Alumni Web Services

The Social Media Era - Coordinate Your Campaign

A significant benefit of social media is that it levels the playing field for everyone and makes it possible for businesses of any size to interact and engage with their clients and prospects in a highly personalized and genuine manner.   Social media, however, remains about people.  You have to devote time to developing effective communications and ensure you are communicating with the appropriate target market/s.

Are you committed to a specific platform?  Are you committing enough time to get something out of the social media channels where you place your business message?  Use social media to build your brand and reach out to both potential clients and potential employees.  Especially with the younger generation, we need to consider that social media is a language of choice and one that we can embrace and benefit from.

If you are on auto-pilot, consider contacting us today.  Put AWS to work for you.

AWS services include providing corporate social media policies, strengthening your LinkedIn company and employee profiles, growing your followers and considering whether to incorporate blogs, Twitter, Google+ or other social media into your strategy.  Working together, you can use these marketing opportunities to drive traffic to your website, build your brand and maximise your marketing dollars.

You may have seen in the press recently ongoing news about the new platform launched by Google six months ago, Google+. Google’s affiliation with YouTube and its new action of presenting Google+ pages and profiles in the search engine results pages first could mean increased exposure to your target audience through this new social network. AWS can help with the creation and ongoing management of your Google+ page. We can also guide you through implementing the +1 button throughout your website in order to maximise your brand promotion and exposure.

As we enter into 2012 with the majority of companies having some sort of social media presence, coordination of that presence and effective distribution of the company message to the target demographic is now a more important and complex task.

“Enterprises now have an average of 178 social media accounts, according to the Altimeter Group.

Whether by brand, geography or business goal, organizing people around social media is more crucial than ever. Who should be responsible for engaging on behalf of each of these areas? What’s the best structure to allow the most people to contribute while still having oversight?” (social media today, January 16 2012).

AWS can effectively coordinate your message and filter this through the social media channels relevant to your key audience consistently and effectively, tailoring posts and tone of voice according to the platform being used and the company issuing the message.

Monitoring for client feedback and comments, participation in appropriate forums and discussions and feedback are additional services AWS provides to help coordinate your social media campaign.

View our social media page for more articles relating to the topic and it’s relevancy to business.

In Twenty Minutes or Less You Can 
Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile For Improved Search Results

Your LinkedIn profile is an essential element in providing information to others about yourself. And that ability to describe yourself and your skills sets LinkedIn apart from other sites. Most would consider it a vital social media platform for people to look for jobs, for qualified talent to fill jobs and for networking. So to maximize LinkedIn networking, you should take advantage of the opportunities it provides and optimize your profile to increase the possibility of being found by a prior colleague, by a recruiter searching for talent or to increase your brand exposure.

1. Customize your website links and blog links
LinkedIn provides three website links in your profile. These links give you the opportunity to have visitors to your LinkedIn profile see the types of sites with which you are associated. You can identify those links that help show your knowledge and build your brand. Some of the sites you can choose to link to here are your company website, your personal blog or your social media profile.

However, it is best to change the default setting that describe the link. For instance, change the default "Company Website" description to "Quality Accounting Firm in Austin" or wording similar that provides a keyword rich description. When someone is looking for an Austin accounting firm in a search, you may just be found. Let's say you just have one website. That ok, since you can link to that site three times, but change the description for each link. The second description may say "Austin CPA" and the third could be "Accounting Solutions-Texas".

Here is how you go about changing that website description.

1. Click on “Edit Profile”, then find the “Edit” adjacent to the Website name.
2. On the next page after it opens, select “Other” from the drop-down list.
3. Insert in the name you have chosen with the appropriate keywords.
4. Type in the URL link to your website, blog or social media platform or the same link on the far right side.
5. Continue in the same manner for the other two site links.
6. Be sure to "Save Changes" to complete the process. Remember that you have a limit of 30 characters that you can use in these field, so choose your keywords wisely.

2. Pick your vanity URL - Make your profile public
You probably have done a search on your name before. Did you find the results surprising? If you are a member in LinkedIn, you DO WANT your LinkedIn profile to appear in the upper section of search engine results for your name.

Here is a step you can take to make your profile more attractive for the search engines. Get your vanity URL.

When you sign up for LinkedIn, you receive an identifying URL for your profile page. The default set-up has your name and a group of numbers with it. Certainly, it has your name, but the numbers make it confusing, as who can remember that number sequence. It would be something like: linkedin.com/in/yourname/6/247/6b4 rather than linkedin.com/in/yourname.

There is a way to claim your name as part of your URL. The trick is that you have to claim it before someone with a similar name does. However, if you find out that your preferred name set-up has already been picked by someone else, you can still change it slightly by adding a period or middle initial or location to make it yours. It could be linkedin/in/your.name.

In order to pick your URL name, follow these steps:

1. Go to “Edit Profile”, then move to your "Public Profile Name"and click the blue “Edit” just to the right.
2. A new page appears. Find “Your Current URL” on the right hand side. Click “Customize your public profile URL”. You can now identify your name that you want to appear as your URL.
3. That process now increases the chance of being picked up by the search engines.

To make your profile public, use the following instructions.

1. While you are on the "Customize your public profile UR" page, find “Customize Your Public Profile” on the right-hand side.
2. Make sure that you pick the selection “Make my public profile visible to everyone".
3. All of the items below that line should be picked, including the box for your picture, which will increase your chances of being found during searches.

3. Use your Headline to manage your message
In LinkedIn your visitors sees your name, photo and headline as they find you in discussions, groups or other locations. So that headline becomes an important item in describing who you are.

The default setting for your headline is your current job title as it appears in your work experience. You should use the headline to describe more about you than your title.

Instead of showing "Sr. Sales Repr. at ABC Company", now is the time to describe you skills. You could state "Pharmaceutical Marketing in Austin" or “Helping Companies Recruit and Retain through Branding”. Consider why someone would want to find you and try to include those keywords in your heading. However, don't overuse the keywords. You have 140 characters to use, but it is usually better to be efficient and direct. You want your visitor to want to learn more about you when they see your heading.

To change the heading for your unique description, follow these steps.

1. On any LinkedIn page, hover over the drop-down arrow near your name in the upper right-hand corner to view the drop-down list.
2. Click “Settings”.
3. On the next page, move to “Profile” tab on the left and look under “Privacy Controls” to “Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile”.
4. Use the "Recommended" approach so your name, photo and headline can be seen. Therefore, anyone viewing your headlong will see a good, professional, keyword rich, short-hand view of you.

4. Insert keywords elsewhere to increase search engine results
There are several sections in LinkedIn that allow you to place relevant keywords. Those in your profile include the Summary, Job Description, Interests and Specialties areas. You should place keywords here, but don't stuff them. Identify the best keywords for you and promote your skills and your message in these areas.

Although you do have a number of character spaces that are available, our suggestion is to organize these sections, especially your Summary and Specialities areas for easy reading by your visitor. Keep it concise and provide a view of your skills and experience without overload.

Summary
Within this short time period you have taken these steps to optimize your LinkedIn profile. You will find that it will increase your profile traffic. With that additional traffic, there is a greater chance of finding a new contact, a new business, a new job, or the best person for an open position for your company. Continue to update your profile and remember that the best keywords in the right locations will improve your search engine ranking.

Let us know if you feel these tips have helped you on LinkedIn – and how long it took!

Visit Alumni Web Services online.

Employees can't wait to quit

Eighteen months ago, AWS surveyed our members and found job satisfaction was high, particularly because individuals were relieved to have a job in a very unstable market. This month, AWS' jobs poll shows 84% of our members still report they are satisfied or very satisfied; in this group 25% were considering other career options compared to 41% of total respondents.

This compared to a recent survey by job-placement firm Manpower which reported 84% of employees plan to look for a new position in 2011.

AWS members are experienced professionals, many in technical positions and as such have had, and continue enjoying, a higher level of job security.

The general industry figure of 84% is up from 60% last year. In a survey conducted by Firstdirect, almost seven million workers in the UK have moved jobs in order to find a better boss and improved working environment. The division of HSBC Bank plc has found that one in ten workers have switched careers in their search, while one in 20 has attempted to set up his or her own business.

Baby Boomer Generation Set to Remain in the Workforce

According to a recent USA Today front page story on Boomers wanting to work past retirement, half of Baby Boomers expect to work into their 70s and the chief reason they give is a desire to stay busy and intellectually engaged.

This is good news for many companies who face the challenge of greater demand than supply, particularly in areas of technical expertise where the knowledge exiting will soon exceed new entrants to the workforce.  While an August 2010 USA Today story finds that options are often limited for boomers, those in the oil and gas industry, from petroleum engineers and project managers to HR professionals and lawyers are finding renewed interest in their talents.

“Perhaps just as important,” finds Cathy Clonts, President, Alumni Web Services, a company helping employers find suitable experienced talent through online networks like connexpro.org, “Companies are willing to offer these boomers flexible working opportunities in order to use their skills to complement their full time employees.  This can take the form of knowledge management or project support so a full time employee is not overloaded, or training and mentoring,” explains Clonts.

The recession is definitely leading to more short-term job opportunities,” agrees Andy Hines, Adjunct Professor, University of Houston Futures Studies Program. “Interestingly, this is ‘on trend’ with a longer-term shift to time- or project-based employment contracts mainstreaming.

“The advantage for both individuals and organizations is gaining flexibility,” Hines adds. “The challenge is feeling confident enough that there will be enough work (for workers) and available talent (for organizations). A key development is the emergence of social networking that enables the more rapid identification of talent and assembly of teams.

Tell us how you as an individual or your company are benefiting from the talents of baby boomers by adding your comments below. Read opinions from boomers already experiencing this trend along with a full article summary at www.awsint.com/news.




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Superannuated boomers won’t vanish from the workplace altogether: people in their 60’s and 70’s – because of either need or desire – will be among the 40% of the US workforce that will rent out its skills in years to come.

And in the UK, a 2009 survey of HR professionals found that 57% were increasing hiring of temporary and contract workers due to the uncertain economic climate and 47% found that part-time workers were more appealing to employers that are looking to cut costs.

Enter the baby boomer generation.

“Boomers are already enjoying the perks of work life balance and remaining engaged,” says AWS President Cathy Clonts. “Forward-thinking companies are taking advantage of the technical talent mature workers can contribute.  Keeping in touch with their former employees maintains a valuable connection which industry leaders are utilizing today by rehiring former employees for full and part time projects that require technical expertise and specialist knowledge.”

One international company currently has 3.5% of its alumni community completing or having already completed additional contract work, further supporting the idea that older workers are a valuable asset to today’s workforce. Projects are of both a part- and full-time nature and cover a variety of sectors.  These baby boomers are valuable for their technical expertise, knowledge management and interest in training and mentoring less experienced professionals.

Acknowledges one US company president, “In this environment, employees with exceptional skills, experience, and corporate knowledge provide the primary source of value creation. Rehiring proven performers is the easiest, most cost-effective way to acquire exceptional talent.”

As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age, some economists believe unemployment will surpass 10% as older workers crowd out the younger generation. Time magazine views this as one temporary effect in what will be a positive change, predicting that this presence of older workers will create more jobs and, therefore, both encourage people to spend more freely and allow new companies and industries to form.  “The economy has great absorptive capacity. As long as no one is being forced, more people participating in the workforce is better for everyone”, according to Claudia Goldin, an economics professor at Harvard University.

“They will be working as coaches, strategists and consultants” Joanne Sujansky, co-author of Keeping the Millennials, says. “By 2019, there will be many more of those opportunities than there are now because boomers will need the income and companies will need their expertise.” Janet Reid, Managing Partner at Global Lead, a consulting firm adds, “We’ll see an increase in job-sharing at very senior levels. You might have two boomers who share the job of Chief Financial Officer, for instance, which lets them keep working and also have some leisure time”.

Professionals in the oil and gas industry are already practicing what is predicted to be a future trend. Larry Morse of Petrotel comments, when asked about coming back to work, “We were comfortably retired in East Texas, but my previous employers’ request that I came to work for him has suited my wife and I. I work in the Plano office and we have an apartment close to our son and his family. It is ideal”. Jim Johnstone of Contek Solutions LLC concurs. When talking about a former employee he brought back to work for him he tells us “Jim is one of several former colleagues who work about six months a year for us. They don’t want or need to work full time and their expertise enables them to work on a project basis. Jim was able to put his grand-daughter through med school by working for us”.

Some believe it may not be so simple to return to or remain in the workforce. A USA Today article published in August 2010 finds that jobs in today’s market are scarce and many employers aren’t willing to hire older workers. “The unemployment rate for workers 55 and older has jumped from 3% in the second quarter of 2008 to 7% in the second quarter this year”.

However, with money a key deciding factor in combination with staying busy and remaining intellectually engaged, it appears probable that we can look forward to older workers remaining in the workforce for longer. Indeed, “by choosing not to retire, they may be doing you a favour”.

Are baby boomers creating opportunities or challenges at your company? What are your experiences as a baby boomer in the workforce or working with a boomer who has returned as a consultant?