Are you a slave to your social media?

I work with a lot of small business owners from one-person owners to companies with a handful of staff.  They all have the same challenge - they're time-poor.  There just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done, let alone learning to do new stuff.

Most of them see social media as a big, greedy time-guzzler!  The perception that they need to spend hours (or even just one hour) daily keeping up with conversations, posting new content and more is just beyond their ability to manage.  However, it does depend on what they want to achieve.

Let's look at the main platforms:

Twitter

Twitter really is a case of making connections, it's like text messages on steroids.  That doesn't mean that you need to be connected to hundreds of thousands of people, it does mean that you should be looking at making good connections though.

People to get connected with:

• Your clients
• Your suppliers
• Your networking connections
• The people who write useful blogs that you read regularly (or would like to if you could remember to check if they've written anything lately)
• People who are connected with your target audience, but aren't competitors
• Your competitors (it's worth keeping an eye on what they're doing)

Of course, you'll find you get connected with a few random people too - don't be too precious, you never know who they know.

Input to keep your Twitter account alive:

Regular tips, suggestions, shares of useful information - these can be recycled over time and will include quotes from your blogs too.  This can be done easily using a social media management tool such as Hootsuite.

Replies to mentions and conversations you've responded to.  If you ignore people who mention you, you'll fall off their 'people who are worth talking to' list.  This shouldn't take long - a few minutes a day - try doing it after you've cleared your email.  Attaching a new habit to an existing one is a great way to set that in place.

Facebook

If you're selling direct to consumers a Facebook Page is a great way to be seen, but use a Page rather than your personal account.  Gifts, personal products and services and clothing all work well on Facebook.

Facebook likes images (they bought Instagram) so loading an image with a few words or comment is a great way to get people's attention.  You only need to post one 2-3 times a week.  

If you're posting product images try to put a few different ones in from time-to-time - that are relevant to your business.

If you visit your Page every couple of days and respond to comments, thank people for 'likes' and post today's image you shouldn't need to spend more than 15-20 minutes per visit.

Pinterest

If you're selling attractive items like homeware, gifts, clothes, shoes, bags, etc Pinterest is very effective.  As you have up 500 characters to write next to each image you load make the effort to write something tempting and ensure images are uploaded from your website, not from your computer so the links take people back there.

This should not take any longer than your Facebook uploads and can use the same or similar images.

Google+

Many people think this is a network of geeks who all talk about technology, but there are plenty of others on here and the Google Hangouts are really useful to get a group of people together.  

Google+ posts tend to be longer and commentate on an issue.  It's probably worth exploring a bit before jumping in.  You can have a company page here too and can post the same tips etc to it that you put into Twitter using Hootsuite, which keeps you visible.

LinkedIn

For business-to-business connections LinkedIn is invaluable.  However, this platform does require a fair bit of effort to make it really work well as a business generator.  Having said that, it can be a really effective way to generate business if you do invest the time.  It is much less effort than cold-calling and all that entails.

An hour a day on LinkedIn developing relevant connections so you have a tagged list of connections who are all in your 'ideal client' niches will pay dividends in the long term.

If you're posting tips to Twitter, Facebook and Google+, you might as well include LinkedIn too.  This ensures you maintain a high profile even when you're busy.

Apart from LinkedIn, which does require a bit of time and effort, you can run all this in around 15-20 minutes a day if you organise yourself properly.  Make sure you have a plan and you're in control and you won't be a slave to your social media - it will be a good servant and help you to build your reputation online.

Online marketing success strategies

Most of the people I talk to are busy running their businesses and, whilst they know it's important to do marketing, it's often the first thing to fall off the edge when time is tight.

The problem is that it's often seen as 'non-essential'.  If you skip marketing activities for a week or two the business won't grind to a halt.  That's true, but if you don't do consistent marketing you'll quickly find that business drops off and it becomes a struggle making ends meet and paying all the bills.  It's known as 'restuffing the sausage machine'!

This is particularly important if you're a small business as there may not be people to delegate marketing to so you really need a robust plan to ensure that, even when you're busy, marketing doesn't stop altogether.

Step one is to decide who your ideal client is.  If you have a very clear idea of this you'll find everything else gets easier.

For example: not 'professionals', not' lawyers', not 'family lawyers', but something really specific like 'family law firms with fewer than 4 partners based within 30 miles of Exeter'.

Obviously, you will need to tailor this to your business and target clients; the more specific you can be the easier it is to find the type of clients you want.

Step two is to identify where these ideal clients are found online - are they active in LinkedIn, do they tweet, do they chat on Facebook, are they posting content into Google+ or images on Pinterest?  Doing your research up front will ensure your messages are posted in the right places.

Step three is to have a plan of action - what content are you going to post to which platforms?E.g.

• Post to your blog twice a month (one sharing knowledge, one case study)
• Create a set of daily tips for posting in relevant social media - enough for a month (these can be reposted monthly
• A monthly newsletter to your list

Your plan may include articles, email marketing, webinars, YouTube videos and more, but always think about what you will do if time runs out.

Step four is to have tools that will help you with all this.  Things like:

• Hootsuite (www.hootsuite.com) to manage and schedule your posts will save you hours and maintain visibility
• sxc.hu for stock images that are free to use (never use Google images if you want to avoid big fees and fines for using copyrighted images unknowingly)
• Camtasia (or the free version Jing) to allow you make short videos for YouTube and then add to other social media and your website
• AnyMeeting, GoToMeeting or Webex for webinars or tutorial sessions

Step five is to have a plan showing who does what and when.

As a minimum you need to invest 5 minutes a week in posting your value-led social media, it's the easiest and quickest way of staying visible.  It's not a substitute for real-time engagement, but at least ensures you're still visible even if you're run off your feet and don't have time for anything else.

If things are really busy and look like being that way for a while then get help.  It's worth paying a professional to write your content for blogs, articles, email marketing and even some of your social media if you can earn more in the time it would take to do it yourself.

It takes about three months before you'll start to see real results - and the same applies if you stop marketing; it can be three months before you suddenly realise that business isn't going so well.  Don't get to that stage or you'll have another tough few months whilst you get everything up and running again.

How to banish social media overwhelm

I teach people how to use LinkedIn and Twitter and my colleague teaches people how to get the most from their Facebook Page and we’re often get asked how we manage our social media.

The main questions people ask are:

How do you decide which platforms you should be on?

That depends on who you’re trying to reach.  If you know who your target market is everything gets easier; all you have to do is find out where they hang out and concentrate on that place. 

However, let’s filter down a bit; if you are selling direct to consumers (B2C) you’ll probably find very social sites like Facebook and Pinterest are great places to reach them.  This is because they are in social mode and interested in anything that might enhance their lifestyle.

If you’re aiming at a business audience and your products or services are for other businesses, you’ll probably find LinkedIn is exactly what you need.  Possibly also Google+ although take the figures Google quote for members with a large pinch of salt! 

Anyone who has ever signed up to use any of the Google tools (gmail, Google analytics, Google alerts, etc) has a Google+ account by default, but large numbers of these people have not completed theirs profile or actively visited this platform.  That doesn’t mean it’s no good, but it is worth exploring a bit to see who is active on it and whether they’re the people you want to reach.

Of course, there are dozens of other social media platforms, but none of them have the level of activity of the big 3 – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

What about Twitter?  I think you can include it whoever your audience might be.  Twitter is pretty random and is a ‘joining-up-the-dots’ exercise.  The more useful material you share, the more people will retweet (share) it and the more people will see it.  If you only have a few hundred followers on Twitter, but someone with +100,000 followers shares your post your audience expands dramatically.

Next filter is to decide where on your chosen platforms your ideal client is likely to be found in numbers.  This is probably on Pages dedicated to what their core interest is or in Groups.  Both Facebook and LinkedIn have groups, find the ones dedicated to things that interest your perfect customer and contribute as much value as you can.

If you’re trying to bring people to your Facebook Page you’ll need to give people a compelling reason to come and like your page.  A competition, Facebook Ad or being visible in similar communities are all ways of doing this (find out where there are Facebook ladders that will bring you more ‘likes’ and make your posts visible to more people.

How do you create good content?

I believe you should always lead with value.  When you’re trying to think of what to post it’s common to find your mind goes completely blank!  Here are a few things to get you started:

• Jot down a list of tips for each of your areas of expertise.  You should have lots of things you already tell people to help them – use these as a good place to start.
•  Answer questions people often ask you (like this blog) and either answer it in a post or write a blog and then post a short update to let people know where the question is answered.
• Thank clients for testimonials.
• Thank suppliers for great service.
• Do a case study explaining how you’ve overcome a client’s problem.
• Give something away and do posts to let people know where to get it.

This should give you a place to start.

How do you find the time?

I don’t always!  However, I do have a system that posts regularly so that I don’t have to be constantly glued to the computer.  Personally, I use Hootsuite.com and pay for a Pro account to let me upload content in batches pre-scheduled for the week ahead.  However, there are several other tools that do similar things.

I try to look at my Twitter feed after I check my emails – I’m a believer in linking habits so I don’t have to work too hard to remember things.  I usually do this on Hootsuite too as it lets me see who has mentioned me or sent me a message so I can respond.  It also lets me see groups of people I’m following in one place so I can engage quickly rather than spend time searching.

I tend to look at my Facebook page later on in the day when I’m feeling like finishing work and it only takes a short time to respond to comments or post things.

LinkedIn is more of a lunchbreak activity when I’m still in business mode and I spend a short time responding to messages and invitations and having a quick look in the groups I’m active in to see what’s going on.

The secret is in the system

To really succeed at social media you need a system – one that works for you.  This is how I do it, but you may operate differently.  The secret is in HAVING one – and sticking to it.  Five or ten minutes here and there are relatively easy to fit in for most people and are a great way to change gear and refresh your energy for bigger tasks.  Get planning!

7 ways to use social media for marketing

If you're running a business, online or offline, social media is a great way to let more people know about what you do - but you hate it when other people sell at you, don't you?  So, you don't want to do that, but how can you use it effectively without selling at other people?

Here are 7 ways you can use social media to market your business - without irritating your readers!

1.  Share your expertise

Give people good advice by posting tips, suggestions, ideas and anything else that shows off your expertise.  Blog regularly explaining how to do things (like this) - on your own blog and as a guest blogger on other people's blogs and sites like LinkedIn that let you post blogs onto your profile.  Write articles and post them on sites like ezinearticles.com or make a short video outlining your content and post onto YouTube.  Then share the blog links on social media with the appropriate catchy title.  You'll soon become known as the expert in your area.

2.  Answer questions

Most people get asked questions about their area of expertise, particularly from clients who often ask similar questions.  Make a list of the questions that you often get asked and answer them (in jargon-free user-friendly language).  You can do this on your blog, as an article on LinkedIn, on sites like Google+ where longer content is acceptable or in your FAQ section on your website - then post a link into your social media.  You'll get a reputation as someone who talks good sense.

3.  Become a curator of great content

You've probably got a few favourite blogs or people you follow who post good information - share it! You can do this by either retweeting, liking or sharing posts they've made (use Hootsuite or a similar tool to pick all their posts up in one list) or by tweeting, liking or sharing from the blog when you read it.  This will get you known as someone who is an authority in your industry.

4.  Tease people

Selling directly in social media posts is a big 'no-no', but subtle promotion is an art.  Think about the things you do for your clients; make sure you have a web page that covers the subject (with a strong call to action) and then tease them in the post.  For instance a health and safety consultant might post: What is the one thing you should never do when you're creating a health and safety policy? [URL link] If people are interested in the subject that teaser should be enough to get them to click on the link to find out more.

5.  Ask controversial or challenging questions

Get people engaged by challenging them with questions - or making statements - that demand discussion.  For example a HR consultant might post: Why do you need to give your staff an employment contract? What don't the HR experts tell you OR Do you lease your car? Why choose to lease instead of purchase? If you don't get responses - try a better question or get some friends/business connections to comment and start the ball rolling.  If you do this you need to keep a close eye on your social media feeds so that you respond to answers.  This will give you an opportunity to show your knowledge off.

6.  Host a regular chat on your subject

This is part of being real and not just a 'bot' that sends stuff out.  Pick a time that you are able to be in front of your screen with internet access and promote your session for the week leading up to that time.  Invite people to join the chat and ask questions that you will answer.  You can do this on Twitter, your Facebook Page, Google+ or LinkedIn.  You choose whether you make this monthly, fortnightly or weekly - and be clear about the date and time of the next session.  Bear in mind that long answers on Twitter are not possible, so you might have to consider this when deciding which platform will work best for you.

7.  Be human!

 Whilst you can automate some of your social media to share your knowledge, you can't automate getting into conversations with people.  Put aside some time daily and comment, chat and respond to other people online on the platforms that are most aligned with your business.  If you're selling products or services to consumers then a Facebook Page (and sometimes Pinterest) work really well, whereas B2B is usually more successful on LinkedIn (and sometimes Google+).  Whichever you choose, don't overlook Twitter and the power of random connections.

The secret of success is to get started with one of these - and build from there.

Social media tips for marketing

If you're using social media as a marketing tool for your business it's smart to know how to get the best results for the least effort.  That doesn't mean it isn't important and that you should abdicate all engagement yourself, it's just good sense to automate what you can whilst still retaining your visibility and showing your expertise.

These are my tips to streamline your social media marketing.

1.  Invest time in creating good value quality content.  Typically that would be series of tips around all the areas where you are an expert.  Sometimes I write a blog and then take quotes out of it for a batch of reusable posts.  Sometimes I write a list of tips and use those (then write a blog featuring all the tips and include the link to that in the post).

2.  Do create promotional material, but aim for subtlety rather than a sales pitch.  For instance if I'm running a LinkedIn workshop I will post a series of updates such as:

Is your LinkedIn profile optimised so people find it when they're searching for experts like you?

Do you need a LinkedIn Premium account? Check out all the free tools first!

Why do you need a professional headshot on your LinkedIn profile?

See what I mean!  Each post will have a link to the page where the outline of the LinkedIn course shows what they could learn.

3.  Use a tool such as Hootsuite to load your regular posts - you'll need a Pro account, which costs $9.99, but it will save you hours a month in uploading and management time.  Instead of cutting and pasting, shrinking links and scheduling each post you can upload a spreadsheet of up to 50 posts and schedule them in a couple of minutes.

4.  Get into the habit of looking at your Twitter feed either before or after you do your email - at least a couple of times a day.  You don't need to spend hours, just a few minutes scanning the latest posts, retweeting anything you like (and your clients posts), responding to mentions, commenting on things that interest you, etc.

5.  If your Facebook Page is an important part of your marketing make 10-15 minutes daily to visit and catch up with comments, load at least one image and interesting piece of information or quote.  If you don't respond to people when they comment they'll disengage.  If you have a specific strategy for increasing likes, keep on top of it and welcome people who have liked your Page.

6.  If you're using LinkedIn to find clients then you'll need to spend 20-30 minutes every couple of days catching up with what people are talking about in the groups you're attached to, maybe sending occasional promotions out to selected contacts (you can search by location or type of industry or, if you use the relationship tagging system, but whatever you've tagged your contacts).

7.  If you use Pinterest to display your products ensure that everything is up to date at least weekly.  You may load alternative images of existing products to keep your account interesting.

If you actually block out time in your diary regularly with reminders you'll find you are less likely to 'forget'.  If you miss a day here or there, don't give up.  The odd day doesn't matter, but regular activity really does make a difference to your marketing.

 

The right kind of posts

There are some things that you can post to more than one of your platforms - and I'm a great advocate of value-based content being shared across all your platforms - Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ - but you should also be posting focused content that works for that specific platform.

Twitter

Think of Twitter as a networking event where there are people you know and people you don't - and you can hear what they're all saying!  Standing in the corner listening, but not talking to anyone won't win you any brownie points at all.

Read what people say and respond - retweet things you like and share blog posts you think others will benefit from or enjoy.  Get into conversations, ask for help, help others - it's all part of being visible.

Facebook

Your Facebook personal account should be kept for personal stuff, but your Facebook Page is a great place to build a community.  However, remember that it's Facebook and, therefore, social.  That means that the content you post must reach people on that level.

Post images, add a message to the image, don't sell at people, but do include your brand somewhere.  Lots of text doesn't work so don't write long copy - even if you can!  Try and stay topical and keep it light.

LinkedIn

This is a business platform so you'll need to stay focused on business issues.  Post information of interest to business people and, on LinkedIn, you can get away with longer content - people are looking for information and prepared to read to get it.  

To get engagement use good headlines for your posts and updates.  Be visible in the groups where your ideal clients are active and be helpful, it's an opportunity to show off your expertise.

Google+

This sits somewhere between Facebook and LinkedIn with lots of people who are interested in the latest technology in conversation as well as a wide variety of others.

The biggest asset is the Google Hangouts as they offer an opportunity to get into live conversations.  Tip:  Don't start one without a clear agenda, but be flexible and go with the flow.  It's probably best to invite people before the Hangout goes live so you have an audience.

Pinterest

Image driven, but with a facility for up to 500 characters of text alongside each one.  To really make an impact here you need to be posting very high quality, innovative, stunning pictures that will make people sit up and take notice.

The purchasing power on Pinterest is much higher than on Facebook so don't miss the opportunity.  Think glossy magazine level images to be on target.

Of course, there are many more platforms - not least YouTube, Instagram, and Tumblr - and they have some clever little gizmos, like being able to load animated gifs and short video clips.  However, if you get these on target, everything else will follow.

Online marketing made easier

I say 'easier' rather than 'easy'.  Nothing worth doing is easy!  There are a ton of tools that can help, but the secret is in the front end planning.

It's easy to caught up with the popular myths:

'Twitter connects you to lots of potential new customers.'
'Facebook is a fantastic social way to sell your stuff.'
'People make millions on LinkedIn.'
'More people are listening intelligently on Google+.'

etc. etc.
These are all true to an extent, but only if you are quite clear about whether these platforms are right for your industry, your customer base and your objectives.

Start at the beginning

Sound sensible, but most small business owners tend to start in the middle.  I'll let you into a secret - I was one of them for YEARS!

Of course, I had done the management course and I knew:

• That I should start with a perfect client profile
• That I should have a strategy that had been thought through and was based on reality not guesswork
• That I should have proper projections and a plan of how to achieve them.  

The trouble was that is was difficult and I thought I knew the answers pretty much anyway.  Result:  the company struggled on and made a bit of money, but everything was hard work and we had to sweat blood to claw our way up the ladder.  Eventually I gave up and resigned - and the company bombed the following year.  Everyone lost money.

The morale of the tale is that, whilst these things are tough, doing them really does make everything else easier - online and offline.

Building the foundation for success

If you know what your perfect client looks like you'll be able to track them down online easily.  You'll be able to find out where they are active and engage with them on their terms.  It's all about relationships - not with thousands of random people, but with a few well-qualified potential customers.  It might take longer and require more effort at the front end, but it will take much less time and effort long term - and deliver a far higher success rate.

If you know where to find your ideal clients you'll be able to construct a strategy that delivers on your objectives.  This means you won't spend time on activities that are unlikely to reach the right people and can get laser focus on what really will work.  TIP:  Don't forget to include a means of measuring success in your strategy.

When you have targets for what you want to achieve and review and measure regularly you can adjust, tweak and revise your plan as you go instead of arriving at the end of your year and wondering why your turnover (and profit) is so much lower than you had hoped.  Don't hope - plan, measure, revise and rework.

Big business stuff for small businesses

This is the way that successful large organisations operate (some better than others) and how they drive their ongoing growth.  Take a leaf out of their book - even if you're a single person business - and you'll find you can actually plan your growth.

The online marketing recipe

When you put together an online marketing plan it can be easy to get wrapped up in social media, it’s such a responsive and powerful way to reach people, but don’t overlook all the other online marketing tools.

Whether it's turning blogs into article or ebooks or planning an email campaign there are many ways of using the internet to reach potential customers.

These are just a selection of the online marketing tools and what they can do for you.

Social media:                  Step one is to know where your target market is most active and get involved in the same places.  Twitter is pretty general and will reach most people, Facebook is good for local businesses and for businesses where the customer is an individual.  LinkedIn is a business platform and the power is in the groups – the right groups!  Google+ is great for informative posts on a wide range of subjects.  Pinterest is excellent for products, especially attractive-looking items – don’t forget to pin your images from your website, not upload direct from your computer.

Blogs:                             Blogging is an excellent way of demonstrating your expertise.  You can blog on your own website or a blog platform (Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad) or as a guest blogger on other people’s blogs.

Email marketing:             Direct messages on a specific subject to an opted in list of people.  To do this you must have permission from the person to send them promotional emails.  If they’ve signed up to your list this is usually part of the ‘deal’, but be careful about people who you’ve met at networking events, a business card is not automatic permission to send marketing information.

Newsletter:                     There are good newsletters and bad newsletters!  A good newsletter has real value for the reader and they will want to read the next one as a result.  A bad newsletter is boring, usually all about the writer and has no benefits for the reader.  Always lead with value (tip – use your blog as a lead article see www.3andahalfsteps.com).

Ebooks:                         If you’ve written a few blogs around a single subject collate and develop them into an ebook.  You can either give this away or sell it – check out listing your ebooks on Amazon’s Kindle listings.  Being a published author is great for your reputation and gives you a platform to demonstrate how much you know about your specialist subject, making you an Expert.

Press releases:                Writing a press release about a new member of staff, an award or new premises isn’t particularly interesting – you need a real story to get an editor’s attention.  Successful press releases are interesting to the target audience of the publication so know you publications well and don’t just fire it at every publication you can think of.  Local press may be easier to get into, but may not be read by your target audience.  Choose your publications and then talk to the editor about what kind of material they like.  There’s no guarantee of getting published, but at least what you send will be relevant.

Audio and video:            YouTube is the second biggest search engine – and is owned by the biggest, Google!  That means that it’s an excellent place to be seen, so if you’re into video material get your videos on YouTube.  Just make sure that they are not just sales pitches, give people interesting and useful material.  One of the top search terms on YouTube is ‘How to …’!  Audio only is also useful so if you do podcasts – or could – add Audio to your website, newsletters, etc.  With the sophistication of today’s smartphones you have a built-in recorder in your pocket and can interview people, commentate on an event or simply record your thoughts whilst out and about. Check out AudioBoo.com for more on this.

Webinars:                       This isn’t for everyone, but if you are good at passing on your knowledge to people get yourself a captive audience by creating and promoting a webinar on your specialist subject.  You can use platforms like GoToMeeting.com or a Google Hangout to do this and you don’t have to do all the talking yourself, ask one or more experts in related fields to your own to get involved.

These are just the main online marketing tools – and you’ll need to decide which ones are best for you and which you want to include in your online marketing strategy.  Good luck!

Are you getting business from LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is one of those places where people are told 'you need a profile' so they fill in all the boxes and then don't know what to do next.  They might join a couple of groups based on LinkedIn's recommendations and accept a few connections, maybe find the people they already know and connect with them - then not much happens and they wonder what they're doing wrong.

You've probably heard of people who get loads of business via LinkedIn and wonder how they do it.  It's not as difficult as it might seem - but it does take time.

Step one is to optimise your profile.  It depends on what you want to achieve:

• If you're looking for a job, you need to step outside the normal CV approach and make your approach to your current employer's business and former roles sound really attractive.  

• If you're employed and want to promote your employer's business you'll need to use your summary to give an INTERESTING account of what your company delivers.

• If you're a business owner, remember that it's not a CV, it's a business tool so don't fall into the trap of writing the kind of content in your experience and summary that would fit the CV approach or you'll be missing opportunities.

There's a lot more to optimising your profile - getting your professional headline right, leveraging your contact information with keywords and ordering the sections so that the ones you want are at the top.

The next step involves some effort on your part as, to make it all work, you need to have a crystal clear image of your perfect client.  With this in place you can use the advanced search filters to track them down, your contacts to introduce you or find out where they're active and join them.

If you're in the right groups - not the ones LinkedIn recommends, they're usually your peer groups and full of your competitors - where your ideal clients congregate you can show off your expertise by helping, making useful suggestions and adding value.  You can use your group connection to get connected and, by the time you've seen what your target audience are posting and understand their problems you're in a much better place to start a conversation.

On LinkedIn the people who are often closely guarded if you try to call them or email are accessible - and, whilst the door isn't wide open, it is, at least, ajar and much easier to get through if you do it with an attitude of giving first.

Social media and your reputation

It always surprises me when people post material that would certainly cause a potential employer or client to think twice about engaging them.  It seems that even people who are business savvy fail to make the connection between their personal and business personas.

'But that was on my personal account on Facebook - how can people associate that with my business/employer?' I hear them cry.

That's usually for one of three reasons:
1. They haven't set their privacy up so ONLY friends can see.
2. They've accepted a friend request from a business connection or prospective employer
3. Someone they ARE connected with has shared their post and has the potential client or employer in their network.

You can actively avoid 1 and 2, but there is no way of mitigating against 3.

Twitter is even less secure - everyone can see everything you post so don't fall into the trap of complaining about your boss, a client, a colleague or supplier - they can all see what you've got to say!

It’s wise to think carefully before posting – which is what the young lady who had just landed a well-paid job from internet company Cisco should have done. She tweeted the following:

Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.

Soon after, the company rescinded the offer.

More recently a local company was recruiting and interviewed a girl who looked great on paper and interviewed very well.  Just before they sent her a job offer they Googled her and discovered that he language on Facebook was dreadful.  The chose not to offer her the job - and she never knew.  However, the company's owner did talk about it at networking events.

If you choose to be visible in the digital world - no matter how well protected you think you are - remember the world is watching and never post anything you would be uncomfortable with a boss or client reading.