Posts Tagged ‘relationships’
How to turn #HAPPO connections into something more meaningful
Today was great. A little crazy, but great. Lots of creative posts. Interesting positions. Professionals who care. But now what? If you want to make the most of your #HAPPO experience, you’ll need to do more than tweet out a post. You’ll need to do more than participate in a one day event. At the heart of the #HAPPO initiative, is relationships. Remember? The purpose is to use social media to develop and leverage relationships to help those seeking a career in PR. And relationships require time and nurturing. So you met some people today. A phenomenal student. A successful practitioner. So what does that mean? Nothing… or everything.
Take some time to go through your Twitter stream. Your replies, DM’s and the Tweets that used the #HAPPO hashtag. Identify people you met, or would like to get to know better. Get strategic and get to work.
1. Listen Follow them on Twitter and set up a special twitter list or a Hootsuite/Tweetdeck column to assure their tweets don’t get lost in the stream. Connect with them via LinkedIn (do write a personal note, requesting to connect). Subscribe to their blog.
2. Be confident, not shy One challenge of social media is that no one can see you standing in the corner. If you want people to talk with, you’re going to need to make an effort. So reply to their tweets. Offer thoughtful comments on their blogs and LinkedIn status. Ask questions. Share. Say thank you. Not much different than what your mom told you before sending you off to kindergarten, is it?
3. Be respectful, not pushy Keep in mind that everyone has their own agenda, goals, priorities, pressures and stress. And time is a limited resource. Even your greatest supporter, may not always have the time to share advice or help. Be thankful for what people are able to offer… and understanding of what they are not
4. Be a resource What can you offer those in your network? Is there a project you can help with? Don’t say you are dependable, hardworking, etc… be creative and look for ways you can support your network
OK, your turn. What do you plan to do before the weekend is up? How do you intend to make the most of your #HAPPO experience?
