According to Klout, one of our featured writers, Mike Moore, happens to be rated as one of the top 5% of influencers in the social media arena. In manufactured housing, my 600 plus 'connections' on LinkedIn puts me ahead of probably 90% of those in our Industry. But that number pales in comparison to Mike Moore's numbers! Mike has 5145 first level connections, over 2,500,000 second level ones. Think about the potential from that for a few moments.
Mike's is impressive, as are Mike's thoughts and writing on sales, motivation and the 'new economy.'
Another friend of mine is also big on social networking. Business owner Jim Talerico Jr, who has occasionally written for us, now has over 9.400 LinkedIn connections. That is a dizzying number, but it has also provided him with a steady stream of contacts, clients and conversational moments as a result. Jim ties his Twitter account in with LinkedIn, and is steadily growing his network.
Employers are using social networking to source, screen in – and screen out – prospective employees. If you are involved in recruiting and aren't using social networking, you should strongly consider joining the 80% who do. Why? Let's give some examples.
Do you recall the flurry in the news a while ago when an employee of a pizza company posted something disgusting that they did on their Facebook page? That certainly got that person booted.
But think about when someone does something YOU don't want done at YOUR location or business. You can often get insights into a person's character faster by doing a web and social networking search than be speaking to many hand selected 'references' that an applicant or hand-picked prospect may provide.
There are questions that employers used to ask that today – under federal hiring regulations and laws – are punishable by stiff fines. Those same questions (right or wrong) are answerable without asking, just by looking at someone's Facebook page or LinkedIn profile.
Some use social networking for marketing and business development, we certainly do. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are among the tools that help us grow our audience and develop business. When my friend Jim Talerico told me to get serious about LinkedIn almost two years ago, I confess I would have had a hard time believing we would close business as a result of 'social networking.'
But we have.
Some of you want to grow or improve your marketing online, smart move! We are upgrading our website too! When you are ready to take your sales or marketing to the next level, send us a message or give us a call. We can show you cost effective strategies to help you advance your cause.
If you are going to the Texas Manufactured Housing Association's September meeting or the New York Housing Alliance's October meeting, please come and see the new, updated Dominate your Local Market seminar!
Learn more to earn more. Modest investments in time and money can yield very nice returns when you use the web and social networking properly. # #
post written by
L. A. "Tony" Kovach
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http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
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