Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’
Friday, June 17th, 2011
Recent news suggests that Twitter is to make a move towards branded pages – something Facebook already does. Why? It is hoped it will assist with ad revenues. It is expected that the pages would work in a similar way to Facebook – allowing businesses to deliver messages to those using Twitter and encourage them to visit their site.
As it currently stands, and some of you may have already witnessed, brands can pay for promotional tweets and can sponsor hashtags. We’ve been following the responses to the idea on the popular site Brand Shandy, and there have been mixed views. We had a chat with our resident Twitter expert, Kelly Hopkins to get her view. And here’s what she had to say: (more…)
Tags: Facebook, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Originally posted on SimplyHired
Recruiters and organisations are increasingly using social media to find candidates who are different and stand out from their peers. Forget the traditional job board approach; they are now using the likes of Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and blogs to connect with talent. With a multitude of platforms at your disposal, how do you ensure you are using the correct ones, and getting in front of the right people?
- First and foremost, remember that any social media profile you have can be found through a simple Google search. It is becoming more frequent for potential employers to look up a candidate prior to interview. Don’t forget though that employers are human too, and more often than not they are simply curious about who they are meeting and what you do. However, ask yourself if you would be happy with what they might find. You wouldn’t want a comment made by a friend, or a picture of you from years ago spoiling you chances. Be careful about what is in the public domain, and if you are using Facebook ensure your privacy settings are tight.
- If you are using Twitter, make sure you spend some time building up your followers. If you are interested in working in the music industry for example, make sure you are following experts in this field, and start commenting on what they are discussing. This will not only encourage people to follow you back, but it will also help portray yourself as knowledgeable in your sector. If a potential employer looks at your Twitter profile, you will be seen in a good light if they can see clear examples of your interest in their industry. (more…)
Tags: blogs, candidates, CV, employers, employment, Facebook, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Job search, Job searching, Social Media | No Comments »
Monday, March 21st, 2011
Whilst it may seem like it’s been around forever, Twitter is in fact just 5 years old today! Since the first tweet by co founder Jack Dorsey in 2006, Twitter has experienced significant growth. It is now estimated to be worth $10 billion dollars and users tweet some 1 billion times a week.
Here at Handle, we’ve been using Twitter for a year and have seen great results. We have an account for each of our divisions which instantly publish jobs as they come in, we interact with candidates and clients who are looking for information, and we also use the site to market ourselves and showcase our PR efforts. (more…)
Tags: candidates, Social Media, tweeting, Twitter
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
Twitter can be a great social and professional tool. For journalists and entertainers, particularly those not yet behind a paywall, it has become invaluable in disseminating stories and promoting new projects, ideas and building networks.
However, think of Twitter as a shiny new sports car. For most, it’s a tool to get you from A to B while looking as good as possible. But there are a select few who lose all perspective when they get behind the wheel – obsessed with speed and danger, they drive recklessly over the limit, leaving destruction in their wake before the eventual crash.
Just as some people shouldn’t be allowed to drive, some people shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a keyboard and an internet connection. While many public figures understand the dangers of oversharing on Twitter, some still inexplicably think of Twitter as a private space.
The fact is that Twitter is public. No matter who you think does or doesn’t care, whatever you choose to share online, whether on a blog or on Twitter, can be used against you as public information. This is fine if you’re Joe Nobody, but what if you’re Stephen Fry? Or Nir Rosen? When should journalists waive their right to free speech for the good of their career? (more…)
Tags: celebrities, entertainment, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
As social media continues to shape and influence how we communicate, so too does it change the way in which products are advertised and promoted. It may not be as simple as the obvious TV and brand sponsorship partnerships we so often see, but social media is increasingly being used to advertise and create brand awareness.
This is all the more poignant with the recent news that a UK-based PR agency has had a case brought against them by the Office of Fair trading (OFT). They were discovered to be paying people to write about certain products. The OFT concluded that they felt the marketing and online advertising , in the form of comments about services and products in blogs and on twitter, was deceptive.
What the OFT want to see is that when bloggers and Twitter users endorse a product they must state a relationship with the brand. In the UK, one example (across Twitter) is Liz Hurley. Whilst she has been the face of Estee Lauder for 17 years her Twitter page has no mention of her association. But recently she has started to talk about certain products within the range that she particularly likes. Coincidence or not??? (more…)
Tags: advertising, celebrities, Facebook, marketing, Social Media, tweeting, Twitter
Posted in marketing, media, Social Media | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
So it’s the New Year and after some time to reflect at Christmas, you’ve decided that you want a new job, and are launching yourself into the market with passion and determination? But don’t forget lots of other people will be doing the same thing. So how are you going to stand out from your competition?
A bit of pre-planning is what you need. So for now, put that CV upload on hold and concentrate on the basics before you get going…
Detective work
You need to know as much as possible about your industry. As well as being able to do the job itself you will be expected to have a good knowledge of your sector. Use social media to listen and engage in what is being said (see our previous post for tips). This will allow you to learn as much as you can about current themes and also potential employers. Why not subscribe to blogs that are relevant/opinion based and keep abreast of current developments within the field. This will show you as a well-rounded professional. (more…)
Tags: candidates, CV, employers, employment, interview, Social Media
Posted in CV tips, Interview tips, Job search, Job searching, Recruitment, Social Media | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
Recruiters are increasingly using the internet to find candidates who are different and stand out from their peers. Forget the traditional job board approach; they are now using a range of social media platforms to find candidates. So in a candidate market which is becoming saturated how do you ensure that your ‘brand’ stands out and gets noticed?
Here are some of the ways you can do this…
Twitter
See our previous post about Twitter and how to get started. Other than that, make sure you have built up a relevant network of recruiters/hiring manager/companies that you want to work with/for and begin some interaction with them. By following them you will also gain an insight into the culture of company, the way they work and what they are looking for in an employee. (more…)
Tags: candidates, LinkedIn, Recruitment, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Recruitment, Social Media | No Comments »
Thursday, December 16th, 2010
In days gone by brands were promoted via glossies and newspapers to get their stories told and products sold. But now, as consumers become more media-savvy, the old techniques of advertorial and copy with heavily-laden PR messages no longer hold the same appeal.
So brand-owners are wising up and realising that consumers, who are increasingly using the internet to buy products, want something different from their online experience. Companies have seen the potential to improve a site’s stickiness with the addition of relevant editorial. Alongside this, no brand can ignore the potential and importance of social media platforms to promote (or in some cases destroy) their product.
The evidence of this, over several months, has been a series of career moves where journalists have jumped ship to join online (fashion) brands. Jeremy Langmead, former editor of Esquire magazine moved to online editorial site Mr Porter – owned by net-a-porter.com. Elleuk’s digital editor director Melissa Dick moved over to Asos and most recently Grazia’s former editor-in-chief Fiona McIntosh has joined my-wardbrobe.com. (more…)
Tags: consumer, PR, publishing, Social Media
Posted in media | No Comments »
Friday, November 5th, 2010
A recent survey showed the top 30 brands (excluding celebrity and media) on Twitter, based on their number of followers. Not surprisingly the majority of them are retail brands or online shopping sites, but there are also a few information sites like Visit Britain and Heathrow Airport.
The study looked at what makes these brands so successful using social media so we thought it was a good opportunity to look at why and what makes Twitter so useful for interacting, as lot of people are still unsure of how to use it, or what it’s actually for. Twitter is a way of connecting with like-minded people who might share interests or your opinions. Although it can be used for traffic to your site or blog it’s about so much more than that.
Getting started
This is easy…you set up your account (www.twitter.com), write a bio of yourself, include your web address, upload a picture and start choosing people to follow. Hopefully the people you follow will choose to follow you back. Otherwise people will find you either by searching on topics you might be talking about, or because you follow someone they also follow.
How to grow your followers: (more…)
Tags: blogs, brand, followers, Social Media, tweeting, Twitter, web traffic
Posted in Handle Recruitment, Social Media | No Comments »
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
It’s no secret that the digital market and particularly the use of social media has exploded in the last eighteen months. How many of us followed the election on Twitter getting real time updates minute by minute? And look at the way Pepsico has campaign managed the return of its drink Mountain Dew .
In our industry, this has manifested itself in a whole new market for specialists who can help organisations understand how consumers interact with content – and then build relevant and meaningful relationships with those customers.
And it’s a really interesting talent pool. For one thing, it’s dominated by Generation Y who are motivated by a variety of things. Sure, money is important but so too are considerations such as lifestyle, culture, working hours, location and flexibility. And it’s also a diverse pool. The digital arena is an ever evolving market covering not only social media but affiliate marketing, CRM, SEO and online PR. What this means is that it may not always be obvious from someone’s job title that they have the skill sets that an employer may be looking for.
So the message to hiring organisations? Think about being more innovative with retention strategies and the way reward packages are structured. Be flexible about job titles on CVs – don’t miss out by being too rigid. We’ve written more about talent issues in the digital market in Figaro Digital magazine which you can read here.
Tags: digital, Generation Y, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Handle Recruitment, Social Media | No Comments »
