scott says meetings are usually called by top people who are insecure about where they are in the process. Ha! He advises every meeting to have an "action step." Cancel weekly status meetings. Do meetings while standing up so people are less likely to chit chat.
Ponderings
In other news - my lease is up at the end of July. Not sure what my roommate and I are doing in terms of apartments. I'm applying to a 3 month program in San Francisco that doesn't start until October but I won't find out if I've gotten in until Mid-August. Options are - sign another lease with my roommate some place in the dreaded "Uptown." Find a cheap month to month sublet probably in Brooklyn or Downtown. Or.. eek. Live with my parents for 2 months. Part of me wants to live with them just so I can watch True Blood and Madmen right when it airs. Saw two back to back episodes of True Blood last night while in Schmersey and I'm hooked again...
Only In New York... Or Hollywood?
This evening, I was sitting outside the cafe across from my apartment in an empty chair surrounded by two older men (regulars). I had 15 minutes to kill before meeting a friend for dinner. A slightly younger man, probably in his late 40's, energetically greeted them and pronounced that he was just at the Tony's, proudly displaying his picture of Scarlett Johansson on the red carpet. He went on to tell them about various celebrity gatherings and I added that I heard Scarlett sang karaoke at the Cornerstone Tavern on 51st and 2nd avenue on Sunday. Eventually I couldn't resist and asked him how he managed to have all these celebrity filled adventures. He told me that he was the son of a famous iconic advertising character (will not mention who just in case he's legit) and that he has a charity that introduces him to all these people.
The next thing I knew, there were random drops of water coming from above the awning. The regular informed us a crazy man living above Java Girl, on the 6th floor of course, frequently poured water on the patrons because he was annoyed they were so loud. I told the crew about my crazy man who lived above me on the 6th floor and my flooding issue. Wow.. weird similarity. And then.. the next thing I knew.. there was smoke coming from two buildings away from the cafe. Total classic bystander phenomenom. About ten of us stood there wondering if someone should stop their conversation and call 911 but then realized the fire department was already on their way. Our focus came back to the conversation. Old Hollywood glamour guy who informed us that his book was about to get published and had the seal of approval from Oprah. So he was going to go from total obscurity to celebrity come the holidays and the book is named after a Rennaissance Italian artist. "Has he ever been to Florence?" I ask.. and so the conversation continues. Finally, it is time for me to go - to which he proclaims that "that's what these young girls do - you fall in love with them and then they leave."
End Scene. Just a typical day in New York City.
Urggggggg
So I was sitting in my apartment, minding my own business.. actually focused and getting work done.. when the police knock on my door. Long story short, apparently someone accused us (our apartment) of throwing Oscar out of the window because of the way he fell. So now I know officially that he squeezed out of a 2 inch open window in the living room - jumping on the windowsill that night even though he's never done that before. I know that however he fell, he somehow leaped. There's a cord hanging in front of that window. My guess is that he was chasing birds or something and somehow decided to squeeze himself under the window to latch on and attack the cord. It's been over a week and while I'll never "get over it" I was attempting to move in. Now I have a detailed visual of exactly what happened, am thinking about it when I shouldn't be.. and to sum it up - This sucks. Blah.. it's not reaaaallly time to get out of this apartment.
On the bright side - it's good to know that there are specific ASPCA police and that they take animal abuse very seriously. I'm sort of shaking right now.. Maybe time for an outdoor run?
How To Make Your Personal Brand Visible With Social Media
PDRTJS_settings_649365_post_5608 = { "id" : "649365", "unique_id" : "wp-post-5608", "title" : "How+To+Make+Your+Personal+Brand+Visible+With+Social+Media", "item_id" : "_post_5608", "permalink" : "http%3A%2F%2Fjeffbullas.com%2F2010%2F06%2F09%2Fhow-to-make-your-personal-brand-visible-with-social-media%2F" }Personal branding is a relatively new concept and is thought to have emerged in 1997 after a ground breaking article was published on the Fast Company website by Tom Peters.
We are in the age of the ‘knowledge worker‘ and the days of being an anonymous cog in the wheel of a faceless corporation are fast disappearing. The opportunity to stand out as a personal brand without having to know a politician, grey and grizzled powerbrokers or gnarly gatekeepers is now a reality and it is possible to accelerate the time it takes to make it happen.
Firstly what are the key elements and the questions that we need to consider to become a visible and effective personal brand.
1. What makes you different?
What is it that makes my product or service does, that makes it different? The challenge is to state that in 15 words or less and it needs to light up the eyes of a prospective client.
Here some questions to ask and honestly answer to help you with this task.
- What makes you distinctive from your competitors?
- What have you done lately.. this week.. last month to stand out?
- What would your colleagues or your customers say is your greatest and clearest strength? Your most noteworthy personal trait?
- Just like a corporate brand what features do I offer that yields an identifiable and distinguished benefit for my client or customer. An example is how some companies pride themselves on offering lavish personal service, complete your projects on budget
- What do I do that adds remarkable measured distinguished distinctive value?
- What do I do that that I am most proud of or I unabashedly brag about or shamelessly take credit for?
Finally you need to ask a rather brash question ‘What do I want to be famous for? This questions are to get you focussed on what you as a personal brand are about…once you have that clear then you take the nest step.
2. How Do you Market ‘You’ the Brand
Ten or Twenty years ago it was a much more difficult proposition and it could have involved a range of offline networking opportunities such as.
- Signing up for an extra project inside your organisation to to showcase your skills or develop new ones that grew your personal brand.
- Freelancing to a new group of people that could spread the word about how remarkable you are.
- Teach class at a local community
- Contribute to a column in your local newspaper
- Write an article for the company newsletter
- Make yourself available for a panel discussion in your industry
- Put yourself forward for a presentation in your area of expertise whether that be within your company or an external association
You need to remember that with this personal visbility campaign is that it ‘all’ matters. Everything you do communicates the value and character of your brand. This about not just about substance but style.
In 2010 you have at your fingertips the tools and social media platforms to leverage yourself into high personal brand visbility at digital nanosecond speed and here are some of the social networking channels that are most important to help you achieve that. You don’t need to be on all of these but choose the ones you ae most comfortable with but the more you are on the easier it is to get found.
What is important to remember is that it is now a digital web world so if you are not on the web you are fast becoming invisible. So here are the core channels for promoting brand ‘You’.
1. Blog or Website with a domain name that is either your own name or a ‘Brandable’ version of it
This is your personal homebase that becomes your personal brands portal. It could be a website or a blog but my personal preference is for a blog as it seems more personal and authentic as it allows interaction with your readers and visitors to the site that a website doesn’t provide. If you are not comfortable with your personal name being so visible.. and some people are not comfortable with that, another option is to get a vanity URL that encapsulates what you are about. eg Personalbrandingblog.com (Dan Schwabel)
2. LinkedIn
This is essential but here are a few elements that are crucial
- Make your profile public
- Ensure that youset up your other online web channels on your profile such as your blog, Facebook and your company’s site ( you are allowed three on LinkedIn)
- Set up your Twitter account feeding into the account page as well as your blog feed. These are all visible and easily set up on your LinkedIn homepage profile
From there you can start participating on LinkedIn in Groups and the Question & Answer features. That will get you started. You need to keep in mind the importance of this channel as the demographic includes an average salary of LinkedIn member is $130,000 plus and currently there are 60 million members globally.
3. Facebook
This social media platform cannot be ignored with nearly half a billion members and has become the ‘elephant in the room’ or the ’800 pound gorilla’ of social media. There are privacy challenges but it can be used to engage with people and increase your visibility and make you real. One way to look at Facebook is that it is more like a barbeque where you turn up in Jeans and a t-shirt, whereas LinkedIn is the company cocktail party
4. YouTube
As the newer generation are much more video centric and would rather watch a 5 minute online video than read a page of text this a social media channel that I would recommend you start becoming familiar with. It is great site for uploading your videos that have recorded your speaking events or your panel sessions. If people are looking for speakers and you have an easily found and distributed recording of your presentations then you are much more likely to be hired for a gig.
The other benefit of YouTube is that it much easier to rank high and be found online in YouTube with a video search than Google. You also need to keep in mind that it is the second largest serach engine after Google.
5. Twitter
Register your name ‘NOW’ .. if it is still available!! Twitter is not about ‘I am having a coffee with Bill’ but it is one of the most effective platforms the world has ever to distribute content (blogs, videos, presentations, music and images) and promote a brand whether that be corporate or personal.
These are just the basics on the channels and how you should be using them for your personal brand, optimising your social media platforms to get your personal brand highly visible requires constant fine tuning and tweaking.
What have you done to promote “Your” brand?
I Guess I Sort of Love New York Again
I wanted to thank everyone again for their kind words and support. Yesterday was ROUGH but I'm lucky that I live close enough to my family that I was able to spend time with them. Oscar is now resting next to my childhood cats in my parent's backyard. I still miss him and think about him but know it will take time to move on. I'm glad I'm leaving this apartment soon. Thomas is sitting on my lap as I write this, more loving and cuddly than ever. I hope he's okay. Oscar pretty much annoyed the crap out of him for the most part but I'm sure he loved him anyway just like I did.
I'm not religious but the pastor of the church I attend twice a year is extremely interesting, insightful and intelligent so I was thinking of stopping by his office to discuss my thoughts over the last few days. As I was exiting the subway at 53rd and Lex, I ran into him. We talked about Oscar and loss.. and forgiveness. And I asked him if in his experience speaking with people who are going through hardships - if he thought everything happens for a reason. His response was that he doesn't think that's the case but that we can learn from our experiences no matter what. So I guess I've learned that you can never be too careful, that my friends, family and community will be there for me when things go seriously sour and.. I learned what it's like to experience loss and get through it. My pastor said that in his 61 years on this earth, he feels that our current time has been the hardest in history - economically, politically and environmentally and that it's okay to feel down but that we'll get through it. I guess it was upsetting to hear that but I also felt relieved with the knowledge that things have to get better in the world.. and that perhaps I will only experience this time of overall suckiness once in my lifetime.
On a lighter note - updates and re-caps of Internet Week New York to come soon. But I just wanted to get back to my old - funny - lighthearted self for one moment and share the first "I Love NY moment" I've had since I've been back from Colorado. While walking from the F train to the L train at 14th street, two young guys serenaded me with Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" for a whole block under ground. It was ridiculous and embarrassing but how can I not let a flattering, funny situation like that make my day?
Marketing and Social Media Advice from Natasha Attal via Marketing by Deepak
I came across this interview on my friend Natasha's site. Actually, Natasha and I met via the internet after both attending an event during Social Media week. Isn't Social Networking grand? I thought she gave some valuable advice on marketing ones blog and using social media. I recognized when I met her that she seemed ambitious and savvy then went from just starting a blog to starting her own company in a few months. Very impressed.
Here's the interview via Deepak Gupta:
About Natasha Attal
This is an interview with Natasha Attal, social media and inbound marketing consultant with Composure Marketing. She blogs on the company website about inbound marketing strategies and ways to leverage social media networks to help businesses expand their presence online. She can be found on Twitter @NatashaAttal or you can email her directly at Natasha@composuremarketing.com.
What did you do before becoming a social media marketing consultant and how did you get into that industry?
I started working as a Marketing and Sales Associate at a commercial real estate brokerage firm after graduating from NYU and developed a strong interest in the marketing side of the position. Whether you are marketing a building for sale or a product or service, the same rules typically apply – focus on the strengths of what you are selling and constantly find creative ways to reach out to your target audience. After several years working in commercial real estate, I found myself interested in how social media could impact the businesses I worked for and assisted various companies in the integration and implementation of social networking sites. I eventually started consulting full time and starting my company, Composure Marketing, to expand my outreach to different industries.
What tools of the trade do you use throughout your typical day and how do they help?
I have used Twitter and LinkedIn significantly to grow my business and reach out to industry professionals and clients. Twitter offers a valuable resource for people and companies to connect with other like-minded individuals. LinkedIn has also been a great tool in that you can follow Groups of interest and engage in conversations either through group discussions or the Q&A feature. These sites can only be effective if you truly network with people and connect further. The most valuable relationships I have built on these social networks have been when I took the additional step and called the people I have “met” online to learn more about them and their business.
I cannot help notice how many people call themselves social media experts. Are they just throwing the title around or are there really that many experts out there today?
I cringe when clients call me their “social media guru” or “expert” because I just don’t like the term. I am constantly learning about the social media landscape and it encompasses so many different networks – is it really possible for one to be an expert in using all these sites? I have a hard time believing that. What I do know is that when I work with a client I focus on one thing: their goal in entering social media or expanding their involvement and finding a strategy that will allow them to reach their target audience. I rather call myself a social media evangelist than a guru or expert. The term has been overused and does not carry much power anymore.
Some of our readers are up and coming social media “experts.” What advice can you give them and how can they get that seal of approval of becoming an expert in the industry?
Follow the “right” people and companies that you can learn from – Some social media blogs to read include Jeff Bullas, Mike Volpe, Altitude Branding, Outspoken Media, and Pamorama. Other great resources are the Hubspot.com and Radian6.com. They offer a multitude of social media guides and often post interesting case studies to review. Hubspot offers a 16-hour course through their Inbound Marketing University and it covers topics ranging from SEO and blogging to social campaigns and tracking engagement.
Comment on blogs – This is a great way to leave comments and establish yourself as a valuable voice in the industry. Don’t leave comments that say “great post” or “good information. Thanks.” Leave comments with more valuable content that will allow people to see that you have interesting insights to share. This will allow you to connect with the blogger and his/her readers.
Read Books – If you want to learn about social media and inbound marketing strategies you should read books on a regular basis. There is always more to learn as social media changes daily. Three books that I have found useful include the following:
- The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott
- Social Media Metrics: How to Measure and Optimize Your Marketing Investment by Jim Sterne
- Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs by Brian Halligan & Dharmesh Shah
What kind of tips do you have in writing stories for our Readers?
The biggest misconception about blogging is that you have to be a writer. The truth is that you don’t have be a journalist to blog and share your opinion. My biggest tip to your readers is to be authentic and write what they are passionate about. They should engage with their readers and post topics that ask questions and make their audience think. The title of the article or blog post is also very important – make sure it has the necessary keywords and will catch someone’s eye. People scan their social network and blog feeds quickly and will on read your post if it grabs their attention. Numbered lists and question topics are quite popular and make it easy on the reader to read in a streamlined fashion.
Posted by Deepak Gupta.