Building Online Presence to Gain a Competitive Advantage Lina Duque, MBA Twitter: @LinaDuqueMBA Website: LinaDuqueConsulting.com #HALBsocial 1
What you ll learn today How to build a following on Twitter Case study: an M&A lawyer who used Twitter to land clients How to create a compelling LinkedIn profile My top 4 tips
Who am I?
Lina Duque, MBA Social Media Strategist and Executive Branding Coach Advisor to C-Suite Executives on digital presence. Published in Forbes, the Huffington Post and Globe and Mail. Teach social media for executives at Ryerson University. Frequent speaker: McGill University, University of Toronto, York University, American University of Beirut, Smart & Biggar LLP, Meridian Credit Union and Lean In Canada, among others. @LinaDuqueMBA
Ready, set, tweet! #HALBsocial @LinaDuqueMBA @Harvard_Law
Who s on Twitter? 6
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Your online brand precedes you @LinaDuqueMBA 8
63% of recruiters check social media sites to find out more about potential employees. (Globe and Mail). @LinaDuqueMBA 9
35% of lawyers on social media have obtained clients through their social networks (ABA survey) @LinaDuqueMBA 10
CEOs that engage in social media are perceived as BETTER CEOs that can build better connections with customers, employees and investors. (Brandfog) @LinaDuqueMBA 11
Social media-savvy executive women are perceived as more accessible, transparent and trustworthy business leaders. (Brandfog) @LinaDuqueMBA 12
Which social media should you have presence on? Must-Haves Nice-to-haves @LinaDuqueMBA 13
Why Google+? Set up an account on Google+ Google+ could be the #1 driver of SEO on Google @LinaDuqueMBA
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Twitter case study: Jayne Juvan @LinaDuqueMBA 17
Featured in Disrupt Yourself 18
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Twitter account @LinaDuqueMBA 20
Followed by prominent people in the media @LinaDuqueMBA 21
What did Jayne do? Identified role models on Twitter and connected with them Shared relevant articles Took time to develop content Showed her followers who she was as a person 22
Twitter bio example LLM Candidate @Harvard_Law Environment & sustainability lawyer Love running, travel and yoga. Views are personal, not legal advice. (Link to your LinkedIn page or your website). @LinaDuqueMBA
Best Practices Check out your state s laws on social media. For e.g., the New York Bar's social media ethics guidelines suggest that when tweeting to promote your practice to include this disclaimer (90 characters): "This tweet contains attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcome." @LinaDuqueMBA
Time to create your Twitter bio! @LinaDuqueMBA
Twitter Bio Checklist Include professional title and area of expertise Link to your website, your page on firm website or LinkedIn profile Include a disclaimer: Tweets are personal, not legal advice. Add a personal touch @LinaDuqueMBA 26
What can I tweet about? @LinaDuqueMBA
Tweet Idea Generator!Share news and articles that are relevant to your sector or practice area!share your own news and success stories!respond to others, ask questions, engage in conversations! Tweet inspirational quotes @LinaDuqueMBA
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Hashtags 1) Categorize tweets around one topic: for e.g., #innovation #leadership #mergers 2) Categorize tweets around a conference or event - for e.g., #HALBsocial Keyword to make your tweet easier to find on Twitter. @LinaDuqueMBA
How to write good tweets Add value Include photo or link to article (photos increase change of retweets by 35%). Include hashtags Give credit when it s due @LinaDuqueMBA
Best Practices Always be professional Do not post articles or opinions that are adverse to your firm or clients. Refer to your firm s social media policy @LinaDuqueMBA
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Time to tweet! Write a tweet about you ve learned so far using #HALBsocial @LinaDuqueMBA
@LinaDuqueMBA
Have a complete profile (headline, summary, experience) Share articles that are relevant to your industry or practice area Interact with connections (comment on posts, share/like updates, congratulate on new jobs)
Before you start working on your profile
Turn notifications off
Professional photo 40
LinkedIn Headline Make your headline is SEOfriendly. Include keywords that recruiters will use to search for you.
Lawyer at Gowlings LLP Not much value there!
LinkedIn Headline Example LLM Candidate at Harvard Law School Banking & Lending Lawyer at Gowlings LLP Board Member, YMCA
LinkedIn Summary Write two to three short paragraphs that showcase your expertise and leadership skills. List articles published. List your specialties at the bottom of the summary.
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Publish on the LinkedIn Blog
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But what can I write about?!write about news and trends in your industry!share your own experience, success stories and lessons learned (for e.g., how to make the most of law school)!share advice that others can learn from!whatever you write about, add value!
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4 Tips to Create a Strong Online Presence
1. Have a plan
Ask yourself: 1) Who is my target audience? 3) What do I want to tell them?
What is a personal brand? Your unique value proposition communicated in a clear, concise and specific way. @LinaDuqueMBA 53
What is your personal branding statement?
For example I help tech startups grow by providing them with relevant legal and business counsel.
2. Engage executives and influencers
Case Study How one tweet helped me launch one of the most important relationships in my business today
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Proud moment: MBA + Baby!
Using Twitter helped me bypass traditional barriers and connect with a senior executive by engaging in a topic I m passionate about
It all started with one tweet!
Engage! Don t sell!
Case study: social media engagement to garner media
@RySciDean spoke up about bad advice posted by Science Careers. Her tweet was retweeted 49 times and her comments appeared in the Washington Post as a result.
Engaging and being outspoken on Twitter led to the Dean s remarks appearing in the Washington Post.
3. Share who you are with the world
The more we share, the more we invite others to connect, and connections are key to building networks in the personal and professional spheres of our lives; networks, as we all know, are the breeding grounds of opportunity. Kirstine Stewart VP, Media North America, Twitter
4. Make engagement in social media a daily habit
Frequency 4 times a day 2 to 3 times a week 2 to 3 times a week @LinaDuqueMBA 72
Work smart, not hard! Twitter 1-3 pm Monday through Thursday LinkedIn 7 am 9 am 5 pm 6 pm Tuesday through Thursday Facebook 1-4 pm Traffic peaks on Wednesday @LinaDuqueMBA
Schedule your postings to appear during peak hours Use tools such as Hootsuite.com Bufferapp.com @LinaDuqueMBA
List 3 Action Items You Can Take Today to Engage in Social Media 1. 2. 3. @LinaDuqueMBA
3 action items to engage in social media 1. Post an update to your LinkedIn status 2. Tweet about what you learned today using #HALBsocial 3. Write a blog post about lessons learned from a recent experience @LinaDuqueMBA
Connect with me! Twitter/Instagram @LinaDuqueMBA LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/linaduque Website LinaDuqueConsulting.com