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I got to tag along with my daughter Lindsey last week when she was a featured speaker at the Joe Connolly-CBS Business Breakfast in Mahwah, NJ. In my humble opinion, she was the star of the panel on “How to Use Social Media, Etc.” I was extremely proud of her as she so articulately shared her knowledge and wisdom on the use of social media, particularly LinkedIn for whom she is an ambassador. I did get my own private tutorial on the ride home, but also took notes throughout the program.
Here are some observations and tips I wanted to share:
In the words of Joe Connolly, Business Reporter for the Wall Street Journal and WCBS-AM news, “The economy is better, but not good” and “There are flashes of momentum, but it’s not consistent.”
“Relationships are based on value, whether they’re dot com, hashtag or handshake.”
He polled the audience to see what percentage were up over last year. My guesstimate was that about 15-20% of the audience of 500 raised their hands. He also asked how many are raising prices, and again, it looked like under a 20% response.
One audience member, a Virtual Assistant, shared an improvement/addition she’d made to her business–a new offering called Pick My Brain. She had been giving away too much of her time over lunches, phone conversations and scheduled meetings. By establishing this program as part of her repertoire, she’s added income and reduced annoyance. She doesn’t feel like she’s giving away the store anymore.
Lindsey gave terrific information including a LinkedIn URL for researching alums from your alma mater. Go to linkedin.com/alumni and you can find everyone who went to your college or university. When I first tried pasting that into my browser, only 400+ names appeared. Lindsey advised me to be sure to select which years I wanted to see (only my college years showed up at first). When I broadened the range to 1910-2020 over 12,000 contacts showed up. In the above screenshot, two women I know and respect popped up front and center in my search. You can spend a lot of time on this page, viewing where they are now, what expertise they have and where they work. Invaluable!
Lindsey also let us know that your About page is the second most visited on websites ranking right after your home page. It’s a place to show your personality and be more real. Her advice for getting the most impact with the least amount of time is to focus on creating ONE fabulous presence instead of trying to show up on every social media site. If you’re a designer, develop an awesome Pinterest page. If you’re job-hunting, then zero in on your LinkedIn profile. Don’t try to master all of the possible places there are. Select one and go deep there.
These events are always invigorating. Have you networked lately?
Joe Connolly, who gives business updates regularly on CBS radio news, caught my ear the other morning with the report that soon airlines will charge customers for the ‘privilege’ of pre-selecting their seats. Of course, this ‘privilege’ has been standard-operating-procedure and free for all the years I’ve been flying, as has bringing luggage at no extra cost. But all of that is changing. Like every other company trying to stay afloat in the new economy, airlines are nickel and diming in increasingly unpleasant ways.
As a frequent flyer, this caught my attention. With flights scheduled (and seats already reserved, thank goodness) to Phoenix, Milwaukee, LA and San Diego in the near future, I’m feeling the squeeze. (NB – We only pay attention to the news that affects us. I’m certain that my NYC-based sister, who hasn’t driven a car in decades, couldn’t tell you the price of gas, while I know by heart the cheapest pumps in town.)
Listening to the cast album of Les Miz while on the treadmill this morning, I was smiling, then sneering, at the lyrics to Master of the House:
Charge them for the lice
Extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice
Here a little slice
There a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
I promise not to start charging for reading my blog.
