Social Media

  • Three of the worst LinkedIn profile photos you can have

      The idea of having a professional headshot shouldn’t be surprising, especially on the professional platform of LinkedIn. I’m amazed every time I see company owners—small business as well as corporate figures—with photos that betray too relaxed an attitude.   Putting a picture on a profile is a must for branding, and as part of a profile for an online resume. The first thought I have every single time I see a no-profile-image LinkedIn request is that it’s spam. I double-check to make sure I know the person to be sure, but is that the first thing you want anyone to associate with your networking request?   Without not only…

  • How to improve your social media engagement, Klout score

    Happy birthday Heather Really, this post is about more than what it takes to engage an audience across social media; it’s about listening and responding to an environment where people want to feel valued and listened to.  Heather Head, founder of Scopcity, turned 40 yesterday, and while that may not sound out-of-the-ordinary, what she asked for from her social media friends might strike some as beautifully altruistic. She asked that her friends go out and perform a random act of kindness and post about it to her wall.   Well, I didn’t leave the house yesterday (that was NOT my random act of kindness). My husband attempted to help out…

  • How long does it take to build a business?

      One thing entrepreneurs need to understand is that growing anything takes time. Unless you buy those dried sponge animals that expand in a tub of water…no, even those take longer than you’d expect to increase in size and resemble an animal. Many times, I’m still disappointed that the promised giraffe looks more like, well, a long piece of sponge.   I attended a couple of sessions at Digital Atlanta this week, and the idea that resonates is that building brand awareness and engaging an audience through social media simply takes time. Sure, many organizations and individuals exist to offer solutions for earning return on investment through social media, but…

  • I’m beginning to love Gmail for its labels, social media integration and multi-email tasking

      When I first got a Gmail account, I did so on the recommendation of a friend from the United Arab Emirates. As one of my more tech-savvy friends, I just trusted him. I don’t remember why exactly, but I believe I needed an email dedicated to the business I was starting: Target Audience Magazine. I mentioned in “Branding Mistakes” post how I later lamented my decision to brand my business in my email name, but the fact is I am beginning to love Gmail.   Label everything One of the first things I loved about Gmail was the ability to organize my email through the use of labels. From…