Some Q & As with a Social Media Nerd

Earlier this week, when a friend of mine was asked by her roommate if she might know of anyone fluent in social media, I imagined this as her response: “OH! DEFINITELY! You gotta call Khrista–She is a Social Media Nerd!”

And I’m not offended in the slightest bit that she–technically–called me a Nerd. Besides, I call her an Accounting Dork.

Here are the questions that her roommate–who was on assignment for a class that she’s taking as part of her MBA curriculum–had asked me. And, of course, my answers.

Roommate (RM): Current position and responsibilities. How do you use social media? And, if relevant, for what types of problems or situations?

Social Media Nerd (me) (SMN): I call myself a full-time and very active job seeker, and am utilizing social media to leverage my industry-specific skills and brand myself as a “great hire” at a social media, marketing, and/or PR agency. My blog–housed on the WordPress platform–is my main platform. I use Twitter to leverage my blog postings and drive traffic there as well as to interact with industry influencers and tweet industry-relevant news and updates (and ultimately make network connections and land interviews). I also post new blog postings to my personal Facebook page and use that as a means to drive traffic to my blog.

Here’s an excerpt from my blog, For Hire, that better explains my goal behind my current role in social media:

Let’s face it: Looking for a job is monotonous and frustrating. And not really that much fun, especially in our current economy. A job search requires as much dedication as a relationship with a significant other or a full-time job–perhaps even both.

To me, a job–a career–is not just a way to “pay the bills,” but also something to be passionate about, something that’s challenging and rewarding, and something that brings me value. So, if my current job search is really my “job” at the moment, shouldn’t that, too, possess the same qualities?

This blog, this conglomerate of me, is an experiment–and one that seems, well, quite narcissistic. But it’s beyond being just about me: It’s about branding and marketing Khrista Trerotola as someone you want to hire. It’s about showing–not just telling in a cover letter–how my skills can help your company. (If I say I’m savvy with social media, wouldn’t you want to see it in action, in Real Time?) It’s about taking action and creating a more rewarding and measurable job search for me, and perhaps even setting a precedent for what constitutes future job searches in the social media space.

Follow my trials and tribulations in the world of job-searching and check back often to find reasons, examples, stories, etc. on why you should hire me.

RM: How did you get into social media?

SMN: I majored in feature writing (very similar to magazine writing) at Ithaca College and, after graduation, quickly got a job as an Editorial Assistant at a management consulting firm to the A/E industry, in the B2B publishing department. After quickly rising through the ranks to become the Editor of a publication, I found myself enjoying the more strategic aspects of being an Editor: Marketing, Planning, Interacting with clients, etc. Simultaneously, during my discovery, the economy was crashing and the publishing industry was drastically changing and relying more on new and digital media. I became fascinated with all of these changes and with the explosion of social media in the publishing sphere. This eventually led to me implementing and heading up the firm’s social media presence, which initially included a Facebook page and a Twitter account. I also educated my firm’s employees on the added value and benefits of social media. When I was laid-off, I opted to take an “apprenticeship” with a “social media guru” in Somerville, and learned SO much about social media and how to effectively leverage it. This was specifically when I found passion in social media and knew I wanted to pursue this career path.

RM: What are the key lessons, key success factors, and/or best practices to keep in mind when using social media? What seems to work and what does not seem to work when using social media?

SMN: Know your audience and on which networks they are likely to have a high presence. For example, all small businesses think they should be tweeting, but little do many small business owners know that they can actually make a bigger impact by having a Facebook page (and taking out Facebook ads).

Don’t jump into the networks. Listen and listen and listen and THEN respond. Examine the types of discussions, the language and tone used within the community, and other kinds of interactions. Make sure what you have to say brings value to your followers. Look for key industry people to interact with. Be consistent in all that you do.

RM: What doesn’t work and what should be avoided?

SMN: This is very dependent on the goals and scope of your social media plan and your audience. The big NO NO with social media, however, is to make sure to avoid activity that strictly self-promotional all the time. Obviously, some self-promotion is fine, but it must be balanced with value-added information and interaction with other community members.

RM: What is the future direction for social media in your organization  (if applicable)?

SMN: I am hoping that my “organization” folds soon (in other words, that I find a job), but as something to generally note, social media is not going anywhere. We’ll continue to see the very niche networks and communities fold or remain small, niche communities and the Big Five (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and MySpace) continue to grow and evolve. Location-based applications like Foursquare are the immediate future in social media and apps.

Social media empowers the consumer, puts the celebrity at a reachable level (via Twitter), and masks nothing (as we’ve seen with organizations–such as the recent crisis with Toyota–everything is disclosed in one way or another via social media). Organizations must also take into consideration how quickly things can go viral (and how that might now align with a company’s marketing plan). A recent example of this was when ****** ****** Corporate sent a regionally based e-mail blast regarding a promotion in certain franchise areas; a link was tweeted regarding this promotion and customers were citing it at other  ****** ****** locations that weren’t prepared.

I Don’t Really Like Sitting Still

“So, like, WHAT do you do ALL day? You must have so much time because you’re unemployed,” my little cousin asked me one day as we were walking to breakfast. She had a week off of middle school, so I had invited her to come into “the city” (Boston), 45 minutes northeast of where she lives, and have a sleepover. We always have a fun time together–making modge-podge collages, going to our favorite sushi joint, recording silly videos on our family members’ Facebook walls, and playing lacrosse–but as we were walking that day, little did she know I was frantically strategizing how I was going to do what I needed to/wanted to get done while also having a jam-packed day of cousin fun!

“TIME? Time? Ha,” I snapped back. Actually, I didn’t really snap at all; but I did snap a little inside. (How dare anyone think I would waste my time doing nothing?, is what I thought.) “I actually do a lot. Tweet, blog, apply for jobs, search for jobs to apply for, follow-up on applications, follow-up on follow-ups on applications, network, keep up with industry blogs and news, work odd jobs (babysit, dog sit, house sit, social media consulting) to supplement my unemployment funds–and that’s basically to market myself as a stellar potential hire and to pay the bills. I also like to do other things: Workout, play tennis, write in my personal journal, read, do art, volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association, see friends.”

“Duh. I forgot that you don’t like to sit still,”  she replied. “Oh Khrista, you’re such a spaz.” We laughed as we strolled down Newbury Street arm-in-arm. She inherited some of our family’s spaz gene, too.

That's me (freezing cold) on a boat while crewing Elaine's English Channel Swim.

I’m not in the slightest bit complaining. (My biggest complaint is that anyone would think that I’d do nothing all day.) Sure, getting laid off in the midst of an economic depression is a total drag. And being “currently unemployed” gets real old, real fast. But I have no doubts and no regrets in how I’ve used my unemployed time: I’ve solidified my career goals and aspirations; I helped a friend raise money to swim the English Channel (she donated some of those funds to the American Leukemia and Lymphoma Society)–and was lucky enough to experience her swim first-hand as her crew member; I had an awesome “apprenticeship”/internship in which I learned so much; I was able to spend a little-more-time-than-usual with my family in Buffalo; volunteered for some causes for which I’m passionate; read some great books; and met some great people. But now: I am soooo ready for a full-time balls-to-the-wall job.

Tales of the Second Grade Me

Can you guess which one is the second grade (maybe first grade) me?

I remember the first time I heard the term “Writer’s Block:” I was in second grade, sitting in front of one of our classroom’s two Macintosh computers. You know, those now ancient-looking ones that were a dirty tan color with the black screens that projected green dot-matrix images. Miss Grandoni, my teacher, had mentioned it in some sort of context to the girl next to me. I remember overhearing the definition. I stopped typing and was instantaneously overcome with “Writer’s Block.”

It’s suffice to say that I’ve never experienced a full-blown case of Writer’s Block, where one can’t write for days. Sure, there was that time in second grade, where my fear of Writer’s Block gave me that ailment for, um, five minutes.  And there’s been plenty of times I’ve struggled over constructing a story’s lede, and as a result, postponed writing what was to come next. And I’ve had instances where I’ve pondered over perfecting a transition into a new paragraph or a new topic. And this time, today, where I was having trouble deciding what to write about, so I decided to write about Writer’s Block.

I haven’t run out of things to write about, to discuss, to focus on; I have a little Moleskin with PLENTY of quickly jotted down ideas and thoughts I could blog about at any given time. And then there’s the ever-evolving social media space and whatever is new that day that I could write about. And the thoughts, ideas, and observations that are running through my head at any given moment always make for interesting posts.

I started jotting down ideas and thoughts in a notepad on that second grade day I learned of the ailment. (Although, then, it was in a Mead marble composition notebook (usually black-and-white, but hot pink-and-white or lime green-and-white if I was lucky).)  I’ve never mentioned the existence of “Writer’s Block” to the little girl I now babysit, who happens to be in second grade and aspires to be a writer. She also keeps a little notebook of ideas. And a “writing box” full of notebooks with finished stories, started stories, lists of adjectives, ideas for characters, “questions to ask,” and outlines.

TOTAL Blast from the Past: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

She’s more into poetry and fiction plots. I was all about reporting, non-fiction, and tying writing into overall activities–like the marketing posters and radio commercials (I had my own radio show that I recorded on my TalkBoy, popularized by HomeAlone 2: Lost in New York) for my handmade friendship bracelets and feather pens. I also had The Khrista Times, which usually included the headline, “NEWS FLASH: Khrista got an A!”

Sometimes I like to think that this little girl is the second grade me: She’s loud and spunky, funny, craves attention, and is creative in the same ways I was (I confirmed this when she wrote a book about her dog that not only had a Table of Contents, but also a bookmark holder complete with a bookmark to match the theme). It’s fun and funny and enlightening to hang out with the second grade me. We’re planning to have a “newspaper party” with some of her friends soon, where we’ll all create a newspaper (Perhaps we’ll call it The BFF Times?). No doubt, her and I will be the most excited ones in the room.

Today’s Thoughts: Insightful Career Advice and One Brand I Can’t Help But Love

Now that I’ve had a proper amount of coffee and my Claritin has kicked in (Thank You, Unusually High Pollen Count!), I thought I’d share a couple of my recent observations/thoughts with you all.

1. I love JetBlue. And, no, not just because I won a free roundtrip from yesterday’s Guerrilla Marketing efforts in Boston (that, might I add, trended #1 on Twitter’s Trending Topics for Boston (#JB10BOS)), but because I’ve always admired their non-traditional efforts in the very traditional airline space. JetBlue’s non-traditional efforts not only include their marketing, but customer service, customer-loyalty program, and perks.

In my college Intro to Public Relations class, we read a case study on Southwest Airlines (man I wish I didn’t sell back that book…), and I remember thinking to myself, “Southwest does some great PR, but I still looooove JetBlue.” A year or two later, I swore I’d never step back on a JetBlue plane after an early morning emergency landing and quite scary situation, but that quickly changed when I was mailed a voucher for $250. (I mean I wasn’t going to let that voucher go to waste….) At this point in history, JetBlue could not get a break; they were still dealing with crisis-control efforts surrounding massive delays and cancellations due to a President’s Day Weekend snow storm. But they figured it out, and created the now well-respected Customer Bill of Rights.

While some brands (both airlines and other brands, in general) now struggle to increase their visibility and interactions in the social media space, JetBlue was well ahead of the curve. They empowered the consumer and embraced the value of word-of-mouth marketing before social media exploded and changed the way consumers and brands interact. And they found the right demographic to target–the younger, family-centered or fun-centered consumer who could care less about Red Carpet Status, who thinks TV on a plane is great, and who appreciates a pilot with a sense of humor. It’s as if David Neeleman (the original founder of JetBlue) applied the mentality of a backpacker–not a business traveler–when creating the airline.

And for marketing efforts. Well, @JetBlue (1.6 million followers and counting!) does awesome handling customer service inquires. Their partnerships are well-targeted and well-thought out (Hotels.com!). JetBlue’s Facebook page interactions are through the roof. Progressive programs like JetPaws and All-You-Can-Jet 30-Day Pass are brilliant.

So a big CHEERS! and Happy 10th Birthday to JetBlue!

2. The May 2010 issue of Marie Claire has some great career-related advice in the article, “Success Secrets of 30-Something Moguls” (p. 112). Here are a few of the secrets that I liked:

p. 112, Secret #5: Find seasoned mentors–and use them often.

p. 114, Secret #1: Find a job you’d jump out of bed for. (Yes, they exist.)

p. 116, Secret #6: Be an idea machine.

Zen and the Art of Job Identification

I just started re-reading one of my favorite books–one that was introduced to me by one of my most influential professors at Ithaca College: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, by Robert M. Pirsig. Written in 1974, HarperCollins calls it a “Modern Classic;” I like to call it a thought-provoking work that presents new insights and meaning each time I re-read it, depending where I am in my life at that moment.

I’m sitting in seat 7D, legs crossed, one hand holding the book, the other hand holding my pen. As the plane speeds down the tarmac and lifts itself into the air, I’m frantically underlining sentences, circling words, and writing notes in the margin–just as I did with any book I read in college. On page 32-33, I pointed this out, with a whole lotta underlines and stars:

“They were like spectators. You had the feeling they had just wandered in there themselves and somebody had handed them a wrench. There was no identification with the job. No saying, ‘I am a mechanic.’ At 5 PM or whenever their eight hours were in, you knew they would cut it off and not have another thought about their work. They were already trying not to have any thoughts about their work on the job. In their own way they were achieving the same thing John and Sylvia were, living with technology without having anything to do with it. Or rather, they had something to do with it, but their own selves were outside of it, detached, removed. They were involved in it but not in such a way as to care.”

Job identification. Pirsig couldn’t have pointed this out much better.

“Why?” I asked myself. “Why would someone not want to identify with their job? Why would you do the job just to do the job? And how could you possibly leave work and not think about it again until you returned the next morning?” Through Pirsig’s passionate prose, it’s pretty clear that he probably asked himself these same questions while facing–and recalling–this situation.

Identifying with your job is the first step to becoming passionate about your work. And, to me, my job search–my career search–isn’t about wandering in somewhere and randomly being handed a wrench. It’s about finding a position that I’ll have passion in–where I’ll delve myself into my work and its outcome, go above and beyond my tasks at hand, strategize and do and think and be creative and be savvy, where I’ll be much more than a spectator. It’s about finding a position with which I identify.

Content Curation Critical to Evolution of B2B Buy Cycle

Unlike with consumer brands–in which marketers count on their audience to often make impulsive purchases–purchases in the B2B industry are well-researched and contemplated beforehand. With B2B budgets running in cycles, the buying behaviors of company decision makers also runs in a cycle: The B2B Buy Cycle.

As more content is uploaded to the Internet everyday, the practice of content curation is not only becoming crucial for a B2B brand to display its thought leadership, but also for the overall evolution of the B2B Buy Cycle. Here’s why:

1. A buyer needs to be able to find your content before they even consider your product or service. Buyers use a plethora of sources–trade shows, industry publications, websites, catalogs, search engines, and social media–to complete each part of the Buy Cycle. But, in order for your product or service to even be visible in that buyer’s process, they must be able to find your content in that sea of information. Content curation makes your content easy for them to find, not to mention presents your content in an organized and succinct way.

2. It’s crucial for buyers in any stage of the Buying Cycle to perceive your brand as strong and reliable. According to this, “people must perceive your business as highly competent, knowledgable, and ethical, which is the key to winning confidence and ultimately leads to a contract.” Whether you have the kind of content that proves this or not isn’t the only factor to take into consideration–this content should also be organized and presented in a manner that leads buyers to perceive your brand as strong and as the best.

3. Phases within the B2B Buy Cycle are speeding up. That means the window you have to make an impression on a buyer is shrinking–and becoming more crucial. Content curation makes research easier for buyers. They find curated content quickly, and, unable to find competing brands’ products or services (or unwilling to pick through search results, “because I’ve already got a few good ones here”), move on to the next phase.

4. Online influence is ever-important–and content curation can develop and aid your thought leadership. You can create and maintain industry dialog, generate leads and interest, and engage more throughout the Buy Cycle. Taariq Lewis has a great argument for how content curation creates vendor preference.