3. Sales Guide to Social Media III
Table of Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................................................. 1
2. Principles of Social Media: The Dragonfly Effect.................................................................................... 2
2.1 Wing 1: Focus........................................................................................................................... 2
2.1.1 Principle 1: Cultivating a Personal Approach ................................................................... 2
2.1.2 Principle 2: Set Goals ...................................................................................................... 2
2.1.3 Principle 3: Testable .......................................................................................................... 3
2.1.4 Principle 4: Clarity............................................................................................................ 3
2.1.5 Principle 5: Passion ........................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Wing 2: Capture Their Attention.............................................................................................. 4
2.2.1 Principle 1: Get Personal .................................................................................................. 4
2.2.2 Principle 2: Deliver the Unexpected ................................................................................. 4
2.2.3 Principle 3: Visualize Your Message: Show, Don’t Tell.................................................... 4
2.2.4 Principle 4: Make a Visceral Connection.......................................................................... 5
2.3 Wing 3: Engage ........................................................................................................................ 6
2.3.1 Principle 1: Tell a Story .................................................................................................... 6
2.3.2 Principle 2: Empathize....................................................................................................... 6
2.3.3 Principle 3: Be Authentic .................................................................................................. 6
2.3.4 Principle 4: Match the Media ........................................................................................... 7
2.4 Wing 4: Be Engaging................................................................................................................ 8
2.4.1 Principle 1: Make It Easy................................................................................................... 8
2.4.2 Principle 2: Make It Fun ................................................................................................... 8
2.4.3 Principle 3: Tailor ............................................................................................................. 8
2.4.4 Principle 4: Be Open.......................................................................................................... 8
3. Social Media Platform Guide..........................................................................................................................10
3.1 Primary Focus..........................................................................................................................10
3.2 Secondary Focus......................................................................................................................10
3.3 LinkedIn ..................................................................................................................................11
3.3.1 Your Profile.......................................................................................................................11
3.3.2 Find New Contacts in Your Industry................................................................................11
4. IV Luminex Software, Inc.
3.3.3 Find Groups to Join......................................................................................................... 12
3.3.4 Types of Publishing......................................................................................................... 12
3.3.5 Examples of Content to Publish........................................................................................13
3.3.6 Write Recommendations for Coworkers ........................................................................13
3.3.7 Comment on Blog Posts...................................................................................................13
3.4 Twitter .....................................................................................................................................15
3.4.1 Your Profile.......................................................................................................................15
3.4.2 Find Accounts to Follow...................................................................................................15
3.4.3 What to Publish................................................................................................................16
3.4.4 Constructing an Effective Tweet .....................................................................................16
3.5 Google+....................................................................................................................................17
3.5.1 Profile Enhancements.......................................................................................................17
3.5.2 Circles...............................................................................................................................17
3.5.3 +1......................................................................................................................................17
3.6 Facebook..................................................................................................................................18
3.7 Best Times to Post....................................................................................................................19
3.7.1 LinkedIn...........................................................................................................................19
3.7.2 Twitter...............................................................................................................................19
3.7.3 Google+............................................................................................................................19
3.7.4 Facebook ..........................................................................................................................19
5. Sales Guide to Social Media 1
1. Introduction
The sheer volume of daily users on social media platforms presents an extraordinary
opportunity for connecting, cultivating relationships and selling Luminex products and
solutions. Consequently, there can be pressure to master social media. Fortunately, with a
basic understanding of the principles of social media, you can use these platforms effectively
as another tool in your selling process. You don’t have to be an expert!
Social media is an effective and powerful tool for sales representatives and SEs to
demonstrate their expertise and build trust. Today, many customers prefer to conduct
online research and tap into their social networks prior to engaging a vendor and making
a purchasing decision. Social media provides you an opportunity for greater visibility and
accessibility through credible connections to customers, prospects and partners, where you
can be viewed as a trusted advisor.
Consider this guide as your playbook for incorporating social media into your sales process.
Developing the right social media connections will give you greater access to individuals
and organizations in an environment that is often more open and relaxed. Making the right
connections will help you develop a deeper relationship and understanding of the person and
organization. Social media gives sales professionals new avenues to your target audience.
This document is divided into two parts. The first is Principles of Social Media, which
focuses on the considerations involved in understanding, engaging and creating content for
your target audience. The second is a social media Platform Guide, which provides platform-
specific tips and guides for using LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.
6. 2 Wing 1: Focus Luminex Software, Inc.
2. Principles of Social Media: The Dragonfly
Effect
The following guide is derived from The Dragonfly Effect, a
popular book on proven strategies for harnessing the power of
social media. In this guide, the strategies have been tailored to
facilitate the effective use of Social Media by the Luminex Sales
Team within the mainframe market.
Using The Dragonfly Effect we will focus on the four major
points, or Wings, that will help you to be more effective online.
These four wings go from focus, to capturing attention, to
engaging and finally taking action.
2.1 Wing 1: Focus
2.1.1 Principle 1: Cultivating a Personal Approach
Before you begin to actively involve and communicate with industry members in your
network you will need to understand and connect with them as individuals.
What are they like?
Most likely they are very similar to yourself in age, socioeconomic status and
demographics
What intrigues them? What keeps them up at night?
What does your audience fear, need, speak about the most? What stirs and starts a
conversation?
What do you want followers/connections to see or know about you and your professional
career? How do you want to brand yourself?
State this clearly and make sure your answer is something that fills a need (i.e. data
protection, cost savings, security, efficiency, etc.)
What would drive them away?
What will keep customers from adopting your message? You will need to identify:
Shared experiences
Shared business values
Shared professional goals
2.1.2 Principle 2: Set Goals
This principle is centered on focusing on realistic and measurable goals for online marketing
initiatives whether they are for an individual or collective purpose.
Define a long term goal that encompasses a problem or gap that you are trying to close by
considering:
The brand you are promoting
What personality or unique characteristic you want your audience to see?
What do you want your audience to do after connecting? More importantly, what do
7. Sales Guide to Social Media Wing 1: Focus 3
you want to accomplish with them?
How much time are you willing to put into these goals and how much time will it take
your audience to review and utilize these platforms?
Define a short-term goal that is small, achievable and measureable, for example:
Increase your number of followers and audience interactions (like, reposts, etc.)
2.1.3 Principle 3: Testable
This is to ensure your goal is measureable; take note of your starting point of followers,
tweets, connections, how much/when you are posting and continue to monitor them as time
goes on. This also includes taking critical note of other people sharing, liking, following and
starting a conversation with you. Although your goal should be specific and concrete, you
need to be able to adjust and tweak it as necessary along the way based on what you learn as
you monitor your progress.
Closely monitor/observe
Think about measures such as the number of people following/connecting, liking,
commenting, retweeting and re-sharing
Make a note of which content you publish attracts the most attention and from whom?
Listen
Understand the specific audience and identify “segments of discontent”; surveys are a
great tool
Utilize forums and groups on social media platforms and look at the topics of recent
discussions
2.1.4 Principle 4: Clarity
When we are bombarded with multiple sources of information, it is impossible to filter out
what is irrelevant. In order for the audience to be able to identify your messages you have to
be clear and concise.
Make sure you consider what you are re-posting and sharing. Put thought into it,
just clicking “share” or “retweet” has the potential to be a disaster if you don’t fully
understand what that content is.
Make sure your private messages and public content don’t seem like spam
Don’t overdo it, treat interaction on platforms as a casual conversation
Focus on being strategic on one pursuit or platform at a time
The social media environment changes from minute to minute, but this does not mean
you have to operate as quickly in order to be effective
Stay focused on what is understandable and manageable to you
2.1.5 Principle 5: Passion
If you are motivated by something, others will be too. More meaningful goals are likely to
excite your audience and yourself.
Take time to reflect on what is important to you professionally and personally. Why do
you feel this is important?
8. 4 Wing 2: Capture Their Attention Luminex Software, Inc.
2.2 Wing 2: Capture Their Attention
The greatest challenge is breaking through the incessant noise your audience receives,
intentionally or unintentionally, from the media, the internet, work and elsewhere. A key to
capturing attention is knowing that people may not trust a company or brand, but they trust
each other, then use that notion to your advantage when setting up your personal platforms.
2.2.1 Principle 1: Get Personal
Differentiate yourself by constructing messages that reflect your brand’s virtues and cultivate
feelings of personal relevance. This can capture the attention of your customers in different
ways:
Tagging is the process of including a reference to an individual or account name to link
them to your post (Twitter example: “@LuminexSoftware”). It sends direct notifications
to the individual and is included in searches associated with that account, providing the
potential to be seen on news feeds by others.
Bring attention to things that you find important or interesting that others have posted.
You can also tag someone in a post who you believe would find it of interest.
Respond to any comments made to your posts
Content relating to how people spend their time will often resonate with your audience.
By referencing time, sales representatives can tap into more areas of interest and get the
target audience more engaged.
2.2.2 Principle 2: Deliver the Unexpected
It can be hard to break through and reach your target audience. However, by being a little
different you can draw more attention. When it comes to online sales campaigns and other
content, strategies and tactics should avoid predictability.
Lead with what is important to your audience
What is the most important message you want to leave your audience with? And why
should they care?
Start with an unusual fact or a unique viewpoint on a well known fact
Begin with a question
Open-ended questions command an audience’s attention and strike their curiosity
Let it be thematic with the overall goal but be ambiguous or mysterious
Here’s an example of a title from a very well attended session at SHARE: “What
do Apple Watch, coffee and plane tickets all have to do with a mainframe?”
Employ humor, but strategically and carefully
2.2.3 Principle 3: Visualize Your Message: Show, Don’t Tell
We remember 85 to 90 percent of what we see, but less than 15 percent of what we hear.
Don’t underestimate the importance of visual identity.
Pictures trump words in terms of capturing attention, photographs are a construction of
memory
Attaching your message to powerful visuals gives your audience the ability to think in a
9. Sales Guide to Social Media Wing 2: Capture Their Attention 5
deeper manner about your message and how it can relate to them
Expressing your message with visuals will increase memorability
2.2.4 Principle 4: Make a Visceral Connection
Design your campaign or personal strategy so that it triggers the senses: sight, sound, hearing
or taste. Music can help tap into deep, underlying emotions.
10. 6 Wing 3: Engage Luminex Software, Inc.
2.3 Wing 3: Engage
This is the most challenging wing because engaging is more of an art than a science. You
may be an expert in your field with valuable advice, opinions and insights, but if you don’t
challenge or intrigue your audience, they won’t pay attention.
A sense of community can lead to prolonged engagement. For example, participating in
“idea” pages or special groups can help to establish yourself as a trusted part of a community
rather than just another user.
2.3.1 Principle 1: Tell a Story
Most people don’t think of themselves as storytellers. Put thought into how stories are made.
How many of us see the benefit of stories beyond entertainment? Creating something that
truly resonates with an audience involves uniting an idea with an emotion.
Think of your story in arcs; events need to build one after another
Start wide, then boil down to the essence. Don’t bore your audience with information they
already know, or don’t need to know. Focus on finding and providing relevant content that
will be interesting and appeal to a wide audience.
Don’t over explain
2.3.1.1 Showcase Your Successes
Share anecdotes that underscore how you have helped a customer solve a problem, cut costs
or improve operations. These personal, real world examples will demonstrate your expertise
at providing solutions for situations your audience finds relatable.
2.3.2 Principle 2: Empathize
Keep in mind that people will become engaged with you and your content if they feel
personal relevance.
What is important to them? How does this relate?
Have you created a campaign where you can continuously listen to your audience? Will
they respond to your messages?
Consider current events when crafting your message
2.3.3 Principle 3: Be Authentic
You can only engage your audience with something that engages you.
Share your own unique personality
Be organic in your interactions: introduce, get to know, explore opportunities to provide
solutions, etc.
Simply putting your name, a photo and a few personal facts in your profiles will result in
increased engagement
Your content should be relevant to you and, by extension, your audience
11. Sales Guide to Social Media Wing 3: Engage 7
2.3.4 Principle 4: Match the Media
Some people are Facebook people, some are Twitter people. Each person has his or her own
media preferences. It helps to mix up the media you use and coordinate efforts to drive people
to the social media that enable them to act most.
What form of online social media are you most comfortable with?
Which are you least comfortable with?
Do you like writing?
Do you like visuals?
Characteristics of Highly Engaging Campaigns
Transparency: brand shares news as it happens
Interactivity: information flows between community and brand
Immediacy: information needs to be sent out in a timely manner, but is needs to be
validated first
Facilitation: act as a caretaker of brand development rather than trying to control it
Commitment
Cocreation: ideas and the implementation of those ideas are likely to come from the
community and from the brand itself.
Collaboration: producers and consumers working hand in hand to develop the brand and
achieve a goal
Experience: the consumers and company view their products or services as offering
experiences, not just a purchase
Trust
12. 8 Wing 4: Be Engaging Luminex Software, Inc.
2.4 Wing 4: Be Engaging
Your online persona and content should motivate your particular audience to interact with
you.
2.4.1 Principle 1: Make It Easy
By minimizing the time and effort needed to engage, your audience is more likely to read and
take action on your posts.
Provide links to shared content
Provide a visual reference when possible: we can recognize concepts quicker from images
than from text
2.4.2 Principle 2: Make It Fun
The whole reason why social media and online marketing is so useful and important is
because it can be fun!
Craft your content in a way where it will be interactive with the audience
Game play, such as trivia questions, may tap into a sense of competitiveness and a desire
for recognition
2.4.3 Principle 3: Tailor
By referencing content that matches your audience’s particular talents, skills and interests,
you provide an opportunity for them to demonstrate their expertise or perspective on the
subject matter. This can be an effective way to encourage people to participate, contribute,
and continue to do so.
2.4.4 Principle 4: Be Open
Embrace your own leadership, however, remember to permit and encourage others to
embrace their own leadership. Remember its about creating relationships and connections,
not the specific technologies. Create a culture of sharing, respect and trust.
Create a platform that other people can add to, take from or alter for themselves
Demonstrate transparency in all related activities
13. Sales Guide to Social Media Wing 4: Be Engaging 9
Engineering Virality
Adapted from an article written by Robert Scoble—blogger and co author of Naked
Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing the Way Businesses Talk With Customers
Don’t get caught up in the tools; they’re just tools
Get caught up in the story, make sure you think about your story, but then act quickly,
learn and iterate
Focus on your most active, influential and popular connections
When you want your message spread, focus on the really active people, the connectors.
Let them tell everyone.
Build networks inside a company
Start with one person you know, and have him or her refer you to another, who will
refer you to another and so on. You can also use social media in that way: start by
getting in touch with a friend who happen to be on to three degrees of separation away
from someone you would like to know. This is more powerful than just going to the
person directly.
Use social media to build your brand and cultivate the right culture
To help personalize the corporation as well as communicate a brand message
14. 10 Primary Focus Luminex Software, Inc.
3. Social Media Platform Guide
Among the many social media platforms currently available, some are better suited
to engaging customers, partners and prospects in the mainframe industry. To begin
incorporating social media into your sales process, it is recommended that you begin with
just one or two platforms. Below are recommendations for where to start.
As your experience grows, you may find more and greater avenues for reaching our collective
target audience. Remember, social media is about sharing information. So, when you find
something that may be valuable to your fellow sales reps, be sure to share that knowledge.
3.1 Primary Focus
These platforms are recommended for your day-to-day social media activities. If you’re just
getting started with social media for selling, your time is best spent here as you begin to
develop a style and pattern of use.
LinkedIn
Twitter
3.2 Secondary Focus
The following platforms may provide additional value to you. Both have communities or
groups that could be useful for gathering information or monitoring the pulse of our industry.
While it isn’t recommended that you create unique content for these services, it takes
minimal effort to re-post content from your primary platforms here.
Google+
Facebook
15. Sales Guide to Social Media LinkedIn 11
3.3 LinkedIn
Using LinkedIn can help you make valuable, qualified and strategic
connections. Think of it as a virtual “meet and greet” to make
professional connections. It’s an opportunity to present yourself to
others in your industry and share your professional endeavors.
3.3.1 Your Profile
Your potential audience is likely to review your profile before
connecting with you. Whether they are responding to a connection
request directly from you, or from LinkedIn’s “in your network” recommendations, this is
their first impression of you. Make it count.
Photo: Make sure it is a professional head shot with a clean background
Headline: Many people choose their professional title, which is good. However, you
have an opportunity here to use specific and compelling keywords that make you more
discoverable to your specific audience.
Summary: Make it short and compelling. This is your way of pulling connections in so
that they view your profile further and, perhaps, reach out.
Be sure to complete your entire profile. This is the biggest mistake professionals make on
LinkedIn. It doesn’t take long, so you should do this the first (or next) time you login. Then,
continue to improve and update it as you go along.
Let your distinctive traits shine through
List all of your accomplishments, but apply your unique voice
Show personality, but maintain a professional demeanor
Here are some examples of effective and complete LinkedIn accounts:
NN Oscar Rodriguez, Sales Engineer, HDS
NN Christopher O’Malley, CEO, Compuware
3.3.2 Find New Contacts in Your Industry
First, connect with your colleagues, partners, customers and other well established contacts in
your industry, then look for similar acquaintances. LinkedIn will always provide an updated
list for connections “you might know” or be interested in.
If you are open to sharing your contacts with LinkedIn, you can jump start the process by
uploading your email contacts into LinkedIn to seed your network and use it as your new
address book.
1. Go to Connections (top of page)
2. Click add connections
3. Select either
a. the email provider that you use, or
16. 12 LinkedIn Luminex Software, Inc.
b. “Import file,” if you have a .csv, .txt, or .vcf export of your address book
Note: Make sure you select the option to NOT send all email contacts a generic invitation to
connect
3.3.2.1 Start a Conversation with Your New Connections
Once you have made a new connection, especially a prospect, you’ll want to develop a
rapport. Consider the following starting points:
Introduce yourself
State a goal and request input
Ask a question
Share information on current events or industry developments
You may want to set a goal for the number of new conversations you can start per month to
exercise this skill.
3.3.3 Find Groups to Join
Join groups that focus on your areas of expertise or interest. This will enable you to be a
part of targeted discussions, stay up to date with the happenings in your field and find more
connections.
To start, you can identify groups that others have joined by looking at the “Groups” section
near the end of their profiles. In addition to your existing connections, also look at which
groups your competitors, partners, customers and prospects have joined.
Before you join a group, do your research. Review the “Admins” and “About This Group”
sections in the group’s description, and review some of the most recent contributions to give
you a sense of its intended purpose and potential value to your objectives.
When you do decide to join a group, engage! Introduce yourself, describe your professional
background and what you want to get out of the group.
Examples of groups to join:
NN Mainframe Experts Network
NN IBM Mainframe - Unofficial Group
NN Storage Enthusiasts - Mainframe / SAN Technologies
3.3.4 Types of Publishing
LinkedIn provides multiple ways to publish your own content. Each of these can be accessed
from your home screen in an area labeled “Share an update / Upload a photo / Publish a post”
and are described below.
17. Sales Guide to Social Media LinkedIn 13
3.3.4.1 Status Updates
A status update is short and succinct, and is most effective when you share an opinion, fact or
a provoking question. You can also include images in your updates by clicking on the photo
icon in the status entry field.
3.3.4.2 Upload a Photo
This is identical to a status update, except that you are immediately prompted to select an
image to upload prior to entering your message.
3.3.4.3 Blog Posts
Blog posts are typically longer and more in-depth than a status update. They also provide
much more control over the formatting of the content, allowing for a more polished and
professional presentation.
More tips and information on writing LinkedIn blog posts:
NN How to Write Your First Blog Post on the LinkedIn Publishing Platform
NN 9 Tips to Writing Posts That Get Read on the LinkedIn Publishing Platform
3.3.5 Examples of Content to Publish
Posts are opportunities to start a conversation or demonstrate your relevance to your target
audience. Below are examples of content you may want to publish on LinkedIn.
Market updates
Company announcements
Job opening
Upcoming launches, events, conferences
Major announcements involving partners
Blog posts that you or someone else from your company has written
Great content that you have found related to your focus
When you publish content, it’s recommended to include some kind of relatable visual to
increase its appeal.
3.3.6 Write Recommendations for Coworkers
Writing recommendations increases the likelihood that others will reciprocate and endorse
your skills and write recommendations on your behalf.
3.3.7 Comment on Blog Posts
You may not know everything about your field, but commenting on other people’s blog
posts can increase your credibility and visibility. Blog posts enjoy greater promotion by
LinkedIn, either on user’s home screens or in email digests, when they receive a lot of traffic
from reading and commenting. Having your voice included in a popular post provides an
opportunity for exposure to a larger audience.
18. 14 LinkedIn Luminex Software, Inc.
Blueprint for the Perfect LinkedIn Status Update
NN Source: Salesforce
19. Sales Guide to Social Media Twitter 15
3.4 Twitter
Twitter is a more casual platform than LinkedIn. Posts, or “tweets,”
are limited to 140 characters, which encourages brief, efficient
messaging. Abbreviations and shorthand are expected and accepted
in the pursuit of brevity. Twitter can be used for personal or
business purposes. In comparison to other platforms, it’s easy to set
up different accounts if you decide to keep business and personal
content separate.
3.4.1 Your Profile
You only get 160 characters, so you’ll need to be brief. Focus on what you do and add a
personal detail that compliments your position in your industry.
Show, don’t tell: “What have I done?” is more powerful than “Who I am”
Answer the follower/readers question: “Why should I follow you?”
You should set yourself apart but still be approachable… bonus points for humor here!
Add a disclaimer at the end of your bio, for example: “Opinions are my own”
Include a picture of yourself. It doesn’t have to be a professional headshot, but it should be
either a photo of your face or an avatar that gives viewers a peek into your personality or your
purpose.
Your profile can be further customized with a “header” photo of your own or ones that are
provided to you through your company.
3.4.2 Find Accounts to Follow
To begin building a list of accounts to follow, look for people and organizations in your
industry with whom you are already familiar. For instance:
Industry leaders
Industry bloggers
Industry publications
Partners
Customers
Competitors
You can also type in search terms to find accounts discussing topics you are also interested
in.
Once you find a few accounts to follow, you can see if those accounts follow others that
would be of interest to you. An example would be to follow @LuminexSoftware, then click
on the “Following” link in the profile summary.
NN List of accounts Luminex is following
20. 16 Twitter Luminex Software, Inc.
3.4.3 What to Publish
According to research conducted by Twitter, the most positively received tweets are those
which ask their followers questions, share useful information, and let people know about new
content. Remember, Twitter is a real time network.
Consider your purpose when creating a professional account, for example:
Is your purpose to share important updates to customers and clients?
Is your purpose to attract potential clients?
3.4.4 Constructing an Effective Tweet
Though most social media platforms are about
sharing information and connecting with others,
each requires a different approach. When posting
content to Twitter, keep the following principles
in mind:
Know the difference between voice and tone.
Voice doesn’t change but a business’ tone
should change depending on the situation.
Talk with people, not at them. Reply to @
mentions and address both positive and
negative feedback. If it is a business account,
don’t keep followers waiting, transparency is
key.
Keep tweets conversational. Be professional
without being overly formal. Ask questions or
opinions.
Incorporate humor, inspiration and
newsworthy content to draw in followers.
Think about how your content will be
consumed by followers.
Shortening the links you include means more space available for your message.
NN Google URL shortener
Use hashtags (i.e. #mainframe, #zsystem, #bigdata, etc.) in your posts when you have a
buzzworthy topic. By repeatedly using hashtag keywords that relate to your industry, you
can increase the reach of your message.
An example of an account that demonstrates the effective use of these principles is HP:
NN https://twitter.com/HP
21. Sales Guide to Social Media Google+ 17
3.5 Google+
Many of the principles presented in previous sections also apply to
Google+, including:
Complete your profile
Find accounts to follow
Find groups to join
Publish compelling content
If you are just starting out with social media, it is recommended that you focus on LinkedIn
and Twitter. However, if you are looking to increase your visibility, you can easily re-post
content from other platforms on Google+.
Below are further details on features or concepts unique to Google+.
3.5.1 Profile Enhancements
You can create links within that introduction content that link back to different pages on
your site. Use just a few carefully chosen anchor keywords. Make sure you link your page
with Luminex’s website and the company’s social media platforms. It is also important to add
clearly visible links to your professional social media platforms.
3.5.2 Circles
Circles provide a mechanism for segmenting your audience. This allows you to publish
content to specific groups, thus allowing personal and business content to be kept separate.
This can be useful if you only want to maintain one Google+ account and use it for multiple
purposes.
3.5.3 +1
“+1” is Google’s equivalent to a “Like” on other platforms; the more you have, the more you
increase your visibility and credibility.
22. 18 Facebook Luminex Software, Inc.
3.6 Facebook
Many of the principles presented in previous sections also apply to
Facebook, including:
Complete your profile
Find accounts to follow
Find groups to join
Publish compelling content
If you are just starting out with social media, it is recommended that you focus on LinkedIn
and Twitter. However, if you are looking to increase your visibility, you can easily re-post
content from other platforms on Facebook.
3.6.1 Privacy Settings
Facebook is the most widely used platform today, with over one billion users globally.
Many new people you meet in your career will perform a Google search on you before
meetings or interviews. Your Facebook profile is likely to come up in these searches, so it
is recommended that you review your privacy settings regularly, whether you intend to use
Facebook for business or not.
While you may have already set your Facebook Privacy Settings to restrict access to friends,
there are also ways to make certain content available to the select groups of contacts. This
allows you to use Facebook for multiple purposes.
Some examples of privacy options to consider include:
Set up lists to differentiate between friends, family and professional acquaintances
NN Using Facebook Friends Lists For Interests Or Circles
Make sure your default timeline privacy setting is to a custom group, such as “Friends
Only”
Make sure photos, photo albums and applications are “Friends Only” or viewable by some
other appropriate group
Be aware of the apps you use and their permissions
If you allow an app to register you through Facebook make sure you edit the information
they let your network see before you allow them access to your profile
Review posts you’re tagged in before they go public and manage the visibility of past
posts
3.6.1.1 Setting Definitions
Hide From Timeline: This means this post won’t be visible on your profiles Timeline.
However, you are still tagged which means people can still associate the picture with you.
Untag: Untagging removes your name and connection to a photo
For more useful tips regarding Facebook tools and settings:
NN The 5 Best Hidden Facebook Tricks You Should Make Use Of
23. Sales Guide to Social Media Best Times to Post 19
3.7 Best Times to Post
86% of posts are published during the work week, with engagement peaking on Thursday
and Friday
3.7.1 LinkedIn
Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Best hours: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (business hours)
Most clicks and shares: Tuesday from 7 a.m.–8 a.m. and 5 p.m.–6 p.m.
Worst days: Monday and Friday
3.7.2 Twitter
Best days (B2B): Monday through Friday
Weekdays provide 14% more engagement than weekends
Best days (B2C): Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday
Best hours: 12 p.m.–1 p.m. (lunch breaks) and 5 p.m.–7 p.m. (during the commute home
after work)
Most clicks: 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Most shares: 5 p.m.
3.7.3 Google+
Best days: Monday through Friday
Best hours: 9 a.m.–11 a.m.
3.7.4 Facebook
Best days: any day of the week
Best hours: 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
Peak usage is during early afternoon
Most shares: 1 p.m.
Most clicks: 3 p.m.
NN Source: Hubspot
