How to maximize social media for your job search

It’s 2015. Many people are now more confident with using social media than in earlier years but one of the stumbling grounds for job seekers and even entrepreneurs is how to use content marketing strategies to optimize views on social media. They need to know how to maximize social media. What did I just say? Let’s take this one step at a time.

What is content marketing?

You hear the term content marketing and you are wondering what this means. From Content Marketing Institute:

“Content marketing’s purpose is to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating relevant and valuable content with the intention of changing or enhancing consumer behavior. It is an ongoing process that is best integrated into your overall marketing strategy, and it focuses on owning media, not renting it.”

At this moment, as you read this post, you are experiencing content marketing. Whatever drew you to read this post brought you to my blog and a content marketing strategy that I have deployed since 2010. As a blogger, I have been writing posts on strategies that job seekers can use to enhance their job search. Some of my readers then become my clients because they recognize that the expertise that I have developed in resume writing, Linkedin profile writing and coaching as well as the many other job search tools and strategies I offer will help them reach their job search goals.

However, whenever I write a post, I know it will be read by many people who will never become a client and that is okay. Content marketing done well provides information that helps people reach their goals whether or not they buy your products. It is a non-intrusive, non-selling strategy.

The truth about job seekers and content marketing

Perhaps you thought that content marketing was only for companies or entrepreneurs. Job seekers need to think of themselves as the product. By positioning themselves as an expert in their field, they can attract the interest of hiring managers and recruiters and substantiate their value in the eyes of others. Not every job seeker is able to write their own content, if you want to do that, I will further discuss that below but that doesn’t mean that you can’t share content that you find online that you agree with and that fits your job goals. By sharing that kind of content, you are bringing attention to yourself and making you visible to those in hiring roles.

What professional content should you share?

The type of content you should share depends on your target market. (See the parallels to marketing for a business?) If you are looking for a role in information technology, you should be sharing articles that speak to the area of IT that you are the expert in so that it reflects back on you. Are you a networking expert? An IT Security Director? The article you share should fit those areas? Are you an engineer? What field? Electrical? Share cutting-edge articles about changes in the field. Are you in healthcare? A Doctor? Share articles about cures or solutions to illnesses. You get the idea. Take your field of expertise and share the content.

What tools should you use to maximize social media?

How do I share content? Many sites today, both blogs like this one and other sites, such as technical journals, magazines, or newspapers, have built in social media sharing tools. On the left side of this post, there is a floating Flare widget with sharing tools for LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and Pinterest. The same controls are on the bottom of my posts. You will find different social media sharing tools on other sites but most dedicated content marketing strategists deploy one on their site.

In addition, I have one more button that you may be less familiar with, Buffer. The Buffer application is an application that allows you to schedule your shares. You can allow sharing from whatever network you want to use and share outward to those at the times you schedule them. It is called filling up your Buffer and this way you can have posts moving at various times during the day or week without having to share when you are at work or busy doing something else. The Buffer folks have also created a Chrome extension that you can install to let you share from any site when you are using the Chrome browser.

What about writing on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn rolled out LinkedIn Pulse for everyone now and you should have the pencil in your tray on your LinkedIn home page. The pencil icon is how you open the blog writing option for LinkedIn. Is it s a good idea for you to write on LinkedIn? Ideally, it would be an excellent way to position yourself as an expert in your field by writing about your field of experience and sharing information that positions you as someone who has interest and excitement about the industry.

However, not everyone is a born writer and not everyone knows how best to deploy a content marketing strategy. Hint: one of the key things to bring readers is your headline. A dog of a headline will not bring you readers. However, a carefully crafted headline will bring you the attention you want. Confession: I rewrote this one three times. My best headlines are ones like these:

Ask a question. Use numbers. Begin with How to. Use Compelling Words. Say something strange. All strategies for better headlines.

As for the writing content part, best strategies are to study good writers and mimic their style. You need to have a voice that sounds like you are talking to your reader. Text book drivel will bore them to sleep and you won’t be read. Interactive and creative writers bring the reader into the content.

Whether you just share content on social media or become a writer yourself, you will be noticed when you maximize social media as part of your job search strategy.

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