This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!
Finding answers to problems and utilizing your network privately
When it comes to problem solving on social media, some networks are better than others.
When I put out a question on Twitter, for example, the chances are pretty low of my entire network of 3,600+ seeing that and answering that question.
I received some pretty amazing advice yesterday via social media. The first was on LinkedIn, when I asked one of the few LinkedIn experts I know, Wendy McClelland, whether she knew how many searches LinkedIn lets you do before they cut you off and try to get you to upgrade to a paid account.
Typically I would have e-mailed this question, but I know that Wendy is pretty active on LinkedIn so I thought I would use that network to reach out to her. About 15 minutes later (maybe less), Wendy sent over a reply along with a link to information. Now, if someone were to ask YOU something, perhaps you won’t know the answer, but isn’t this a pretty super way to respond? Are you regularly checking LinkedIn for private messages like this, or have you set your notifications to forward to your e-mail address?
The cool thing is that LinkedIn also shows you a few other prompts in the right hand sidebar:
- Making a note to myself about how I met Wendy
- Adding a reminder to respond to Wendy later
Pretty cool, eh?
The other great advice I received was through a private Facebook group that I’m a part of. The administrator posted a question about our business challenges, and once I posted a comment, I got a flurry of people willing to help. One of the women offered more tips if I sent her a Facebook message, so I did that at around 4pm yesterday while I was doing my weekly blog surfing.
We ended up chatting for one hour and she gave me some hugely valuable advice on improving my Unique Selling Proposition for my ideal client. This is advice that could result in new contracts and thousands of dollars. An hour well spent!
Whether it’s engaging with a private Facebook group post or sending a LinkedIn message about LinkedIn, remember that utilizing your social network privately can be just as powerful as doing it publicly.
