For the record, I was never into Social Media, not even Facebook. I know, it's hard to imagine; I guess I'm an old fashioned kind of girl when it comes to socializing and networking... Don't get me wrong, I love meeting new people and building relationships, yet I've always felt more comfortable socializing in person rather than via Internet.
Being a Marketing Major, I started to feel pressured that I wasn't engaged in any kind of Social Media community, not only because all my friends happen to be engaged in some form of Social Media, but I felt embarrassed that I was falling behind in my professional networking progress.
So towards the end of the summer, I had my closest girlfriends help me start-up a Twitter, since they had suggested it would be the easiest type of Social Media to keep up with... At that time, I had also opened an account with LinkedIn, but never came anywhere close to completing my profile.
I always imagined that Social Media would be something like hair maintenance (with exception of it being costly): a hassle, always conscientious for a change / new looks, and a definite MUST in keeping up with, or I'd let myself go and look like crap!
To my surprise, Twitter has turned out to be a great experience rather than thinking it would be high-maintenance and dreadful. I find myself using it on a daily basis by building my network with followers, and getting my news feeds in for the day by skimming all the tweets and news links to the magazines and newspapers I follow. (NY Times, one of my many followings, has awesome news feeds, to any of you that have a Twitter account.)
Twitter is great, now that I got the hang of it, but to say that’s my only social media engagement is pathetic to my standards. I am on a mission to develop a personal Social Media plan and BRAND my name! I've already taken the first step to creating a LinkedIn account; hence, this is a great tool to expand on to build my personal brand, as well as, a professional network.
It really didn't take much time, and the best part was that I already had all the information I needed to fill out my profile; 85% complete thus far! Very exciting... And with the help of my boyfriend’s LinkedIn network, I was able to send invitations to a bunch of people I already knew. Also, helps that a lot of these poeple are much older than me, and have impressive professional backgrounds; I believe this will help my profile appear more attractive and well-rounded.
This is great progress on my journey in developing my personal brand, but it's not stopping here! Two weeks ago I had an amazing opportunity, to take part in creating a music video with Red Eye Entertainment, a start-up production company. Yes, I am featured in the video, but it really won't have any kind of significance, unless I integrate it into my Social Media plan.
When the music video is edited and ready to go, I plan on posting it on YouTube and creating a link to my Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Not only will this help promote my brand, but I will also create a link to Red Eye Entertainment, which can help channel new viewers to their start-up company; all about networking!
A round of applause to me! For someone who literally just started using Social Media, I am proud of my progress thus far... The hardest part was realizing my goal, and that is branding my name. The following is easy: regularly using my accounts to stay engaged in my social network, which will also help me learn more about it, and be conscientious of new ways to utilize social media as I build my brand reputation.
I'll be keeping my eyes open for new Social Media accounts to diversify my brand network; the idea of this, sounds like I'm building an investment portfolio, hehe. I use correlations with concepts I already know to help myself better understand Social Media. Ultimately, it comes down to doing what works for me... And as for you: be proactive and "do you!"
Lidia Yadlos
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