This past Tuesday, I spent my morning talking about measuring and analyzing social media at the PRSA Chicago’s monthly luncheon, and my afternoon discussing branding yourself in the digital world at the DePaul PRSSA bi-weekly meeting.
Since my Blog is focused on an undergraduates view of social media, here are some of the main ideas I learned from Craig Kanalley, adjunct professor at DePaul, on getting noticed through social media from the DePaul PRSSA meeting:
- Although many students use Twitter as a personal voice-box, consider your Twitter a professional tool just as you would your LinkedIn account.
- The design of your page can tell an employer a lot about you. You don’t specifically need a custom banner or background, but choose colors that suit your personality. Also, make sure that your Bio is interesting and filled with personality. Although it’s short, that doesn’t mean it has to be boring!
- Don’t be afraid of Following people you don’t know! The whole point of Twitter is to build, engage and interact with your online community. Find a niche that you are interested in and brand yourself through your interests. Search your interests through Keywords and connect with people that are also talking about the same thing.
- It is a very good idea to compliment your Twitter page with a Blog. You then can expand on your ideas from Twitter and continue building your brand. Make sure that both your Twitter page and Blog represent the same person, brand, and scheme.
Overall, I ended the day realizing that many undergraduates and young PR professionals (including myself) can’t comprehend the impact social media has had on our industry because to be honest we “grew up with it”. Since my first public relations class at DePaul, I have learned about social media, talked about strategies to engage your audience and even made campaigns utilizing only social media. Therefore, it hasn’t necessarily been a change in my life (although I can’t imagine not having a Twitter or Blog), but more of an addition. This general idea of “incorporating” (rather than only utilizing) social media was carried through both the PRSA Chicago monthly luncheon and our DePaul PRSSA meeting.
It is clear that social media has not quite taken the #1 place in society’s life just yet, however it is now the second thing I do when I wake up in the morning and potentially in the future the first.
