Is there Tangible ROI for being active on Social Media for Young Professionals?

Is there Tangible ROI for being active on Social Media for Young Professionals?

Is there Tangible ROI for being active on Social Media for Young Professionals?
Is there Tangible ROI for being active on Social Media for Young Professionals?

Social media is networking on steroids and today I’m going to show you why.

With just one month’s notice, I had to re-set my career and move from Tampa to Tennessee. I was also finishing my MBA and had some financial demands that made me want to get a job right away. Thank goodness for social media!

I needed to start a new career in a strange place … and fast. Through the magic of Twitter, and LinkedIn, I was able to find dozens of marketing and PR professionals in my new Tennessee home.

I didn’t just “follow” these folks and expect them to meet me for coffee I replied to their tweets, posted useful and relevant articles and tagged them in my tweets. I retweeted their tweets, I actively engaged with them, and looked for opportunities to connect. This is different than a cold-call – I was using social media to pre-populate my new business relationships. As Mark Schaefer noted in his book KNOWN, social media connections begin as weak relational links. It takes an extra effort to make a meaningful connection with these busy professionals.

The key to my social media networking was helpfulness, and anybody can do that whether you’re in a corporation, on your own, or working for a non-profit.

By posting your own content and other helpful pieces, I’m establishing myself as an expert in my field.

For example, I receive daily email newsletters from marketing blogs and I share those articles to my networks. I might add my own “blurb” to these updates and say I agree or disagree with a specific tip in the article.

I also follow influencers on these social platforms and comment on their posts. Connecting to well-known people in your industry can really amplify your networking efforts. If I was someone’s boss and I’m noticing that my employee are posting about my niche without breaking regulations I’ll start recognizing him or her as an expert.

Did my social media networking work? Five years into my new career, one of those original Twitter contacts is now my mentor. Through that relationship, I was featured in a chapter in her book about millennials, and she invited me to speak at her facility where I’ve interacted with dozens of individuals and landed new clients.

You can do this too. Follow a few simple guidelines:

1) Actively build a relevant network

2) Share helpful content relevant to your career goals

3) Look for opportunities to engage

4) Show up consistently

Would you like to learn more? Why not connect with me for a coaching session?

Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez, MBA
Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez, MBA

Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez, MBA is an award winning young professional. She has a background in sales and has been using social media platforms professionally since 2009. Her experiences stem from years of staying current on the latest in industry news, handling customer objectives, and creating a solid social media marketing plan.

Call 855-880-5082 or email at Valentina@Beyond-Engagement.com to learn more about her services.

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