Conan O’Brien marches to the beat of his own drummer.  No really, he does. When it comes to social media participation, the comedian blazes his own unique trail there too.  Let’s take a look at Conan’s new Twitter account, what he does “right” and “wrong”, and how you can benefit from breaking the rules once in a while too.

For those that don’t know, I’ll briefly sum up Conan O’Brien’s recent history.  He worked for years to become host of the most coveted talk show in America, got the job, and was essentially given the boot very shortly thereafter (unjustly in the eyes of many).  In the process, he gained a fiercely loyal fan base, known as Team Coco.

During his NBC tenure, Conan didn’t officially have his own social media presence.  In fact, he instead poked fun at celebrity social media usage via the recurring “Twitter Tracker” skit.  Fast forward to today, and the @ConanObrien Twitter account has nearly 700,000 followers.  How did he get here?  By breaking three standard “rules of social media”.

Rule #1:  Everyone else is already involved; you need to join social media networks immediately.

Common sentiment says that social networking is so hot right now that it simply can’t be ignored, and I agree.  But, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to dive headfirst into the social media deep-end.  I suspect Conan initially took a hands-off stance on Twitter and other social media outlets because he didn’t fully understand their full power, or how the systems truly work.  But, the recent outpouring of emotion from loyal fans likely erased any doubt – now was the time to join in.

So, on February 24^th, @ConanObrien’s profile read: “I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account.”

Lesson #1:  You can gain great amounts of knowledge and understanding from social networks just by watching and listening.  Start participating only when you truly feel ready.

Rule #2:  To succeed in social media, you must engage in widespread conversation.

In the first 24 hours on Twitter, Conan gained 300,000 followers.  Let’s be realistic – how could he possibly engage all these people in conversation?  How could he sort through these users to follow back a number of accounts?  It just isn’t possible.  So, how did Conan prove he cared about his fans?  He followed one of them back.  Just one.

In a brilliant move to prove he was listening to the “average” fan (without actually listening to all of them) Conan followed random user @LovelyButton.  What made her so special?  Nothing!  Or everything, depending on how you view it.

Lesson #2:  Social media is a zoo, and you’ll never connect with everyone.  So instead, focus on forming a smaller number of true, meaningful relationships.

Rule #3:  Put others first – share the work of others more than you share your own.

I am a huge advocate of sharing within Twitter – retweets, posting links, #FollowFriday, you name it.  So far, Conan is a one man show, tweeting only his own quips and barbs.  And you know what?  It works for him.  People follow Conan because they miss his TV show, and because they miss him. 

I don’t advocate you eliminate social sharing from your repertoire, but there is one lesson to be learned here.

Lesson #3:  Sharing is awesome, but remember this – people connect with you because of your unique voice.  Make sure your distinctive point of view shines through at all times.

What do you think – were rules were meant to be broken?  Are there any social media rules you love to break regularly?

Ryan Rancatore can be found discussing other crazy subjects and how they affect you at Personal Branding 101.  Connect with Ryan on Twitter at @RyanRancatore, or on Linkedin, Facebook, or Brazen Careerist.

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Last week, my post featured a short video by my friend the Recruiting Animal about how to stand out on Twitter.  This week I thought I would go more in depth about how Twitter can be used in your job search.

Being in the job search is tough, and as a job seeker you are not alone (especially with the more than 15 million who are out of work and in the job hunt).  People don’t always prepare adequately for the job search, although they should be giving themselves a solid six months to get everything in order before they can expect results.  This provides the opportunity to grow and build your network using  both traditional (face to face networking) and non-traditional methods (social media networking).  Keep in mind that this can all be done while you’re still employed.  Don’t wait until you’re actively looking to build your network!

One non-traditional networking tool is Twitter.  Think of Twitter as a virtual cocktail party with more than 27 million people in attendance.  Like any traditional cocktail party or networking event, there are conversations (known as your twitter stream) that happen all around you.  Twitter is no different.  If your goals for Twitter are primarily business-based, it is extremely important to selectively join and be present for key conversations among decision makers or influencers in the industry in which you are looking for work.

These tips will help you turn Twitter into the ultimate networking tool:

• Follow People. Following others and retweeting or reposting their tweets is a great way to begin to build a relationship.  Use Twitter directories which are essentially online yellow pages to search for influencers in your target industry, location, or by keyword like Twellow, and We Follow.  Here are 15 more great Twitter directory sites courtesy of Mashable.

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Be found by making sure to include keywords that are searched by recruiters and hiring managers in your Twitter bio.  Consider words including industry specific software programs, certifications, and words that are repeatedly listed in job board advertisements.  Recruiters use keywords within your tweets and your bio to find you.  Make it easy to be found including key words and a link to your blog or profile.

• Hash Tags (#). Hash tags are used in Twitter as a way to sort and search by topic.  Some common hash tags for job seekers including #jobs, #jobhuntchat, #jobsearch, and #jobadvice.  Using your iGoogle account, you can set up an RSS feed of common keywords and hash tags in Twitter Search.  Setting up your RSS feed is a great time saving tip!

• Find Recruiters. I almost always suggest that job seekers take an aggressive approach to their job search.  Just as recruiters source and search for you, job seekers can seek out and connect with recruiters, human resource professionals, or hiring managers using social media search tools.  Twitter directories are a great start, but there are more advanced tools like Follower Wonk and Twitter Search which can help you further focus your search.  Both of these offer advanced search options, allowing you to search by keyword and even zip code.  Follow Wonk provides advanced bio search options.

• Building Relationships. Chris Brogan provides a crude yet effective example of social media networking and how to build relationships.  He likens immediately asking for a job or sale just after meeting someone to sticking your tongue down someone’s throat just after meeting them.  Basically, don’t ask for the sale until you have an established relationship.  Social media is undoubtedly a great way to connect, but can be somewhat superficial.  Networking takes time!  Make sure you establish a meaningful relationship with someone before asking them to help you.

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is an author, new mother, and human resources professional with a passion for recruiting and all things social media.  She has over 10 years of experience in human resources & recruiting.

Her company, Xceptional HR provides businesses with social media, recruitment, and human resources strategy and consulting.   Jessica’s book, Tweet This! Twitter for Business was released January 2010.  Follow Jessica on Twitter, LinkedIn, & FaceBook.

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I have a major pet peeve and it’s probably high on your list as well.  You know exactly what I am talking about; it’s those people that you follow that bad mouth and trash talk about their company or manager or co-workers… and it is almost always during the business day and they are probably using company computers to post the message!  How does this reflect on you and your personal brand?

If you would like to see how much this is discussed, just do a Twitter search for #ihatemyjob and see all the messages that pop up.  The results are astounding., considering that not all of the whiners even put the #ihatemyjob hash into their messages about work.  But if you follow your stream at any time during the day, you are bound to see one or two (or more!) tweets sharing something negative about their day and the people involved.  Seriously?

I don’t care if you have a “private” Twitter account or not.  As a recruiter there is nothing worse than seeing a tweet with a negative message about your employer, manager or coworker.  Below are just a few helpful reminders as to what not to do and what you should do on Twitter for your personal brand:

Don’t: Tweet anything negative about your job, manager or coworkers.

Do: If you are not happy, do a Twitter search for #jobs and another hashtag that is in the field you are looking (#marketing #finance #accounting #sales #java #helpdesk just to name a few).

Don’t: Tweet anything negative during the workday, from either your work computer or your mobile device.

Do: Keep your messages during business hours conversational and engage on a topic of value to your followers

Don’t: Pretend to be something you are not.

Do: Be yourself, simple and sweet! Whatever your passion, this is the best way to tweet and add your own authentic value.  If you are a complainer by nature, maybe Twitter isn’t the best outlet for you (think about it).

Here’s a rule which you hopefully have picked up from this blog already: Don’t post something online, under your own name or pseudonym, that you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying in an interview.  Because odds are, your interviewer will find what you say online, and you will be held accountable for it.

It may seem simple and common sense, but it is something important to remember and definitely the best recommendation you will receive for what you put online and how you work to manage your personal brand.

—-

Keith McIlvaine is a Social Media Strategist within HR and Recruiting for a Fortune 500 company.  When he is not focused on leveraging social media and networking, Keith is also a personal branding coach and social media mentor.  He is passionate about his family and is a major soccer fanatic.  Connect with Keith on Twitter and LinkedIn.  The statements I have posted on this site are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

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You’ve defined your personal brand and created your career marketing materials, designed to resonate with your target audience.

And you know that, in job search, you’re in a sales and marketing campaign for your corporation of one – Brand You.

How are you going to market your unique promise of value to potential employers?

You’ll need a well-rounded brand communications plan that incorporates real-life and online personal marketing to capture the attention of recruiters and hiring decision makers.

If you think your online presence doesn’t factor much into hiring decision-making, see my post Does Your Online Identity Scream “Hire Me”? All other things being equal, a strong online footprint can tip the scales in your favor.

I safeguard the integrity and vitality of my own plan and keep it humming with personal brand health insurance – the 3 Cs – clarity, consistency, constancy.

Here’s a good part of what’s in my brand plan:

Online Profiles/Presence:

• 2 blog-based websites, Executive Career Brand and Executive Resume Branding, and one static website.

-Both blogs are included on several other blogrolls

• LinkedIn – 100% complete, branded, searchable profile
• Job-Hunt.org Personal Branding Expert bio
• Brand-Yourself blog weekly columnist bio
• Google Profile
• ZoomInfo
• Business Week’s Business Exchange
• Business VisualCV
• Personal VisualCV
• Amazon – I need to update this.
• Facebook
• Careers industry professional associations

Social Media:

• LinkedIn. Network updates 2-3 times a week. Active with 20+ Groups. Manage Job-Hunt.org’s new LinkedIn Personal Branding Help sub-group. Come join us!
• Active Twitter user, post several times a day. RT my tweeps regularly. Drive traffic to blogs through Twitter network
• Post at least twice a week to my 2 blogs
• Guest blog regularly at various other relevant blogs
• Comment regularly on relevant blogs (I try to be the first responder so my comments sit at the top of the list.)
• Weekly columns (Mondays) here on the Brand-Yourself.com blog
• Personal Branding Expert at Job-Hunt.org, contributing articles once a month
• E-list/online forum sharing and discussion through personal branding and careers industry professional associations
• Contribute articles and content to executive networking/job agent/job boards
• Contribute content and document samples to numerous job search/personal branding e-books and print books each year
• Press releases to various publications several times a year
• Branded email signature, with links to blog, LinkedIn profile and VisualCV
• Self-Google several times a week to monitor how I’m doing

Networking / Continuing Education

• Keep up with my professional network, virtually and in real-life. That means actually speaking by phone frequently. Emailing alone just doesn’t cut it
• Attend numerous professional webinars/teleseminars each year
• Put faces to names by attending at least one professional conference each year

WHEW!!! I think that pretty well covers it. That’s what keeps me busy marketing-wise. It can be a challenge fitting all this in with working my job, which is helping senior executives build their personal brand communications plans.

So, what’s in your communications plan? What are you doing that I should be doing?

Related posts:

10 Steps to an Authentic, Magnetic Personal Brand

How NOT to Build Your Executive Personal Brand

Digital Distinction: Does Your Executive Brand Pack a Punch Online?

An Executive Personal Branding, Online Identity and Job Search Strategist, Meg is a 20-year careers industry professional and one of only a handful of people worldwide to hold the Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategist and Master Resume Writer credentials, both gold standards.

“I love my work collaborating with savvy senior executives and entrepreneurs who know where they’re going, but need help differentiating their unique promise of value in the new world of work and executive job search, and positioning themselves to work their passion. My clients are typically c-suite, senior-level executives and rising stars.”

Find out more about Meg at Executive Career Brand, and by viewing her LinkedIn profile and following her on Twitter.

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