Five Ways to Generate More Interest in Facebook

With over 500 million users, Facebook continues to bring us closer together. Take a look at these five tips, if you would like to get more attention from your target audience in this social network.

1.  Start with a strategy
When you started your business and put in a phone line, did you think that customers would call you immediately? Of course not, your company had a marketing strategy to increase the amount of calls your sales people would receive. Like with any marketing channel, Facebook requires a specific plan in order to gain the most ideal results. People are not going to flock to your Facebook Page, unless you have significant brand equity.

2.  End the stream of posts from games or applications
Playing games is one of the most popular activities online. When you post an action from these online games to your wall, you separate yourself from others who do not share your love of these applications. Most of your non-social media friends do not know how to hide different posts or specific content within Facebook.
 
3.  Take the conversation offline
Don’t rely solely on Facebook for your marketing plan. Continue to pick up the phone and/or meet with your clients at their offices on a regular basis. Use Facebook to enhance your relationship and connect socially with your contacts. Invest more time making introductions or reconnecting with colleagues at networking events.

4.  Reveal who you are on a daily basis
Show different sides of your life, interesting views and inspiring stories from people that you admire. Think about who you are and what you value. Is this reflected everyday in your wall on Facebook through your photos, videos, comments and likes? When you post content that is relevant and important to your audience, this increases the participation on your Page.

5.  Highlight others
Earn more social networking credibility by genuinely promoting others. There are many ways that you can give appreciation to others on Facebook. For example, you could write a recommendation for a colleague or mentor in LinkedIn and then post a link to their profile on your Facebook wall. By showing that you value your trusted relationships, it will help you create new friendships too.

Like Google Instant? Try LinkedIn Instant Search Now

Today, LinkedIn announced on its blog that it was opening four projects from the LinkedIn Labs to the public. According Adam Nash, the initial version of LinkedIn Labs features the following cool technology tools, two of which you may have heard of, and two more you’ll be able to access for the first time today:

• NewIn 2.0. Anyone who has visited LinkedIn headquarters in Mountain View has been treated to a large plasma screen that runs our very first Hackday winner – a real time view of members joining LinkedIn from around the globe. We’ve upgraded the technology to support Google Earth, and are now making it available to the public.
  
  
• ChromeIn. Google Chrome continues to grow in popularity, and this Hackday winner built by one of the members of our founding team presents a view of your LinkedIn network updates integrated in the Chrome browser itself.
  
  
• Instant Search. Our first Hackday winner to leverage our new Javascript API, this project represents sample code on how to build super-fast people search with simple HTML and Javascript.
  
  
• Signal. LinkedIn Signal is technology that we recently unveiled at TechCrunch Disrupt 2010. Discover the power of faceted search over both the LinkedIn stream and tweets shared by our users, and find insights you won’t find anywhere else. John Wang, one of the lead engineers, shares some details about the technology behind Signal that includes JRuby, Scala, Voldemort, Zoie & Bobo.

As a special bonus, the LinkedIn Signal team is providing 500 special invitations to celebrate the launch of LinkedIn Labs.  Follow this link and sign up, because once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Dine Out to Help Us End Childhood Hunger in America

As a mom, I can't imagine how hopeless I would feel, if I wasn't able to provide for my family. For those of us who don't face these challenges, we should be the first to help others in need.

Take 60 seconds to learn about childhood hunger in the United States:

Now find ways to help this worthy cause, The Great American Dine Out:

• Follow us on Twitter at @Dine_Out for the latest developments.
• Retweet others on Twitter using the hashtags #nokidhungry and #dineout.
• RSVP for the Great American Dine Out Facebook Event on September 19-25.
• Blog about this nationwide event and invite others to join this cause.
• Dine out at a local restaurant near you. Search here to see who is participating!

Thank you to all who are supporting and promoting this year's Great American Dine Out, especially Amanda Hite.

Networking Lesson: Meeting Kevin and DeLana Harvick

Thanks to the Speedway Children's Charities, I met Kevin and DeLana Harvick before the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kevin is a respected NASCAR cup driver with an impressive list of accomplishments. Plus, Kevin and his wife, DeLana, are active on Twitter. Their tweets are authentic. They also created a social network for Harvick fans, called Fan Central.

During the pre-race festivities, Kevin and I rode in the back of a Chevy truck. Kevin was so pleasant. We talked about the pending launch of his Foundation's Twitter page. Afterwards, Kevin even allowed me to take some photos with him next to his car. Kevin introduced me to his wife, DeLana, as a super tweeter. DeLana also thanked me for donating to the Speedway Children's Charities.

As a NASCAR fan, I wish more drivers would be as genuine online and in-person as the Harvick team. I enjoyed our conversation, their kindness and willingness to donate their time for an amazing charity.

The good news is that we all have the potential to make a positive and lasting first impression. Never forget the power of meeting people face-to-face. It will trump everything that we could do online.

Unlock the Mile High Badge on Foursquare

Foursquare has become a part of my daily routine. I enjoy checking into venues, learning from others' experiences, receiving special offers and sharing my own tips. It is also a way for me to keep up with colleagues while traveling.

Today on my Delta flight home to Atlanta, I finally uncovered the secret to unlocking the GogoInflight Internet Mile High Badge on Foursquare. Here's how:

1. Login your Foursquare account.

2. Just to be safe, add GogoInflight as your friend at http://foursquare.com/gogoinflight.

3. When you are above 10,000 feet, you will have to use the GogoInfight Wifi and this has a small fee, unless you have a promo code or offer.

4. Once you have access, search for Foursquare.com in the Google search box on the Gogo Inflight home page. I used my laptop to do this, not my smartphone.

4. In the search results, choose the other devices option under Foursquare.com which is located at http://m.foursquare.com.

5. Give a shout out to GogoInfight Wireless and you will earn your badge.

If you'd like to know how to unlock all of the other badges, visit http://www.4squarebadges.com/foursquare-badge-list.

Just How Big Is Social Media in England?

At the first Social Recruiting Summit at Google, I met Matt Alder. He is from the UK and an innovator in digital recruitment marketing. You can find out more about Matt at http://recruitingfuture.com.

 We’ve had an opportunity to meet at other conferences. Since Matt and I work in the same industry, yet in different countries, I’m amazed at how our challenges in social media are similar.

Check out this video from Simply Zesty with the latest statistics regarding social media use in the United Kingdom:

Any surprising stats?

Social Media - The New Multi-Level Marketing Pyramid?

When you become active in social media, it may feel like you are part of a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme. There are many other users with more online influence than you. You may believe it is because they were an early adopter of a specific social media network and you joined too late. It may seem that others with little or no experience are able to reach their objectives using social media tools.

To avoid the MLM blues, focus on the reasons why you are engaging in social media. Seek out others that could use your expertise and for opportunities to pay-it-forward. The best time to remember your goals is when you log into a specific platform. Don't waste precious time worrying about others. I’m pleasantly surprised at how many social media leaders are genuinely willing to share their experiences and best practices.

If you only participate in social media or any other business with a “What’s in it for me?” attitude, you become your own worst enemy and will eventually fail. Use the tools that best suit your professional aspirations and look for moments to help others along the way.

Increase Your Social Recruiting Influence

Fast Company started a social media contest called “The Influence Project”. This is a quest to find the most influential person online. It is designed to give credit to those who can generate the most traffic and new profiles from a customized link. Like with any list or contest, it has its critics and fans.  I eventually caved and couldn’t resist seeing where I ranked in comparison to the social media heavyweights that I admire.

From a social recruiting perspective, companies who are experiencing a talent shortage should take notice and value their employees that have influence online.

It isn’t always about one’s volume and reach.  For instance, a VP of HR could have a small network on LinkedIn of 100 trusted connections.  When this person emails a member of their network for an employee referral, the response is swift and the candidate quality of hire is high. Even if you have a large network, it isn’t effective if you lack credibility. Long gone are the days when a recruiter could blast out a job description via email with the subject line, “Who do you know?”

Recruiters with active pipelines of candidates and referral sources have an advantage, if they have positive influence over its members.

To increase your online influence, you must work hard offline too. Take the time to truly re-evaluate your network and to see if you are attracting ideal peers, thought leaders and trusted contacts.  Start moving out of your online networking comfort zone and meet those you value in person. You must be able to make a solid first impression and build trust quickly through your actions, not just your words.

Also, remember to rely on your close friends that will provide you with honest feedback to help you reach your professional goals. The social networks may change; yet, those who have influence continue to be successful.

In the social recruiting world, we have many influencers. Who has influenced you?

Change the World in 15 Minutes

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the People Report Workforce Symposium. It was well-organized by Joni Thomas Doolin and her dedicated People Report team. There were many other attendees and speakers who influenced me with their motivational stories.

Photo Credits: Leigh Caraccioli

I'm grateful that my paths crossed with Nate St. Pierre. Nate created a global community called, It Starts With Us. His goal was to simply, "Change the World". Each week, Nate provides a 15 minute assignment focused on helping others in a fun way. Since its conception, Nate demonstrates his servant leadership skills and humble personality that continues to attract others to this worldwide movement.

The It Starts With Us team grows and gives encouragement to those who need hope. Nate also created a Love Bomb team that supports others online too. Opportunities to help strangers truly put your own blessings into perspective.

The impact of the It Starts With Us revolution is hard to ignore. Nate complied an e-book to share some of these stories from the weekly missions last year. They are heartwarming and demonstrate the power that we have to change the world in just 15 minutes a week. Follow Nate on Twitter at @ItStartsWithUs and view the other world changing tweets at #ISWU.

Social Integration - Video and Slide Deck

 The 3rd Social Recruiting Summit kicked off last night with another fun tweetup at Crave at the Mall of America. Thank you to LinkUp for sponsoring this upbeat and well-attended networking event.

Below are is the slide deck from my Social Recruiting Summit presentation at Best Buy on Social Integration. I'm grateful for the support from ERE.net, Shannon Seery Gude, VP of Digital & Social Strategy at Bernard HODES Group and Heather Polivka, Director of Employment Marketing with UnitedHealth Group. I was overwhlemed by the support of my friends and family, including my Dad who was in the audience.

Social Integration - Social Recruiting Summit 2010

VIDEO:
Thank you to Jeremy Langhans and Ronnie Bratcher for capturing a UStream video of the presenation too. You can find it here: http://bit.ly/9iKfoe. More ideas and photos will be posted soon!

Social Media Marketing for the Salon and Spa Industry

Last week, I was invited to speak at the International SalonSpa Business Network (ISBN) Annual Conference at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Many senior management leaders and owners from the salon and spa industry were in attendance. The attendees were upbeat, engaging and supportive of each other.

It was an honor to be a keynote speaker and provide insights into the ways social media could enhance their brands and marketing efforts.

ISBN - Best Social Marketing Practices

Thank you to ISBN, the sponsors of the conference, and Meeting Expectations, especially Jean Yahres for this opportunity and experience.

Social Networking Around the World

Today, I was honored to give a webinar on the global trends of social networking to Avanade. Thank you to Search Wizards for this opportunity.

Many of the global Fortune 100 companies now recognize the value in frequent and continuous online engagement. Some are using more than one platform and learning to understand the existing online preferences of their targeted talent pools. From a recruiting perspective, if you are actively involved in conversations with ideal candidates, it increases the effectiveness of your organization's employer brand strategy and recruitment marketing efforts.

Take advantage of the social networking platforms available globally to highlight the positive aspects of your employer brand and truly interact with candidates.

Social Networking Around the World - Jenny DeVaughn

Everyone Wins on Foursquare

During my childhood days in Iowa, I played Foursquare at recess and even indoors during the winter months. Now Foursquare has become a virtual game that I access on a daily basis with 540,000 other users.

The new Foursquare is a location based social networking resource that you access from your phone. Its users check into actual locations. You get points for checking into locations and may even become the Mayor of a venue. For example, I'm the Mayor of the Starbucks on 14th Street in Midtown Atlanta. Users are awarded badges for checking into certain venues or for accomplishing a certain task. If you check into 5 different Starbucks locations, you get a special badge and a free drink.

Here are some benefits of playing Foursquare:

1. In-Person Networking
Foursquare can find users that you follow on Twitter or your friend on Facebook who are also using Foursquare. You have the ability to also follow their checkins, as long as they approve of you as a friend on Foursquare. At SXSW, it was a great way to track which panels and parties people were attending.  I could use Google Maps, which is embedded into Foursquare to meet up with ideal contacts. 

2. Top of Mind Awareness
Maintaining multiple relationships over time is difficult. Foursquare allows me to show my contacts in other cities my activities when I check into venues, including my workplace. You can combat the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome. You can connect your Foursquare account to Twitter or Facebook to update your status when you checkin, become the mayor of a location or receive a badge.

3. VIP Treatment
Many businesses offer specials when you check-in for the first time or as the mayor of their business. You also get to know other regulars that support that same local venue. Companies can create a feed of the checkins at their locations too. Your customers are announcing with pride that they are at your location. Wouldn't you like to reward them? You can also use a widget to highlight these visitors on your website: http://www.placewidget.com.

4. Real-Time Reviews
You can add tips and also read advice from others who have visited the same location. Users can also connect directly to Yelp to read additional reviews in detail. As a consumer, you will make informed buying decisions. Businesses learn ways to improve their operations and relationships with customers.

Dennis Crowley, Co-Founder of Foursquare at SXSWIf you are still in doubt, keep in mind these accomplishments that Foursquare achieved in the past year:

Over 500,000 users
Over 1,000,000 badges have been awarded
Over 1.4 million venues with 1200 offering specials
Over 15.5 million checkins

Foursquare and other geotagging options will continue to evolve and become a part of every company's social strategy.



Are You a Social Media One Hit Wonder?

In the world of social media, there are several rock stars that continue to inspire me.  Those social media legends continue to resonate above the constant stream of social media noise.

This is a list of the different types of social media musicians that we encounter online. Keep in mind that each type is a generalization. Reflect on your social media career to determine which category you may fit in.

One Hit Wonder
One of your blog posts was featured on Digg. The spike in traffic to your website was mind-numbing. During that week, you had a 300% increase in subscriptions to your blog. Many conferences and events booked you as a featured speaker. However, a few months later, you found it hard to come up with new ideas and your blog has gone stale. Your start-up idea didn’t get the funding it needed and now you have become a recluse. You’ll be featured this year at SXSW on a "Where Are They Now?" panel. You had what it took to produce a hit and there’s still time for a comeback.

Karaoke Singer
The best form of flattery is imitation. By only retweeting consistently what other thought leaders say, you rarely come up with your own opinions. You lurk within the social networks, play it safe and haven’t developed a platform of your own yet. Instead of realizing your own goals, you may be unknowingly supporting someone else’s dreams. Push yourself out of your comfort zone, find your voice and express your own signature style.

Unsigned Talent
You have fresh and creative thoughts. Unfortunately, you can’t seem to attract the right fans to your message collectively at the right time. You are a starving social media musician on a corner near the entrance to a subway station. The video you uploaded to YouTube didn’t go viral as planned.  You have a handful of followers who are often removed by Twitter for suspicious activity. Find your true niche and determine what you are willing to sacrifice to find success. You dream of winning a Social Media American Idol contest. It may be time to get a manager (aka a mentor) to help you start moving in the right direction.

Boy Band
You work on a team and appeal to a specific audience who adores you. Even though this path may have a shelf life, you and your colleagues are currently reaping all of the rewards. There is strength in numbers. Your organization's reputation is larger than your individual brand.  You enjoy the VIP treatment, even though most people don’t know your full name. Make sure that you have an exit strategy to reinvent yourself as a solo artist, just in case.

Rock Star
You have thousands of followers who enjoy all of your tweets and comment frequently at your blog. For the past few years, you have worked hard consistently and persistently to build your unique brand. You have written a few books and are currently on a world tour. Fans and groupies attend events that you speak at to learn from you. You give back to your community and help others reach their goals in your industry. You have many projects that you are passionate about in the works. Continue to ask questions, stay innovative and engage in several one-on-one conversations. Congrats and keep up the good work!

All social media musicians must take the time to reflect. Revise your professional goals, learn from your failures and determine the social media legacy you wish to leave behind. Although the past affects all of us, you can create new opportunities and success for yourself.

20 Impressive Internet Statistics

Jesse Thomas of Jess3.com created a video of some recent internet statistics. As these numbers continue to grow, how is your organization identifying and recruiting the best talent online?

LinkedIn Officially Connects to Microsoft Outlook

According to Bianca Male with the Business Insider, LinkedIn just announced the release of an application that will incorporate your professional network into your Microsoft Outlook account.

According to the LinkedIn blog, "As soon as LinkedIn and Outlook are connected, Outlook will start bringing in information about your LinkedIn network. You should then start seeing profile photos and LinkedIn activity for any connection that e-mails you."

The greatest benefit of the application seems to be that it automatically adds contact updates to a special "LinkedIn Contacts" folder, making it easy to stay on top of your connections' information.

You can read more about the release on the LinkedIn blog.

Or check out their video on how to connect your LinkedIn and Outlook accounts:

Live from the Daytona 500: HR Meets NASCAR

There are times in life that you will never forget. Today is one of them for me. I was invited to live blog at the "HR Meets NASCAR" event by Mike VanDervort of The Human Race Horses and Roger Lear of OrlandoJobs.com at the Daytona International Speedway (DIS) during the 52nd Annual Daytona 500.

There were over 200 human resource professionals and their guests in attendence, including some of my colleagues from Bernard HODES Group: Carol McDaniel, Steven Walesch, Suzy Jackson and Robin Lash-Warde. We enjoyed an exclusive party in the Pit Road Patios, which gave us a perfect seat to view all of action in the Daytona 500. At Daytona's Midway, we checked out the sponsor giveaways and kept running into the film crew from Inside NASCAR. During the pre-race festivities, we walked down pit road, oversaw inspections and watched a concert by Tim McGraw. It was wonderful to see so many new and old NASCAR fans have fun before and during the race. Due to the restrictor plate changes, the cars drove by at unbelievable speeds.

I'm always looking for creative team building ideas. At the Daytona, DIS created "Race Rewards", especially for organizations to use their location and amenities for incentive programs or other company activities. Just like a successful corporation, a winning NASCAR team must work well together and under stressful circumstances.

Thank you again to Mike Van Dervort, Roger Lear, Orlandojobs.com and GreatInsuranceJobs.com for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live blog from NASCAR's Super Bowl, the Daytona 500.

Now You're In Control of Your LinkedIn Profile

According to Aaron Bronzan on the official LinkedIn blog:
"Starting today, we bring you the ability to reorder the sections on your LinkedIn profile via drag-and-drop. This enhancement, one of the more highly-requested features from our users, gives you the ability to highlight the skills, expertise, and/or experiences that make you stand out.

Your profile is an important part of your online professional identity. At LinkedIn we’d like to provide you with all the tools you need to build and maintain a profile that can showcase your unique professional value. Now you’re in complete control over your professional brand."

Here is a quick demo of how it works:

"The ability to reorder the sections on your profile is just the first of a huge number of enhancements that are coming to your LinkedIn profile in the upcoming months. And, as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions about how LinkedIn can help you to represent, manage, and share your professional identity."

Thanks to my friend, Jennifer McClure, for breaking this news via Twitter.

Using Social Media to Identify and Recruit in Healthcare

This week I'm honored to give a social media webinar for members of the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) of the American Hospital Association (AHA). The webinar is sponsored by Human Resources IQ.

There have been huge strides in the health care industry with respect to social media. Hospitals and medical facilities have looked beyond the strict, historical constraints of the healthcare industry and are leveraging social media more and more every day.

Here is the slide deck from my webinar, in case you missed it:

View more presentations from Jenny DeVaughn.

Risk More to Gain More in 2010

Today, I'm honored to join an amazing team of people at Bernard HODES Group as the Director, Social Strategy. It has been a wonderful first day thanks to my new colleagues, due in a large part to leaders like Kevin Hensley, Vince Vitti and Shannon Seery Gude. I'm humbled by the article about my new opportunity with HODES that was written by John Zappe and published today in the ERE Daily.

You may read the article here: http://bit.ly/JennyjoinsHODES.

Of course, I'll keep on blogging under Social Precision. Please continue to reach out to me for speaking engagements, conferences, on-site training, webinars and step-by-step workshops.

Here is the slide deck for my presentation at the TAG Recruiting Society meeting tonight in Atlanta:

Social Recruiting Boot Camp - Jenny DeVaughn

Follow your true career passions. Risk more to gain more in 2010!