Social Media Revolution

Some Fascinating Points From The Video:
* 60 millions status updates happen on Facebook daily
* We no longer search for the news, the news finds us.
* While you watch this 100+ hours of video will be uploaded to YouTube
* We will no longer search for products and services, they will find us via social media
* Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate
* The ROI of social media is that your business will still exist in 5 years
* The #2 largest search engine in the world is YouTube

Creating Your Social Media Plan

A Social Media Business Plan is vital to the exposure and future growth of most businesses. From small home businesses to large corporations, the goal is to get your message out to the masses and where are the Masses? On Facebook...and Twitter...and Linkedin...and tons of other Social Media platforms.

I recently completed a proposal for an auto dealership to handle a Social Media project for them. I explained the importance of a blog to increase SEO and provide more than just sales information to your target audience. We talked about using Twitter to not only get their products in front of people but also to get out information - be more personal. The goal - Engage your Audience!

The very cool part of this discussion is that I came away not only with a new project but also an interview and guest for my next political podcast to discuss the government bailout of General Motors. And the dealership? Well, we are going to put them in the conversation at the dinner table of the locals here in Utah County - not just because they have great products but because the dealership was smart enough to reach out through Social Media & present themselvelves as a vital information source for everything from buying a new or used car to why Americans need to buy American.


In my tiptoes through Twitter this morning - I came across this article from one of my favorite follows: Amber Naslund at Altitude Branding and @ambercadabra on twitter. These are all vital points when considering a Social Media Plan and mandatory for setting up conversations with any new clients.

From altitudebranding.com: 20 Questions To Start a Social Media Discussion

1. What do we do and why, in your words (not a vision statement)? On what could we, as a business, spend more time, energy, and focus?
2. Are you passionate about your role? If so, why? If not, what would help you be?
3. What goals do you have for your role this year? How do you hope to impact the success of your department? The company?
4. How would you describe the culture of our organization?
5. How do you use the internet in your work life? In your personal life? Where are the overlaps?
6. How do you believe your team uses the internet for their work? Have you heard ideas or feedback for ways they’d like to use it more or differently to do their jobs better?
7. Where do you turn when seeking resources or information about your role? Our company? Our industry?
8. What does our ideal customer look like, aside from demo/psychographics? What do they seek from us?
9. If you could ask our customers whatever you wanted, what questions are on your mind? What would you like to know about them and their relationship to our company?
10. How is your function in the business most impacted by customer satisfaction and loyalty?
11. Do you think our brand presentation aligns with our reputation in the industry? Why or why not?
12. How strong do you think our internal communication is? What would make it better? What information do you wish you had more of?
13. What kind of marketing or promotion do you think we do really well? What’s gotten you excited about the way we put our company out there, and why?
14. How well do you think we communicate with customers overall and solicit their feedback? What strengths and gaps do you see? Does it impact you, and if so, is it for better or worse?
15. What sorts of measures do you use in your current role to evaluate the success or impact of your work/department?
16. How flexible and adaptable do you feel our internal processes are? Are there some that are outdated? Cutting edge?
17. What’s your perception about social media based on what you know/have heard/have read?
18. Do you believe social media has a place in our work and business? Why or why not?
19. What are the worst case scenarios you can imagine from social media? What scares you, and what are the risks you’re most concerned with?
20. What excites you about social media, if anything?
altitudebranding.com, 20 Questions To Start a Social Media Discussion, Dec 2009

You should read the whole article.

10 Pros & 10 Cons of Working from Home

I have worked from a home office on and off for most of the past five years. Even when I was working for some larger companies, I had the flexibility of working from home and going into the office once or twice a week.

To many who are tired of the drudge of a commute and the tangle of office politics, working from home sounds like a dream. To those of us who work at home, we understand that there are as many, if not more, challenges and out of control dreams can become nightmares.

10 PROS OF WORKING AT HOME

1. Flexibility - Obviously, working from home gives you a great range of flexibility. You will start earlier and time that is considered lost in an office environment, such as doctors appointments, can be made up with ease.
2. Cost - Cost savings is a big benefit to working at home. You spend less on gas and wear & tear on the car. You can keep your business professional wardrobe to a respectable amount versus haunting Macy's sales every other week. Plus, lunch at home is far cheaper than eating out every day and Starbucks becomes a treat instead of a mandatory stop in the mornings and mid-mornings and at lunch and midafternoon...
3. Increased Productivity - I find that I am far more productive from my home office and in far less time than in a traditional office environment. As well, my clients get me at hours that sometimes work better with their schedules and I am available for all different time zones.
4. Pajamas - For me, pajama pants are a PRO. They rock and who wouldn't want to work in their jammies all day?!
5. Family - I am here in the morning to cook a hot breakfast and actually spend a few minutes talking before my son heads out for the bus. I am here in the afternoons to make him a snack and talk about his day. I am always here. This might not be such a bonus for him now that he is turning 13 but I love it.
6. Comfort - don't discount comfort as it is related to increased productivity. I have my chair, my desk, best of all - my MAC and my phone. Having my computer alone makes me happier and about 300% more productive as I do not spend hours a day hating on windows and getting the blue screen of death. PC's hate me. really.
7. Less Distractions - I am not a soap opera fan so I am safe with the news on mute and not being distracted by the tv. I set up my work space so that it is pleasing to me. Being virtual also means that I am saved from annoying co-workers and I do not have to pretend to be polite as we discuss their ingrown hairs. really. With a VPN, IM, Skype, Cell Phone & Office Phone, I am connected and ready to interact on my terms.
8. Tax Write-off - Find a creative accountant that is used to working with people who tele-commute and have their own businesses and let the write-offs begin!
9. Health - I rarely take a sick day. I can work propped in bed with my tissues and still get in a productive day. Plus, there is unlimited tea at home and you do not have to worry about operating a motor vehicle under the influence of thera-flu. I also do not get sick as often since I am not exposed to all the bugs in a communal office.
10. Commute Time - try 10 seconds. 1.5 minutes to have the coffee in hand and be reading my email. Although, I do miss the morning talk radio in the car.

10 CONS OF WORKING AT HOME

1. Time Management - Time Management can make you or break you. When working from home, getting started on a task can be challenging. Scheduling in all the important calls before the kids come home and the noise level increases can be challenging. Setting a daily schedule and sticking to it is vital.
2. Perception - People think that when you work from home, you are on the couch, watching Law & Order reruns and eating bonbons. Now I am all about the bon-bon bit, but otherwise, I say HA. HA. HA. I work longer hours from home because I never turn off. Twelve hour days are de rigueur and TGIF has no meaning for me since I work many weekends. You must be as regimented about setting the work aside as you are about getting started.
3. Phone & Kids - I have had a phone attached to me since my son was born. He will be 13 soon. I spent the first 12 years of his life on call - 24/7. He had no idea that other Mom's did not beep in the middle of the night. And yet he STILL will talk to me when I am on the phone. I can be negotiating a contract and I look up and there he stands doing the monkey dance of permission with a huge bag of chips. This is the same child that can go for hours without speaking to me until I am on the phone. Or that answers my office phone with his mouth full and hangs up after grunting at one of my retained clients. Sigh. Reinforce the phone etiquette but know...this is the perverse nature of children.
4. Family Boundaries - I start reading email at 6am minimum. I wake up the kiddo and cook breakfast and shoo him out the door by 7:30am. Then my day begins in earnest. So imagine after a particularly busy day that at 6pm, the only question that you get is - Where is dinner? Is the laundry done? Why wasn't the house dusted & swept, etc, etc, etc ... Or even better, I had a friend's daughter who told her teacher that her Mom was always available to volunteer in the classroom because she didn't have a real job - she was an HR Consultant from home. I also patiently answer my Mom's daily question of "What are you doing?" with "I'm working Mom". Working from home means that you see your family more but you also need to set better boundaries. Posting humorous signs - having a family meeting - assigning chores same as when you worked in the office - these are all things that you can do but also be prepared to laugh off the dogs barking, kids screeching, cats meowing and all the other chaotic backgrounds that will arise just when you get on the phone with a new client.
5. Social Interaction - Especially in a sales position, there is something to be said to have co-workers that you can bounce ideas off of or that cheer for you when something good happens. It is a good thing to pop into the cubicle next door and rant about the wacko client that just tortured you on the phone for an hour. Telecommuters need to set up a good social network - people who are working in the same situation as you are that can celebrate your successes and moan with you about the crummy days.
6. Distractions - Above, I said that there were less distractions. That is true for me for the most part. But then there is always the temptation to do the fun things. You know, spend three hours on Flickr and call it marketing time. Or Tweet your head off for half the day about shoes and call it networking. I have also been known to eye a crooked picture and then end up moving all the furniture in my living room. These things will happen but make sure that your productivity is higher than distractions and schedule your shoe tweeting for the evenings. You will establish a routine sooner or later - possibly in self-defense.
7. You Eat what You Kill - many of us who have the luxury (HAHAHA) of working from home, also have the luxury of being commission only. We eat what we kill. A good support system of spouse and family is mandatory as you are making this transition and gearing up your business.
8. Exercise & Health - Working from home can be a challenge for those of us who are allergic to gyms. No really - I am and I have a doctor note somewhere to prove it. Find something that gets you up and moving during the day. I am a photographer so I try to use that as an excuse to get up and moving and away from the computer. Some have complained that they eat more at home - the refrigerator whispers to them. Thankfully, I eat less and I eat healthier and who ever thought I would be able to say that in the same sentence?! Yoga though is brilliant!
9. Never a Change of Scenery - Truthfully, my favorite is to be in an office once or twice a week for a half day and at home the rest of the time. It can get boring and I feel like an agoraphobic occasionally. Make sure you are balancing all the time at home with fun family field trips at the weekend.
10. Cats - they sit on the keyboard. All. The. Time. and they look cute which means I have to get my camera and take their picture. Every. Day.

Working from home is not for everyone. It takes research and family pow-wows to see if it will work for you. It takes balance and a will to make it succeed. Working from home and being successful is also the greatest professional reward because the success is all about YOU!

Jumping off a Waterfall & Surviving

My career began over 20 years ago in Nursing School. I have spent the majority of the past 20 years in the healthcare industry - recruitment & staffing being my areas of expertise. I have worked for hospitals and I have worked for third party recruitment firms. I have successfully overseen several start-ups and recruited throughout the USA, Canada, the UK, & the Middle East.

I thought we were bulletproof in healthcare. The nursing shortage and physician shortage - indeed, shortages all throughout healthcare, seemed to guarantee us rhapsodies of placements throughtout the USA and the world. Layoffs that would include healthcare professionals were mythological-proportioned rumors from the 80's.

And yet...here we are. The official number for unemployment is 10.2%. It must be new math because I would say that we are much closer to 20%. The last nine months in Nursing and Physician Recruitment have been long and sad conversations with candidates who could not sell their homes, had been laid off or had a partner laid off and needed a job - months ago.

Hospitals tightened their belts and mid-level Nurse Managers flew out the door. Many of them had worked for the same healthcare system for their entire careers and many had never even had to write a resume. People lost jobs and insurance coverage and hospitals cut back even more - hospital based recruiters were placed on hiring freezes.

I looked at my desk a few months ago and realized that I had stacks of candidates and nowhere to place them. These candidates were ones that I would have begged, borrowed and stolen a year ago to match them with my clients. CNO's, Cardiac & ICU Nurse Managers, OR Managers, Cardiothoracic Surgeons ... the stuff that retained contracts are made up of ... except now.

We are all waiting with bated breath to see what will happen with healthcare reform. Any government involvement in healthcare is going to completely cripple healthcare recruitment. Anyone who sticks it out will deal with a horribly impersonal and bureaucratic behemoth to fill the needs of the hospitals that the government will inevitably gobble up for minimum wages. I know this folks, I lived and recruited in the UK - NHS.

Many of us are finding out if our skills are transferrable and that is what I have been able to take out of the past year. It has been a bit lean but, happily, my skills are not only transferrable but they are needed. Relationship Building reigns supreme as it becomes all about who you know and who your connections know. All the years spent blogging for fun have turned into cash and freelance writing opportunities. Business Development is useful in any sector and my business to business experience has allowed me to build my own niche in this new world.

I have had to take my own advice and look at additional career options while still retaining some of my best clients. And you know what?

It has been a blast!

Applying your skills to a somewhat precarious market place and succeeding is like jumping off a waterfall and not drowning...

You surface with a big grin and a better appreciation of life!