How To Use Facebook, Twitter, And YouTube To Change
Your Career
It’s all about using social media to establish your credibility in a new
field. And no, that doesn’t mean becoming an “influencer.”
Ten years ago, I was graduating law school and going to work in a
mid-size law firm in Atlanta as a real estate finance attorney. If you had told
me then that I’d go on to become a sports business analyst for ESPN and then
found my own boutique publicity firm, I’d think you were crazy.
But I know firsthand that you can completely transform your career
using social media. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are big, noisy platforms,
and it can be pretty daunting trying to carve out a niche for yourself. But
with a little diligence and strategic thinking, you can establish yourself as
an expert in a field that excites you and attract an audience. And before long,
that can lead to the career move you’ve been looking for.
TAPPING INTO TWITTER DISCUSSIONS
LinkedIn might seem like the obvious social platform to use when
it comes to career transitions, but it’s hardly the only option. The first time
I changed careers, it was thanks largely to Twitter. I was blogging about legal
and business issues in sports, and Twitter not only gave me a platform to share
my ideas, but it also allowed me to connect with influencers in the space who
began to share my content to a wider audience.
You don’t have to suck up to celebrities or gain an enormous
Twitter following of your own in order to see success, either. You just need to
make the right connections to reach your goals. Heather Martin was working in
college athletics but had aspirations of landing in an NBA team office when she
spotted a Boston Celtics executive in a Twitter chat one evening. Martin
turned an interaction in the chat into a phone call, which created a genuine
professional relationship. As a result of that connection, her resume was
plucked from a pile by the Detroit Pistons, and Martin landed her first job in
the NBA.
Twitter chats aren’t just unorganized pile-ons where dozens of
people respond to a thread. They’re generally led by moderators who ask
questions and seek answers and feedback from others interested in the topic.
They usually start and end at a certain time and rely on a specific hashtag to
keep everyone’s ideas organized in one feed.
Unfortunately, it can be tough to find relevant Twitter chats
within the platform itself, so your best bet is to search Google for “Twitter
chat” followed by the name of your industry or area of interest. For example,
searching for “travel Twitter chat” reveals results including several Twitter
chats focused on travel advice and planning, which might be a good destination
for travel bloggers looking to grow their networks.
USING YOUTUBE TO TURN YOUR HOBBY INTO A JOB SKILL
Ashley Ruiz, the founder of successful music blog The Miss Ruiz, started her YouTube
channel to support her blogging efforts, but it ultimately led her to change
her college major–and career direction–from nursing to public relations and
marketing. “I was very comfortable being on camera,” says Ruiz, “so I thought,
‘Why not?’ I had no idea it would evolve into what it became.”
Not long after Ruiz first started her YouTube channel in 2012, she
decided to start growing her reach by partnering with videographers who were
looking to expand their portfolios. The videographers would share the videos
they shot with Ruiz with their own audiences, which instantly helped boost her
profile. That idea worked so well that she later partnered with clothing
companies that would share photos of her wearing their pieces at events.
But the lesson here isn’t to try becoming a YouTube celebrity or
brand ambassador in order to change careers. Instead, it’s that bartering can
go a long way, especially when you’re looking to turn a side hobby into a full-fledged
job skill. As Ruiz puts it, “I believe one thing that helped distinguish me
from other vloggers was that I promoted other brands who then turned around and
promoted me.”
While it was challenging, Ruiz gradually establishing her
credibility this way, eventually working up to interviewing major music acts,
including The
Script and Jason Derulo, on her
YouTube channel. “Oftentimes I was granted interviews with artists because I
was independent,” she says, “and since I had built relationships with the
record labels, it made the interviews more enjoyable. They would give the
artist the ‘she’s okay’ nod, so they knew it was okay to speak freely, because
I controlled my own content.”
Within a couple of months of launching her channel, Ruiz landed
her first big interview (with Isaac Slade, lead singer of The Fray), which
shortly afterward earned her a gig on the red carpet at Y100’s Jingle Ball in
Miami, one of the biggest radio events of the year, interviewing Ed Sheeran,
One Republic, Flo Rida, and others.
Although Ruiz didn’t pursue being a blogger and media host
full-time, the experience did lead her down a new career path in marketing and
public relations. Today, she’s a marketing manager for law firm Jimerson &
Cobb. She says her experience as a vlogger and YouTube personality
has taught her how to create quality content and integrate video into marketing
efforts–particularly in fields where it hasn’t necessarily been embraced, like
the legal industry.
FINDING CLIENTS AND BUSINESS LEADS ON FACEBOOK
For most people, Facebook is a social platform for interacting
with family and friends more so than with business associates and clients. You
might have a business page, but chances are you’re not participating regularly
in Facebook groups where your ideal client or customer hangs out.
If not, you’re missing out. In my first year in business as a
publicist, I gained around 95% of my clients by engaging
in Facebook groups. You can easily find groups in your area of interest by searching
keywords in the search bar on Facebook. If you expand to see all results at the
bottom of the dropdown that appears, you’ll see a section that focuses on group
results. Each group has a description and will let you know the type of people
who should join.
Once you’re a member of a handful of Facebook groups in your
field, just dive in and comment on existing threads. In some groups, you’ll be
encouraged to post an introduction. Definitely take advantage of that
opportunity to let people know who you are and what you do. Make sure you read
any posted group rules before you create any new posts of your own, though,
since every group is different, and you’ve got to make sure you’re following the
guidelines in each.
I’ve also noticed that the majority of people who sign up for my
small group publicity program are people who engage with my Facebook Live
broadcasts on a regular basis. I alternate doing these through my business page
and inside my Facebook group, and I’ve found they both produce similar results.
Personally, I see the best engagement when I produce Facebook Lives at least
twice a week, so that’s always my goal.
If you’re planning to use live video to position yourself for a
new career, use your videos to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
How? By teaching small tasks or skills, or by providing commentary on something
trending in the news.
No matter where you focus your efforts–whether it’s finding
Twitter chats to engage in or hosting Facebook Live broadcasts–the key on every
social platform is to provide value to your audience. In fact, that’s just
Networking 101. Teach somebody something or offer them something useful, and
you’ll be on your way toward gaining their trust–and possibly changing your own
career.
BY KRISTI A. DOSH
https://www.fastcompany.com/40470106/how-to-use-facebook-twitter-and-youtube-to-change-your-career?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=2&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=09232017
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