Building eminence through social mediaHow to look great online

September 2011IBM Consulting by Degrees

Laura Nicholas, IBM GBS North America

Social Media & Communications Strategist

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What do people see when they Google

me?

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Do they see this?

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Or this?

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What is eminence?

A person with eminence is known and respected for their achievements and

knowledge.

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Eminence is created by demonstrating expertise and building awareness of it. You know how to do this in the real world through

in-person interactions and

you can expand this through social media.

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4 steps to begin to building your eminence 1. Write a good bio. Your bio is your branding

statement.

2. Make your LinkedIn perfect. It’s normally the first thing that comes up in search.

3. Schedule time to engage online. Identify places where there is dialogue in your area of expertise.

4. Gauge your eminence regularly. Search your name including IBM and keywords aligned to your expertise.

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#1Write a good bio

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What kind of image do I want to transmit?

What skills, talents, knowledge and attitudes do I have that create value?

What do you say when someone asks: “What do you do?”

What degrees and certifications should I highlight? What do I want to achieve in my career?

Use your resume, professional experience, recent projects and internships as input. Write your bio in 150 words or less.

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#2 Make your LinkedIn

perfect

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LinkedIn - The 5 Essentials

1.Photo – be sure it looks professional2.Headline – a short phrase that sums up

your professional identity3.Well written bio – this is your summary 4.Public profile – set it to full view 5.Groups – add groups that line up with your

expertise and interests

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Best practice

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#3 Schedule time to

engage

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Go to places where there is dialog in your area of expertiseBegin with LinkedIn

Post updates regularly to your status bar Thought leadership, events, IBM news

Participate in group discussions Add your input to interesting threads

… expand from there

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Expand activities

Post comments to online articles Seek opportunities to write a guest blog post Start a LinkedIn Group Use Twitter to microblog Share presentations on Slideshare Share videos on YouTube Write a traditional blog

Minimal effort

More effort

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The top 8 rules of engagement1. You are personally responsible for content you publish on-line. Remember that what you publish will be searchable and in

the public domain.

2. Be mindful of your professional reputation and make sure your profile and what you publish is consistent with how you wish to present yourself.

3. Respect your audience. Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, or engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable in the workplace.

4. Don't pick fights, be the first to correct your own mistakes.

5. Add value. Provide worthwhile information and perspective.

6. Don't provide confidential, proprietary or sensitive business information.

7. Don't talk about clients, partners or suppliers without their approval.

8. Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws.

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#4 Gauge your eminence on

a regular basis

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Search your name periodically Google your name including IBM and

keywords aligned to your expertise. Use this as intelligence to continue to refine

profiles.

Be proactive. Not reactive

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In summary

Define your personal brand

Make the most of LinkedIn

Use social media to establish and manage your reputation

Remember: Evidence of your reputation is always a few clicks away.