Why Employers Need to Listen on Social Media

Why Employers Need to Listen on Social Media How can brands benefit from becoming listening brands? How do you go about setting up a listening infrastructure? What are some of the typical pitfalls? I spoke to JR Little, who is the author of Listening Brands How Data is Rewriting the Rules of Branding, and Global Head of Innovation at Carat to get the  scoop. Listen to the interview on iTunes, SoundCloud or keep reading for a summary of our conversation. And be sure to check out Sidekick by HubSpot  as mentioned at the start of the podcast. Whats the  paradigm shift that youve seen in branding and marketing? The paradigm shift, just straight out of the gate, it is that the people can now deliver a brands message more effectively than the brand itself. And the reason I feel and try to prove that this paradigm shift has happened is because I have worked in the old world of marketing, communication and advertising, but now Im working in the new world, which is very digital and data-centric. And I could see it, I could see a flip has happened. And I think that flip was created by the rise of social media. Another thing in the book to build on this paradigm shift is I use this analogy of a megaphone, and its this idea that many, many years ago, the people with the megaphone in society were your governments, were your churches, etc. Then we came into the industrial age and the people with the megaphone were brands through advertising, and thats sort of like the Mad Men days. But now, and especially since 2010 I would say, when social media really started to become big, were now seeing that the people themselves, people like you and me, have the power and the ability to speak on behalf of brands. If we think about what we interact with on a daily basis, were opening our phones many times throughout the day, and were looking at very social spaces like Facebook, or YouTube, or Instagram, or Twitter, or even a comment section on an article and the things that were consuming are things that people are sharing and theyre commenting on and theyre posting. Its not like were sitting down and watching a TV and having ads fed to us anymore. Things have changed in that way. Our Head of Innovation @J_R_Little loves what FMCG brands are doing on Instagram https://t.co/oR20afLUo8 pic.twitter.com/bzFjy4yN4k Carat Global (@CaratGlobal) January 26, 2016 Why do brands need to become listening brands? I think, first and foremost, if youre a marketer, its kind of to preserve your job and preserve your career. And if youre concerned about your brand, its to make sure your brand still has a way to connect and build a relationship with the consumers that matter because if consumers are connecting in a different way, then you have to know how to do that. In the book, I talk about why its important to become a listening brand, and I talk about listening in a broad sense. I dont mean simply listening for words, but in terms of listening for signals, listening for signs, listening for words indeed, but looking for the clues that help us understand the needs of consumers better. In the book, I also talk about how a lot of our conversations happen on social spaces, but they happen about cultural things. Theyre not really happening about category things, and brands are so accustomed to talking about their category, you know? I have a running shoe. My running shoe is the most affordable, or My running shoe runs the fastest, but thats not really how we interact with brands anymore. We see them in Instagram posts, or we see them in our friends Facebook pictures. So, theres a little bit of a change there in that were interacting and meeting brands in cultural scenarios and not necessarily at the shopping mall in a category context. How  do you become a listening brand? I think the first thing is to recognise that theres new tools. Theres a new way of doing things. And I like to say, Be prepared to totally flip the process that youre used to, and what I mean by that is in the Mad Men days, there was this process and this flow of talking to consumers, also talking at consumers, where some people sit around and they use their intuition, and they use their gut and they use maybe qualitative research to come up with this somewhat esoteric brand idea. And then that is turned into messaging, or propositions, or still sort of intangible things, and then thats reinterpreted into a campaign, and then the campaign is pushed across media, and then media is bought. And last but not least, you think about, How is this going to work in a digital space? But I think today, because of what we can learn from all of the digital interactions we already have going if were a brand, those things create data. And if we look at that first, it might tell us things about our consumer we never wouldve been able to imagine with our intuition. It might tell us theyre a different makeup than who we thought they would be or who we were targeting. It might tell us they have interests that we never imagined that they had. It could even tell us geolocation, where they spend their time, what kind of phone they use during the day, and those things are actually clues and signs that help us to understand then what our brand needs to be to appeal to them. Or, you could actually say what our brands needs to not be to appeal to them. Where do you see brands getting listening wrong? Theres a lot of places. I think if I was just to mention a few things, I think starting with the idea today of, What can I say? versus, How can I help? I think we still have a lot of marketers that trust their intuition and their gut and what theyve done in the past, as opposed to what actually will resonate today, and ignoring the instances that are already showing interest in them, but they may not even know it. And this could be people that are asking questions in social spaces like, How do I put this childs car seat in the back of this brand new Chevrolet car? That is a sign that theres an audience there wanting to hear from you if youre a brand, and so there has to be a willingness to listen and to respond to them. How do you build an effective listening infrastructure? I think this is where it gets very complex. It really does, but I will break it down as best as I can, and Ill even drop some names that could easily be Googled and looked up. But I think the first thing is talent. There is a talent challenge in that none of us have been taught to do this stuff in our business schools. Were all learning as we go, and thats one thing, but the talent has to be very curious. And theres already some tools with the big partners; Twitter, Facebook, Google, even increasingly Amazon. They all have to some degree easily accessible tools that let you know what people are saying, what people are interested in, and if theyre a match with who your consumer is. Theyre also increasingly letting brands that spend a lot of money with them to match sort of CRN data to their data. So, if your company has the email address of a consumer, then you can actually use that email address to find them in some ways on some of these platforms, of course, protecting identity. Those are like the big places to start, but then if we were to get into the real niche players, there are the proper listening players, which is picking up on word clues, and that would be like a Crimson Hexagon or Pulsar. There are the players that help you respond to all these people who may be mentioning your brand or mentioning a topic youre interested in, and that would be players like Lithium, Hootsuite or Sprout. And then there are players who are actually working more in the digital as data points, not necessarily as words, and this is players like DataSift or even matching different pools of data with a player like an Acxiom. But this is a bit of a rabbit hole; it can go deeper, and deeper, and deeper. But thats sort of the different layers. Related: The Ultimate Guide to Social Command Centres Whats the ROI of becoming a listening brand and how do you actually measure it? The ROI question, I do not have a specific number, but I do have some things we look at. So, on a basic level, if youre listening and understand the insights, or even listening to what people are saying, you wont waste budget on making things you dont need. And if you dont waste budget on things you dont need, you obviously wont waste media spend. I think on another level, you will go fishing where the fish are. You wont miss audiences that are already expressing some level of an interest in you by mentioning your topic or mentioning your brand. And then last, and this ones harder to prove in the short term, but its that sort of long-term value. Are you getting better return over the long term because your brand metrics have improved, like a brand for me or a brand that I trust? And there are some players out there that are actually looking at that as well with Nielsen and Edelman, the long-term impact of resonating with a culture and being a responsive brand. So theres a few differe nt levels. The ideal would be to have some better attribution so that we could get this value packaged up in more of a short term, but right now its more about the long term sort of resetting the brand and making the brand appealing to consumers. Follow JR on Twitter @J_R_Little  and read his articles on LinkedIn. Read the full article:  How to Become a Listening Brand, with JR Little of Carat.

How to Ensure your Teenagers Are Safe When Going Out to Party -

How to Ensure your Teenagers Are Safe When Going Out to Party - Ask any parent, and they will tell you that nothing worries them more than their teenage kid going to a party. They often view parties as a significant source of immorality that they wouldnt want their kids getting into. However, what most parents fail to realize is that parties are a crucial part of any teens social development. Its good to let them socialize and relax with their peers doing fun things as it makes it easier for them to fit in. However, its good to make sure your kids are safe and responsibly having fun. Nowadays there are all sorts of teen parties. Some involve board games and just hanging out while others include lots of alcohol and drug abuse. That said you cant keep your kid locked up at home, so its up to make sure they go to the right party. The best way for them to grow is by experiencing the world by themselves. This is when they learn how to make some good decisions regarding their future. The following is a guideline of making sure your teenager is safe when going out to the party. Speak to the party host’s parents Before letting your kid go to any party, it is crucial that you call the hosts parents and get to hear from them before anything else. You can go for a friendly approach as you gather some vital information like for instance will there be an adult in the party to monitor whats happening? What are the parents view on issues like drugs and alcohol? From the conversation you have with them you should be able to decide on whether to let your kid go to the party. Keep track of their messages The only way you can be sure of where your kids are is by tracking their moves. In case they lied to you, you can easily find out by monitoring their messages with their friends, and the conversation will surely give you a hint on their next move. You can also track iPhone  or Androids to monitor their activity, or   in case they get in trouble or go missing while at the party. It is a good way of ensuring your kids safety. Put down some rules with your teen As a parent, one of the biggest mistakes is failing to sit down with your kid and telling them what they can or cannot do. Talk to them and establish some rules on party-going. Some of the issues may be to let them know that they have to be home by a particular time, not take drink carelessly, provide the address of where the party is and call whenever the location changes, not to leave the party premises no matter what and so on. Have a detailed transportation plan As a parent, you need to know how your kid will get to the party and get home once everything is over. You can choose to drive your teen or let another trusted parent do it. Whats important is to not let your teen out on the streets alone. Parties are an excellent way for any growing kid to establish social skills and every teen has a right to have fun in one way or another. Do not be so tight on your kid that he/she misses out on this fantastic moments while growing up. They might end up hating you or lacking some valuable life experiences. Be a good parent and know whats right for your child.

The Dos and Donts of Working With Recruiters - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Dos and Donts of Working With Recruiters - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career In order to work effectively with a recruiter, you need to know how to communicate with them. Many job seekers discuss networking as being a critical component to a successful job search. While the majority recognizes the importance of building the right relationships, few know how to establish a rapport with a key group: headhunters. The ability to form ongoing relationships with influential recruiters can prove more critical to your career success than any other networking outlet. In order to influence a headhunter, you must know how to interact with them. Working with recruiters can have a wide variety of benefits. To assist you, we’ve listed important communication do’s and don’ts of working with a recruiter. Understanding the importance of recruiter relationships. Why is it so beneficial to learn how to speak with executive search professionals and work with recruiters effectively? Over time, alliances with the right staffing agents can aid you in several different ways. Competent recruiters can do the following: Open up additional job opportunities you didn’t know about. Provide key insight into the job market. Help negotiate higher compensation packages. Provide critical resume and job-search advice. The do’s and don’ts of recruiter communication. Since your goal is to have lasting relationships with headhunters, it’s imperative to understand how to work with recruiters effectively and communicate well. Here is what you should be doing: Do clearly convey your career goals. Often, job seekers complain about being pressured to interview for jobs that they are not interested in nor qualified for. This results in them making a bad impression during the interview which, in turn, hurts their ongoing relationship with that recruiting agent. However, you can prevent this by clearly conveying your professional goals to the recruiter. When a headhunter knows exactly what you’re looking for, they can more accurately make career suggestions without putting you in an awkward spot. If you are approached for a job you are not interested in, it’s best that you politely decline, thank the recruiter for their consideration, and tell them what interests you. Don’t be indecisive. Don’t interview just to get in the recruiter’s good graces. Doing so will not strengthen the relationship, and will ultimately come back to hurt you. Whether you interview well and don’t accept a job, or don’t receive an offer, it’s a lose-lose situation. Do allow the recruiter to call the shots. One of the best ways to get on the good side of a recruiter is to simply allow them to do their job. On occasion, job applicants have trouble not being in control of the hiring process. Anxiousness forces them to take certain actions which can be perceived as stepping on the toes of the recruiter. For instance, when working with an executive recruiter, it’s in your best interest to ask them permission (as well as their opinion), or keep them in the loop with any client contact. This includes sending thank you notes to interviewers with the individual ccd, all the way to negotiating salary through the headhunter unless directed otherwise. The rule of thumb is if you don’t know the way a staffing professional likes to work, it’s best to ask. Inquiring about their preferences and being compliant with those requests builds trust and fosters long-term relationships. Do remain cordial and professional even if you do not get the job. Another great way to get into a recruiter’s good graces is to be gracious upon losing an offer. Sometimes, applicants will bad mouth the hiring manager which makes them look petty and unprofessional. This is not to mention that they are talking poorly about the recruiters’ clients. How you behave when things don’t go your way is just as important as how you behave when they do. By thanking the recruiter for their time and informing them you’d be interested in anything similar that comes along leaves the door open to you working again with the individual. Don’t be a sore loser. Recruiters find the sour grapes mentality very off-putting and complaining has no benefit to you. Sometimes you get the job, sometimes you don’t. However, never lose your composure when things don’t go your way. In the end. If played correctly, working with a recruiter will do nothing but benefit your career. Whether or not you end up a taking a job today is not as important as whether or not you’ll be considered in the future.

An Introverts Guide to Self-Confidence How to Grow towards Career Success

An Introverts Guide to Self-Confidence How to Grow towards Career Success Imagine an afterwork party at the office. People are relaxed and small-talking like crazy. You, on the other hand, have an inexplicable urge to stay in the corners of the room, and you don’t feel like talking. You just want all this to end and you can’t wait to get some alone time at home. In fewer words, you’re an introvert. That’s not a bad thing. Susan Cain said it all in her famous TED talk â€" introverts have more strength than they realize. You can listen to other people. You’re observing. You always think before saying something. You can be a truly loyal person. These strengths are very important in any career. Instead of staying in the shade, you can start shining at the workplace. Why Do Introverts Have Trouble with Self-Confidence? Introverts are not necessarily less self-confident than extroverts. The trouble is; they appear to be less confident because of their reserved attitude. When an extrovert sees you’re quiet most of the time, they get the impression that you’re not doing your job well. Employers may prefer delegating important task to other workers, who seem reliable just because they can talk and fit into the office culture. Why does this happen? Introverts are not really interested in gossip. They don’t understand small talk and they don’t like talking without a purpose. Their withdrawn attitude makes them stand out from the informal office culture. An introvert has trouble giving presentations. You’re stressed out for days before moment when you have to stand in front of an audience and present your ideas. You don’t feel comfortable speaking, which is why you don’t seem confident enough. Joe Galanis, who works as a career advisor at Careers Booster, explains that introverts can be great team players, but they don’t promote themselves as leaders of the group. “From my experience, I can tell that introverts are great at teamwork. They don’t try to tell other people what to do, unless they are being asked for advice. Even when they are giving advice, they are making sure not to hurt other people’s feelings. That’s a great characteristic of a team player, but it’s not something that makes you stand out as the leader of the group.” Introverts aren’t promoting themselves as motivated workers, regardless of the efficiency they achieve. Does that mean that you’re destined to stay in the shade and you shouldn’t even aim towards career progress? No! In fact, you can get better at showing some confidence. We’ll tell you how to get adopt the attitude of a leader. An Introvert’s Guide to Confidence Although introverts can appear shy in the eyes of the boss and the other members of a working team, they have strengths that make them excellent achievers: Great intuition An ability to understand people’s emotions Excellent memory Attention to details Do you recognize yourself in that description? Well, then you have all it takes to become better at what you do. However, you also have some weaknesses that need work. These tips will help you overcome them: 1. Accept challenges. Search for them! You feel peaceful and safe in your comfort zone, right? Any challenge outside of that box seems overwhelming. You have to understand that challenges are supposed to be overwhelming, but inspiring, too. The more you face them, the prouder and more confident you feel. Here’s an exercise for you: talk to the new worker. Invite them for lunch during the break, and offer to show them around the offices. Stage two: when your boss asks if anyone has something to say during a meeting, speak up. You know you have ideas and you know they are great. Make yourself do this: tell everyone what you think. 2. Make connections Networking is not easy for introverts. At a business party, they are the ones you’ll notice being quiet and unsocial. You have to change that attitude. The good thing about these events is that they have a scheme you can hack. Everyone talks about the same things, and everyone expects a certain form of attitude, somewhere along the line between formal and friendly. Be there. Whenever there’s an event that offers opportunities for networking, don’t miss it. That’s the first step. Take the networking challenge: each month, meet 4 people you don’t know, and 4 people you know, but you’d like to know them better. With time and practice, you’ll become a natural. Small talk is not that hard and pointless. Introduce yourself, exchange business cards with people, and ask what they do. 3. Smile! You have a desire to become more sociable, don’t you? The only problem is the first step. A simple way to break the ice is to smile. Show your natural, beautiful smile. People will have no other choice but to show some friendliness back. 4. Straighten up! Here is another exercise for you: try to pay attention to what your posture looks like at different times of the day. You’ll probably notice that when you’re feeling stressed out or shy, you tend to lower your head and curl the spine forwards. That’s not how you expect a successful leader to look like. A confident person keeps their head up, and the spine straight. The good news is: that’s something you can learn. Whenever you feel like you could use some self-confidence, straighten up. Research shows that your posture affects the confident appearance in your own thoughts. Do some exercise. When you deal with your body every single morning, you become aware of it. First of all, you’ll look better, and that fact itself will make you more confident. But, you’ll also be able to sit straight when you work, and you’ll improve your posture when standing up. 4. Speak Introverts share a common fault: fear of speaking in public. They will do everything to avoid expressing themselves in front of a large group of people. Thus, they don’t speak up during office meetings, and they don’t like presenting projects. There’s no other way to overcome the fear of speaking in public; you have to face it. When your boss asks who is going to present the next project, you need to be that person. When they ask if someone has anything to add, be the person who speaks up. You have smart ideas; all you need to do is start expressing them. Your voice may crack the first time. The second time might be even worse, because you’ll be afraid you’ll fail again. That doesn’t matter. You need to go on and on. Suddenly, you’ll find yourself in a situation when you’re speaking without fear, and you’re feeling more confident than ever. That’s the kind of thing that’s worthy of an effort. You’re a bit of a perfectionist, aren’t you? You want to present yourself well in every single situation, but you have a fear that things won’t turn out as you expect. That’s why you decide to stay quiet most of the time. Well, it’s time to start breaking that pattern. You’re stronger than you assume! About the Author Steven is a career advisor and personal development enthusiast from New Hampshire. He loves embracing challenges which help him learn and grow every day. He’ll be happy to meet you on Facebook, just drop him a line!

6 tips for surviving your family Christmas

6 tips for surviving your family Christmas When your drunk Uncle starts a debate about Brexit and your siblings are squabbling in the corner over the TV remote, Christmas with your family can get a bit intense. If youve moved away for uni or work, youre probably used to seeing your family during brief weekend visits. Its natural tensions might arise when you go back to living under the same roof as them day in, day out. So to prevent any serious arguments over Monopoly games or turkey sandwiches, here are our top tips for staying sane over the festive break Prepare for The Great Questioning Probably my least favourite part of Christmas with the family is the incessant questioning. Whos that guy in this Facebook photo? Is he your boyfriend? Youve lost weight, are you eating properly? What do you actually do again? How did you afford this new coat? While you might be tempted to disguise yourself as a present and hide under the tree until it all dies down, its actually better to just ride it out. Take a deep breath and answer in as calm a manner as you can possibly summon. If it all gets too much, turn it around on them. Ask a few questions about their lives, so you can sit back and let them do all the talking. Keep your cool during the family drama I can genuinely not remember a Christmas when it hasnt all kicked off at least once. Whether its over a burnt turkey, a TV show clash or the policies of Jeremy Corbyn, tensions are bound to rise at some point and it can be difficult not to get involved. But before you release all your pent up frustration with a rage-filled rant at an unsuspecting family member, try and retreat to a quiet place to calm down for a while, or open up that box of Quality Street as a peace offering. Grab the Bucks Fizz Now this certainly might not work for everyone, but Ive found a few glasses of Bucks Fizz during dinner (or before if youre feeling particularly stressed) can significantly help you to relax and zone out of any potential arguments. You may end up conked out on the sofa by 9pm, but at least you wont have to sit through that trashy Christmas TV. Just try and avoid the Boxing Day hangover because believe me, it aint pretty. Try not to flip the Monopoly board There comes a time on Christmas Day, normally around 3pm, when a peaceful lull descends over the household. Thats until some family member pipes up with the suggestion of a board game, and all hell breaks loose. Soon World War 3 breaks out over missed rent payments, illegal swapping and whos going to get the Scottie dog until someone flips the board across the room and puts an end to it all. As much as it pains you, try not to be that person. Dont buy into capitalism, it never ends well. Escape the house for a while You might feel like you have to spend the entire Christmas period cooped up in your living room spending quality time with your family members, but in actual fact youll probably be much better off taking a break every now and then. You could pop over to a friends house for a bit, or head for a quick pint down the pub. Just taking the time to get some headspace will enable you to head home feeling much more refreshed. When you spend such long periods apart and youre used to your independence, spending every minute with your family can feel a bit intense. Its totally ok if you need to take a break. Remember that, deep down, you love your family really While Christmas with the family can send you stir crazy, make sure you take the time to remember how much you love them really. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to spend Christmas with their relatives, so dont take it for granted. Becoming older and more independent can make spending long periods of time with your family more difficult, but it should also make you appreciate the time you do get to spend with them, and how much it means to them to have you back at home. So switch off your phone, switch off from work and just enjoy simply being with your loved ones and those pigs in blankets. Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Home Run Interview, Right!! Jose Canseco! (video)

Home Run Interview, Right!! Jose Canseco! (video) 1 Flares 1 Flares Who said that funny, cant also be informational?  Check out the hilarious interview video clip below and stop back after for my comments. What have we learned? DONT get caught up in a magazine while waiting for them to start your interview DO dress well.  The guy totally dresses the part in this interview DONT hit on anyone or ask for their phone number.  Even when you think you can guess the first 3 digits DONT tip anyone.  You know this, right? DO smile when greeting your interviewer.  The man is certainly confident. DONT bring up awkward/weird animal facts.  What are you, a zoologist? DONT use company names from movies for your resume.  Although awesome, I dont suggest it. DO move the conversation to an area of expertise you are more comfortable with.  He totally moved it on to his special skills. DONT list your Dong size under special skills.  Thanks.

Resume Writing School, GPA Example

Resume Writing School, GPA ExampleResume writing school, GPA example? I know you're wondering if that is really a requirement when applying to college or university. Some students and parents think that the GPA alone is enough to get into the college of choice, but what you don't realize is that you can actually get an A grade with your GPA, just as long as you work hard and study.The first thing you should do is get a copy of your high school transcript before you apply to any writing school. You should also make sure that your GPA meets the minimum standards for enrollment. If it doesn't, don't worry, there are several ways to remedy this situation. For example, if your grade was calculated in a different way than most, you can request a refund from the school.Another thing you can do is take one course at the college program, such as pre-law or something similar, and save your transcript and grade so that you can get it back when you get to college. Don't forget, however, that you r transcript needs to be sent to all schools, so you should submit it early.Resume writing school, GPA example? I recommend that you not only study your transcripts and GPA, but that you take some extra time to learn how to write a quality resume.As you study the resumes of others, you will be able to see that all the people in this world have their own unique style of writing. In order to write a good resume, you need to understand how to write a resume for each individual. If you apply to five different colleges, you should submit one resume to each of them.It's also important to remember that you can tailor your resume to each school, in the same way that you tailor your letters of recommendation. After all, some schools only require letters of recommendation that are specific to the school, while other schools like the general letter.When applying to a college, you should not only write a strong resume, but you should also prepare a great cover letter. The cover letter tells the admissions officer's everything about your personality and qualifications, and you should provide it to each of the schools you are applying to.The bottom line is that, if you plan on being admitted to your dream college, you must be able to present yourself in a way that they find appealing. After all, a GPA example doesn't matter if you don't have the personality to make the GPA stand out. Follow these tips and you will be ready to apply to any writing school and start building your future.