10 Tips for LinkedIn

So you’ve created a LinkedIn profile. You know it is essential when networking with people and for building “your own brand”. But now what? How does it even work?

Tracy Gold wrote a great blog about 10 tips to know about LinkedIn. I found this blog particularly helpful as I continue to learn about LinkedIn and its powerful impact. Tracy outlines some of the top 10 things she thinks you should know about LinkedIn and how to leverage it for your own good.

Some of her tips that I really enjoyed include tip #2 Post a picture. Please. Of your face, #3 Use LinkedIn to remember names, and #4 Make the most of your headline.

#2 Post a picture. Please. Of your face.

I have heard multiple times from business professionals that this is ESSENTIAL. There’s nothing that will get your profile overlooked faster than not having a picture or having one that is unprofessional. It makes a profile seem neglected, unprofessional, and unimportant. Tracy addresses in this tip that if you’re concerned about some people seeing your photo, changing your privacy settings so only connections can see your picture is 100% acceptable.

#3 Use LinkedIn to remember names.

This is a great tip! I never thought of using LinkedIn in this way, but it’s a great tool for remembering what exactly that person you met does. Utilize LinkedIn for recalling titles, experiences, etc. of people you meet or know. Doing so will make you seem well versed and polite.

#4 Make the most of your headline.

I love this tip. I always struggle with what to put as my headline. Tracy outlines that “your headline does not have to be your job title alone…Keep it concise, but make sure it communicates what you do and what your skills are.” Great advice!

All in all, LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool. If you know how to leverage this platform, it can provide great opportunities.

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Facebook Ads to Increase in Size

Ever notice those pesky Facebook ads on the side of your newsfeed? The ones that are usually creepily similar to something you previously searched for on Google? Or the ones that are so obscure you are almost offended?

It’s no surprise to consumers that Facebook has been advertising to their consumers very directly through the sidebar of the social platform. They have also begun inserting advertisements into a person’s newsfeed.

As these ads have become more apparent, consumers have started ignoring them. Facebook’s main stream of revenue comes from these advertisements; however, companies have pushed Facebook to do something new to reach the consumer. These sidebar ads just did not seem to be breaking through.

Starting on September 17^th, you will notice a change to your sidebar ads. Kurt Wagner, a Mashable author, released an article on September 10^th stating that the pictures accompanying your personalized Facebook ads will become up to 3.5x their current size. (Article found here)

The image below shows the new shift. The top row exhibits the current Facebook advertisements while the bottom row reveals the “new” ads.

(Also from the aforementioned article)

As this shift occurs, it will be interesting to see if Facebook sees a return on this strategy. In a world where consumers are becoming increasingly hard to reach, social platforms like Facebook have to fight for their advertising revenue streams.

So what do you think? Do you think the increased picture size will increase conversion? Will these new ads draw you in?

Thanks for reading!

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Siri vs. Google ‘OK Glass’

The Apple vs. Microsoft and Google battle has been ramping up in recent years as Microsoft partnered with Google and began to become a legitimate competitor to Apple. It used to be that Apple was a stand-alone market leader, but Microsoft and Google have begun challenging the technologically savvy Apple company.

So what’s Apple’s next strike against competition? Well Siri has made a subtle stab at Google’s new “OK Glass”. If you have the most up to date Apple operating system, simply ask Siri about OK Glass. She is not happy. Responses you might hear will be, “I’m not Glass. And I’m just fine with that” or “I think you’ve got the wrong assistant.”

A Mashable article written by Vignesh Ramachandran (article found here) describes his experience with asking Siri  on the iOS 6 operating system and how she was not happy: “She also got sassy about Glass’ ability to respond to users’ blinks: ‘Just so you know, I don’t do anything when you blink at me.’” In addition, if you ask Siri what the best tablet is, she will bluntly reply, “There is only iPad.”

Passive aggressive or not, Apple wants Siri to only know Apple, thus potentially impacting the consumer.

So what does this mean? Is Apple going too far? What’s next?

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