Progressions

Six Ways To Leverage Social Media This Week

Do you have an extra couple of hours this week to invest in your career? Did I mention this investment is free?

Making the jump to starting a blog, Twitter account or even networking with professionals online can seem intimidating, but there is great value for your career in learning these tools. While these digital tools can be used for fun, there are plenty of ways to make them useful for your career.

Here are six things you can do easily this week without cost to make the most of social media while maximizing your time:

1. Participate in Twitter conversations. Don’t use Twitter just to update your followers on how many cups of coffee you’ve had — make sure you’re asking and answering questions. One way to do this is follow #prstudchat, a Twitter chat scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 19, at noon EDT. Details about how to participate can be found here. You can spend one hour on Wednesday during lunch getting to know other students and professionals.
2. Comment on blog posts even if you don’t have a blog. Bloggers love seeing reactions to their content and it’s a great way to start a relationship. Don’t be afraid to comment on any post — adding to the discussion is something every blogger appreciates. Try to comment on at least one post per day this week.
3. Network with as many people as possible. Along with using Twitter, make sure you are connecting with other public relations practitioners and members of the media. It’s also important to remember that networking goes two ways. Don’t use Twitter to shamelessly promote the fact you’re looking for a job; use it to share other’s blogs and to meet more people. Spend one hour this week conversing with others online.
4. Though it’s part of networking, I’d recommend specifically reaching out to other PRSSA members. There are so many fellow members using social networking just like you, and it would be a great idea to connect with these students. Ryan McShane put together a list of Chapters on Twitter — this is a great place to start to find people. Also, look up other Chapters’ blogs and start building a relationship. Make it a goal to meet one new person every week.
5. Watch what other companies and agencies are doing online. If you have an interview set up with a company, include their social media activities in your list of things to research. You can do one better, networking with them before your interview, by adding your thoughts on their blogs or other social networks. Make it a goal to spend 30 minutes to this kind of research if you’re looking for a job.
6. Offer something of value to your readers — whether it is through Twitter, your blog or even Facebook. This is one of the most important principles of the online space, and once you learn how to do this for your own network, you will be able to do this for clients. If you are already reading articles and posts, take a couple of extra minutes to share that content to your readers.

What do you have to add? How do you maximize your time online?