Social media, it’s a phrase that we constantly hear, the use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc. are commonplace, but does social media have a place in our day to day professional lives?
One of the best investments I’ve made in my IT career has been the decision to get involved more in supporting the tech community, over the last 5 years this investment has led to new friendships, opportunities, chances to travel and the ability to learn new skills. However, that involvement would not have happened without the use of social media tools, the tech community is a “global village” and many of those opportunities and friendships would never have developed if I’d relied on just the people I met through the normal process of my day job.
Social media has great value, not just in terms of developing relationships, but also in how we are perceived, both as individuals and as businesses, regardless of whether your business is a technology one. How many of us, before we buy a product or service, visit a website or Facebook page before buying? Or take to Twitter for support on a product or service? And of course, how many of us, when making a new contact head off to LinkedIn to check them out?
Social media tools are a core component of 21st century communications, so the question is, why do so many IT pro’s and IT execs not take the time to invest in social media?
It’s a question that intrigues me and due to a chance conversation over Christmas, was one that I’ve been able to turn into an episode of Tech Interviews.
On this week’s show, I’m joined by one of the people, that thanks to social media, I’ve gotten to know over the last few years, Richard Bliss. Richard is a social media strategist and works with senior execs in global businesses and helps them to develop their online profile so they can better promote themselves, their businesses and engage better with a wider audience.
In a fascinating chat, we start by defining what we mean by social media and why some people chose not to invest time in their digital persona.
Richard shares some of the common myths of social media use and how, even those who think they don’t use it, are engaged in the world of social media every day!
We look at the impact of not using these 21st century tools and the perception that creates and how communication remains one of our most powerful business assets. Richard shares some thoughts on the “isolated” IT exec and how building digital connections can help to build a trusted community of peers.
We finish off by looking at the modern buyer’s journey and the importance your digital persona plays and why injecting some of your own personality and thoughts are crucial to successful communications. Finally, we discuss some practical steps on where to start with developing your own digital presence, as Richard shares 5 great tips on developing your LinkedIn profile, as well as a chat about Richard’s board game collection!
This topic is really fascinating and social media, in my opinion, plays a huge part in the modern IT career, Richard provides some valuable insights that will help anyone trying to improve their digital presence.
To find out more from Richard, you can contact him on twitter @richardbliss or on LinkedIn.
Thanks for listening.
Techstringy 