Linkedin

Regardless of what kind of profession you have, these days competition in the job market is higher than ever. With unemployment rate projected to rise in 2017 there is a need for that extra step in order to gain advantages for your Curriculum Vitae.

I sat down to speak with Laura K. Inamedinova, an independent PR and Branding consultant, Forbes & Huffington Post columnist, and she gave me some solid tips on how to get professional exposure.

Realize what your end goal is

“You can’t start a journey if you don’t know where you are going. The same goes with personal brand building.” – Laura states, “You need to make quantifiable objectives which you want to achieve.” This can be a certain position and your dream company, your face on the business magazine cover or keynote speech at the conference. This will make your life way easier as now you will be able to make smaller steps in order to reach the end goal. Also, your journey will be more consistent. “Only if you will have clear goals you can work faster towards them without taking any unnecessary roads.” – Laura adds.

Start online

The easiest way to start establishing yourself as an expert in particular field is to start building your online identity. Don’t forget that people love googling others. This can be done in various platforms, but Laura points out a few worth checking out:

• Linkedin. “I can’t believe that so many hard working friends of mine still don’t have Linkedin!” – Laura says. This is a number one website that you have to register to show off your professional accomplishments. There are many tips how to become a power user in Linkedin, so you better check any of those.
• Reddit. “Ask Me Anything” or AMA is probably one of the most known subreddits out there. This is a great way to boost your online reputation by answering questions about your expertise.
• Quora. “This is sort of similar case as Reddit, but on Quora you answer questions based on your knowledge. There were times when very good answers were later republished in big media outlets, so it is definitely a place to be.” – Laura states.

Attend meetups and workshops

When you created some kind of online presence, the next step is to gather as much credibility offline, as possible. Start with small local meetups or workshops, get to know the people in your field and try to present yourself and your background too. By gaining people’s trust you can offer yourself as a guest presenter. This is a great way to expand your professional network so that people would talk about you. “Also, those offline connections can easily be converted to online ones.” – Laura adds.

Get yourself quoted in media or speak in the conference

“After you have a splending online presence and quality contacts, look into your network and identify people who can help you make one step further. The next best step is to be quoted in one of the top media outlets or speak in the conference.” -Laura continues.
Try reaching out to the journalists and pitching them a story. Don’t forget that certain journalists write about certain things, so make sure that their swimlane meets your profile. The best way to send your message is a short email or a tweet. As for the conferences, find the key people who are responsible for speakers and pitch them your speech idea.

Be consistent

“In order to succeed in building your brand – consistency is the key.” – Laura states. “Make yourself to do a timeline on how many times per week/month you do certain things.” Most people try everything once and when they don’t see immediate value – they move on. Laura points out that this is the number one mistake that everyone makes: “You have to push yourself to make tweets every day, to attend all the meetups you can find and write as much emails as you can find. Trust me – maybe first 9 won’t answer, but the 10th will be your luck one.”

Social Networking Business and Human Services organizations all over the world try to look for different ways to improve and be successful. One of the ways organizations have been able to maintain success is by networking and linking themselves with similar organizations. A website that provides organizations with this type of networking is LinkedIn. In week two I was given the task to research and understand why such sites as LinkedIn help human service organizations stay connected with their professional community and other human service professionals.

In addition to researching how these sites enhance more quality services and support and how additional training keeps you up to date and competitive against other organizations. History of LinkedIn LinkedIn is a site used by business professionals all over the world. This site provides business professionals and other types of organizations the ability to exchange information and other networking types of opportunities. Created by five founders, LinkedIn’s website officially took off in 2003 (LinkedIn. com, 2012).

The five founders asked 350 of their closest contacts to join their site and within the first month had over 4500 members in the network (LinkedIn, 2012). By the end of 2003 they had over 81000 members and now present day has over 41 million members (LinkedIn, 2012). LinkedIn had a vision to redefine the social networking community and set a new standard. Considered by many to be the businessman’s Facebook, it continues to grow and help businesses to gain new opportunities through social networking. Using LinkedIn to Stay Connected

LinkedIn has provided human service organizations the ability to reconnect to past and present colleagues, which allows them to stay in constant touch. In addition, help them gain inside connections with similar types of organizations that enhance their growth and success. The network also provides similar organizations within their network to share advice and answer questions. Human Service organizations grow and remain successful by linking themselves, working together and gaining referrals from similar types of organizations.

Being tied into an online community helps an organization stay connected to other human service agencies and the ability to offer more types of support services. For example, one human service agency may provide speech and occupational therapy, where as their community link specializes in integration behavioral therapy, which their client needs. What then happens is a quality referral to that agency. These two organizations were able to work together, provide more services, all for the greater good of the client’s needs.

How it works is that an online user can search for an organization under the search tool. Once an organization is found the user could research statistics regarding the organization, location, and who runs it. The user can then ask to follow the organization and become a networking connection. Training Training and continuing education is an important aspect to any human service agency. Organizations need to be able to provide training opportunities to their employees to keep them up to date and remain competitive in their field.

New types of therapies and research are developed all the time and directors and employees need to be aware of them. Through LinkedIn and staying in touch within their online community, organizations can now attend approved training sponsored by different organizations. Some organizations can even upload the training online so that employees can do their continuing education hours without leaving the office. Sites such as NHS on LinkedIn have provided numerous human service organizations with online training, consulting, professional development, and human services training (NHS-LinkedIn. om, 2012). In addition to finding online training and development, employees can also look for employment for human service organizations through the LinkedIn community. Instead of putting an ad in the newspaper more organizations are looking to LinkedIn and other online sources to find knowledgeable and qualified employees. Technology Used to Stay Connected Some other ways that human services or other business organization use technology to stay connected to their business contacts and employees is by the internet and other social online networking websites.

Sites like Facebook and Twitter can be an essential tool in keeping contact and the ability to provide constant updates. My friend’s son attends a specialized Autism School in the Salinas area. The director has 2 offices in the San Luis Obispo area and one in the Stanford area. Although her job as director keeps her on the road visiting the different sites, there are times when she is unable to visit the area. She keeps in constant contact with the assistant director and employees by using Skype.

Skype is an online tool where you can have instant face- to- face chats and hold meetings without all being at the same place at the same time. This way she is always able to attend weekly meetings, get updates, and hold training sessions with her employees. This site has enabled her to grow her organization in different areas while not having to visit the site daily. Staying Connected to the Community If I was trying to find a way to stay connected to other human service professionals in my area I would turn to the internet in order to build and find online networks.

Sites such as LinkedIn would be perfect for my individual needs and allow me to build contacts while enabling me to advertise my organization. I would look to LinkedIn to help me build my online website. The purpose of this site is to allow registered users to follow your organization and become notified when other contacts or updates have been added like training, fundraisers, or networking opportunities. This can help me grow a professional contact list that I trust and find other business opportunities recommended by someone from another contact network.

Conclusion Social and online networking is an online platform that can be used to build contacts and other business opportunities. Sites such as LinkedIn, has given human services and other business organizations the ability to grow, keep in contact, and build relationships. Since 2003, LinkedIn has continued to be the number one site that businesses turn to in order to build their online community. Since that time LinkedIn has continued to improve their site by designing better applications to make building an online community easier.

Human Service organizations will do what they can in order to achieve their mission. Working together with other organizations is the key to building relationships, offer more support services, and provide quality referrals to their clients. References LinkedIn. com, (2012). Company history. Retrieved on October 25th, 2012 from http://press. linkedin. com/history/ NHS (2012). NHS management services. Retrieved on October 25th, 2012 from http://www. linkedin. com/company/nhs-management-services

Accenture Social Media Analysis MKT 436 Ian Cartmill Zach Crawford Edwin Huang Tyler Whitsett Introduction Accenture PLC is one of the leading consulting firms in the country and has developed an extensive social media platform to expand its reach in the business world. Accenture currently has a network of social media across many platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Through Facebook and Twitter, Accenture segments its markets by region, type of service, and career options by making a Facebook page or Twitter account exclusively for that market.

With Accenture’s YouTube page, a wide variety of videos ranging from video blogs to educational content on company growth. Finally, through LinkedIn, Accenture profiles its different services as well as connects with professionals who would be looking for their services. In addition to the traditional social media sites, Accenture operates many different applications through Facebook, iTunes, Google Play as well as its own online publication, Outlook. After a description, an analysis will be given to measure the performance of Accenture’s social media’s efforts.

Finally, recommendations will be given on how Accenture can improve their efforts to reach a wider audience. Social Media Description Accenture’s Facebook and Twitter presence is extremely large which is shown by the numerous pages on these sites. Currently, Accenture has over “40 different pages on Facebook and 30 different Twitter handles” (A1), each catering to a particular market. About half of these pages are targeted based on the region or country in order to provide information exactly aimed a country’s business environment.

Within each of the country’s pages, discussions and interactions occur with customers and users through contests, interviews, philanthropic endeavors in the region done by Accenture, and information the company provides on different industries. Usually the country’s page will display resume opportunity linksin order to keep acquiring new talent for the company. If career opportunities are not listed on this page, an individual career page is listed to provide information on career opportunities at Accenture in that region.

On Accenture’s main Facebook and Twitter pages, different examples of management, operations, marketing, and other strategies are presented so all customers can see the level of analysis they will receive from an Accenture team. Also, articles written by Accenture are shown on the pages that range from work events to in depth stories on industry trends constantly are posted weekly. Finally, the last sets of pages on Facebook and Twitter are used to provide customers with an in-depth look into the different services provided by Accenture.

For example, the Sustainability Services Facebook page provides links to articles and case studies on sustainability in a business in order to reduce cost and create efficiencies (http://www. facebook. com/accenturesustainabilityservices). They also engage their customers and users through surveys, games and other actions that keep users coming back to their page. In addition to Accenture’s Facebook and Twitter pages, YouTube and LinkedIn provide a unique and different way to reach out to their customers.

Through their YouTube account, Accenture is able to provide different types of new information to both current and potential new customers with its “251 videos” (A1). For example, a Capital Markets video blog is used to describe different topics related to capital markets and the process of managing the risks with them. In another set of videos, a video podcast shows different traits of a high performance business model that can be emulated by other companies.

All content that is put up on the YouTube account is used to attract new customers to what Accenture does and provide existing clientele insights as to how Accenture’s strategies can better their companies. This is a more casual look at Accenture’s customer attraction actions. For a more formal approach to gaining new customers and staying connected with current clients, LinkedIn is utilized. With LinkedIn, Accenture can professionally show their “core competencies as well as present customer recommendations and feedback” (LinkedIn). They also demonstrate their corporate culture through employee reviews and insight.

To go along with Facebook and Twitter, they also have a careers page to continue acquiring talent in every medium possible. Beyond the typical social media realms in which most companies are involved in, Accenture has also grown into new areas that differentiate themselves in the social media marketing. This is done through Accenture’s online journal, Outlook, and the development of apps to further their marketing efforts. Outlook provides a unique connection to existing and potential customers by giving articles that can be anything from industry specific trends or news to skill and service actions.

This demonstrates the level of expertise Accenture can provide to new customers, and assist in providing additional offerings to their current customers. Finally, after all traditional online forms of social media are exhausted; Accenture also provides many of the same marketing sites in the form of mobile apps for the iTunes and Google Play markets. This gives customers the ability to see all content and information on the go as most business people are. These applications include a mobile version of Outlook and other service specific applications (Google Play). Social Media Analysis

Although Accenture has tapped into the most popular social networks, they don’t utilize them to their full potential. Their main strength across the social networking platforms is the ability to reach current and potential customers, employees, future hires, students, and anyone who might be interested in what Accenture has to offer. An example is their applications through iTunes and Google play. On iTunes they “have 14 mobile apps and on Google Play they have 11 apps compared to Ernst & Young’s 6 apps on iTunes and 3 apps on Google Play” (A1). Some apps are duplicates; some are strictly for employees, while others are for the public.

The apps range from a National Postal Forum to Financial Services to Lux in Arcana. Since it is available on iPhone and Android platform, they are targeting the most popular smartphone users. Another metric to consider how large their social network presence is their main Facebook page, Accenture has over “145,000 likes compared to E & Y with 15,000 likes” (A1). With these many options and a well-known presence, they are able to increase their brand awareness and position themselves as knowledge experts in that field. Another strength Accenture has with their social platforms is that they are continuously adding content to them.

On their Twitter feed, they “tweet an average of 66 times a week along with additional links in the message compared to E & Y’s 20 tweets a week” (A1). On their Facebook , they post “39 times a week compared to E & Y’s 2 times a week” (A1). More tweets and posts, enables them the opportunity to be noticed more by the market. This is shown through how many Facebook users are talking about them. Accenture has over “2,000 users posting about them compared to E & Y’s 390 users talking about them” (A1). A weakness of their social networks is the lack of integration across the different platforms.

An example is their YouTube and Twitter page. In their description, it only provides a link to their home page instead of including their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes store, and Google Play. (About Accenture). After an analysis of their YouTube channel, we determined that they could include more in their descriptions by including a summary of the video, tags, and follow up information. They need to make it easier for users to dive further into Accenture if necessary. Another weakness of their social networking strategy is that it does not incorporate a form of a push/pull strategy.

Their current push strategy is not creating an atmosphere of a two way interaction. On their pages, they do not engage or follow up with the users to keep them coming back. Although they ask questions in their tweets, they are not going out of their way to search for potential topics they could enlighten a user about. From comparing Accenture’s social media networks to Ernst and Young’s networks, they both use the same platforms but Accenture has a larger social media presence with more content. In Twitter, Accenture has over 62,000 followers with over 5500 tweets compared to E & Y’s 37,000 followers and 2,600 tweets.

On LinkedIn, Accenture has over 600,000 followers with 179,000 employees on it compared to E & Y’s 364,000 followers and 114,000 employees on LinkedIn. Accenture has the most presence and content in every category except for the amount of YouTube videos they have. Accenture has 251 compared to E & Y’s 485. Managerial Recommendations The heart of a successful e-commerce strategy is the ability to attract and engage a potential customer by offering easy access to a variety of different information channels about your company.

Although Accenture offers many different informational channels that explain who they are and what services they can offer to potential clients, these channels are not easily accessible. When doing a simple search of Accenture on Google, you initially see a link to Accenture’s website along with a few key words with vague descriptions. In order for Accenture to attract and gain new clients they need to have access points to all of their different social networks.

These social media access points will allow Accenture to promote its marketing message to a larger business demographic who will feel more comfortable operating in one of these social media domains. Accenture also needs to do a better job at educating its customer base by explaining who Accenture is as a company and what kind of services they offer to potential clients. As it stands now customers who go on Accenture’s company website have to navigate through web page after web page to find a simple description on which the company is and what services they offer.

Accenture’s homepage is full of key words and links to other parts of the company’s website. I would recommend that the include information on value added services that would differentiate itself for competitors. Accenture should elaborate on its many value added services that it has done in the past on projects that reduced cost, improved performance, innovative features, speed responsiveness and customization. These value added services will not only attract and sustain customers it will also help Accenture’s bottom line by causing customers to pay a higher premium for services rendered.

Since most of the services that Accenture offers to its customers are intangible they need to do a better job at trying to make their services feel more tangible, instead of just offering detailed, long worded business plans and short, non-descriptive statements on services provided. Accenture could further demonstrate services that they provided to past customers through cost savings graphs, efficiency improvement charts, and customer testimonials. Also, to reduce customer uncertainty and address any questions a potential customer might have I would recommend that Accenture have a live web assistant messaging service on their home page.

This service would allow the customers to speak in real time to a customer service representative. These simple tweaks to Accenture’s homepage will reduce some of the unknowns and risk that all customers undoubtedly face when searching for a new company to do business with. In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of B2B marketing Accenture should adopt a CRM system like its lead competitor Ernst & Young did to manage its client customer base.

Ernst & Young adopted a CRM software called Aprimo to perform the following functions: targeted direct e-mails, ongoing lead management, inbound interactions via Web form submission, Webcast registration and follow-up, and project management (task assignment and follow-up) for their national and regional marketing teams (Shadick, 2012). Many of the components of the information within Ernst & Youngs Aprimo CRM system are shared with customer relationship departments within the firm.

For example, opportunities are collected from events, tradeshows, sponsorships, webcast and direct communications, which are then distributed to the appropriate individuals for follow-up (Shadick, 2012). With the adoption of CRM systems like Aprimo, Accenture would have real-time access to client’s interest and inquires allowing them to tailor their response to new and existing client’s needs. Conclusion In Conclusion Accenture is a very dynamic B2B company that utilizes virtually all of the media outlets available to educate and attract new customers.

Accenture’s B2B marketing campaign is unique in the fact that it leverages its current ongoing business initiatives with its own customer base through an online Journal called: Outlook. This journal boldly talks about what Accenture is doing now and in the future for its client base. This and many other creative marketing/informational channels that Accenture has created brings assurance and a sense of trust to customers who are uncertain with partaking in a service that really doesn’t produce a tangible outcome and cost thousands, if not millions, of dollars to perform. Works Cited Shadick, David (2011).

Ernst & Young Better Manages B2B Marketing with Aprimo Marketing, Sun. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://www. information-management. com/issues/20030301/6410-1. html>. “Services. ” Linkedin n. pag. LinkedIn. Web. 17 Nov 2012. <http://www. linkedin. com/company/accenture/products? trk=tabs_biz_product>. “Apps by Accenture. ” Google play n. pag. Google play. Web. 17 Nov 2012. <https://play. google. com/store/apps/developer? id=Accenture&hl=en>. “Accenture. ” About Accenture n. pag. YouTube. Web. 17 Nov 2012. <https://www. youtube. com/user/Accenture>. Appendix A1 – Social Network Metrics

Utilizing Online Social Networking Sites Paper Class: BSHS/352 Technology is constantly expanding and making it easier and more convenient to communicate and network with individuals and various organizations that we may not otherwise of had the opportunity to connect with. One area of technology that is growing at a fast rate and offering individuals and businesses, rather it be their professional life or personal the opportunity to make lasting connections is social networking sites. Social networking has become an excellent tool for businesses and individuals to connect and share information that can prove vital to their business.

Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are becoming popular and are an effective way to grow your business whether it is through networking with similar organizations and getting beneficial information from them or expanding your cliental by reaching out to those who may need or want your services. LinkedIn has become a vital tool used by the working professional, assisting them with making connections or linking up with other working professional to share what work and what doesn’t work as well as connecting them with local or online support groups or networking groups.

Members of LinkedIn are able to create a profile that gives a detail list of their educational background as well as their work experience. Users are able to browse the social networking site to view the profiles of other individuals, organizations, or companies within their field and follow the organization of choice and their postings. My ultimate dream is to create a nonprofit organization that is geared toward targeting at risk youth and their families.

The whole concept is to help the whole family and not just focus your attention on the youth that may be having emotional or behavioral issues but offer mental and emotional support for the entire family, implementing various programs and workshops that will assist the entire family in growing, working, and playing together. Networking sites like LinkedIn can prove to be vital as I take the steps necessary to make this dream a reality. As I was browsing through the site I came across a few groups in my local area that met up monthly for lunch to discuss the ideas and challenges of those looking to start a nonprofit.

I also took the time to search for companies or organizations that were geared toward working with and advocating for children. I was really quite excited to be able to look at their profile, view their web pages and doing so helped me to get some ideas and get my juices flowing. I have considered making connections with the various organizations I have seen on LinkedIn in hope that they could link me to information, people, and training opportunities that could possibly put me one step closer to my dream.

I am also interested in going to the next luncheon for nonprofit communicators in Raleigh just to get feedback regarding my idea and you never know someone at one of these luncheons could either help me get closer to making my dream a reality or can link me to an individual or organization who can. I have found sites such as LinkedIn can prove to be extremely beneficial in making lasting connections within the business community and it gives those with businesses the opportunity to link up with other businesses to get feedback, advice, and possibly connect you with someone who can help you take your organization or company to the next level.

This site also enables professionals to come together with the common ground of helping and motivating each other. Within the human service field this site can connect you to so many resources that can only assist in providing your clients with the ultimate experience. Having a site where human service workers from all fields and from all areas can come together online and share their experience, advice, and resources can prove to be helpful to the community as a whole.

LinkedIn not only connect likeminded people but it offers an opportunity to share information regarding training and workshops that could assist organizations in staying up to date with the latest software and/or regulations. Such training and workshops can keep your organization competitive and allows you to offer your clients the best possible service. The best way to keep any business or organization growing is to continue to gain knowledge in your particular field.

Always be willing and open to learning and growing, this is what the training and workshops are there for to assist businesses and organizations in improving their techniques and staying relevant and competitive. Sites such as LinkedIn can offer you the ability to gain knowledge and training from some very successful people. Human service workers who use online social networking sites such as LinkedIn can find being affiliated with professional groups and connections to offer more than just sharing experiences, advice, training, and connections to resources.

Another benefit to being a part of an online community such as LinkedIn is the ability to request referrals from the connections you met online. Users can also request sponsorships or recommendations from other users. Human service workers who are affiliated with sites such as LinkedIn may also be able to connect with local churches that could assist connecting the human service worker to the communities that need their assistance the most. Employers often look at profiles on these online social networking sites to assist them in finding employees as well.

Although social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn are excellent tools to stay connected to various resources there are other technical tools that can be used to expand and maintain your connections. Smartphones have proven to be a vital tool to use as well with various applications directed at making the life of professionals easier. The goal of a human service worker is to effectively and efficiently assist the client in improving their lives and often times this requires connecting them to other resources.

Social networking sites such as LinkedIn can assist human service workers in making numerous connections all at the touch of a mouse to various resources and training opportunities. Having online support that provide advice, training, and encouragement, of the human service worker can assist them in helping their clients meet their goals. Reference: 2012. LinkedIn. com. Retrieved from http//www. linkedin. com/home? trk_tab_home_top

How could these social networking sites be a threat to a company’s security? In today’s world it seems the human race could not live without information technology in the workplace. More importantly, social networks like Facebook and Twitter are becoming very popular tools for business development in today’s world. There are dozens of social network sites and more popping up every day. It is astounding the number of hours that people waste on such sites.

Updating, checking in and sending out bits and blurbs about every little aspect of one’s life seems cheap. More astounding than individuals wasting time on these things is that businesses are also wasting time on them. Actual megabuck businesses are in on the whole social networking shtick. The challenge for the business world is how to utilize these social networks effectively and safely. The value of social networks and how they can benefit businesses has been in question recently.

Also in question is do these social networks create a security risk with employees conveying possibly privileged information to a friend or relative through Facebook or Twitter. How does a company prevent potential security risks? They have to block social networking sites or grant limited access to specific departments. Metro Business College prevents students from accessing social networking sites on school computers but allows faculty and staff to access from their desk computers.

Metro’s reasoning is students should be at school to learn, not stare at Facebook all class period. The question then is not are these sights a security risk but rather are these sites a huge time suck for employees which creates a reduction in productivity? The biggest risk a company a company faces is how employees that utilize these sights can make their company look and what effects it could possibly have on their reputation. How social networking can tarnish the reputation of a company or enhance it. Unfortunately, there is a downside to social networking.

It is essentially an open forum and anyone can say and post anything on a company’s page. For the most part, it is potentially dangerous to a company’s reputation. Due to this fact, a company’s networking site should have limited access when it pertains to posting information. Take, for instance, a recent report on The Springfield Brewery , Missouri. The social media specialist posted a humorous joke to its Facebook page and unfortunately it was met with several disgruntled comments. Several customers stated they would never “step foot n the restaurant again”. [ (Pettit, 2013) ] It is bad press such as that over such a small comment that could potentially destroy a company. On the other hand there are companies like Tupperware that use social networking internally to boost the pride employees have for the company, the attachment an employee feels and fun an employee has while at work. [ (Huy, 2012) ] After adopting these social media concepts the turnover rate fell by fifteen percent and a webcast created new sales of $700,000 in just three days. (Huy, 2012) ] Sometimes social media can create opportunities for companies that they normally would not have and it is the companies that are willing to evolve and understand the importance of social networking that will survive. Another company that utilizes social networking site is Metro Business College they found that websites such as Facebook and Twitter can be excellent recruiting tools and also they are useful to keep track of their student body and possibly help them if they have issues with homework or even personal problems.

Social networking can be an invaluable tool to an organization if utilized properly and monitored by administrators to prevent potentially damaging posts or comments. How to make social networking work for the greater good of the company LinkedIn can be a valuable tool. Resumes can be posted there which can be utilized by human resources departments for recruiting purposes. Potential employees post their profiles there, which also can be utilized by the human resources department to check the character of a potential recruit. Slovensky, 2012) Some companies are requiring potential employees to provide human resources access to their Facebook pages so they can see the character of the candidate. Companies post jobs on networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook which can benefit other companies to view how their competition is doing, if they are posting new positions then that company is most likely in a state of growth. People looking for jobs are on these sights and they provide all the information a potential employer needs to make an informed hiring decision.

When it comes to professional social networking, LinkedIn is the most successful site of its kind. It is better than Facebook or Twitter because it eliminates the everyday social aspect, including the posting of how one’s morning breakfast made them feel and the LOLs. Another benefit of LinkedIn is that all discussions and groups are moderated. Nonsense is kept to a minimum. Rarely does one have to deal with spam or irritation there. It is a safe haven for serious social networking, for serious business connection building and for serious relationship building.

However, there are benefits to using networking sites like Facebook as well. After all, Facebook does have 175 million members according to an article called Inside Facebook written in 2009. Maintaining the strategic advantage through e-business and social networking The questions a company must ask are: To how many social networks do you belong? How valuable are they to you? If they went away tomorrow, would you feel any impact to your business? A simple answer is that individuals should choose one or two professional networks and farm those like any other social networking situation.

Leave the shot gunning to the amateurs. Make connections that count. 10,000 “Likes” do not mean anything if they are not buying, reading, recommending or influencing. Companies should not waste your time with such pursuits. The return on investment is not high enough. Mass mailings do not work. Certain types of advertising just do not work for some businesses. Building relationships with clients is the most important aspect of any business and that is best done through human contact not a mass email.

Do not rely on flash-in-the-pan online social networks to build your business. Clients and potential clients like to know that there’s a 98. 6 degree hand on the other end of those messages and not a piece of software. It might sound old-fashioned and outdated but there is nothing like true social networking to build a business. A company builds a business through building relationships. Studies have shown that relying on social networks to create strong ties actually has the opposite effect and instead weakens them.

Facebook is a good example of a social networking site that creates weak ties (Jennifer, 2010). Instead of creating direct networks among its participants, the social networking site creates sub-networks. With no direct link to the company or the issue at hand it can create weaker ties and a customer that does not show as much company loyalty. (Slovensky, 2012) In the end it does not matter how the company views social networking but how the customer base views that company’s use of these social networking sites.

If they are well monitored and provide password protected use for a limited amount of employees then it can be beneficial. However, the biggest issue most companies face is that one instance when something is posted that causes a security breach or something is posted that hurts the company’s reputation. They then have to answer the question, what do we do next? Social networking is not going anywhere in fact it is growing everyday with new sites popping up all of the time and companies that want to survive will need to get on board.

References Huy, Q. &. (2012). The key to social media success within organizations. MIT SLoan Management Review , 54 (1), 73-81. Jennifer, S. (2010). Planning in the age of facebook: the role of social networking in planning processes. GeoJournal , 75 (5), 407-420. Slovensky, R. &. (2012). Should human resource managers use social media to screen job applicants? managerial and legal issues in the USA. Ifno: The Journal of Policy, Regulation and Strategy for Telecommunications, Information and Media , 14 (1), 55-69.

Marketing | | | | Positioning a Radically New Product ForceX, Inc. has plans to create a new Situational Awareness (SA) product that is targeted towards Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA). This new product is a clear departure from the normal Mission Execution products that ForceX, Inc. has developed in the past.

Mission Execution software applications normally encompass Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Target Tracking and Locating (TTL) software products that take mission planning data and provide the operators with the functional capabilities to use the planning data in the execution of their assigned mission(s). ForceX, Inc. is attempting to diversify its customer base by moving into this market as well as achieving their strategic vision of becoming the leader in providing SA software solutions. Target Market

The target market for this product in Federal, State, and Local LEA that conduct emergency response operations in support policing actions or natural disasters. The customers in this market have ISR and TTL software and equipment provided by other vendors. In all cases the software applications provided by competitors fall into only one of the two categories. None of the vendors in this market provide a solution that combines the two tactical operations of ISR and TTL into one application that provides a situational awareness for operators conducting both ground and airborne operations.

The total picture enables law enforcement personnel to conduct all of their tactical operations from a single “common picture”. It is imperative for law enforcement personnel to have a clear understanding of the situation as they develop their tactics for neutralizing the situation. Unlike the Department of Defense (DoD), LEA have a more stringent set of rules for the use of deadly force during violent situations, to prevent collateral damage and potential lawsuits. The more information that is disseminated to the owest levels of operational personnel the better that chance of mission success with minimum or no collateral damage. This new product alleviates the need for two separate applications and combines the ISR and TTL operations into one software package that will reduce costs. Cost reduction will be experienced in several areas such as software, training, documentation, etc. It will also enable the operators to successfully complete their missions. LEA have limited budgets and resources and ForceX, Inc. an position the new product at a cost far less than the competitor’s product offerings while solving the two highest requirements with one software application. Competition An analysis of the competition in the market shows that the competitors are capable of filling the airborne ISR requirements of the law enforcement market. Their technology is up to date and in some cases is cutting edge. However, there is a distinct lack of the capability to provide and distribute a situational awareness “common picture” to all elements participating in the operation.

Competition in this market is fierce and current users will be hard pressed to change to ForceX, Inc. ’s application unless the cost is low and the functional capabilities are high. There are no competitors in the market that serve both the DoD and LEA. All of the competitors only provide ISR applications and most do not distribute the data to ground users. ForceX, Inc. ’s product provides a single software application that allows the ISR platform to distribute real-time situational awareness data any and all elements of the operation being conducted. Positioning Strategy ForceX, Inc. s not the first product to be offered in this market and therefore would be considered a market follower or a market challenger. It would not be in the company’s best interest to go head-to-head for market leadership. ForceX, Inc. will do better by using a strategy that exploits the weaknesses of those currently in the market. Using its reputation in the DoD market the company can create an image that portrays the superior attributes of its software application and how the software has been combat tested and combat proven. None of the other competitors in this market can make this claim.

The Role of Social Media Using social media for ForceX, Inc. would not be a viable solution based on its current customer base of DoD and Department of Homeland Security users. ForceX, Inc. ’s customers and their associated tactical operations are in some cases “Top Secret” and information posted on social media sites would have to be scrutinized by the ForceX, Inc. ’s Security Officer to insure that no classified information is being posted. The use of social media sites are discouraged by the Defense Security Service for individuals possessing a security clearance.

It is their contention that what seems to be harmless data placed on a social media sites can be collected and piece together to gain sensitive or classified information. This same axiom holds true for corporations and its employees. There is another aspect of Social Media that ForceX, Inc. can take advantage of and that is attracting new talent to come to work at ForceX, Inc. The social media that does this best is LinkedIn because of its link to professionals of all categories and all levels of ability. ForceX, Inc. needs to take advantage of this type of social media to post jobs, attract new talent, and build their brand.

However, when ForceX, Inc. decides to launch its commercial product line social media would definitely provide their commercial products with the exposure they need to be successful. If ForceX, Inc. decides to use social media as part of their marketing strategy, we would recommend that they either hire a professional to be on staff or entrust their social media endeavors to a consulting firm that is an expert in the field of social media marketing. Social media is a relatively new tool in a company’s marketing tool chest and is quickly becoming a very important part of a company’s strategy for developing its client base.

Prior to social media traditional websites were the mainstay for digital marketing efforts. Social media was designed supplement traditional websites not replace them. It is a low cost robust and responsive means to market to customers. To gain a better prospective of the role social media is playing in the market place consider the following facts extracted from “2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report”: * “94% of all businesses with a marketing department used social media as part of their marketing platform. * “Almost 60% of marketers are devoting the equivalent of a full work day to social media marketing development and maintenance. ” * “43% of people aged 20-29 spend more than 10 hours a week on social media sites. ” * “85% of all businesses that have a dedicated social media platform as part of their marketing strategy reported an increase in their market exposure. ” * “58% of businesses that have used social media marketing for over 3 years reported an increase in sales over that period. ” It stands to reason that companies can no longer avoid not have a presence in the social media realm.

There are a myriad of social networking sites but our research has determined that there are four top sites that a company should consider developing a presence in, if they choose to market in this realm: * Facebook – the strategy in this social media would be to create a page for the corporation. Some experts consider this as an “interactive yellow pages listing”, which Facebook users can follow. On this page the corporation can outline the products and services the corporation offers, post deals on their products and services, launch new products and services, and build the corporation’s brand. Twitter – the strategy in this social media would be to use the 140 character “tweets” to market the corporation’s products, product and services news releases, inform followers of special product and services offers, and notify followers of new site content. Twitter also provides users with the ability to search for information on a particular topic using hashtags. Hashtags allow the corporation to direct fellow “tweeters” to specific concepts or information in their business tweets. Google+ – the strategy in this social media would be to use the “Promote” option that allows corporations to create different groupings of followers that can be each marketed to differently. The corporation should also take advantage of the “Measure” feature that allows the corporation to keep track of how their Google+ page is being used. * LinkedIn – ForceX, Inc. ’s strategy in this social media would be to develop a network of professionals and build brand awareness. LinkedIn allows you to establish your company representatives as industry experts and to connect with prospects, vendor partners, and peers.

LinkedIn also provides companies with the ability to post jobs and search for talent. Marketing is an instrument corporations can use to inform consumers about their products and services, who ForceX, Inc. is, and what they offer. Social media accomplishes this for ForceX, Inc. as follows: * Social media can provide an identity to who the company is and the products or services that they offer. * Corporations can create relationships using social media with people who might not otherwise know about the company’s products or service or what the company represents. Social media makes the corporation “real” to consumers. If the company wants people to follow them, they must insure that they don’t just talk about the latest product news, but share the company’s personality with them. * The company can use social media to associate themselves with their peers, that may be serving the same target market. * The company can use social media to communicate and provide the interaction that consumers look for. It is apparent from marketing studies that marketing through social media works but it must be done correctly to be efficient and effective.

It is imperative that before ForceX, Inc. decides to launch a marketing strategy in social media their management must consider the following guidelines. * ForceX, Inc. cannot depend on social media cannot be your sole marketing tool. To work ForceX, Inc. must integrate it with other vehicles of marketing. While social media will create awareness, it will take time to build up a following. Building a following is a major key to success in marketing through social media, but it doesn’t happen overnight. * Success in social media is directly dependent upon how ForceX, Inc. reflects its personality.

There are no written “right” or “wrong” rules when it comes to social media, only the ForceX, Inc. ’s management can determine what will work for them. * Be consistent, if ForceX, Inc. can’t be consistent don’t do it at all – it would be a waste of the corporation’s resources. * Social media must be a part of the ForceX, Inc. ’s everyday life to maintain momentum and attention. Internet Marketing ForceX, Inc. must take extreme care with the information that is placed on their website. As previously stated with social media, there is a risk associated with the information placed anywhere on the Internet.

Sensitive information can be derived from pulling pieces of data from what would appear to be unconnected sites and putting it together to form information that could be detrimental to our national security. Information regarding products being developed for the DoD and DHS should be scrubbed by their Facility Security Officer (FSO) to insure that marketing information doesn’t contain any data that would violate the procedures outlined in the National Industrial Security Program Operational Manual (NISPOM).

However, there is a need for Internet marketing for launching their new commercial product called “Widow” that is targeted for LEA. In this section we will address the benefits that ForceX, Inc. would gain from an Internet marketing campaign for products and services as well as and the best approach for them to achieve their internet marketing goals. The fundamental component of Internet marketing is as one would suspect; a company website that contains all of the information a customer would need to determine if ForceX, Inc. ’s products and services meet their needs. The key benefit for ForceX, Inc. ould be to promote their business and to support their branding efforts. Although ForceX, Inc. does not derive sales from their website is important that they use this to media to increase awareness to the products and services that ForceX, Inc. develops. ForceX, Inc. currently has a website that contains all the information that ForceX, Inc. wants its potential customers to know: from what company it is, the products and services it provides, descriptions of items being marketed, reviews by experts and customers, business partners, job postings, the company’s history, and other pertinent information.

ForceX, Inc. does not have a formal marketing department and currently doesn’t have the resources necessary to support a department that does marketing only. So, in order for ForceX, Inc. to maintain their position in the market place and to compete with competitors that do have a marketing arm. Internet marketing provides ForceX, Inc. with a low cost solution to offset their competitor’s efforts to gain a bigger share of the market. This is a great benefit when they are trying to compete with bigger companies that have unlimited resources.

Internet marketing is all about perceptions and the image that the website portrays can give the perception that ForceX, Inc. is bigger and better than its competitors – good website design is the key here. There is also a huge benefit that comes from the customers that can be reached and the convenience of potential customers to research ForceX, Inc. whenever it’s convenient for them. The Internet provides access to new customers that ForceX, Inc. may not know that they exist, a good example would be a project engineer or program manger looking for a solution to their problems. A lot of ForceX, Inc. s leads come from personnel who are working with existing customers that have the same requirements or a slight variation of what they may need. Internet marketing allows these potential customers to be anywhere in the world and still have access to ForceX, Inc. ’s website. The Internet provides ForceX, Inc. With the ability to proliferate their products and services online, ForceX, Inc. can reach a wide variety of customers quickly and easily. The benefits of Internet Marketing to ForceX, Inc. may not be as great as they are to retail companies but we believe that ForceX, Inc. would greatly benefit from a good online campaign.

In order to optimize their resources and get the “biggest bang” for their buck, we would suggest that ForceX, use the following guidelines in developing a strategy for their online presence. Having a website is not enough though since internet marketing needs effective, innovative, and up to date approaches in order to generate interest and new customers for the business. There are a lot of websites that are in existence today which directly compete for the same customers as ForceX, Inc. Most of the potential customers are more than likely to use a search engine to find information relative to a problem they are trying to solve.

This is where the importance of search engine enters. In order to implement an effective and successful web marketing strategy, ForceX, Inc. will need the services of search engine marketing experts who can design the right strategies and solutions specific to their business. This is an essential and cost-effective step in order to reap the maximum benefit that the web can offer. The next thing we would suggest ForceX, Inc. implement is a campaign to publish articles or get listed in news stories or write and publish online press releases that get them a larger online presence.

This is essential for insuring that the search engines will pick up their site because of the increased web presence. Getting ranked at the top of the leading search engines can be accomplished by using good “search optimization techniques”, this is the key to getting noticed online. Branding ForceX, Inc. Logo ForceX, Inc. Logo The foundation of ForceX, Inc. ’s brand is their logo. Their website, packaging and promotional materials have their logo integrated which has effectively communicated their brand. ForceX, Inc. derived its corporate name from the military terminology “Force Multiplier”.

A force multiplier is a capability that, when added to and employed by a combat force, significantly increases the combat potential of that force and thus enhances the probability of successful mission accomplishment. Instead of naming the corporation the Force Multiplier, the owner used the “X” at the end of Force to indicate the multiplication symbol thus indicating that the corporation’s use and employment of the latest software technologies was a force multiplier. The owner’s military roots were in the Special Operations community where the dagger is a symbol of unconventional warfare as well as courage and daring in combat.

The dagger symbology was used to form the “X” in ForceX, and the daggers where placed behind the globe to indicate the company’s commitment to deliver their services wherever our fighting forces are deployed and to preserve the company’s heritage which stems from the Special Operations community. Anyone who has ever served in a Special Operations unit recognizes what the daggers symbolizes in ForceX’s logo and can immediately identify with what the company stands for. The “crosshairs” on the globe symbolize the pinpoint accuracy that their software applications deliver to their customers.

The ForceX, Inc. logo has been recognized as the company’s promise to its customers to enhance their probability of successful mission accomplishment no matter where they are in the world. There are many ways that ForceX, Inc. could benefit from . Consistent, strategic branding would lead to a strong brand equity, which means the added value brought to ForceX, Inc. ’s products and services that allows them to charge more for their brand than what identical, unbranded/weak branded products command.

The added value intrinsic to brand equity frequently comes in the form of perceived quality or emotional attachment. For example, ForceX, Inc. associates its products with Special Operations Forces; hoping customers will transfer their emotional attachment from the Special Operations Forces to the product. For ForceX, Inc. it’s not just the software application’s features that sell the software application. ForceX, Inc. relies heavily on the customer’s willingness to pay a license fee for their core software modules. License sales are pure profit and are vital to continuing to pursue internal

Research and Development efforts that allow them to remain competitive in the market. Building and maintaining brand equity allows ForceX, Inc. to charge a premium price for their licensable core software algorithms and insuring the customers are willing to pay this premium. We have done an analysis of the ForceX, Inc. ’s branding efforts and we recommend the following steps to enable them to maximize their efforts. * ForceX, Inc. has a great logo and we would have them place it on all media, both internal and external to ForceX, Inc. such as pamphlets, marketing material, written communications, etc. * Develop brand messaging. What are the key messages they want to communicate about their brand? Every employee should be aware of the company’s brand attributes. * Integrate their brand. Branding extends to every aspect of their business; how they answer their phones, what employees and management personnel wear during meetings and other interactions with customers, employee e-mail signatures. * They need to create a “voice” for their company that reflects their brand.

This voice should be applied to all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, on-line and off. * Develop a tagline. Write a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of their brand. * Design templates and create brand standards for their marketing and promotional materials. Use the same color scheme, logo placement, and look and feel throughout – be consistent. * Be true to their brand. Customers won’t return to them; or refer them to someone else if they don’t deliver on their brand promise. * Be consistent. Be consistent. Be consistent.

There are plenty of social media platforms you can use to generate leads from — Facebook, Twitter and Instagram just to name a few — and then there is LinkedIn. I was never a big fan of LinkedIn, but recently I have been using to generate a lot of high quality consulting leads.

If you sell products or services to other businesses, LinkedIn can be a gold mine. Here is the five-step process that I have been using to successfully attract high quality leads on a consistent basis.

1. Optimize your profile to invite connections.

LinkedIn has become extremely “spammy” recently. You need to optimize your profile so you stand out and pique enough interest to trigger a connection request. You don’t want to blindly send out connection requests and messages — that strategy will not work.

The goal is to optimize your profile in a way that it invites connections. There are two things that I have found that work really well. First, write a non-traditional title. If I took the traditional route, like 99.9 percent of LinkedIn users take, my title line would read: Founder & CEO, Market Domination Media®.

You need to stand out, so write a title that grabs the attention of the audience you are trying to attract. For example, I am currently marketing a 30-day program for realtors designed to help them attract more buyer clients. So, my current title is:

This immediately piques the interest of realtors that I target on LinkedIn. They will connect with me and often shoot me a message before I even have a chance to initiate the conversation.

Another thing I noticed that helps to invite more connections is upgrading to a paid LinkedIn account. That “Premium” icon helps to build trust in the sense that you aren’t a spammer. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I received a spammy message from a Premium user. The $59.99 monthly fee allows you to view more profiles daily, along with some other perks, like the ability to send up to 15 InMail messages every month.

2. View profiles of your ideal potential clients.

LinkedIn gives you the ability to search profiles using multiple filters. Click on “Advanced” and then narrow down the results, starting with keywords, title, location and industry.

I usually only search second connections and use specific filters until I get a very targeted list of a few hundred prospects. So, for my current realtor campaign I am targeting new locations daily and inputting “realtor” in the title field and then “real estate” in the keyword field.

Then I simply visit the profiles of the potential leads. This notifies them that their profile has been viewed. If my targeted title on my profile grabs their attention I receive a connection request.

3. Make a non-promotional first contact.

This is where most people go wrong. Never make your first communication a sales pitch. LinkedIn users are hammered with pitches and glorified advertisements all day long.

You want to stand out, so make your first message a quick introduction thanking them for the connection request. I use my first communication as an invite to connect with me on my other social media channels:

It’s simple and I’m not pitching anything — it’s a very mild introduction.

4. Continue the conversation — think long-term.

This approach will trigger messages from prospects that are intrigued by the description in your title as well as from those that appreciated your non-aggressive initial message. I’ve noticed that a lot of messages I receive prospecting this way will ask a marketing related question.

I always take the time to answer their questions and try to provide as much value as possible. I’m always thinking long-term and never go straight for the pitch. Sometimes we will exchange multiple messages before I even mention the program that I offer.

When you are able to provide value beforehand, the prospect is going to be more open to listening to your pitch and considering what you have to offer, simply because you took the time to give before you ask.

5. Take the conversation off LinkedIn

Once you put your offer on the table, you will want to take the conversation off LinkedIn. You will see a much higher success rate communicating over the phone or even through traditional email.

LinkedIn is great for the initial introduction and building a level of trust, but it isn’t the place to close the deal. Once I get a prospect interested I schedule a time to speak on the phone and stick to phone and email communication from that point out.