Spotlight on Marketing
Lucky Devils
Today is Friday the 13th. Will that change the way you go through your day? Some people attribute everything to luck and I'll admit, there have been times that a little luck has come my way, but I don't depend on it. I also don't assume someone else is more successful than me because they had more luck.
The truth of the matter is most of the things people attribute to luck, actually come at the price of a lot of hard work. Hard really isn't the right word. The work is easy. It's the consistency and perseverance that deliver the greatest amount of what a lot of people call luck.
Samantha Brown Got My Job
When Samantha Brown first hit the travel show scene I wanted to be her more than I can say. One day at a live appearance she told the story of how she got that job. She was auditioning for some bit part when someone in the room realized she was just who he was looking for his travel project.
That might sound like luck, but she was seriously pursuing a career in media when the opportunity came along. She'd gotten an appropriate degree, beefed up the entertainment part of her resume with lots of acting, moved across the country, worked as a waitress so she could make it to auditions and she auditioned for everything she could. That's not luck. That's consistency and perseverance.
I still wish I had Samantha Brown's job, but rather than resent her luck, I admire her immensely.
Someone Found Him on Linked In
I was chatting with some friends from a past job and we were going through the role call of who was doing what and discussing absent friends. One of the absentee friends had recently landed the job of his dreams. I was told that the "lucky guy" hadn't even been looking for a job, someone just found him on Linked In.
On returning home, I looked up the circle of friends on Linked In and I wasn't surprised. The "lucky guy" had a completed up-to-date profile, hundreds of connections and frequent engagements. Everyone else's profile, if one existed at all, was in various states of disarray. Most had profiles with so little information, no one could have found them to hire them. The information on their profiles wasn't even accurate. It was apparent they had set up their profile and forgotten it long ago. They had few connections and virtually no engagement.
Maybe there had been some luck involved in his dream employer finding his profile on Linked In, but when the luck came along, he was ready. Would you be ready if luck came along?
Are You Making Your Luck?
What about you? Have you taken a look at your social media lately? Do your profile pictures still look like you? Is the name on the profile the one you actually go by? Is your profession a part of your profile and would anyone guess that's what you do from your posts?
There was a time when you could be one person on your resume and live a completely separate personal life, but social media is breaking down those barriers. That doesn't mean that you can't have a personal profile, but if you want to be successful professionally, then people must able to find you on social media. Deciding where to have business/professional profiles, where to have personal profiles and how to manage them is part of your marketing plan, whether you realize it or not.
If all this is a little scary and you're not sure what to do about it, then give me a call. I can help you put your best foot forward on social media and keep your personal life personal.