Today’s guest post is written by Neal Schaffer.

Despite having preceded Twitter and Facebook in the social media space, LinkedIn, which was launched in 2003, has so far been unable to capture a larger share of social media users.

Many call LinkedIn the “black sheep” or the underdog of social media.

Social media demographic statistics show us Linkedin only has 150 million registered users, way below the nearly one billion Facebook users or Twitter with more than 400 million users.

See this excellent infographic for full details.

It’s also said only half of those LinkedIn users are actually active on the site.

Why is this the case? Let us take a closer look – and then ponder the question why we should care and how to use this to our advantage. Continue Reading »

It’s been a busy week in the PR/marketing/social world!

On Monday, Facebook bought Instagram for $1B. That’s billion. With a “B.”

On Tuesday, LinkedIn announced they’re rolling out some new features.

And yesterday, Google+ launched a new design that looks scarily similar to Facebook.

All three changes are exciting for marketers, but are driving fear in the hearts of most users. Is it because we truly don’t like change or is all of this really bad?

Let’s take a look at each and you can decide. Continue Reading »

It’s Facebook question of the week time (clap, clap, clap)!

Today we talk Panera Bread and eavesdropping and LinkedIn use and there is a special guest appearance from someone (something?) you may or may not have already met.

But, before the video, a little background.

My friend Rich Burghgraef owns Randolph Sterling, a company that helps you with business development.

I’m pretty sure we met because he’s a fellow Vistage member and he was trying to figure out this whole social media thing about the same time I was doing the same. But he’s a friend I met in real life before I knew him online. Which means he’s an ollllld friend! Continue Reading »

When I speak to CEO groups, the first thing I ask the audience is what they want to learn during our three hours together.

More often than not, they want to know how to use LinkedIn for prospecting.

It’s so simple, it’s a wonder hardly anyone uses it.

If you love to make cold calls, you’re sick in the head and there is no need for you to read on. But, if you’re like me, and would prefer an introduction or a warm lead, following are five steps for using LinkedIn to do just that. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Laura Click.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been asked by a number of PR and marketing professionals for advice on their job search in this tough market.

Although the economy has made finding a job difficult, there are number ways to give yourself the edge and help you land an awesome PR job. Continue Reading »

Last week I violated the rules of the Network of PR Professionals LinkedIn group.

I didn’t mean to, but, according to the group “rules,” you can only post things in there that are about traditional PR.

But I posted the summary of Marcus Sheridan’s webinar about the types of content you can create to generate leads. And, because the blog post said “generate inbound leads” instead of “attract Web site visitors” or “increase brand awareness,” I broke the rules.

You see, I believe a few things: Continue Reading »

This first ran on Women Grow Business, a Network Solutions blog that Shonali Burke edits and manages.

One of the most untapped social media tools is LinkedIn. Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+ are the media darlings while LinkedIn, which has been around longer than any of the tools combined, continues to grow and provide value without all the celebrity.

Sparkle and shine notwithstanding, the fact remains it is the single most valuable tool when it comes to business development.

A few weeks ago, I spoke to a Vistage Chair Group about the use of LinkedIn to help them build their groups. In three hours, we got through 21 different tips. So I distilled them into the top five that were most useful to them, for you. Continue Reading »

Between the Rapture, deadly tornadoes, and new Presidential candidates, the news is overwhelming and there are still some questions that need to be answered. Social media questions, that is.

Is Twitter buying TweetDeck?

According to The Guardian, there is talk that Twitter is in negotiations to buy the London-based, 15-person company, TweetDeck for – wait for it – $40 million!  TweetDeck has never turned a profit, and this will be Twitter’s sixth acquisition, so where’s the rub?

Dot com bubble 2012?

After the crazy market jump last week when LinkedIn went public, it has a lot of people wondering if this is a repeat of the dot com bubble. Gary Rivin at The Daily Beast explains why this market surge is not the same.  LinkedIn earned almost $250 million in revenue last year.  We have nothing to worry about.  The dot com bust was dealing with start-ups without business plans nor any profits to show a history of success. Continue Reading »

Guest post by Peter Osborne, a communications executive at Bank of America.

About six months ago while job hunting, I saw an opening for a senior communications position. I knew the recruiter so I called her. “Two hundred resumes in the first two hours,” she sighed. “Most are qualified.”

Justin Goldsborough posted on Spin Sucks recently that his go-to job interview question is, “What kind of network are you bringing to the table?” With all due respect, if you get that question in this market, it’s a courtesy interview and an internal candidate already has the job.

If you’re a real candidate, the interviewer already knows what kind of network you’re bringing to the table because one of them helped you get the interview. He has already Googled you and read your tweets, your LinkedIn Answers, and your Facebook posts. He’s deciding whether he should take a chance on you instead of someone he knows – because he wants someone remarkable. Continue Reading »

I’ve been curious about a phenomenon we’re seeing when we interview candidates these days. Their first impressions suck. Not everyone (we did, after all, just hire Megan Beausang), but I’d venture to say 90 percent of them.Why do they suck? Because they’re not doing any research on Arment Dietrich nor are they reading Spin Sucks before they interview with us.

Maybe it’s because we’ve been using Twitter as our recruiting playground and people have gotten lazy because they feel like they know me, and I know them, so they just have to go through the process before they’re offered a job. But I’m here to tell you, that perception is wrong. It’s actually MORE disappointing to me if we interview someone I feel like I know pretty well online, just to have my team say, “Yeah, Gin. They sucked. They didn’t ask any questions and didn’t know who we work with every day. They’ve never even read the blog.”

I hear that AT LEAST once a week. I hear it so much we’re restructuring the way we interview. When you don’t do your research, you’re wasting my team’s time, you’re wasting your time, and you’re greatly disappointing me. Those first impressions you leave with my team? They’re lasting and nothing you can do will change their perception of what it would be like to work with you. And it doesn’t matter how much I like you online. If someone on my team got a really bad first impression from you, you won’t get a job here.

I’m here to help, though. Following are eight ways you can avoid a bad first impression and make it through the process to interview with the top decision maker (and hopefully get yourself a job). Continue Reading »