Naomi Marr.com

They want to hire you AND your best friend.

March 5th, 2010 7 Comments

A recent Tweet string with @wileyccoyote inspired this post. It went something like this…

I am not currently in the job market looking for a position, but I was as recently as January 2010. I also have many (more than I can count on one hand) friends and family members in the job market. And, many more who are considering entering the job market as we speak (the mass exodus that will happen when the economy starts to shift as MANY miserable and overworked employees leave at once shocking their employers because they thought everything was A-OK is fodder for another post.)

While talking to them, I get the distinct impression that some people think of social media networking – especially LinkedIn – as a tool you use once you’ve lost or job. And, that it’s just a site you plod along with while you’re working, but don’t really engage all that much. You know – accept the occasional LinkedIn request, sign in to approve it and sign out.

The point I was trying to make with my Tweet exchange with @wileyccoyote (and she totally gets it – she’s a social media rock star with INgage Networks) is that if you wait until you’ve already lost your job then you’re missing the whole point of networking. And – it’s not just about amassing large numbers of contacts and asking them to do things for you. The point of social media networking is to learn from others (none of this is a big surprise there) but then also to be willing to teach others and ask for help when needed. It’s a quid pro quo situation and for candidates – this means that you are stronger because of your network.

You know – like the Verizon(R) guy. When a company hires you now, they have additional factors to take into consideration. How well networked are you? If you have a business problem to solve can you reach to your network to help solve that problem quickly? If the company has a need for particular expertise, might you have some contact in your network that could solve that need? Does your network see you as valuable and do they ask for your insight on important issues?

Building these types of relationships takes time and it’s very important. Start engaging with your network NOW! Not because you have to, but because you understand that your network makes you smarter, faster, and better.

Job hunt not going well? Maybe it’s the reflection in the mirror.

January 28th, 2010 No Comments

Not your physical reflection. The less tangible harder-to-control reflection. The emotional one.

It is a very difficult job market and you must be prepared for:

1.) Organizations that have been bootstrapping their workload and are starting to get burnt out. And although they WANT to hire, they are often times waiting on company performance and looser budgets to allow them to hire.

2.) The plethora of feedback you will get from prospective employers (everyone has taken the idea of user generated content and transparency to heart and is sharing WAY more than they used to with candidates!) Be ready to learn from it.

3.) The fact that if you do not know someone in the hiring company or organization – you’ll have to work for it! It is not impossible, but organizations are definitely taking internal referrals very seriously these days. It is an easy way for them to sift through the sea of resumes they get from unknown candidates and move quickly once they have been given a headcount.

In addition, you will likely be in simultaneous talks tracking at different paces with several organizations at once. You need to stay energized about each interaction. It takes some time to determine if the organization is a cultural fit for you, if the organization is interested in you and respects your experience, if the role is active/funded, and if the company is stable and on an upward trajectory. You need to interview them just as they are interviewing you.

Throughout the process it can be hard to remain positive and jazzed about each individual opportunity. Especially if you discover some of them are not what they appeared to be on the surface. If you reach this point, and you may not even mean to do it, some of that dampened spirit could show through to your prospective employers. Perhaps your reflection is portraying your troubled demeanor, your faltering confidence, and your sapped energy level – even if there is a smile on your face!

I have heard many people say, “If you do not like your job, then you need better hobbies.” I think this same insight applies to job hunting. If the job hunting process is getting you down then you need to focus your energy on identifying those one or two things that make you happy and go enjoy them. Immerse yourself in it and let it rejuvenate you. The next time you sit down for an interview maybe your reflection will be portray the confident, dedicated, and happy employee you are.

2010 – the ‘tion year for community & social media

December 30th, 2009 No Comments

While working on a community strategy presentation last week, I created a slide titled, “2010 — the ‘tion year.” You know — as in…organizaTION, integraTION and proliferaTION. It was my attempt to tie together and simplify the disparate activities that are going to clutter social media and community strategies in 2010.

2010 is a pivotal year from my perspective — a year where there will be more scrutiny of social media and community programs, a tightening of the money belts that have funded the initiatives to-date, and higher expectations for the successful communities. It will be the year companies focus on making their customers truly happy with their products and services, and they will shelve talking about prospects for the time being. Those that make the cut will become “assimilated” into the enterprise environment, will be integrated with back office data and applications, and will face a new challenge — how to remain nimble and what’s next? Community and social media content held value for enterprises in 2009, but in 2011 what will your enterprise do with content that has become a commodity? That is right – a blog is a blog, and customer feedback will be customer feedback. Everyone will have it and it will not be a competitive advantage unless you are lucky enough to handpick your brilliant customers who reinvent your products or services for you. Enterprises are scrambling to address the ‘tion areas below so they are positioned to leverage their content commodities differently in 2011.

Organization

Understanding that it is no longer about what a single organization within your enterprise is doing with social media or community; or, how a particular social media or community program performs
All community and social media efforts must align with overall company strategy

Integration

Smart use of technology
- Don’t ask your core business systems to do something they can’t!
- Ask your social content to be destination agnostic

Do not try to “own” a single destination
Build social widgets to embed in traditional customer destinations(in-product, on your corporate websites, in your portals, in your various community elements)
- 2010 will be the year your competitors make their products social

Proliferation

Roll feedback from social media and community efforts back into the business
Internalize and make adjustments to improve the business

And — it is a long way away, but if companies focus on these areas in 2010, then 2011 might well become the year of the prospect. Finally.

Community does NOT need a Kitchen Sink

December 17th, 2009 No Comments

Let’s face it.

If you are an enterprise with a traditional website, your community is probably now the most trafficked section – especially if you are doing any support or product idea sharing. It is going to be very tempting to add a bunch of “stuff” to your community just to get it some exposure by justifying it as “useful to community members.” Beware this temptation.

And – even if you are a small to medium-sized business, this warning still stands. Your website might BE your community. As it grows, evolves and matures you are going to be tempted to add some of the traditional website content or functionality. Beware this temptation.

There are two entirely different types of content and one of the quickest ways to dilute the value of your community is to clutter it with content and utilities that are not truly social in nature. Your community should not be viewed as the one gateway for customers to experience the wealth of information about your company. It should be viewed as the one gateway to all things two-way in nature.

At the core of this concept is the definition of community, right?

The definition I would like to use is actually from several years ago, but I bumped into it again recently. It says that communities have:

1) Boundaries (not everyone can join)

2) A sense of common purpose (together we achieve more than we do alone)

3) Reciprocity (one-to-one relationships)

4) Rules (and penalties)

5) Self-determination (community cannot be imposed)

If you are considering adding links to applications or new content that will be “useful to community members” and it does not satisfy these criteria, then leave it out.

Examples might include knowledge bases, event listings, user group lists, software download sites, and news feeds. Unless these types of content are being pulled into the community AND allow reciprocity (comments, rating, bookmarking, tagging) then it will just cloud the community-building waters.

Leave all that other content where it belongs and where people expect it – in the top navigation of every conventional website out there. I am sure it really belongs in one of your Products, Solutions, Services, Support, or About Us buckets anyway.

Credit must be given to Mat Morrison for the community definition. He posted it in the comments of one of Jeremiah Owyang’s old blog posts.

What is the one item you need in your 2010 marketing/brand budget?

December 6th, 2009 3 Comments

What is the one item you need in your 2010 marketing/brand budget?

I’ll give you some hints.

Apple has used them for many, many years.
They come in varying shapes, colors and sizes.
They are typically affixed to things.

Have you figured it out yet?

Did you guess notebook bumper stickers?

That’s right. Notebook bumper stickers. The rainbow Apple logo was designed in 1977. When turned into a sticker and placed on notebooks, car windows, and suitcases, it became a badge of innovation and creativity. The stickers have changed over the years and they are a simple white graphic now, but the concept is still the same and many people show their Apple loyalty with the stickers — even covering up their logos on their PCs with the iconic Mac brand. Now days, the Apple sticker still stands for innovation, but you would have to add superior customer experience and technology to the list of attributes assigned to the company reputation. It’s become a technical “political” statement and a visible, yet passive, way to buck the norms of the enterprise IT/technical environment being drowned in stifling audit processes.

I’ve been meeting with, and talking to, a lot of people recently. During all of these conversations I’ve begun to notice a trend. The notebook bumper stickers are back in the emerging social media technology space and it is again becoming a badge of honor to show your company loyalties. Companies like Radian6, HubSpot, The Community Roundtable and more have begun producing and distributing their logo stickers and people are once again plastering their meeting notebooks, laptop covers and hand held devices with them.

So why is this an opportunity for you?

Notebook bumper stickers are back, but not everyone has jumped on board again, yet. There’s still an opportunity to be the first in your industry to dole them out like candy to all your customers. It’s an easy way for your customers, partners and general enthusiasts to show their loyalties and to spread the reach of your brand without having to do too much work on their own.

The bar is low for participation. Unlike with logo t-shirts (which most people can’t wear to the office or to business meetings), the notebook bumper stickers are portable and all a person has to do to participate is peel and stick. It couldn’t be any easier.

The notebook bumper stickers are cheap. With sites like Branders.com, it’s very easy to create and print your own stickers. They run anywhere from $.06 to $1.47 per sticker and the more you order the cheaper they get.

So here’s a photo of the cover of my meeting notebook. I’ve got just one so far, but hope to build my collection as I receive them from my favorite companies. I’m happy to share in their brand impression.

What does yours look like? Post a comment and link to a photo of your notebook bumper sticker wall of fame (you’ll need to host the photo in Flickr or some other photo sharing site) for all of us to see!