Shine a Spotlight on Your Awards!

Image courtesy Curb Signs Inc.

Many different industries hand out awards on a yearly basis either at a suit and tie event or tradeshow. These awards make great opportunities to do one of two things:

Client Portfolio: YourLocalArt.com on Linkedin

Image courtesy of YourLocalArt.com

Your Local Art is an online art gallery that features the work of Ottawa based artists that can be printed on demand for customers wishing to purchase artist prints.

This web based gallery was looking to increase their online presence as well as provide an opportunity to connect with current and prospective ones they have met from networking events.

Should I Keep That Linkedin Endorsement or Remove It?

Linkedin has two ways to prove your professional worth, written recommendations and endorsements.  These provide excellent opportunities for those who know you recommend you via both written testimonial or endorse you for a certain skill.  We have previously written on the difference between the two and how to obtain them here.

How to Get Recommendations and Endorsements on Linkedin

Linkedin is a great way to investigate others you may want to partner with, purchase products or services from or to work for.  Whether looking for employment or being a business person, recommendations and endorsements on Linkedin are a powerful way to show credibility in what you are claiming to be and not just trying to sell yourself.

But Recommendations and Endorsements on Linkedin are not the same.  In fact, Recommendations are much more powerful and valuable than Endorsements.  Let's take a closer look at each and how to go about getting them.

Client Portfolio: A LinkedIn Solution for Curb Signs Inc.

Curb Signs Inc. is a well known printer and installer of signage for the development and retail sectors within the Greater Toronto Area. As a company in a business to business relationship a professional online brand is needed.

Words to Avoid Like the Plague on Linkedin!

Linkedin is a great tool for business professionals and job prospectors to search through and connect with others.  According to Mashable, there were 300 million Linkedin users worldwide as of April 2014. With that many users how does one use Linkedin and rise above the crowd to be found? Make sure your profile avoids using common overused keywords in your Linkedin profile and, for added value, your Résumé.

In December 2013, Linkedin released the most used words within their member's profiles.  Linkedin found that these 10 words showed up the most:

1. Responsible
2. Strategic
3. Creative
4. Effective
5. Patient
6. Expert
7. Organizational
8. Driven
9. Innovative
10. Analytical

Obviously to stand out profiles want to avoid these words as much as possible.  But what happens if you're a "Creatively Organized Strategic Person" or a combination of other words?  There are ways around this.

Your Thesaurus may help.  Thesauruses are great tools for a Linkedin profile writer to avoid the most overused words on Linkedin or even to avoid overusing a single word multiple times in a profile itself. Thesauruses provide writers with an extensive list of similar words (synonyms) that can be used to replace a word that may be overused.

Don't have a Thesaurus?  No problem, if you are reading this article, there is a powerful tool at your fingertips. Google!  Here's the steps on how you can turn Google into a powerful Thesaurus search tool:

1. Visit www.google.com

2. Enter in the word you want something similar to and add the word "synonym" at the end. For example: "Expert Synonym"

3. Scroll through the search results and select a source to examine.  We find good results usually come from Thesaurus.com, CollinsDictionary.com, and Merriam-Webster.com.

4. In the source (i.e. Thesaurus.com) work your way through the recommended words until there is a word that works for your context and insert it.

Besides avoiding Linkedin.com's listed overused words, using a Thesaurus will also help to spiff up your Linkedin profile for the reader who has found your personal page. By using a variety of words to describe your duties as well as accomplishments, it makes your profile more interesting to read.  The average reader, never mind a recruiter, will grow bored with your profile after about the third consecutive use of the same word.  If the person reading your profile is bored, and moved onto the next candidate your chance at connecting for a big job or contract are lost. However, if you read as an intelligent yet exciting person in your field, you are more likely to end up on the either recruiters list or as a possible partner for another business.   So make sure you use a Thesaurus to review your possibilities to make your Linkedin profile shine!

Starting out with Linkedin?  Have a Linkedin profile that needs help? Suddcorp Solutions can help write an engaging profile and show you how to make the most of this professional platform. 

Looking for Linkedin Connections? Here's Where to Find Them!

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In day to day dealings with others, one of the most asked questions is:

How did you find all your connections on Linkedin? 

The answer is there is a number of different ways at gaining connections. But before that a word of caution.

CAUTION!: Linkedin works on an invitation basis to connect.  Like Facebook, Linkedin requires you to send an invitation to the person you want to connect with and that other person must accept.  Think of it as a party invitation where you send an invitation to those you wish to join the party and they have to RSVP back to you to accept.  The danger on Linkedin and Facebook is if the receiver of the invitation has the right to either "Accept" the invitation or ignore it with the option to classify the invitation as spam. If you get to many classifications of spam on your invitations, Linkedin may restrict your invitation privileges or revoke your Linkedin account all together.

Account Setup: A good spot to start is right at the beginning of setting up your account in the first place. After creating the login name and password, Linkedin walks you through several steps including choosing a profile picture, filling out your profile and who you may be interested in connecting too. Take the time to go through and invite those you already know.

Add Your Profile Photo:  Make sure add your profile photo.  This is especially important if you have a common name where there may be pages of search results to go through before others can find you.  Be careful in selecting your profile photo though, as you do not want to seem unprofessional or hard to find in your profile photo!

Complete Your Profile: If you didn't do so at the account setup, go back and edit your account sections. The more you fill out of your profile means you are easier to find when performing a search. Especially important areas are location (city and country) and previous positions & companies you have worked for as these are the most identifiable areas that others remember you for.  Overall, the more information provided the easier you will be to find in both search results and confirmation by others after they found your page.

Employment:  Past and current employment is a great spot to search for connections.  Think of current and past managers, supervisors and coworkers.  Search each connection out one by one.  Review the results carefully to make sure you have the correct one and send the invitations.  Current and past clients that you have interacted with are excellent as well.

Friends & Family: Linkedin may be have a reputation for being a more professional network but friends and family should not be missed.  Friends and family typically are the most likely to accept your invitations to connect as they know you the best.  These people are great to give your number of connections a quick boost, especially at the beginning stages.

Alumni: Linkedin makes it easy to find past school friends and others you may remember.  At the very top of Linkedin select the "Connections" tab and then "Find Alumni".  On the next page feel free to adjust the dates to your starting and ending to narrow down the results. Feel free to sort and sift however you feel as nothing will happen until you select the person you want to connect with and work through the invitation sending process.   Tip: If you've been out of touch for a while, include a note about where the possible connection might remember you from like being a roommate in first year.

Website links: One of the major mistakes by both businesses and individuals is not to advertise their social media availability on their websites.  If you have a business or personal website or blog, use a social media icon to advertise that visitors can find you on Linkedin and other social media sites.  Style wise there are lots of social media icons (images) that you can use with options from designing your own to selecting ones from a website.  A great website for finding your own is Softicons.com which provides a plethora of not only social media icons but others that may also be useful elsewhere.

Networking: After a networking session make sure to search the people you met on Linkedin. By sending a connection request you remain top of mind for that connection.  As well, it helps the connection to review your profile and learn more about you than perhaps you were able to discuss.

Who Are Others Connecting To?: After obtaining connections via a various combination of the above, investigate who others are connected to. Watch the news stream on your Linkedin Homepage where it lists something like John Smith is now connected to Jane Sunderland.  Many times I have found others I know by watching these connection notifications.

People You May Know: On your Linkedin Homepage at the top right hand column there is a bolded heading of  "People You May Know" with at least 3 names and profile photos.  Go down to the bottom and select "See more".  On the next page will be a whole listing of names and profile photos in contact card format.  Scroll over, without clicking, and notice in the top right hand corner an "X".  If you click on the "X" it removes that person from the listing.  But if you scroll over and click on a name you can open the Linkedin profile page of the person listed and thus able to confirm you have the right person and connect with them.  Work your way through either removing people you don't know from the list or connecting to them.  Once you have complete the list, it takes about 24 hours on average to refresh with new possibilities.

There are no secrets to growing the number of connections on Linkedin.  Those who have 500+ connections have done so over time using the methods above. This growing network will become your latest rolodex of experts if you need products or services.  As well, in reverse, by having a large network on Linkedin, your connections will keep you top of mind to recommend to others or use themselves when needed.

Need help in getting started on Linkedin?  Suddcorp Solutions has the writing and teaching background to create and make your Linkedin Profile shine! 

Going to a Networking Event or Tradeshow? How Social Media Can Be Used to Connect

Image courtesy of jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net"

For individuals looking for work or businesses looking for new opportunities, the idea of networking has been around for ages.  As the Thornhill Employment Hub and St. Lawrence College Employment Centre would probably agree, most job opportunities are now found through networking and not publicly posted by employers.  Businesses as well will find a lot of opportunities through networking at different events or trade shows. Networking may probably be more effective for some businesses than traditional mail or newspaper advertising. 

Social Media can assist you with networking events in several ways from finding an event, notifying others you are at the event and following up with possible sales leads after the event. 

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Finding an event:

Networking opportunities don't necessarily have to be formal business events.  The whole idea is to get out and meet people.  These opportunities can be everything from a charitable golf tournament, chamber of commerce event, industry trade show or a group with a common interest like inline skating.   

Social media provides a variety of databases to find an event whether it be for networking purposes or to find something entertaining to do on the weekend.  

Facebook Events: Great spot to see what events are going on that others you are friends with are going to. As well, using the mobile app version, Facebook Events allows you to see upcoming events around your current location and add them to your own events calendar. 

Meetup.com: Have a specific interest in baking, cycling or something else?  Check out Meetup.com where you can search by interest, date or even city to find something may be of interest to you.  Many of the groups meet on a regular basis either weekly or monthly with a common interest.  A great resource to find join a group of people with a common interest. 

Twitter: Be sure to follow your favourite event venue or hosting company.  These key contacts will keep you up to date on upcoming events you may be interested in.

As well, be sure to check out the more conventional methods of finding network events like local economic development offices (e.g. Invest Ottawa, etc.) and Chambers of Commerce (e.g. Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, Aurora Chamber of Commerce, etc.)

Finally, before going to the event, check out to see who might be there.  This can be done by checking to see who has confirmed on Facebook Events or the event website sometimes.  Once known who is going to be there do some research on Linkedin personal profiles, Twitter and company websites to see which attendees you may wish to target to interact with in hopes of making a connection.

Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

At the Event:

At the event social media is probably best described as being "the fly on the wall" with a real time feed of the happenings.  The most popular social media platform at events is Twitter.

Twitter is popular because the most a single posting can be is 140 characters which limits the amount for each specific post.  This is excellent as networkers are there to meet others and enjoy the event instead of reviewing how tasty the 2013 Jackon Triggs Savignon Blanc being served is.

To follow an event on Twitter, find the event's hashtag and follow it for the latest.  A hashtag is a word with a number sign ("#") in front of it.  A hashtag is basically like a physical file folder in an office to file messages and other items under that subject to make it easier to find for those that need it.  If your at an event, inquire with either the event literature, the organizers, the event's Twitter account or via an internet search to see what the hashtag being used is.  An example of an event hashtag successfully being used for an event is this year's World Cup (#worldcup) and Ottawa's recent Glow Fair (#glowfair).

After finding the event's hashtag, there are two main uses.  To follow developments or what others are finding interesting and to contribute to the feed yourself.

The event's hashtag may announce upcoming start times for certain key items like workshops, presentations or when a meal is about to served.  Gradually follow this feed as well to see if there are other interesting contacts posting that you may not have had on your initial networking list created before the event.

Posting into the event stream is pretty easy to do.  Simply create a message on Twitter that is 140 characters long including the hashtag.   For example recently the Glow Fair occurred on Ottawa's Bank Street.  Some of the street performers were mentioned on the hashtag.  We contributed this tweet to point out what was going on at this particular intersection:

The Engagement Ring show at Bank & Lisgar in #Ottawa at #GlowFair pic.twitter.com/xqmneGtozU
— Suddcorp Solutions (@Suddcorp) June 22, 2014

From this tweet we had to include in the 140 character limit the: message, event hashtag (#GlowFair) and the link to the photo we took.  

Event photos are also interesting as those that follow both the hashtag and your own Twitter account may be interested in a visual to see what is going on and who is at the event.  For businesses, it helps to advertise their presence at the event and possibly, in the case of a tradeshow, where their table might be. 

Image courtesy of vegadsl / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After an Event: 

After the streamers and dirty dishes have been removed from the venue and your back at your office it is time to follow up.  Take a look at the business cards you gathered from the event.  For the key contacts you wish to keep in connect with: ask them to be a connection on Linkedin, follow them on Twitter or other social media.  Remember though, not everyone has an account on all social media platforms so don't be disappointed if some contacts are not there. Why connect on social media after an event? Your name or business brand will be part of the contact's stream over time which will help you and your business to remain top of mind on a frequent basis.

As well, many use Linkedin as an easy to update rolodex of contacts to refer people to because good Linkedin users keep their current employment status, skills and contact information up to date.  This is important as perhaps a contact you met two years before may finally need or know someone who needs your product or services.  So make sure you keep your Linkedin profile as up to date as possible. 

Social media is great to use before, during and after an event for individuals looking for employment and  businesses looking for prospective sales leads. It helps to market yourself and business to prospective contacts through gaining followers and maintaining an online database.  So make sure to avail yourself of all the opportunities it provides!

Avoid Being an Egghead: Tips on Creating a Profile Picture

Image courtesy of  stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One of the most important aspects of any social media profile is the profile photo. A profile photo is important for two main reasons: search results and professional image.

Searching is one of the main reasons to have a profile photo on social media.  People want to know they have the right person to connect to and interact with online.  As more people and brands join the online world it becomes a crowded place.  To make things even more difficult is if people have to search for a common first and last name combination. For example, there are currently at least 15 different "Joseph Gatts" on Twitter, 6 on LinkedIn and too many to count on a Google image search. Of the Twitter results many entries are simply a shot of the world famous default Twitter egg.

A clean professional looking profile would easily solve the problem and your profile would be easy to find amongst the search result clutter.

A professional profile is easy to create without being or engaging a professional photographer. Take a look through your existing photos or take a brand new photo but beware some of the most common profile photo errors.

Try not to select anything more than 5 years old.  Real estate agents are the main aged profile photo culprits. Take a look at almost any real estate brokerage website and you are sure to find examples of agent profile photos with aged backgrounds or, worse, 80s hairdos or leopard prints.

Don't make your profile photo into a police line up.  People are searching to find you in search results.  Don't make them search further by forcing them to go through group shots looking for your friendly face. Facebook profile photos are notorious for having this issue with either you not in the photo or part of a group shot.  Make it easy for people to find you by having just you in the photo.

Your photo should reflect a professional looking image.  For personal accounts, especially on the more professional Linkedin, it is important you look your best.  Many professionals use photos of them dressed up like they are going to meet a client for the first time and wish to make a good first impression. So obviously avoid the waterskiing or hockey photos and look for the more formal looking photos.

Of course there are exceptions to the "formal looking photos".  If you are a plumber, handyman, professional hockey player or sign printer, feel free to include some of the tools of your trade.  A well placed sign, wrench or hockey stick provides a creative flair to your profile photo.  But make sure it is tastefully done and your smiling face is the main focus with your tool of the trade visible but not dominant.

Avoid just using your company logo for your profile.  If customers are searching for your company or a service you provide online, they will navigate to your company's social media pages or website.  Many customers want to know who the people are behind the company's name and logo.  A warm trusting face in a profile photo on your personal social media pages provides this along with your personal profile.

Once you have found that perfect photo, use it!  Use your new photo on all your accounts so those searching for you among several social media platforms can find you quick and easily.  Your personal profile photo will be your personal brand, so use it consistently and do not change it for long periods of time.  People like familiarity, and whats more trustworthy than a trustworthy familiar face?

Stuck on choosing the right photo? Suddcorp Solutions is happy to help. 

Catch up With Suddcorp Solutions on Social Media

Suddcorp Solutions loves to be up to date on the latest goings on in the world of social media and technological innovations.  We also love to interact with our customers using a variety of social media platforms and tools.  Want to know how we use our social media tools and possibly which platform we currently use that may be the perfect use for you?  See below....

Our blog, which you are currently reading, showcases the latest on Suddcorp Solutions' services, client portfolio highlights, tips & tricks and more.  We felt the blog should have a prominent spot right on our front page to keep our customers up to date.

Our Facebook & Google Plus pages are great to follow for notifications when the latest blog entries are posted as well as respond to intriguing questions from our followers.  Feel free to post a question and we would be happy to respond with either an answer from ourselves or a linke to an article from an expert who has answered your query. As well, Suddcorp often confirms our attendance at various events on Facebook or Google+ so be sure to follow and we hope to see you around!

Connect with us on Linkedin to see the latest updates from the Blog and get further insight into the people that work here by checking out and connecting with their profiles.

Looking for the latest news on social media?  Be sure to follow us on Twitter where we share the latest updates in the world of social media that concentrates on how it affects consumers and businesses in the Ottawa area in terms of changes, interesting ideas and how social media can improve business.

If Social Media is a little too intimidating for you, but would love a little help, we have the usual ways to connect with us conveniently found on our "Contact Us" page.