2. Here’s tHe plan
part 1:
the social Media revolution ............................................. 4
part 2:
strategic social Media ...................................................... 11
part 3:
linkedin: some practical applications .............................. 16
2
3. presenters
William Paolillo is a business strategist who provides strategic consulting services in
the construction, technology and energy industries. Formerly Vice President of Sales at
McGraw- Hill Construction, he directed an organization of 160 professionals focused
on the adoption of McGraw-Hill construction products within the $4.6 trillion global
construction industry. His sales and operations responsibilities included the MHCNetwork,
Analytics Products, Product Document Management software solution (PDM), ENR, 12
monthly publications, Digital Media, over 100 custom publications and events. Over his
career, Mr. Paolillo served in senior general management, marketing and sales positions
in several national and global firms, including: AkzoNobel/ICIPaints, Black & Decker and
Procter & Gamble.
He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern
California and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at
Binghamton. He has attended leadership programs at Harvard University and the Center
William J. Paolillo for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC. He has served as a Board Member of the New
Consultant and Business Strategist York Chapter of the ACE Mentor Program, and he is an active member of the Society for
www.williamjpaolillo.com Marketing Professional Services.
www.linkedin.com/in/williampaolillo
Renee Sacks, Ph.D. is president and founder of Sacks Communications, Inc. and its
subsidiaries, Renee Sacks Associates, Inc. and the Conference Center, Inc. For the past
25 years, Renee Sacks has applied an integrated marketing approach for resolving her
clients’ challenges. A respected business consultant and communications specialist,
she has developed numerous signature programs—corporate identity, public relations,
strategic marketing, sales training and crisis communications—all focused on
strengthening her clients’ market position and increasing their ability to communicate
their message. She also serves as a consultant to McGraw-Hill Construction in developing
special events and publications. She is Executive Director of the Women Builders Council.
Renee Sacks earned her doctorate in Applied Linguistics from New York University.
Prior to founding her firm, she was Director of Communications at NYU’s School of
Professional Studies, where she developed programs in film, creative writing, business
communications and communication technology and managed a 100-person educational
Renee Sacks, Ph.D. staff. Before joining NYU, Dr. Sacks was Assistant Professor of Communications at
President, Sacks Communications, Inc. Hofstra University’s School of Business where she was named ‘Outstanding Teacher’
www.sackscom.com; by Citibank. She has authored numerous books, articles and research in business and
www.conferencecenterpresents.com communications.
Executive Director, Women Builders Council
www.wbcnyc.org
www.linkedin.com/in/reneesacks
3
4. Part 1:
tHe social MeDia
revolution
Social Media is transforming the way we will communicate, the way we will develop business, the way we will brand our companies and the way we
will differentiate ourselves from our competitors
What is social Media?
Social media are media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social
media use web-based technologies to transform and broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues. They support the democratization
of knowledge and information and transform people from content consumers to content producers that allow the creation and exchange of user
generated content.
What’s the difference BetWeen social Media and industrial Media?
One characteristic shared by both social media and industrial media is the capability to reach small or large audiences; for example, either a blog
post or a television show may reach zero people or millions of people. The properties that help describe the differences between social media and
industrial media depend on the study. Some of these properties include:
social Media vs. traditional Media
reach: Both industrial and social media technologies provide scale and enable anyone to reach a global audience.
accessiBility: The means of production for industrial media are typically owned privately or by government; social media tools are generally
available to anyone at little or no cost.
usaBility: Industrial media production typically requires specialized skills and training. Most social media does not, or in some cases
reinvents skills, so anyone can operate the means of production.
tiMeliness: The time lag between communications produced by industrial media can be long (days, weeks, or even months) compared to
social media which can be capable of virtually instantaneous responses; only the participants determine any delay in response.
PerManence: Industrial media, once created, cannot be altered. Once a magazine article is printed and distributed changes cannot be made
to that same article. Whereas social media can be altered almost instantaneously by comments or editing.
4
5. social MeDia is a powerful
Business DevelopMent tool
Andrew Keen criticizes social media in his book, The Cult of the Amateur,
writing, “Out of this anarchy, it suddenly became clear that what was
governing the infinite monkeys now inputting away on the Internet was
the law of digital Darwinism, the survival of the loudest and most
opinionated. Under these rules, the only way to intellectually
prevail is by infinite filibustering.”
5
6. Digital reputation
Ben franklin, said, “it takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad
one to lose it.”
In the new world of Social Media communication anyone can post a comment about you or your
company on the internet – your reputation can be ruined in a single post.
Warren Buffet says, “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it.
if you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Recently, we learned of a company that was denied a government contract because of a single
false posting on the internet – a news interview from a small regional paper came up through a
blog and appeared on page one of this company’s Google search. The post said that the company
did not pay their employees a fair wage. One of the reasons the claim was given merit was the
lack of information on the web about this company.
Wikipedia says, Reputation is “the result of what you do, what you say, and what other people
say about you…” One study found that a good reputation added 7.6% to the price received.
The web is permanent, and anything you say is etched into a digital presence that isn’t easily
removed. More than half of adults google each other.
the future Buzz says, “The Web doesn’t forget.”
6
7. instant Messages
the old rules
In about 30 minutes, the old rule of thumb translated into a person who had a
bad experience would tell six to ten people about it. Usually, the medium was a
telephone or an in-person meeting.
the neW rules
Now messages are instant and create an infinite geometric progression of
listeners. Your message is resonating, even if you didn’t want it to. Now when you
want it to, you have the potential to reach a larger audience than ever before.
an illustration
If you accept and assume that 10% of the people following someone will pass the message along, you increase the geometric progression of followers
that will only continue to grow.
Social Media needs to have a very well-thought out plan that will allow you to distribute your message, but to also control its interpretation by your
unknown audience. Very scary stuff, unless you’re planning, projecting and controlling content and timing.
Ron Worth, CEO of SMPS, a community of marketers and business
developers, deploys Twitter very effectively to promote his brand and
his business goals. If Ron has 4402 followers his effective reach is
43,860. On a daily basis, Ron is effectively getting his message out.
15-20+ Million Unique Users (U.S.)
1,882% Growth
7
8. exponential Messages
Search is broken down into two meaningful verticals — one is video — the other is real time search. YouTube.com is now
the second largest search site online. YouTube generates domestically over 2.52 billion searches per month. It’s a bigger
search destination than any other site except Google.
The Google team got this one right when they bought You Tube. The first thought I had with the purchase was they are moving
into media – in hindsight — its media but more importantly to Google — YouTube is search. They figured out that video search
would allow their users to find, watch, and share.
You Tube is clearly a very different search experience to Google.com and the search user is rewarding them for that
experience. You Tube searches grew 114% year over year from November, 2007 to November, 2008. This is significant as the
data shows very little overall gain in the search numbers. Web search shares numbers moved up for Google — as AOL, Yahoo
and others went down, one percentage point here or there. The YouTube share shift demonstrates a significant shift taking
place in the search market. Video search now represents over 25% of Google’s total search.
More than 100 Million videos
played daily
100,000 New videos added
Source http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/1/US_Search_Engine_Rankings
8
9. faceBook
Facebook is presenting another option for consumers and many consumer based companies who want to reach personal
purchase decision makers. While it may not make sense for business-to-business opportunities, many companies know that
Facebook has extensive market reach and rely on it to communicate.
Facebook must be evaluated as to whether it is the best and most appropriate medium for your brand and your
communication strategy.
9
10. wHere will
60+ Million Members with expectations
to reach a Billion
2010 Revenue: $200+ Million
You get Your next joB?
Between the surge in online social networking and the burst in the economic bubble, employers
have increasingly turned their backs on the old, costly means of searching out potential hires,
toward more effective online professional networking platforms, namely LinkedIn.
Who’s in on it? become both an opportunity and an obligation. Luckily, if you
At this point, LinkedIn plays host to 60 million member aren’t Britney Spears or Barack Obama, you can probably
profiles, which comprise such information as a control your internet presence such that anyone researching
member’s employment history, education, statements of your background will see only what you want them to
recommendation and a cadre of contacts, the professional see. This is an enormous occasion to provide an enticing
equivalent to a Facebook Friends List. and comprehensive resource to prospective employers or
collaborators; imagine the advantages of an in-depth profile
According to Fortune Magazine’s Jessi Hempel, the average versus a commonly terse résumé.
LinkedIn member is a college-educated, 43-year-old making
$107,000; over a quarter of its members are listed as senior Just as likely as you are to Google potential employers, you
executives; and every Fortune 500 company is represented. can expect they will Google you. The difference is that those
companies have hired a marketing agency, whose primary
Why do it? responsibility is grooming their client’s online presence. And
One reason LinkedIn is so effective is its access to so-called you haven’t.
passive job candidates: these are talented, experienced
recruits, who just so happen to be happily employed. So how you can do it
while a site like Monster.com might do a decent job of letting After establishing a LinkedIn account, do a thorough job
employers know who’s looking, LinkedIn provides direct of completing your profile, using keywords to highlight
access to the people employers would most like to find, your skills. Be sure to ask former co-workers for
information which, until recently, has been the bread and recommendations. Joining groups and expanding your
butter of the $8-million recruiting industry. contacts list will increase your visibility by opening outlets
through which employers can find you.
Especially prevalent among older generations is the reticence
toward advertising oneself in the form of social networks or But, you might ask, how do I finally land a job? Despite the
blogs, but as the trend of mining the web for prospective job help that LinkedIn and other such networks provide, the
candidates evolves into standard procedure, the advantages answer still lies heavily on you. Social networking through
of privacy are outweighed by the disadvantages of hermitism. the web is an efficient means of reaching out to the people
you know, and it’s also a way to find out who they know. Just
What you could do as you would do in a crowded room, you make your network
Presenting one’s skills, experience and expertise online has work for you.
10
11. Part 2:
strategic social MeDia
CoMMuniCation toolS
Social Media Communication tools
• the evolving Web
• Smart Communications
• turn the Page
• if they Could See You now
11
12. social Media coMMunication tools:
tHe evolving weB
web 1.0
web 2.0
web 3.0
Websites have changed. They have transformed from static
electronic brochures and company introductions to vibrant and
interactive channels of communication that will allow you to
introduce your firm and maintain communications. www.sackscom.com
www.theconferencecenterpresents.com www.infoinasnap.com/qbs/latest
www.hellmanelectric.com www.navigatingopportunities.com
12
13. social Media coMMunication tools:
turn tHe page online
“I have 1,990 printed brochures in a box.”
“I have 1,990 envelopes in a box. And I need to make changes!”
New electronic page turners and e-book formats are replacing print brochures. The new technology is replacing print since it’s
less expensive and changes can be made instantaneously. Flash and other advance motion graphics can be inserted into the
pages and readers can receive material in an e-mail instant.
http://192.220.12.204/brochure www.sackscom.com/Sciame/Supplement
www.sackscom.com/qbs www.sackscom.com/gwic
13
14. social Media coMMunication tools:
sMart coMMunications –
newsletters, news alerts,
wHite papers anD More….
Online newsletters, e-alerts and other news communicate more than information. They communicate your brand:
• The medium is the message.
• You are sustainable, immediate and easily accessible.
• You are instantly a known-firm.
• You have authority and expertise.
• You have information others need.
• You are interested in your clients and what they need to know.
www.zdlaw.com/leaderspeaking/ NECA New York Green
NECA New York e-alert WBC FYI
14
15. social Media coMMunication tools:
if tHeY coulD see You now!
New internet broadcast formats are transforming the way we will communicate online. Editorial and graphic content is one
way. Internet video provides the next generation of broadcast opportunities. Your options will be to use internet broadcasts
to introduce your firm, launch new products and services, train and educate and more. The opportunities are endless and the
communication is immediate, entertaining and usually more memorable than print.
www.sackscom.com/energyforum www.sackscom.com/101/video
www.sackscom.com/build_safe www.sackscom.com/qbs/swineflu
http://tinyurl.com/2cur225 www.groundbreakingwomen.com/impact
15
16. Part 3:
linkedin:
soMe practical applications
how should you be using social Media in your firm?
In the world of Digital Reputation, “A good offense is the best defense….” In order to have a good offense you need a play
book or a Social Media Policy. Currently we are seeing a resistance from companies to allow their employees to participate in
Social Media.
In a white paper sponsored by the Society for Marketing Professional Services, the research showed : “One of the barriers to
the use of social networking is that many firms maintain IT and personnel policies (or practices) to actively discourage social
networking. Sixty-seven percent of the firms block employees from viewing social networking sites while at work. Only 14
percent encourage employees to become part of social networks. Nine percent have proactively established practices outlining
how employees should engage in social networks outside of work. “In the same White Paper over 50% of the respondents said
the reason they do not use Social Media is they are unsure of the fit or appropriateness.
At Coca Cola they take a different approach to Social Media communication -. When faced with the challenge on developing
a Social Media policy, the Coca-Cola Company used the opportunity to create both competitive advantage and employee
engagement. Coca-Cola developed an Online Social Media Principles document that serves as a guideline for all the
employees at Coca Cola. The policy states the primary purpose is to help empower their associates to participate in the new
frontier of marketing and communications – Social Media.
www.thecoca-colacompany.com/socialmedia
16
17. 10 tips to BuilD a strong online profile
1. increase your visiBility 6. exPlain your exPerience
By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will Help the reader grasp the key points. Briefly say what the company
see your profile first when they’re searching for someone to hire does and what you did or do for them. Picture yourself at that
or do business with. In addition to appearing at the top of search conference again. After you’ve introduced yourself, how do you
results (which is a major plus if you’re one of the 67,000 product describe what you do, what your company does? Us those clear,
managers on LinkedIn), people would much rather work with people succinct phrases here and break them into visually digestible
who their friends know and trust. chunks.
2. iMProve your connect-aBility 7. Write a Personal taGline
Most new users put only their current company in their profile. By That line of text under your name is the first thing people see in
doing so, they severely limit their ability to connect with people. your Profile. It follows your name in search hit lists. It’s your brand.
You should fill out your profile like it’s an executive bio, so include (Note: your e-mail address is not a brand!) Your company’s brand
past companies, education, affiliations, and activities. You can might be so strong that it and your title are sufficient. However, you
also include a link to your profile as part of an email signature. might need to refine your professional personality into a more eye-
The added benefit is that the link enables people to see all your catching phrase that describes who you are at a glance.
credentials.
8. ask and ansWer questions “BecoMe the exPert”
3. iMProve your GooGle PaGe rank Thoughtful questions and useful answers build your credibility. The
LinkedIn allows you to make your profile information available for best ones give people a reason to look at your Profile. Make a point
search engines to index. Since LinkedIn profiles receive a fairly high of answering questions in your field to establish your expertise, raise
Page Rank in Google, this is a good way to influence what people your visibility, and most important, to build social capital with people
see when they search for you. To do this, create a public profile and in your network. You may need answers to a question of your own
select ‘Full View.’ Also, instead of using the default URL, customize down the road.
your public profile’s URL to be your actual name. To strengthen
9. Put your elevator Pitch to Work
the visibility of this page in search engines, use this link in various
Go back to your conference introduction. That 30-second
places on the web. For example, when you comment in a blog,
description, the essence of who you are and what you do, is a
include a link to your profile in your signature.
personal elevator pitch. Use it in the Summary section to engage
4. enhance your search enGine results readers. You’ve got 5-10 seconds to capture their attention. The
In addition to your name, you can also promote your blog or website more meaningful your summary is, the more time you’ll get from
to search engines like Google and Yahoo! Your LinkedIn profile readers.
allows you to publicize websites. There are a few pre-selected
10. Point out your skills
categories like ‘My Website’, ‘My Company,’ etc. If you select
Think of the Specialties field as your personal search engine
‘Other’, you can modify the name of the link. If you’re linking to your
optimizer. It is an avenue to refine the ways people find and
personal blog, include your name or descriptive terms in the link,
remember you. This searchable section is where that list of industry
and voila! instant search-engine optimization for your site. To make
buzzwords from your resume belongs. This is also the place to
this work, be sure your public profile setting is set to ‘Full View.’
display particular abilities and interests, the personal values you
bring to your professional performance, or even a note of humor or
5. don’t cut and Paste your resuMe passion.
LinkedIn hooks you into a network, not just a human resources
department. You wouldn’t hand out your resume before introducing
yourself, so don’t do it here. Instead, describe your experience and
*Ten Tips on Building a Strong Profile, , p.38,
abilities as you would to someone you just met. Also, write for the Help Section of LinkedIn.
screen, in short blocks of copy with visual or textual signposts. LinkedIn.custhelp.com/.../std_adp.php?
17
18. waYs ceos use linkeDin
By dan nye, ceo, linkedin
There are over 145,000 CEOs on LinkedIn with executives from all 500 of the Fortune 500 companies. CEO’s on LinkedIn have an
average of 28 connections.
CEOs are getting more effective hires, more efficient sales, and better use of their networks. This is because LinkedIn makes it
easier to manage relationships. They can check out prospective partners, find experts, close sales, identify potential employees,
contact media, and research competitors-and spend less time doing it. They control who sees their connections, their questions,
and their experience.
If you are a CEO, here are seven tasks LinkedIn can help you do better:
1. helP your teaM pool of applicants before they jump in by searching for their
LinkedIn puts your network to work for your whole team, LinkedIn Profile. You can also run reference checks the
when you and your team members connect with each candidate, just by searching for people who have worked at
other. Suppose one of your salespeople is calling on a new their previous companies. By the way, reference checking
prospect. She searches for the company on LinkedIn and also comes in handy when you’re considering an acquisition
sees that one of your connections knows the Vice President
of purchasing. She can leverage the trust of that connection 5. find and reach exPerts fast
to build her relationship with the customer. Net result: You LinkedIn is a rich directory of experts that you can tap into
accelerate your business. when you’re looking for a critical skill set or need to perform
market research. By using the advanced search page you
2. ManaGe the deMands for your tiMe can find a specialist on almost every topic, industry or
Someone wants to meet with you to pitch a service. A group company. LinkedIn’s InMail messaging system allows you to
wants you to speak at an event. Is that person or group reach out to them directly.
relevant to your needs? Are they legitimate? Are they a good
contact for you? LinkedIn makes it easy to check them out 6. Gather coMPetitive intelliGence
before committing. A quick search reveals anyone you know Contacting former employees of a company is a great way
in common, gives you a capsule impression, and helps you to conduct competitive research. Perform an advanced
allocate that valuable time. search for company name and uncheck the ‘Current
Companies Only’ box to find people who used to work at a
3. hire sMarter company. This is also a good way of recruiting employees
Looking for new talent? The best people aren’t always with experience at particular companies.
looking; they may already be employed. As a result, some
of your best hires come from referrals, from people you and 7. Gain insiGht
your employees trust. With LinkedIn you can leverage your Use LinkedIn Questions to solicit input and gain perspective
employees’ networks to find more talent. After all, great from your connections or from the broader LinkedIn
people know other great people. community. Learn how others approach new markets,
revamp processes, and resolve problems. You can also use
4. check references With one click it to find funding, question industry experts and draw on the
The best time to check out potential hires is before you collective knowledge of your trusted connections and their
meet them. Do it afterwards and the tendency is to use connections.
references to validate the decision process. Validate the
18
19. cHeck out tHese resources
• Ayers, Phoebe, Charles Matthews, Ben Yates. How Wikipedia Works: and how you can be a part of it. California: No Starch
Press, Inc., 2008.
• Blood, Rebecca. We’ve Got Blog, Massachusetts: Perseus Publishing, 2002.
• Burrows, Terry. Blogs, Wikis, MySpace and More. Illinois: Chicago Review Press, Inc., 2007.
• Bruns, Axel. Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and beyond: from production to produsage. New York: Peter Lang Publishing,
Inc., 2009
• Connell, Regina M.; Shuck, Barbara D.; Thatch, Marion (2009). Social Networking for Competitive Advantage (SMPS
Foundation White Paper). New York, NY: SMPS Foundation.
• Fitton, Laura, Michael E. Gruen, Leslie Poston. Twitter for Dummies. New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2009.
• Gardner, Susannah. Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies. New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2005.
• Hall, Robert E. Digital Dealing. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001
• Israel, Shel. Twitterville. New York: Penguin Group, 2009.
• McFedries, Paul. Twitter Tips, Tricks, and Tweets. Indiana: Wiley Publishing, 2009.
• Mezrich, Ben. Accidental Billionaires. New York: Doubleday, 2009.
• Micek, Deborah, Warren Whitlock. Twitter Revolution: How social media and mobile marketing is changing the way we
do business & market online. Nevada: Xeno Press, 2008.
• Qualman, Erik. Socialnomics. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2009
• Sahlin, Doug, C. Botello. YouTube for Dummies. New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2007.
• Schwartz, Evan I. Webonomics. New York: Broadway Books, 1997.
• www.mashme.info
19
20. Your corporate identity
is a carefully crafted perception.
What people see is
not what people see.
It’s what they think they see.
And, it’s what they remember!
Women Builders Council is one of the 2010 M/WBE Leadership Association organizations that are funded by the NYC Council to provide certification
assistance, business support training and technical assistance to M/WBE firms in conjunction with SBS
.
