Snapchat, which now boasts over 200 million users in addition to its seemingly growing 10 billion video views daily, has become 2016’s poster child in marketing circles for how brands should be appealing to younger consumers — notably Millennials and Generation Z, which represents the broad age range encompassing 13 to 34 year olds.

According to Snapchat, on any given day its platform reaches 41 percent of Millennial in the U.S., which has created big business for the 5-year-old social network. This includes brands that have taken the gamble by diving head first into a channel still so new that user targeting with ads and demographic data doesn’t exist, unlike its peers Facebook and Twitter. However, as brands — such as Gatorade, who ran a sponsored lens during the Super Bowl which gained more views than the actual number of people who saw the game itself — see a real increase in consumer purchasing behavior, more brands are taking notice and can no longer ignore Snapchat’s impact on marketing to the younger demographic.

Two years ago, in these same circles, Snapchat was viewed in a snarky way by most marketers as a secretive channel for college students and teens to send inappropriate photos. Fast forward to today, and Snapchat has surpassed Twitter and LinkedIn among the most active brands on social media.

One of the brands which I covered in an article “Snapchat for business: How to reach Millennials through storytelling” earlier this year as an early adopter of Snapchat is MGM Resorts. Back in January, during CES in Las Vegas, MGM Resorts launched a Snapchat account for one of its iconic resorts — The Mirage — in addition to pasting a giant snap code in the shape of a poker chip on the side of the hotel, which gained mention in dozens of editorial bylines (including mine).

The unknown story is that MGM Resorts was also one of Snapchat’s first enterprise clients to BETA its geofilters product as they ran a 3-day geofilter throughout the highly populated Las Vegas strip. Based on the success of this “experiment,” Beverly Jackson, VP of social media at MGM Resorts, and her social media team have been working behind the scenes with Snapchat on a series of Snapchat filters at all MGM Resorts properties, which rolled out on August 1, and will continue to run 24/7 through the next year.

To demo the new geofilters, MGM Resorts flew me and a handful of other Snapchat influencers to Las Vegas recently for a fun-filled weekend to experience the M-Life brand and use the filters first hand. Below is what I came away with — and what every brand or marketer can learn from:

Geofilters vary by location

For starters, every MGM Resort property has a different geofilter — meaning if you go to the MGM Grand, Bellagio, Mirage, or New York New York, you will see a filter which is unique to that brand. Unlike the standard Las Vegas community filter that never changes, MGM Resorts is playing up the fact that every resort is a different brand within a larger global brand, and each has its own identity (as seen below).

Right now , Starbucks is running a standard “PSL” filter at locations throughout the U.S. to promote the launch of its Pumpkin Spice Latte — however, after seeing the filter at multiple Starbucks across the Oakland and San Francisco Bay Area, the same creative grows stale. As a consumer — and Snapchat user — I want to see geofilters that are relevant to what’s happening in my community or city. This is where MGM Resorts gets an A+ for originality.

Interactive that offers cross-channel UGC

One of my favorites over the Las Vegas weekend was the Aria “Fill in the blank” geofilter that allows you to write in a saying. Geofilters that can be customized are the “Holy Grail” of Snapchat for brands, as it gives the power of creativity to end-users. In my case, I used this filter multiple times and each time saved it for cross-promotion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. When you put the power of creativity into the hands of users, it creates user-generated content (UGC) opportunities leading to higher in-app engagement and posting to other social media channels (since users find it “cool”) — which in turn results in more views centered on your brand.

Geofilters represent a different experience

Along with geofilters varying by location, each one of those locations offered me a different in-person experience that carried over to Snapchat. For example, the T-Mobile arena geofilter represented having fun at a Gwen Stefani concert. It also made my snaps look 10-times better. And the Beerhaus filter helped me make my followers on Snapchat feel like they were sitting next to me at the bar having a cold beer.

Always on

Currently, Snapchat’s non-enterprise geofilter product is limited to media buys, which are timed and have a start and end date. Most often a brand will run their geofilter for a limited timeframe, which is normally a day or a couple of days. As they say, Las Vegas is the city that never sleeps and, in the case of MGM Resorts, their properties literally never close — and neither does social media. So whether it’s 2:00 a.m. at Club LAX in the Mirage or 10:00 a.m. at the MGM Grand pool, geofilters are always on for guests and Snapchat users to capture their most memorable moments using MGM branding.

Fun and appeal to Millennials

Making your brand marketing resonate with Millennials can be challenging regardless of whether your brand is known for fun and entertainment — even if it’s a casino and resort in Las Vegas. MGM incorporates messaging within the geofilter creative (such as my personal favorite: “Snaps or it didn’t happen”), which makes it fun and cool to share on Snapchat. As a marketer, knowing your audience is the key to success.

The post How one brand uses Snapchat geofilters to create an omnichannel experience appeared first on Carlos Gil.

That was before I saw the people. So. Many. People.

Upon stepping outside, all I could see was the hordes walking around a community park, all looking down at their phones. With ages ranging from elementary school kids to fully grown adults, I quickly determined they weren’t texting and they weren’t on Snapchat.

So what had them hypnotized like a pack of blood-thirsty zombies?

And that’s when I realized it was the fictitious creatures that only live on the screens of mobile devices. It was Pokémon GO.

Again, I brushed it off thinking to myself “this can’t possibly last” – but that was before Pokémon GO surpassed Snapchat and Instagram amongst active users within a matter of days.

In the two weeks since Pokémon GO launched, while observing consumer behavior in my own community and also on social media, my mind has been racing around how any locally-owned small business (think your local coffee shop, hair salon, pizzeria, brew pub, etc.) can reap the benefits of having thousands of potential consumers walking around town (literally) and in front of their storefronts on a daily basis.

This is where the social media marketer in me quickly kicks into high gear to share these tips and tricks.

Snapchat

It dawned on me that the same people playing Pokémon are likely the same 13 to 35-year-old target demographic that’s on Snapchat and likely sharing with their Snapchat friends where all the local Pokéstops, Gyms, Lures and Meet-Ups are located. They’re probably sharing this on Facebook too.

So how does a local business reach this audience through Snapchat?

Simple.

Give them a cool graphic – also known as a “geo-filter” – to share with their friends, indicating where they found Pokémon and be sure to have this filter live within a walking distance radius of your business.

If you’re not familiar with how they work, paid Snapchat geo-filters are display ads that live within the Snapchat app disguised as creative art that’s layered on top of a picture or video. From Snapchat.com, you can buy dedicated ad space virtually anywhere in the U.S. for a set period of time as a low-cost means of reaching targeted Snapchat users, all within a set geographic range.

As a ‘Test’, to see if my theory could work, I ran a Snapchat geo-filter at a Pokémon Meet-Up in Chicago at the iconic Bean this past weekend – an event attended by over 10,000 gamers.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>If you&#39;re headed to the <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pok%C3%A9monGO?src=hash”>#PokémonGO</a> meet-up in <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chicago?src=hash”>#Chicago</a>, let your friends know by using this <a href=”https://twitter.com/Snapchat”>@Snapchat</a> geo-filter! <a href=”https://t.co/E63DhLg6Zv”>pic.twitter.com/E63DhLg6Zv</a></p>&mdash; Carlos Gil (@CarlosGil83) <a href=”https://twitter.com/CarlosGil83/status/754722298452512768″>July 17, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src=”//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

Imagine that same geo-filter having a logo to Bob’s local sub shop or Susan’s coffee house? Or how about for an online business that sells products to 13 to 35-year-olds? Let’s assume that a gamer uses the geo-filter a few doors down from your store… you will still benefit when his/her group of friends come steamrolling just steps away.

This is how you growth hack an existing social channel to capitalize on mass consumer adoption of another product to drive eyeballs to yours.

Thanks to Snapchat influencer Shaun Ayala, he created the following two templates that any small business can click here to save and use on Snapchat for their own advertising.

Facebook

Currently, the Pokémon GO Facebook page has well over 1M+ likes.

With advanced ad targeting, any brand or business owner can place an ad in front of Pokémon GO gamers in their city or community.

A business does this within Facebook Ads Manager by selecting the age range of users they want to reach (ex: 18 to 35), the mile radius within their zip code that they want users to view their ad– keep it within 10 miles to stay hyper local – followed by interest level targeting which can reach anyone that likes the Pokémon GO Facebook page including other relevant pages such as Pokémon’s official page, events, etc.

Just yesterday, I was on Facebook when I saw Walmart run the ad below.

The key with Facebook ad targeting is to have an offer or call-to-action relevant to the audience you are trying to reach.

For example, I created a mock ad for a local ice cream shop in my city named “CREAM”.

As you can see in the creative above, the sample ad has an offer of “SAVE 50%” exclusive for local gamers that see it.

You can easily measure the ROI of your ad spend on Facebook through in-store redemptions.

Meet-Ups

Another tactic is to host a Meet-Up at your place of business or pub crawl, in which your place is either the starting location or one of the stops along the way.

A Meet-Up will likely attract hundreds, if not thousands, of local gamers which is always good for business if you have exclusive gamer specials on that day (i.e. free soda with the purchase of a burger, etc.).

Using the two aforementioned tactics, leverage targeted Facebook ads to reach Pokémon GO gamers and drive them to an event landing page on Facebook where they can RSVP and share the event with their friends.

Then, on the day of your Meet-Up, run a sponsored Snapchat geo-filter so anyone that’s attending your event can share branded pictures and videos from your place of business.

If you want to go one step further, promote your Pokémon GO Meet-Up to your email and CRM list.

Even professional sports franchises like the Jacksonville Jaguars are joining the frenzy and hosting Meet-Ups at NFL stadiums – get your business in front of these consumers through in-app advertising on Snapchat or Facebook and you’ve won.

Conclusion

It’s hard to predict exactly how long Pokémon GO mania will sweep the country and our neighborhoods, but for now, you’re sitting on a potential gold mine of consumers which are paying close attention to what’s happening on the iPhone screen in front of them as well as the world around them.

To put this all into context, I made the short video below:

GO get ‘em.

The post How Small Businesses Can Profit from Pokémon GO Mania appeared first on Carlos Gil.

Let’s be honest, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter’s engagement are at an all-time low, they’ve become pay-to-play platforms with lots of noise. But there is one platform that marketers are underestimating and under-utilizing: Snapchat.

While most brand marketers relentlessly try to figure out how to reach more than 1% of their Facebook fans, Snapchat’s figured out how to retain, engage, and keep audiences coming back for more content every day.

With 100+ million daily active users, and 6 billion daily video views, Snapchat is one of the fastest growing social networks. Once thought of as an app used only by teens, more than 60% of 13-34-year-olds in the U.S. are now active users, a demographic which is expected to outspend Baby Boomers by 2017. If you’re trying to reach this audience, then Snapchat is the sandbox you need to be playing in.

I’ve personally been on Snapchat since 2013 and watching its evolution has been incredible – here’s a snapshot of the results I have seen:

• 80% higher engagement throughout my daily story over other social networks

• 30% increase in my YouTube channel subscribers

• Increased traffic to my website

• Collectively grown all complimentary platforms due relationship building and audience being dialed-in

• 25% increase of my email list subscriptions

To put this in context, I receive between 800-1,000 views per “snap”, which are seen as photos or short-form videos sent via the app. Throughout the course of my day, if I post 10 snaps to “My Story” – a compilation of my content over a 24-hour period – that’s 10,000 impressions from followers who are genuinely engaged with my personal brand.

So why should brand marketers care?

The psychology of Snapchat is at the core what makes Snapchat stand out over other social channels. The fact that posted content disappears within 24 hours forces users to keep coming back, which creates a stickiness factor that cannot be matched elsewhere.

Tell me – as a consumer, when was the last time you felt compelled to go see what your favorite brand tweeted or posted to Facebook?

On the surface, since its user interface has no display ads, Snapchat seems to be the anti-brand network. But at the same time, it’s where consumers are actually going to see what brands are going to post next.

Its unique user interface and features don’t place emphasis on followers or vanity metrics. Instead, Snapchat is about storytelling and engaging your audience in the most compelling manner possible.

Telling your brands story 10 seconds at a time can be a challenge, but this, increasingly, is where marketing is headed – micro-content for micro-moments. Consumers, especially Millennials, value their time and want to be engaged in the quickest manner, which makes Snapchat the “Twitter meets YouTube” of social media.

Imagine you’re Home Depot and you want to show your community how to make home improvements – instead of producing a high-quality YouTube video, which you’ll likely end up spending thousands of ad dollars promoting on Facebook, you can use Snapchat to deliver the same message over a few snaps.

As Snapchat content is native to the platform, cross-promoting your brand’s Snapchat account across your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email is recommended, and a good tactic for growing your brand’s presence on Snapchat.

Whether you’re working to build your personal brand, promote a small business, or even if you represent a large company, there are a variety of ways for you to strategize around the content you execute to become successful.

Here are three examples of brands that are doing great things on Snapchat.

MGM Resorts

To activate its Snapchat presence in a big way, MGM Resorts leveraged CES 2016 by placing a giant Snapchat ghost in the form of a poker chip on the Luxor hotel, which caught the attention of the more than 100,000 event-goers in Las Vegas. Snapchat influencers were also tapped to share their MGM Resorts experience as part of their daily stories.

Taco Bell

The brand focuses on creativity and engagement. Its stories circle around its menu, giving its audience a unique perspective on how to mix and match its food. Recently, Taco Bell partnered with Shonduras, a Snapchat influencer, to promote and launch their latest product. Taco Bell sets the bar for how brands should be speaking to Millennial consumers – it’s fun, catchy, and engaging.

Mission Impossible (Paramount Pictures)

For the release of the movie, the production studio partnered with multiple Snapchat artists to create a series of action-packed Snapchat stories. By leveraging influencers, yet allowing them creative freedom, content was distributed across multiple accounts with unique perspectives from each creator.

We’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg with Snapchat marketing, but it’s important to understand that platforms like Snapchat are redefining how people consume and engage with the brands that influence their decisions. Creating great stories and providing your audience with content that resonates on the platforms where they’re spending their time is crucial to gain their attention.

If you enjoyed this article, let’s take the conversation over to Snapchat, where you can find me at TheCarlosGil.

The post Snapchat for Business: How to Reach Millennials Through Storytelling appeared first on Carlos Gil.

The post Major Keys to Success on Social Media appeared first on Carlos Gil.

“Life” is not lived by design; it’s what you make it out to be.

During the recession, do you know how many people called me “crazy”?

Lots.

And, honestly, they were right – I was.

But if it weren’t for me taking risks at the right time, I don’t know where I would be today – in my life or career.

In 2008, I was laid off from my financial services job due to the sudden massive downturn in the U.S. economy. My wife was eight months pregnant. We lost our home. We lost our cars. We went bankrupt.

I was broke. But I wasn’t broken.

During that terrible time, I experienced a whirlwind of emotions. I was sad, lonely, angry, bitter, and depressed — but I didn’t give up. Instead, I turned to social media for help.

Ironically, the same day that I lost my job is the day that I joined LinkedIn.

The support I found through LinkedIn, and the tools I learned how to use, inspired me to “pay it forward” and help others like me find jobs. I created grassroots awareness and built a thriving community of job seekers and hiring professionals called JobsDirectUSA.

I invested every penny to my name on my business although, at just 25 years old, I was clueless in how to run a business. I self-taught myself how to code and spent countless nights awake studying social media marketing. I was the Founder, CEO, Webmaster, Sales Executive, and Marketing team… all while not knowing when or where my next paycheck would come from.

Every time that I wanted to quit, something or someone wouldn’t allow me to give up. I questioned myself a lot. There were many divine interventions along the way.

Legitimately, nobody was hiring. Or so I thought.

Until I was reminded that passion and perseverance always win out.

I spent much of 3 years learning a lot about running a business – and myself – during one of the worst economic periods in U.S. history.

My passion and persistence wouldn’t allow me to quit. I was destined to not let the recession defeat me.

Instead, I hosted “Pink Slip Parties” to create grassroots awareness which led to earned media exposure and leveraged social media – when not many other businesses were – to build a community of loyal, and engaged, supporters.

I also invested in relationships. Every day, I made it a priority to engage in LinkedIn groups, follow chats on Twitter, and left no stone unturned when it came to expanding my network and building my professional brand.

While I can’t boast about having a start-up which was acquired for millions, I am proud of the fact that my company was directly responsible for changing the lives of those who came to job fairs, networking events, and was part of the community.

Then, based on the work that I did through my own company, I was offered a job by Winn-Dixie – a previous client of mine – to start up social media for their organization.

Had it not been for the time that I put into JobsDirectUSA, the relationships made as a result thereof and skillset in digital marketing that I acquired, I wouldn’t have been hired by Winn-Dixie.

Last year, I was hired by Save-A-Lot to lead digital and social media. Again, a byproduct of years of showing proof of concept through my own company and then at an enterprise brand.

Hired! Layoff to LinkedIn.

Looking back, the “Best Mistake” that I ever made was also the biggest – and most fulfilling – risk I ever took.

While limited financial and technical resources didn’t stop me, it was heart and emotion for believing in myself when nobody else did that ultimately carried me through.

The stars were certainly aligned back on that fateful day, November 6, 2008, when I lost my job and turned to LinkedIn hours afterwards.

Then again, it happened earlier this year when I took an Uber ride with a recruiter from LinkedIn that somehow led me down the path of taking a chance, applying for a job, and landing a role at the same organization which had helped me redefine who I am as a career professional over the last 7 years.

While none of us can predict where we will be in the future, you can take action today and every single day after that to get you wherever you want to be.

Or, you can simply choose to do nothing.

You must be your biggest fan, and advocate, but remember that nothing happens unless you have a plan to get you there.

Best,

Carlos Gil

The post My Best Mistake: People Said I Was Crazy, And They Were Right appeared first on Carlos Gil.

Prior to working for LinkedIn, I spent some time in brand marketing and also owned a start-up where I leveraged LinkedIn itself to build relationships in order to generate revenue. Over the last three years, in brand marketing roles leading social media for enterprise brands, I would be approached daily by sales professionals through LinkedIn InMail – and other social networks too – who would pitch me their products or services without ever once trying to get to know me, my business objectives, or needs. I refer to this as a “blind message,” the online equivalent of a cold call.

True story, over the years I have been both on the sending and receiving side of the “blind message.” The reality is that sending a cold introduction without context or taking the time to build a relationship with meaningful dialogue is like shooting darts in the dark – it’s highly ineffective and much harder to close a sale even if a prospective buyer is genuinely interested in buying a product or service you have to offer.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many sales pitches I have personally ignored because of one simple, yet crucial, detail – the pitch.

Why?

Prospects don’t want to be sold to; instead, they want to be engaged.

As professionals, regardless of industry or title, we’re all busy. We use social media to either disconnect from the daily realities and stresses that our professions bring us or we use social media – such as LinkedIn – to grow our professional brands and networks.

So who goes onto social media, from a buyer’s perspective, to look forward to a cold call or blind message waiting for them in their InMail?

Not me – and from what I hear – not many others either.

The key to social selling is being social vs. simply being on social media.

LinkedIn gives sales professionals an opportunity to identify, connect, and engage with target buyers, however, it also gives them a greater opportunity to develop a relationship and create dialogue before they ever go in for the pitch. Think of this step as the missing link between keeping your pipeline full or half empty.

Below are 3 recent examples of how NOT to engage prospective buyers through LinkedIn. Take into account that these messages were sent/received after I had left my former employer in January meaning that the sales rep didn’t take the time to fully vet me as a potential customer before reaching out:

Hey, Carlos. Wanted to ask if we could connect for 15 minutes next week to discuss how you’re driving Club sign ups and using digital marketing to get people in your stores.  How’s Tues or Wed @ 9:30 a.m.?

and…

  Hey Carlos, ‪ Thanks for connecting! I see you’re pretty well connected with my peeps here at XXX so maybe you’ve talked with us before?  I connected with your colleague XXX earlier in the month who was gathering some more intel on how to set up an advocacy program. Are you currently doing anything on the advocacy front?  Let me know if you ever want to have a quick chat – I’d be happy to set you up with someone on my enterprise solutions team.  Have a great weekend!

‪But wait, there’s more…

 ‪ Hi Carlos,‪  I just saw you left Save A Lot. That’s unfortunate we won’t have the chance to work together. I hate asking this but would you mind letting me know who took over your role. I would like to continue the conversation where we left off. ‪ Best of luck on your next gig. I am sure it won’t take long.

Seriously?

You have to engage buyers. Simply connecting with them on LinkedIn and following up to ask for 15 minutes of their time isn’t going to cut it.

Real talk, people are never “too busy” for you as long as you provide them with a compelling reason for them to engage back.

If you want to be successful in social selling, you need to focus on the following 4 core competencies:

Create a Professional Brand

Your own brand is what makes you stand out from hundreds of thousands of other sales professionals. I recently wrote a LinkedIn post on “Tips for LinkedIn Profile Optimization,” that urged readers to leverage the capabilities within their own profile to publish content related to their industry, share valuable insights with others, and be viewed as a subject matter thought leader. Anytime you connect with a Director or VP-level executive at an organization, your professional brand will go a long way in determining whether they want to engage with you. At the same time, your delivery (or pitch) cannot be to “post and pray” – this is a bad representation of your brand. Take the time to focus on developing quality relationships. If the person you are trying to sell to isn’t interested, they may know 3 – 5 others in their network that are.

Find the Right People

Are you identifying the right prospects or are you spinning your wheels knocking on multiple doors at the same company hoping that some decision maker will give you the time of day? In my last role, although I had “Head of Digital and Social Media” as my job title on LinkedIn, most sales representatives would start by trying to engage our VP of Marketing on LinkedIn, which would then trickle down to me and let me know that the sales representative bypassed me altogether or didn’t do their research. Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, sales professionals can easily identify who they want to engage with at prospective companies.

My advice?

Start at the mid-level and work your way upward. Connect, and engage, with mid-level managers or Directors who’re likely to use your product or services. Create internal evangelists who will do the hard selling for you up the line.

Engage with Insights

What’s worse than receiving a cold call or a blind InMail message from a sales representative is when they don’t know anything about my business. Whatever you’re selling, it’s about the customer and connecting their needs with a solution or product. Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, take the time to learn about their industry, read company news and updates, and who the players are within the organization. A complimentary InMail message talking about their recent promotion or acknowledging a positive highlight in the news can go a lot further – and help break the ice – than the traditional sales pitch. It’s also a good way to bridge the gap over the phone between talking about your product exclusively and listening to their potential needs.

Build Strong Relationships

Over the last 7 years, both as an entrepreneur and a corporate employee, some of my best business relationships have been as a result of a LinkedIn connection that eventually led to doing business together. The by-product of months, or sometimes a year, of getting to know each other: engaging in-person at conferences, staying in touch across other social networks, and occasionally chatting by phone about life outside of work. Again, it all started with LinkedIn – the core of the relationship.

In closing, relationships are what sell. Relationships are the essence of everything that we do in life and business. People do business with who they like and trust.

Build relationships first, and then sell.

Best,

Carlos Gil

The post Tips for Social Selling Success: You Must Be Social, Not Just Be on Social Media appeared first on Carlos Gil.

I’m enjoying the culture, being a part of a new team, and working for an organization that is driven by transformation.

It’s only fitting that immediately after announcing that I’d be working for LinkedIn, I experienced an influx of profile views (+1,335%), and a slew of requests to review friend’s profiles followed.

True enough, using LinkedIn is what led me to work for LinkedIn – the platform works as a means to be discovered, but also to identify, connect, and engage with millions of professionals globally.

However, building a professional brand on LinkedIn doesn’t happen overnight. The key word in social media networking is work – you get out of it what you put into it.

Your social network is like a giant piggy bank – every day you deposit pennies and dimes into it (those are the connections and value you add to relationships), in hopes that someday you’ll need to “cash out” and ask your network for help which is what I did back in January (click here).

Many have asked me over the years: “Carlos, why has LinkedIn been so successful for you?” or “What do I need to do to be found on LinkedIn?”

Before joining LinkedIn as a part of their Sales Solutions team, I had been using LinkedIn on a daily basis for 7 years. During that time, I have made several updates to my profile.

Whether it’s joining and contributing to group discussions, or sending connection requests after meeting someone in person at a networking event, I have leveraged LinkedIn’s capabilities to not only build a social network, but a professional brand too.

Your LinkedIn Profile IS Your Professional Brand

Evangelizing the value that LinkedIn offers each of us as professionals is not new to me. I’ve spent years optimizing my LinkedIn profile – and in the process have taught others how to fully maximize its potential – to ensure that I would be one of the most searchable and sought-after digital strategists around.

More effective than a portfolio website, and more affordable than hiring someone to create and host your own personal blog, your LinkedIn profile IS all of the above, while also serving as your digital resume too.

To see what I mean, conduct a Google search for your name – what do you see?

It’s fairly likely that your LinkedIn profile comes up on the first page of search results, meaning, it’s tied to your digital identity and a key link to how others find and view you online – before they ever reach out in person.

Despite personally having a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, I don’t have a website or blog. Instead, I’ve invested in building my professional brand through LinkedIn – and it has worked.

During my recent period of unemployment, I would email my resume directly to recruiters and hiring managers or upload my resume on their website. However, I also included a PDF of my entire LinkedIn profile, complete with my professional summary (the new cover letter) and professional recommendations, which validated everything, I documented on my traditional CV.

Quality Connections Over Quantity

There’s a general misconception that the more connections you have, the more likely you are to land certain career opportunities and be visible to others.

The reality?

In social media – whether it’s LinkedIn or Twitter – the reality is that it’s not just who you know, but who knows you.

LinkedIn is not a numbers game. It’s about building quality relationships with professionals in your network who you want to engage and do business with.

Frankly, the more people that you randomly connect with, the harder it will be for you to stay up-to-date with those who you care to remain in the know about.

Tips to Optimize Your Profile and Be Found

1. Profile Photo: Your professional image says a lot about you. Be friendly, be inviting. Be professional! A picture of you with your baby is cute, but it belongs on Facebook not on LinkedIn. First impressions matter, so make sure that your LinkedIn profile photo, which is what someone will see first before reading your profile, falls within the guidelines of professional and not personal.

2. Headline: Who are you? This should describe you and compel someone to want to view your profile. Your headline should contain relevant keywords, as seen in mine: “marketing” “social media” “strategist” “digital”. For example, if a job recruiter is looking for a “Social Media Manager” and they run a search in the directory using these keywords, I have a higher likelihood of being found. Also, your headline is the first lines of copy that are seen in directory searches.

3. Summary: Once you’ve intrigued someone to view your profile, they will immediately proceed to learn more about you. This is your one and only opportunity to make a winning first impression and could be the difference maker as to whether or not someone proceeds to connect and further engage. Tell a story about your professional journey.

4. Publisher Content: Position yourself as a subject matter thought leader in your field or industry by using LinkedIn Publisher. Once articles are published, your connections will be notified via push notification in their alerts. Articles can be shared to Twitter, Facebook, etc. and shared in groups too.

5. Rich Media Content: Publications you’ve been featured in, interviews at conferences, or case studies from projects you’ve led can be easily embedded in your profile. This content adds to the storytelling aspect that LinkedIn provides through your profile – it showcases your professional journey.

6. Experience: Think of this as an extension of your resume. Use this section to fully spotlight what you have previously done or currently do. Again, Google picks up keywords from your profile as does the LinkedIn directory so make sure that you are filling out each section of your profile. When recruiters are looking for you, or someone like you, they want to be compelled to engage in next steps.

7. Endorsements: When recruiters are searching for a “digital strategist,” they are likely to enter keywords from the job description into the search field of LinkedIn’s directory. By having your skills in your profile, others can endorse you and ensure that your skills are easily found by those looking for you. This also validates that you are who you say you are.

8. Recommendations: Ask for them and showcase with pride! Don’t be shy to reach out to current and former coworkers, mentors, or even suppliers you’ve done business with. Anyone who can validate your experience and accomplishments will go a long way in the eyes of a prospective employer. It adds credibility. During my two month job search prior to LinkedIn, my recommendations served as instant reference checks to validate much of what is contained on my resume and on my LinkedIn profile.

9. Settings: Simple point, but make sure you are searchable and that you’re able to be found – your profile should be set to ‘Public.’

10. Projects: Employers, and business prospects, are often compelled by professionals who can work in groups. Use the projects section to spotlight various campaigns or projects that you have been a part of and be sure to include those who worked with you. This shows experience in exercising teamwork.

If there’s any way that I can personally assist you, please drop me an InMail message or leave a comment below.

Best,

Carlos Gil

The post Be Found! Tips for LinkedIn Profile Optimization appeared first on Carlos Gil.

On November 6th 2008, due to the economic recession in the U.S., I found myself jobless. The banking industry was hit hard – really hard – and the severity of the situation began to dawn on me.

With a then 8-month pregnant wife, I didn’t have the time or financial resources to take my time and think through what’s next. While I knew I had the mindset, skills and experience to carry me through, nobody was hiring in the banking industry and I wasn’t quite sure how to go about my next move.

Back then, I wasn’t able to pick up my phone and send out a tweet to my 31k followers asking them for help… I wish I could have done that, but I wasn’t even on social media at the time.

Fast forward to January 5th 2015, and there I was again, staring down the reality of another job loss. However, this time it was different.

Faced with the realities of another job search, I found myself feeling confident that a new, exciting opportunity would be just around the corner.

And I’m so grateful to announce that it’s already here.

So what changed? How does one go from being completely off the social media map to essentially giving these platforms all the credit in the world for being where I am today?

The same day I lost my job back in 2008 is the same day I joined LinkedIn. Over the next 3 years, I leveraged LinkedIn to develop my personal brand and build a social network. I started a business during this time and created a brand identity centered on connecting professionals with jobs. Thanks to skills and strategies I fine-tuned while listening and engaging on social media, through my own company, I was hired to build an online presence for a 600+ unit retail/grocery chain. Since then, I’ve led social media efforts for 3 different brands, including my most recent position as a Head of Digital. None of this would have ever been possible had it not been for losing my job at the time in which I did in 2008 and the result of tirelessly building a social network.

When I got the news about my job loss just over 2 months ago, I knew exactly who to speak with, what to do and where to turn this time around. I sent an e-mail to my first degree LinkedIn connections resulting in an overwhelming response: a combination of emails, phone calls, text messages, and social media notifications of others wanting to help put me in direct contact with job opportunities. In all honesty, asking for help was a natural process.

I am socially active, connecting both online and off whenever possible. During my recent unemployment, I’ve attend conferences – spoken at conferences too – and have used every in-person event as an opportunity to network with influencers and potential decision makers at companies, big or small. I became involved in publishing content through LinkedIn publisher in an effort to position myself as a knowledgeable social media professional who is genuinely interested in helping others. I successfully gained exposure by writing and blogging extensively, and also leveraging YouTube to create daily videos around my job search and personal branding efforts.

Because of my unemployment, I was forced to speak to everyone that came in my path. From Uber drivers to Twitter followers. I became humble, I valued relationships, but above all else, I valued people. When you hit the bottom, it’s a humbling experience. I now appreciate the importance of being a contributing member of a social community and a positive influence for others at every turn.

See, your social network is like a piggy bank: you will deposit a lot of pennies and nickels into it (those are the connections and value that you bring to them) in exchange for the opportunity to “cash out” when you are at your most desperate.

Since the beginning of 2015, I have interviewed for at least two-dozen jobs. It may have been more, but it has been too many to count. I’m not going to lie, the process is frustrating. At first, recruiters would be excited to talk to me, then when the subject of pay would come up after being on the phone for an hour we would agree to part ways because it wasn’t a mutual fit. Or, I would interview by phone and then never hear a word back.

This is enough to discourage anyone from continuing to apply and seek out a fresh start. But with my incredibly strong social community behind me, I discovered that patience was indeed a virtue.

To me, saying that everything in life happens for a reason isn’t a cliché: it’s the truth. My story is proof of that. Sometimes it’s not as obvious or easy to point a finger and say “yes, that’s exactly why this occurred,” but if you’ve developed a strategy, executed it properly while remaining authentically social, and try to provide value for others at every turn… your next opportunity won’t be far behind either.

After much anticipation, and build up, I’m honored to announce that I have accepted a role with LinkedIn as a Sr. Social Marketing Manager for the Sales Solutions group and will be relocating to San Francisco immediately.

Ironically, back in January I was in San Francisco to interview with a prospective employer when a chance encounter led me to meet a LinkedIn recruiter during an Uber carpool ride (click here to watch). From there, we exchanged names, connected on LinkedIn, and my inquisition into career opportunities at LinkedIn led me to my new role.

LinkedIn, the brand, means much more to me than just a job. This company, is everything to me. Without it, I don’t know where I would be today. It’s been 7 years in the making; this is the opportunity that I’ve been working towards.

Above all, I want to say: “Thank you, Mom. I’m glad that I took your advice on that November day in 2008”.

Best,

Carlos Gil

The post Hired! From Laid-off to LinkedIn appeared first on Carlos Gil.