I was not responsible for hiring Crystal, but had the extreme pleasure of listening to her as a speaker at a meeting of HelmsBriscoe West Coast Team members just recently. Her coaching of us on the world of LinkedIn was absolutely amazing – whether it was helping those who didn’t have profiles set up and maximize them; or helping us who are established polish up our profiles and make them more effective – her presentation and interaction with the group and knowledge of the subject were all “right there”! Awesome lady – look forward to any opportunity to do it again! – Marie Cicogni, HelmsBriscoe

I just received an email from one of my clients that his profile ranked in the top 1% of profiles for views on LinkedIn in 2012. I’m pretty stoked because this is precisely why he hired me last year to optimize his profile and teach him how to be more strategic on LinkedIn.

Believe it or not, optimizing your profile for LinkedIn really is not rocket science. There are a few things that everyone can do to gain more leads.

1. Optimize your profile for keywords. If a set of words are not in your profile, you will not come up in search when someone types them in. Think of all of the words, products, concepts a potential client may use that relate to you and PUT THEM IN YOUR PROFILE.
2. Make sure your clients are on LinkedIn. Honestly, someone who has a clown shoe business could have a kick butt optimized profile and be extremely active, but still not get many views. Realistically, one’s ranking also has a great deal to do with the demand for their products/services. We should be most concerned with obtaining leads vs. strictly views. Someone with few views (due to low demand) could close extremely lucrative contracts.
3. Be active. Post in groups and be of service. When you offer awesome solutions and insight into client issues in groups, group members will click on your name to check out your profile and learn more about you.
4. Stalk people (a little). If you see that someone viewed your profile on the home screen, contact them to see if you may be of assistance.

The fact that the Internet, specifically sites like Yelp and Google, allow anyone on the Internet to comment on a business is amazingly awesome scary. One question that I often receive from audience members who own restaurants or car dealerships is, “How do I control what people say about my business?” In short, you cannot. However, that’s not necessarily a negative. Random awesome posts can be a welcome pick-me-up. Plus, one bad review could be a reason to connect with your best customers and encourage them to write about their personal experiences.

No matter what though, don’t do this-

My mouth completely hit the floor when I saw this post yesterday. Imagine the horrible PR that could ensue if the name of the company making this request was leaked to the media. Additionally, Yelp now places and advisory, with proof, on the pages of those businesses caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Three Actions to Take When You Receive Poor Reviews on Yelp or Google+

1. Calmly respond to the user without getting defensive. It is okay to state facts, but keep a calm and empathetic tone.
2. Offer a solution with your contact information.  Not only will you look professional, but it will make the reviewer look irrational to anyone else reading reviews should he/she continue to complain vs. contact you to resolve the matter.
3. Encourage, but don’t incentivize, happy customers to also post reviews. A bad review will definitely cause your overall numerical rating to take a hit, so it is important to get that score back up.

In 2010 one of my friends received a negative Yelp review from an extremely irrational client. I advised her to contact her best clients to ask them to post their experiences. The result, not only did her star clients post reviews, they also started sharing her information via social networks. Within 48 hours she had six prospects contact her from positive word of mouth!

A negative review can be a huge boost to a company. If handled well, it can be a great way to energize past clients (brand ambassadors), generate referrals from positive word of mouth and build your online reputation as a mature brand that can manage conflict.

You probably check your Facebook Inbox for messages on a semi-regular basis but did you know that you are likely missing important messages? That’s because you have two other message folders—no joke—and most Facebook users don’t even know that they’re there. The worse part is that messages for legitimate contacts can end up in these folders!

I posted a message about the additional folders—Other and Spam—this morning. Below are comments from some of my Facebook friends.

And, it just might save you from having to get a new gym membership card.

Where are these elusive messages, you ask? See below.

What are your New Year’s resolutions for 2013? Are you going to lose weight, eat healthier, manage your finances better or work on professional networking? Chances are, whatever your New Year’s resolutions are, there are apps and social networks that can support you in your goals. Below are some of my favorites.

Meditation and Focus

Mindwave Mobile by NeuroSky with Meditation Journal- Is one of your goals to meditate more or increase your level of focus on projects and activities?  Meditation Journal keeps track of your meditation, attention, and brainwave recordings in a journal and presents them to you in a series of data charts and accomplishments. It comes standard with the Mindwave Mobile reading device which works with iOS and Android platforms and is also compatible with PC and Mac.

Take Control of Your Finances

Mint.com- Mint allows you to connect all of your financial accounts in one place and then automatically organizes your spending into categories. If you’re a visual learner, you’ll appreciate the easy-to-understand charts.  Once you enter your financial goals, Mint will then provide you with advice and automated reminders.

Healthy Meal Plans and Cutting Fast Food

OurGroceries- One of the most difficult parts of sticking to a healthy or cost saving meal plan is keeping the needed grocery items in stock at home, especially when family members have different plans. This free app easily allows you sync your grocery list with all of your devices (iOS, Android and Blackberry) and with multiple users.

Weight Loss, Exercise and Meal Plans

MyFitnessPal- I’ve been a fan of this app for a couple years now and have used it to track my daily exercise, weight levels and the amount of calories consumed per meal. Plus, this resource offers a community to support you with your fitness goals.

Time Management

It’s impossible to recommend a single resource simply because time management needs vary from person to person. One person may want to manage the amount of time they spend on social networks while another may want to better manage the flow of information on industry-related articles. Here is a great list of 50 time management apps.

Bonus-

Grow Your Professional Network

LinkedIn- LinkedIn is the only social network that all professionals should use, without exception. You may already have an account, but chances are you’re not fully taking advantage of the network. First, if your profile is not filled out 100%, you’re leaving off valuable information that could attract potential clients, hiring managers or joint venture partners. Next, start to use LinkedIn as a research tool. Did you get a Facebook friend request from someone you don’t know and you’re not sure if you should add him/her? Look them up on LinkedIn to learn more about them! Do you want to work for a specific oil and gas company? Begin “following” their company page on LinkedIn to see new open positions, as they are posted! Would you like to connect with the decision maker at an online retailer? Use the advanced search function to find the name of the person you’re looking for!

There are thousands of helpful apps and social networks that are great for supporting New Year’s resolutions. What apps should be added to the list?

A few days ago, a young woman by the name of Cathryn Sloan created a bit of controversy with her post on NextGen Journal entitled, “Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25.” In her post, Cathryn points out the she and her peers were in high school when Facebook and Twitter became hugely popular, which allowed them to grasp an understanding of how these networks operated.

The truth is that I am not much older than Cathryn at 30.  In fact, we’re both Gen Ys.  However, we greatly disagree on who is best suited to manage social media.

We were around long enough to see how life worked without it but had it thrown upon us at an age where the ways to make the best/correct use of it came most naturally to us. No one else will ever be able to have as clear an understanding of these services, no matter how much they may think they do.

Oh really Cathryn?  While many young Gen Y’s are super-users of sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, the fact is that it is not normally 40-somethings that post pictures of themselves dancing on tables with margaritas in their hands as profile pictures when they claim they are on social media for business purposes.

Knowing how to use a tool and understanding how to “strategically” leverage that tool are two different things.  Managing social media is not strictly about knowing what buttons to push or even how to engage other users.  It also includes understanding how to respond to trolls, upset employees/customers and crisis control.  Those are skills developed through experience; something most 25 year olds lack.  At 25, most of us were smart, but not nearly as smart as we thought that we were.

You might ask yourself, “What do I have to lose by hiring a young 20-something?”  Great question.  Just ask Red Cross’ Gloria Huang who in 2011 accidentally tweeted, “Ryan found two more 4 bottle packs of Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch beer…. when we drink we do it right #gettingslizzerd.”  Luckily, Red Cross quickly discovered the error and issued a humorous apology.

For another perspective, check out Augie Ray of SocialMediaToday’s post, “A Response to: ‘Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25′”

The rules of engagement online are exactly the same as offline.  Users build relationships on social networks the same way that they would in the real world–over time and with follow-up; by caring about contacts; by sharing information and adding value.

At the end of the day, being a young twenty-something should not exclude anyone from the opportunity to manage social media.  However, it is only fair to point out that a 25 year old will have limited real world experience, much less than a Gen X (whose generation INVENTED social media) or even a Baby Boomer.

This post was almost called “Google and LinkedIn — the Wonder Twins of the Web.  Wonder Twin powers ACTIVATE!  Shape of… NEW PROSPECTS!”  Of course, that was a bit too long and not very SEO friendly.  So…

Lately I’ve been hired to speak to several banking institutions — Oppenheimer Funds, Wells Fargo, UBS and Morgan Stanley — about using social media for prospecting.  In their case, as financial planning professionals.  While I certainly can’t share everything I teach them in a one hour talk in a short blog post, I would like to share a little tip that can potentially help everyone  — business owners and professionals.

Have you ever found someone on LinkedIn via search or as the connection of one of your contacts, but you had no way of contacting them?  Perhaps you haven’t worked with them before or they’re not in your network.  Well, here’s a cool little trick for finding their email address.  This way, you can send them an invitation to connect OR simply shoot them an email.

Step 1- Identify the person’s place of employment via her/his LinkedIn profile.

Step 2- Find the company’s website.  It can either be found by clicking a link on the peron’s profile or simply by typing the name of the company into Google search.

Step 3- Once you’ve found the company’s website, copy it.

Step 4- In Google search, enter the person’s first and last name in quotations and then “*@companywebsite.com”.   The asterisk allows you to do something called a wildcard search.  See below where I used myself as an example.

Remember — a person’s email address must be listed online for this to work.  So, occasionally, you will not be able to find an email address.  Now you can send an invite to connect via LinkedIn using the “other” choice or simply shoot him/her an email.

I don’t know why this tickled me so, to see someone named Boo.  Anywho… you get the point.  So, go get those email addresses and make those connections!

I had the opportunity to be the closing keynote speaker at Alcatel-Lucent’s Dynamic Tour event in Dusseldorf, Germany last week.  This is an event for over 800 of Alcatel-Lucent’s customers, partners and team members in western and northern Europe to discuss the phenomena of BYOD or Bring Your Own Device.  I discussed social media and how generational technology trends (Boomers, Gen Xs, Gen Ys and Gen Zs) are impacting the workplace in terms of devices and collaboration.  It was an awesome adventure chalked full of great lessons.  I’d love to share them with you!

1. Culture is much more important than age when it comes to determining a user’s mobile technology behaviors.
2. People have an emotional attachment to their preferred devices which is spilling over into the workplace.
3. You have to pay to use public potties in Dusseldorf, and they are not easy to find!
4. No matter where we are in the world- the USA, Germany or Ghana- everyone fears becoming irrelevant with the constant increase in technology.  Everyone wants to know that they will be okay.

Here’s what you need to know:

• BYOD or Bring Your Own Device will become more and more significant in the United States as Gen Y and Z grow in numbers in the workplace.  This means more work for IT, more work around security, greater opportunities for you to work in ways that you find most comfortable,greater opportunities for collaboration and increased customer service opportunities.
• Each generation has specific strengths and weaknesses when it comes to technology.  Smart organizations include team members from each generation and multiple job functions to ensure that any new technology adaptation is done so in a way that is as seamless as possible.

Want to see a copy of my presentation?  I use slides mostly for verbal cues, but there are a few with information you may find interesting.

Did you miss your calling in the medical field?  Perhaps you have a teenager who really wants to become a doctor?  Tomorrow, Neurosurgeon Dr. Dong Kim of Memorial Hermann will live tweet brain surgery.  Not only will the savvy staff at Memorial Hermann tweet throughout the procedure and answer questions, but they’ll also post pictures on the fastest growing social network, Pinterest!

I’ve had the pleasure of being hired by healthcare companies in the past to speak on social media integration in the medical field, so I can truly appreciate not only the fact that a hospital in my own backyard- Houston, is doing this, but all of the planning that is involved!

Want to join in the fun?  Follow Twitter handle @houstonhospital and hashtag #MHbrain for live tweets of brain surgery tomorrow (Wednesday, May 9th) at 7:30 a.m. CST.   Read the full story on the Memorial Hermann website.

Yesterday, I was stopped in traffic and looked over to see an old, rusted car.  What made this car remarkable was the fact that it was advertising a 500 billion dollar business opportunity.  My marketing mind nearly short-circuited.  Once I collected myself, and snapped a quick picture, I began pondering how social media has enabled people to create online personas out of sync with their actual personalities and lives.

How many times have you encountered someone that you have known in “real life” for years on a social network, only to find that they are a completely different person on Facebook, Youtube or Twitter?  What accounts for this disparity?

The problem is that many professionals and business owners have a completely mistaken viewpoint on the purpose of social media.  To be truly successful on social media, you have to be authentic—not perfect.  When you’re authentic, you appeal to those who can identify with you.

Two great examples of authenticity are Andrea Odom Campbell and Craig Price.

Andrea launched her lifestyle blog, Justabusymom.com, less than a month ago.  While she certainly leads an interesting life as a business professional in Houston’s social scene, she made a conscious decision to create a brand around what she knows best—being a busy mom.  Via her blog, she shares her life, her shortcomings, her struggles with parenting, discipline, cooking and anything else she sees fit to throw out her opinion on.  I repeat: she shares her shortcomings.  Why is this brilliant?  Millions of moms can identify with balancing a career, children and a social life while attempting not to have a meltdown resulting in evening news coverage. As a result, she’s had back to back television interview requests within days of her launch.

In a world overflowing with motivational speakers, Craig Price makes it clear via his website, social media and podcast that he is not one of them.  In fact, he is a reality speaker who gives funny talks on negativity in the workplace and how managers can use it to their organization’s advantage.  When organizations and employees tire of speakers who speak butterflies and hearts, they bring in Craig.  Why?  Employees and managers can identify with him because they know that that grumpy corner-cubicle guy does not “just need a hug.”  In fact, many of them are that grumpy guy.

People identify with authenticity.  If you want to create an engaging online brand, create dialogue around what you genuinely know.  In the rusted-car example, a much better advertisement would have been “Call me to learn how to make your car last 10 years longer.”  How many people are budgeting in this country and need to stretch their dollar and the life of their vehicle?  Seeing that car would definitely make me think that the person driving it could help me.  It would have been authentic.

Don’t create brand ambassadors who are destined be disapointed when they pull back the curtains and see that you are not the wizard, but an ordinary Joe.

How are you using social media to authentically connect?

Susan G. Komen’s race to cure the organization’s battered public image is on.  For a little over a week, the organization has been losing a public battle in the court of public opinion regarding their initial decision barring Planned Parenthood from applying for future grants due to an ongoing investigation and then their swift reversal.

The timeline of events follows:

April 2011- Karen Handel, who recently lost the Georgia governor race, was hired by Susan G. Komen as senior vice president for public policy.  Handel describes herself on her Twitter headline as a “Lifelong Conservative Republican formerly Georgia’s first Republican Secretary of State.”  During her campaign, she mentioned in interviews her being pro-choice and not supporting Planned Parenthood.

September 29, 2011- Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns notifies Planned Parenthood of a Congressional investigation into whether the group has illegally funded abortions with federal money

January 31, 2012- News breaks that Komen’s new grant policies bar the organization from funding groups under investigation.  They announce that they will defund Planned Parenthood.  A pro-life vs. pro-choice debate immediately begins on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the blogsphere as well as sentiment that SGK’s decision would negatively impact low-income and minority women. Critics point to the organizations continued funding of Penn State, currently under investigation, as proof of SGK playing politics. Thousands of Facebook users communicate their outrage or support on SGK’s Facebook page.   Many long-time supporters of SGK state that they will no longer give to the charity or will opt to give to Planned Parenthood funds normally given to SGK.

February 1, 2012- Planned Parenthood announced that they rose over $650,000 in 24 hours from more than 6000 donors.  The organization normally received 100-200 donations per day.

February 2, 2012- The SGK website was hacked at 12:30 AM EST to read “Help us run over poor women on our way to the bank”.  Later that day, Moveon.org circulates an image, supposedly a screen shot of Karen Handel’s Twitter profile, in which she retweets the following message from user @JadeMorey “Just like a pro-abortion group to turn a cancer orgs decision into a political bomb to throw.  Cry me a freaking river.”

February 3, 2012- The Komen Foundation reverses their decision and states that only those under “criminal investigation” will be barred.  Planned Parenthood can now apply for grants again.  Pro-life supporters of the original decision take to Facebook and Twitter to express their anger at the decision.

February  7, 2012- Karen Handel resigns.

So… what do we learn from this?

1. Appearance Matters. The addition of Karen Handel to SGK months before the decision to defund Planned Parenthood caused many to view it as a political decision, whether it was or not.  With the invention of social media, where every person has a voice (and the ability to start a mini revolution), organizations have to predict possible misunderstandings, before they happen, and prepare for them.  In all honesty, the SGK debacle could have easily been avoided with the right strategy.
2. Never talk about “policy”. I learned this lesson as a hospitality manager.  No one wants to hear about your policy.  Policies are things that are written and can be easily rewritten.  The fastest way to make a customer mad is to tell them that you cannot do something due to company policy.  Talk benefits.  Had SGK came out and said that they were on a mission to stretch their dollars and had a plan for taking the money they had been giving to Planned Parenthood and giving it to another organization, that would serve more minority women with the same amount of money, I doubt seriously there would have been much backlash.  Who could argue with a breast cancer organization finding more efficient ways to serve more women?
3. Steer the conversation. As I read comments on Twitter and comments on SGK’s Facebook page, I could feel SGK’s horror through their silence.  They did not react as though they were using social media, a real-time information environment.  They reacted as one might with traditional media; releasing updates and statements every few days.  As a result, the conversations almost entirely became pro-life vs. pro-choice.  Most of those supporting SGK’s initial decision cited their pro-life beliefs and congratulated the organization for making a moral decision.  In truth, this is the LAST THING Susan G. Komen likely wanted because it furthered the belief by their more liberal and moderate supporters that their decision was a political one.  Out of the hundreds of comments that I read on Facebook and Twitter, I did not find a single one that stated their support on the grounds of it being a solid policy decision.  As soon as the conversations began to take this tone, SGK should have intervened to bring it back to the real issue at hand.