Blue Helm

I have to admit I was a little surprised when I saw the following chart on Mashable the other day:

The lines in the graph that surprised me the most corresponded with LinkedIn and Twitter. LinkedIn actually had a better year than Twitter!

We’ve all heard about how Twitter is growing like crazy. Ever since Ashton Kutcher challenged CNN to a Twitter-off, Twitter has been all over the media. Celebrities, news shows, websites and commercials all promote Twitter in some way. As a result, Twitter has grown at an remarkable rate, but surprisingly, LinkedIn has grown more.

How has LinkedIn done it? Here are a few ideas I had:

1. LinkedIn is more robust – I love Twitter, but there’s only so much you can do with 140 characters and a few different symbols like @ or #. LinkedIn has all sorts of great resources to help you connect with other people. They have groups, they suggest people you may want to connect with, there’s the Q & A section and they have improved link sharing capabilities. Also, your profile says a lot more about who you are and you can recommend close connections. These features are attractive to someone who’s looking to connect and network on a deeper level.

2. LinkedIn is easier to use – This may sound contrary to my first point, but hear me out. First, Twitter is not easy to understand for a new user. They don’t know what a re-tweet is, they don’t know what a hash tag does and they don’t know what the heck they should tweet. Worst of all, Twitter does a terrible job of explaining all of the ins and outs of how to use the site. Twitter does have a 101 course, but it’s not easy to find. The 101 course should be a part of the sign-up process. Second, Twitter is very high maintenance. If you want to have a successful Twitter account you have to tweet a lot of great content, which is not an easy task for most people. Third, there are all sorts of spam on Twitter. People get tired of being followed by accounts who are following 300 people and have few or no followers. I have to delete spam every day on Twitter, while on LinkedIn I’ve never had to. LinkedIn on the other hand is very user-friendly. There is a side bar tool that tells you what you need to do to complete your profile. They have great tabs that are easy to understand. All of the updates are broken up into categories. Not only is LinkedIn clean and easy to use, but you don’t have to update it all of the time. If you update it once a week you’re doing great.

3. LinkedIn’s demographic is specific – LinkedIn targets business professionals. There’s no point for everyone and their dog to get on LinkedIn and clutter up the space. The only reason people are active on LinkedIn is to network with other professionals. On the other hand, Twitter is full of people talking about everything from Justin Bieber to Earth Day. It’s not easy to sift through all of the noise to hear what you want.

4. Twitter is helping to grow LinkedIn – I think all of the hype Twitter gets actually helps LinkedIn. Convincing people that they need to be a part of the social networking revolution has gotten a lot easier as more and more people hear about these sites in the news. Professional people keep up with news; as a result, they turn to a network that makes sense to them…LinkedIn.

Why do you think LinkedIn is outpacing Twitter? Do you think I’m way off base? Let me know.

The economy is down. Jobless rates are still climbing. New college graduates are struggling to find work. Times are tough, but tough times provide opportunities for innovators, entrepreneurs and hard workers to thrive.

Today I want to write to those of you who are struggling to find a job. Maybe you’ve just graduated, maybe you’ve just been laid off or maybe you need to go back to work to pay the ever-rising bills. Regardless of why you’re looking for a job, the fact remains that there are a lot of people who are vying for the jobs you want.

So what do you do to separate yourself from the competition? What do you do to get the job you want? The answer: social networking.

Social networking is an extremely powerful tool and I’ll list a few suggestions that will get you well on your way to the job of your choosing, but you must understand that it will take time and effort.

Businesses spend a lot of time and money developing and improving their brand. You are no different than a business. You are responsible for your personal brand. What do people think of when they see your name? What do they think of you when you walk into the room?

Here are a few tips you can use that will help you develop your personal brand. I’ve linked to multiple articles written by Dan Shawbel, an expert in developing an online personal brand. So be sure to read Dan’s posts too; they provide additional in-depth, how-to instruction.

Get online

The first step to building your personal brand is to pick the most appropriate networks to join. The biggest social networking tools to consider are Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and blogging.

Twitter – You’ve probably heard a lot about Twitter, but you still aren’t clear on what it is or how to use it. Stop being confused and get started! Twitter is more than just a place to tell people what you’re doing. It’s a place to share links to relevant news, blogs and stories. Twitter is a great place to connect with important people in your industry and to become one of those important people as you further develop your personal brand.

LinkedIn – LinkedIn is the social network for professionals. Many people think LinkedIn is just an online resume, but there is much more to it. You can drastically improve your personal brand as you join and participate in groups, as you utilize the Q&A tool and as you build a larger and more interactive network.

Facebook – Facebook is more personal that Twitter or LinkedIn. LinkedIn is like taking people to your office and Twitter is like going to a networking lunch or talking at the water cooler. Facebook is like bringing people to your home. As you connect with people on Facebook, they will begin to see more of who you are as an individual. The more they like you, the more they’ll be willing to work with you.

Blogging – Building a blog is a great way to show off to potential employers. I would recommend starting a professional blog as opposed to a personal blog. Your professional blog should talk only about things in your industry. You should absolutely inject your personality into the blog, but have the focus of the blog be in your field of choice.

Become an expert

What are you interested in? What did you go to school for? What job do you want? Answer these questions and become an expert in your field of interest. Find the most popular blogs in your industry and start reading them regularly. Study books and other resources that will help increase your knowledge. Follow industry leaders on Twitter and read the updates and links they’ve posted. You can find a wealth of information online, just be careful that you don’t overload.

Voice your opinion

After you’ve studied and feel like you can carry on a relevant conversation in your field, start voicing your opinion.  Re-tweet posts that are interesting to you. Comment and have conversations on great blog posts. Answer questions in the Q&A section of LinkedIn or start discussions in the groups you’re a part of. Share relevant links on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Write blog posts that others will value. The more you study and share with others, the more you will be perceived as an expert.

Connect with the right people

The business world runs on connections. The more people you’re connected to, the more powerful you become. If you go into a job interview already knowing someone of influence in the company, your chances of landing the job are much better than someone who doesn’t have a connection. Connect with people at companies you would like to work for. Choose a few companies and look up people in the departments you would like to work in. See if they’re on Twitter, LinkedIn or if they have a blog. Connect and interact with them. Once you’ve developed a relationship with them, you can approach them about employment.

Don’t stop

If you don’t get results right away, don’t give up! And once you’ve gotten the job, keep networking on your own time. Effective social networking takes a while to develop. But the ball is now rolling, and it’s much easier to keep it going than having to start over again later when you may need social networking again. So never stop.

Are you using LinkedIn’s Answers feature? If you aren’t, you should be. If you are, you should be using it more.

But why is this tool so nifty?

1. Answer questions: Each time you log onto LinkedIn, glance at the right side of the home page and find the “Answers” box. You’ll see questions from other business professionals in your field. By responding to these questions, you not only help other business people with their problems or inquiries, you open doors to networking opportunities and positive personal branding.

2. Ask questions: This one’s obvious. Do you have a general query about sales, marketing, taxes or employment opportunities? Are you looking for a service in a particular city? Do you want to know what other businesspeople think about a news topic or current event? I’ve found that by asking good questions, you get good answers. LinkedIn is full of talented and articulate professionals that jump at the opportunity to answer a question. You can even categorize your question in a particular industry so the right people will see it. Asking questions has been very valuable in my personal experience, and I’m sure you’ll find it useful too.

3. Visibility: Like I mentioned in #1, you get a lot more face time by asking and answering questions. Other industry professionals and leaders will see you and perhaps look at your profile. LinkedIn users can label you an “Expert” if you give the best response to a question, thus giving your online expertise more credibility (and a nice green star goes on your profile). You can connect with other professionals that ask or answer questions, expanding your network in the process.