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Developing Online Talent Communities

Welcome WelcometoDevelopingOnlineTalentCommunities.Inthismodule,wewillexplorewaystocreateandleverageexistingtalentcommunitiesinordertoincreaseourpipelineofcandidates,passivecandidatesandactivecandidates,andstayintouchwithacommunityofpotentiallyinterestedsuspectsorprospectsandcandidatesthatwecantapjustintimeasappropriate.

Learning Objectives Let’stakealookatthelearningobjectives.Aftercompletingthismodule,youshouldhaveagoodunderstandingoftheprosandconsoffunctional,niche-basedandgeographic-basedonlinecommunities,aswellasthedifferencebetweenemployer-brandedversusnon-employer-brandedorfunctionalorskill-basedtalentcommunities.Youshouldalsohavetheabilitytodiscovercontenttocontributetoyourtalentcommunitiesandbeabletoprepareforalaunch,apromotion,andtheseedingofyourtalentcommunitywithrelevantmembers.

About This Course Developingtalentcommunitiesisnotnecessarilyaboutcreatingsomethingfromscratchthatdidn’tpreviouslyexist.WemaybeleveragingcurrentlyexistingtalentcommunitiesinplacessuchasFacebookorLinkedIn,orwemaybecreatingourown,andwecouldcreateatalentcommunityeitherforusasanemployerorforaparticularskillsetorfunctionalareawherewecanthennetworkwithpeopleinthatcommunity.Nomatterwhichoftheseavenuesyoudecidetopursue,there’salwaysonethingincommon,andthatisthatanonlinetalentcommunityisaboutthecommunity,notaboutyou.Sowhetheryouchoosetouseyourownbrand,yourpersonalbrand,youremployerbrandorwhetheryouchoosetoutilizesomeoneelse’salreadyexistingcommunityforyourrecruitmentandpipeliningpurposes,keepinmindalwaysthatthisisaboutthepeoplethataremembersofthatcommunitybenefitingfromthecommunityandbeingpartofsomething.Ifyoukeepthatinmind,thentherestoftheobjectivesaremucheasiertoobtain.

The Evolution of Humans TheNeanderthalsandmodernhumansactuallyexistedatthesametime.Theywerecontemporaneousspecies,butonlyoneofthemactuallymadeit.Ofcourse,thatwouldbeus.Whydoyouthinkthatis?IsthatbecauseperhapstheNeanderthalswerebigger,stronger,morerobust?Weretheybetterabletohunt?Weretheyabletohidebetter?Weretheyabletoformtribesbetter?Actually,reallyit’snoneofthose,noneoftheabove.Now,thereissomedisagreementamongstpeoplewhostudytheevolutionofhumans,andImyselfamnotanexpert,buthavingreaduponalotofthesetheories,especiallyastheyrelatetomoderndaydigitalmediaandsocialnetworkingarchitecture,whatcomesthroughveryclearlyisthatthere’ssomethinginherentlyhuman,somethinginherentlyhomosapien,abouthowwecommunicate,howweformcommunitiesaroundeachother,andperhapsthatisthekeytosurvival.So,withthatpremise,thequestionis,isthathappeningagainnow?Isthatevolutionhappeningonemoretime?Itusedtobewebandedtogetherwhenthingswerereallycoldor


reallydangerous,createdcommunitiesthatallowedustoleverageandpullourresources,andthat’ssomethingthatdifferentiatedusfromtheNeanderthalsthatweremuchsmallergroupsandseparatedanddidn’treallyformcommunity,althoughwebothhadthesameabilitiestospeaklanguages.So,perhapsthat’shappeningnow.Thereareoverfourbillionpeoplewhousemobiledevicesrightnow,andsomepeople,somescientiststheorizethathumanbeingsarebecomingsomehownetwork-aware.Theyhavealmostlikeasixthsense,whichcouldbeasenseorsimplyaneedtostayconnectedwithpeopleinotherpartsoftheircommunity. Theresultisconnectivityatthespeedofthought.We’vecometotakeitforgrantednow,andit’sprobablygoingtobecomeevenmoresointhefuture,butwhatdoesallofthishavetoapplytorecruiting?Well,thisappliestorecruitingbecauseweneedtounderstandthatwhatusedtobethecommunityformedbyatribeinaparticulargeographiclocationorthemembersofahousingsubdivisionorresidentsofaparticularbuildingorresidentsofaparticularcomplex,maybeevenfolkswhoworkedinthesameofficespacetogether,thosecommunitiesarebeginningtogoawayandthey’rebeingreplacedbyonlinecommunities.Themostsuccessfulonlinecommunitiesarethosethateffectivelyreplicatesomethingthatweneedinordertostayconnected.Let’sexplorethatalittlebitmore.

Social Networking is a Human Faculty Aspreviouslynoted,havingexploredconceptsaroundwhyweneedtostaytogetherandcommunicateasasurvivaltactic,andwhycommunitiesformedandthat’showeffectivelywewereabletooutlasttheNeanderthalsthroughouttheIceAge.We’regettingtomoderntimesnowandwerealizethatonlinesocialnetworkingisreallyanevolutionofcriticalhumanfaculties.Andthesocialnetworksthatsurviveandthrivearethosethatmostsuccessfullyimitatehumanproclivities.TheAdhocconvergenceofsocialnetworks,inotherwordsabunchofpeoplegatheringtogetherforsomespecificcauseorreasonwhichusetohappenaswerallyaroundtheflag,orasweconnectatthetailgatepartybeforethefootballgamewithalltheotherfellow,membersofthetribeoffansoffootballteam,XorZ.Allofthatisnowmovingtoonline.Theresearchthatneurosciencehasbeendiscoveringlately,includessomethingcalledamirrorneuron.Thismirrorneuronisacellinyourbrainthatmakesitpossibleforyoutoexperiencecommunicationsfromothers,inanintuitiveandempatheticalway.Sothisintuition,andempathyarekeytothisability.Doingitonline,effectivelyconnectingwithothersandbeingabletointuitandempatheticallyfeelwhatothersarefeelingthroughsocialmedia.ForexampleyourfriendsonFacebookiswherethisallofthisisheaded.Likemirrorneuronstheevolutionsofthisnetworksarereallyjustanotherwayforustostaytogetherandcontinuetosurvive.OnthisslideyouseeaparagraphquotedfromtheoriginalscientificbodythatproducedtheoutcomesofresearchthatIjustmention.I’llreadit,itsays“humansitturnsouthavemirrorneuronsthatarefarsmarter,moreflexible,andmorehighlyevolved.”Afactthatscientistssayreflectstheevolutionofhumansophisticated,socialabilities.Thehumanbrainhasmultiplemirrorneuronsystemsthatspecializeincarryingoutandunderstandingnotjusttheactionsofothers,buttheirintentions,thesocialmeaningoftheirbehaviorandtheiremotions.Now,authorsknowthisisformyselfhere,asIreadthatandasIprocessthat,itoccurstomethat’sexactlywhatwe’redoing,onFacebook.We’refiguringouthowotherpeoplefeel,whoarepart


ofourcommunity.Hencewhyitissopowerful,andwhyithasbeensosuccessful.Buthowwetapintothatasanemployer,wellthat’sadifferentmatter.Let’shavealook.

Social Network Convergence InSingapore,cabdriversareallconnectedtoeachotherthroughaseriesofantennasthatallowthemtoalarmeachotherwhenoneofthemisintrouble.Thishasbeenaroundforquitesometime,anditwascreatedasaresponsetoalotofcabbiesgettingrobbedandhijacked,andbeinghurtandevenbeingkilledonthejob.Andbecauseofthatrisk,theydecidedthere’snotmuchwecandosomeonebeinginacab,gettingdropoffinadarkalleyat3:00inthemorning,orsomefarawayplace.There’sreallynocopsaround,there’sverylittlethatthecommunitycandoforthem.Thetaxidriversrealized“Wellnomatterwhat,there’sprobablyanothertaxidriverclosebyoratleastcloserthansaythepolice.”Asaresult,Singaporecabdrivershaveapanicbuttonthatalertsallnearbytaxis.Ifanyofthemgetsintroubleorisbeinghijackedorheldhostage,orisinanaccident,heorshesimplypushesthatbuttonandtheothercabscometotheirrescueusingtheirGPSlocation.ThedescriptionofthatSingaporetaxicabdrivernetworkmaynotnecessarilydrawthesamepicturethatsayLinkedInorFacebookdraws,butkeepinmindthatthattechnologywascreatedtosolveaveryparticularproblemandthesolutionisonethatoriginatesfromwithinthecommunityitself.Onsocialmedia,especiallyonline,connectionsareshrinkingandnetworksareconcentratingmoreandmorepeoplearechoosingsides,whethertheychoosetouseFacebookorTwitterorInstagramastheirprimarywaytostayconnectedtotheirtribe.Infact,we’reevenseeinganincreasingtrendofpeoplebeingun-friendedandun-followedasindividualschoosewheretheywanttogo.Soforexample,ImayhavestartedoutwithaFacebookaccount,aswellasanInstagramaccountandaTwitteraccount,andnowIfindmyselfusingInstagrammuchmorethananythingelse.Well,I’vebegunphasingout,orfadingoutifyouwill,ofmyFacebookaccount.Nowthathappensfordifferentreasonsanddifferentwaysanddifferentpeoplechoosedifferentnetworks.Theproblemis,asanemployer,asarecruiter,howdoyouknowwhichonesarewhereyourparticularlytargetaudienceisgoingtobelocated?Althoughwetalkalittlebitmoreaboutthatinadifferentmodulewhat’simportanttorecognizeforthisparticularmoduleiswhenyou’regoingtobuild,orleverage,anexistingtalentcommunitythefirstquestiontoaskis,ismytargetaudienceonthatcommunity?YoumaythinkFacebookisenormous,anditis,butunlessyourcandidatesexistonFacebookandareactivelyparticipatinganyefforttousethatasatalentcommunitydevelopmentplatformisgoingtoresultinverylittlereturnoninvestment.'

Talent Community Do's and Don'ts Soyou’vedecidednowthatratherthanbuildoneyou’regoingtoparticipateinoneorratherthanparticipateinoneyou’regoingtobuildone.Ineithercaseit’simportanttositasidesomegroundrulestofollowsothatyoudon’tloseyourway,whetheryou’reconstructingatalentcommunityorleveragingone.Someofthethingsthatyoudowanttodoisyouwanttobeconsistent,honest,andgenuinethroughout.Inotherwords,asyouparticipateinonlinecommunitiesorasyoubuildanonlinecommunityconsistencyisveryimportant,asisaleveloftransparencythatsomeofusfrompriorgenerationsarenotnecessarilyallthatcomfortablewith.Moreandmorepeoplelivetheirlivesonlineandsharewithothersmorethingsabout


whatthey’redoingonlinethansomefrompriorgenerationsmightfeelisappropriate.However,thinkofitasthesamekindofinformationthatwewouldlearnfromeachotheraroundthecoffeepot,orwatercooler.Thesametypesofsidebargossipy,intimateconversationsthathappenatgatheringplacesinreallifeareactuallyhappeningonline.Thedifferenceisthatonlinemostofthesoftwareoutthere,suchasInstagramandTwitter,makethoseconversationsprettymuchpubliclyaccessible.Andthat’swhat’sdifferent.Thatconversationinthecoffeeroomwastechnicallypublic,buttherewasonlytwopeoplearoundtohearitsoitwasn’treallypublic.OnTwitterit’salsoaconversationbetweentwopeopleandmaybenobodyispayingattentionbecausethere’snobodyaroundtohearit,butifsomeoneweretolook,andknowhowtofindit,theyactuallycould.

ThenextthingthatIwanttoencourageyoutodoaroundtalentcommunitiesistoberesponsive.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatyouhavetoreplytoeverything.Itdoesn’tmeanthatyouhavetocreatecontent,orbepositivelyfake,oranythinglikethat.Itsimplyrequiresyoutoreacttodiscussionsthatarehappeninginthetalentcommunitiesthatyou’retryingtobuildorleverage.Ifyoudon’tparticipate,particularlywithmindonthecultureofthatparticulargroup,ifyoudon’tparticipatethenyouwon’tbeacceptedaspartofthatcommunity,evenifyou’retheonewhobuiltit.Thenextstepistogetbuyin,bothverticallyandhorizontally,fromyourorganization.Inotherwords,yourdirectreportsshouldsupportthisinitiative.Yourmanagers,yourbossesandsupervisorsshouldsupportthisinitiativeandyourleadershipmustalsobuyin.Why?Becauseiftheydon’talltheworkthatyouputinmightbecompletelytossedoutbecausealeaderchangestheirmindanddoesn’treallyunderstanditandratherthantryingtounderstanditsimplypullstheplugandtheregoes6monthsor8monthsorayearsworthofyourlabor.I’vealreadymentionedthispreviouslyinanotherslide,butIthinkitbearsrepeatingseveraltimesandthatisthefirstandforemostruleofrecruitingontalentcommunities,whetheryoubuildthemorbuythemorusesomeoneelse’s,istogowhereyourcandidatesalreadyare.Whileyou’rethereandyouseethetypesofpeoplethatyouwanttorecruitthenyoucanstartmeasuringthingsrelatedtoyourgoals.Untilthendon’tstartmeasuringtrafficandhitsonyourwebsiteoronyourtalentcommunityormembersorfollowersonyourTwitterorFacebookbecausethosenumbersareinsignificantifthey’renodirectlyrelatedtothegoal.Sothefirstthingis,aremytypesofcandidatesthere?Thenthesecondthingis,howdoIcommunicateorparticipatewithpeopleinthisparticulartribalculture,inthislittlegroupthatIbuiltorsomeoneelsebuilt?Andthenyoucanstartmeasuringagainstyourgoals.Well,ofcourse,you’dhavetohavesomegoalsfirst,butI’massumingyoutookcareofthatinstep1.Hereareafewotherthingstohelpyououtalongthewayandthesearethedon’ts.Don’tpostjobs.Thisisnotaboutadvertising.Ifyouhavecontenttoshare,great.Ifyouhavecontenttoconverseabout,discuss,orpromote,noproblem,butjobpostingsarenotcontent.Jobpostingsareadvertising.Anotherthingthatyoushouldn’tdowithatalentcommunityisthinkofitasashorttermproject.YoucannotdiveintothedeependofthepoolonatalentcommunityonFacebook,forexample,expecttogetresultsovernightandthenleavetheverynextday.Youmaygetawaywithitafewtimes,butafterawhilethatwillburnyourreputationandmostoftenthannotyouprobablywon’tgetverymanyresults,notcomparedtothosewhoownthecommunity.Iwillalsowarnyouthatifyoubuildthecommunityandletsomeoneelsebetheonethattakesitseriouslyyoucanactuallylosethatcommunitytothem.Forexample,youcouldbuildatalentcommunityyourselfaroundsayagrouponLinkedInandyouhaven’t


reallybeenpayingverymuchattentiontoitorgroomingitandalongcomessomeone,let’ssayathirdpartyagencyrecruiter,thatdoesparticipateveryactively.PeoplestopfollowingyouandstartfollowingthemandbeforeyouknowitthePiedPiperhastakenallofyourpreciouscandidatesawayfromyourtalentcommunity.OfcourseasIsaythatIalsowonderifmaybeperhapsyoucoulddothesamethingtosomeofthosetalentcommunitiesouttherethatarenotbeingleveragedbytheirowners.Justahint.AndthelastthingIwillwarnyouagainstisdonottieyourselforcommityourselftoanyonesingleplatform.80%ofyourfocusshouldbeontheplatformthatyou’vedecidedthatyou’regoingtobuild.SayaFacebookgrouporaLinkedIngrouporaFacebookpageoryourownnamesite.80%shouldgoonthere,but20%shouldbeonexploringothercommunitiesthataresimilarandperhapsevencreatingafewsmalleronesinotherplaces.Youneverknowwhenoneparticulartechnology,oranother,isjustgoingtofadeaway.

Define Your Social Strategy Ifyoufollowthelinkontopofthisslidewhereitsaysdefineyoursocialnetworkingstrategy,you’llbetakentoablogwitharticlesondifferentwaystodothis.Ratherthanboreyouwithallthedetails,I’llletyougoawayanddothatonyourown.Areyouback?Okaygreat.Ifyoujustcamebackfromgoingtothatwebsiteandreadingthingsaroundhowtodefineyoursocialnetworkingstrategy,youmighthaveabetterofideashowtodoit.Ifyoudidn’tandyoujustskippedafewsecondsandwaitingformetocomebackintoyourearandstarttalkingabouthowtodoityourselfwithoutmakingyoureadsomething,shameonyoubutIlikeyouanyways.Solet’smoveforward.Howarewegoingtodefineoursocialstrategy?Wellthenumberonemostimportantwaytodothisistoaskyourtargetaudience.Inotherwords,ifyouwanttofindmorepeoplelikethis,askpeoplelikethatwheretheyhangoutonline.Whatconversationstheyhaveandhow?AretheyusingInstagramorFacebook?AretheyusingTwitterorLinkedIn?Howaretheyconnecting?Moreoftenthannot.Onceyouhaveagoodunderstandingastohowyourtargetaudienceutilizessocialnetworksandgoesonlinefornetworking,thenyoucanidentifyyourobjectives.Okay,averysimplewaytodothisisI’mgoingtogotothisexistingcommunityandI’mgoingtocontributecontenttoelevateouremploymentbrand.OrI’mgoingtoparticipateinconversationstoprovethatweareexpertsinthisfieldandattractmorepeopletocometoourwebsite.Orwhateverthegoalmaybe.Justputitinwriting.Andbytheway,Irecommendhaveacoupleofveryeasytoachievesimplegoalsandacoupleofreallybighairyaudaciousones.Forexample,oneofthemmightsimplybejustincreasetraffictoourwebsitewhichisgoingtohappenjustsimplybyyouparticipatingandhavinglinksonthere.Butthenthesecondonemightbehigherthreetoppeopleforcriticaljobs.I’mnotgoingtotellyouhowtoidentifyyourobjectivesbutthatisthesecondstep.Thethirdstepisthehow.Inotherwords,whattoolsareyougoingtouse.Howareyougoingtoengageyourcommunitythatyou’rebuildingorsomeoneelse’scommunitythattheybuiltintotheconversation.Areyougoingtosendthemnewsletters?Areyougoingtocreateawebsitethathasthecontent?Orawebsitewheretheyhavetoregister?Areyougoingtohavediscussiongroupsorforums?IsthisallgoingtohappenthroughopenconversationonTwitterorblogs?Areyougoingtopostaudiofilesaspodcastorvideofiles?Howareyougoingtoengagewithwhattools,withwhatvehicles?Thisdoesn’thaveanythingtodonecessarilywiththeplatform.Inotherwords,you


coulduseTwitterasyourplatformbutstillidentifytoolsthatyou’lluseonTwitterinordertoengagewithyourparticulartargetaudience.Thenextstepistoidentifyyourgrowthapproach.Howareyougoingtobuildthecommunity?Howareyougoingtoacquiremembersforthatcommunity?Areyougoingtoinviteeveryonewhoappliesforjob?Orareyougoingtosendanyoneanemailtooptout?Inotherwords,you’regoingtoopttheminuntiltheyoptout.Areyougoingtooffercontentthattheycan’tgetunlesstheyjoin?Howareyougoingtoattractthemtobecomemembers?Thenextstepistochoosesomeonethatwillbeachampionforthisorvariousonlinecommunities.Thisisusuallyacommitmentofaboutanhouradayandmostoftheworkisgoingtobeinvitingnewpeople,encouragingcontentandconversation,perhapssometimesmoderatingconversation.Maybeevenremovinginappropriatecontent.Butit’snotaverytimeconsumingtask.Youdon’tneedadedicatedfulltimeemployeedoingonlinecommunitymanagementuntilyourpopulationoftalentcommunityexceedsacertainnumber,whichwe’lldiscussalittlebitlater.Thesecondtolastwaythatyoushoulddefineyoursocialstrategyistoputtogetheraplanofthecontentthatyou’regoingtouse.Soyou’regoingtoaskyouraudiencewheretheygoandhowtheyusethatnetwork.Writedownsomeobjectives.Figureoutwhattoolsyou’regoingtousetomeetthoseobjectives.Figureouthowyou’regoingtogrowthemembership,whatvehiclesandmethodsandtechniquesyou’lluse.Assignthattosomeonethat’sprobablygoingtobeyouormaybesomeoneelse.Butassignthatresponsibilityandmakesurethatthatpersonknowsit’spartoftheirjobtomaintainavibrantcommunityevenifit’sonlythreepeopleuntilitgrowslargerthanthat.Andthenyouperhapscanhaveadedicatedrole.Thenprettymuchlastandsecondtolastthanlastisthatcontent.Whatareyouactuallygoingtodo?Areyougoingtowriteblogs?Sendupdates,postvideos,pictures,what?Definewhatthatisandthenstartplanningaheadbecausethelastthingyouwanttodoiswaituntilyouranoutofcontenttogofindsometopostonyourcommunity.Chancesareprettygoodthatatthatpointyou’regoingtoforgetandmaybeevenletgoofthewholeideaandallofthesuddenyourcommunityhasverylittleparticipationbecauseyouhaven’tpostedanythinglately.Soputtogetheralittlecalendarifyouwillthatsaysatleastonceamonthoronceaweek.I’mgoingtodoanarticleorapodcast,oravideoandplanitoutayearinadvanceandmightevenwanttorecordorcreatesomeofthatcontent.Writeitinadvancesothatyoudon’thavetowriteiteverymonth.Youcanjustwritefiveorsixortwelveoftheminadvanceandthenpostthemastheycomealongandasyouneedthem.Theconsistentdesignispartofthiscommunitycontentplan.Really,allconsistentdesignisawayofsayingmakesurethatit’suser-friendly.Now,thatmightseemalmosttoointuitive,butalotoftalentcommunitieshavetoomuchstuffinthemanditactuallyscarespeopleaway.Partofwhatweseekwhenwegotoaplacewherewehangoutwithotherpeopleisthesimplicityofknowingeverybodytherehassimilarcommoninterests.Ifyourcommunityistoocomplexthatneedforconnectingwithsimilarpeopleisn’tgoingtobesatisfied.Soyouwanttomakesurethatthedesignissuchthatit’sveryclearfromthemomentsomeonelandsonthatpageorthatgroupwhatitisthatthey’retheretodoandwhothey’regoingtobetalkingtoandhowthey’regoingtoparticipate.Andthat’softeneasiestdonethroughgooduserdesign.Bytheway,alotofplatformsouttherealreadyhavedonethisforyou.Facebookforexamplespendsalotoftimeandenergymakingsurethattheirwebsitesareveryuser-friendly.Soifyou’regoingtouseaplatformlikeFacebook,thenattheveryleast,thisisonecontentdesignisoneofthosethingsthatyouprobablydon’tneedtoworrytoomuchabout.Butifyou’regoingtodefineyourownwebsite,


thenverymuchsocontentdesignissomethingthatwillcriticallymakeorbreakyourtalentcommunity.Does Social Media Work in Recruiting? ThisisaquestionthatIoftengetasked,asaconsultant,assomeonewhohasbuiltmanyteamsthatworkinthisspace,insocialmediaandsocialrecruiting,Igetaskedalot,doessocialmediareallyworkinrecruitingorisitjustabighypewasteoftime?Well,itdoes,butthereareafewcaveats.Thereasonthatitdoesisbecausesocialmediaandsocialnetworkingputsthejobseekeratthecenterofattentionandincontrolofwhatisgoingon.Itbasicallytakesthepowerandauthorityawayfromthatrecruiter.Therecruiterinthiscaseisreallyacommunitymanager,butthatdoesnotnecessarilymeanthattheyareinfluencingordirectlycontrollingparticipantsofthecommunity.Soitworks,butknowingthat,thejobseekers,themembersofthecommunitiesaretheonesthatareactuallyincontrol,youhavetoalmostmanageitthedirectoppositethatyouwouldifthiswasacommunityofsayemployeesorpeoplethatarerequiredtobepartofthatparticulargroupforanyreason.Inotherwords,letmetranslateonceagain.Thewhole,ifyoubuildittheywillcomesyndrome,itdoesnotwork.Youdonotjustbuilditandtheywillcomewhenitcomestosocialmedia.Justbecauseyoulaunchedareallyprettywebsitedoesn’tmeanyouaregoingtohaveabunchoffollowersorgroupmembers.JustbecauseyoucreatedaLinkedIngroupdoesnotmeananyoneisgoingtojoin.JustbecauseyoustartedaTwitteraccountdoesnotmeananyoneisgoingtofollowyou.Soyourchoiceofplatform,LinkedIn,Facebook,Twitterorwhateverislessimportant,farlessimportant,adistantsecondifyouwill,tounderstandingyouraudienceandgoingwhereyouraudiencealreadyis.IfyouraudienceisonTwitter,thenyes,youwillbealotmoresuccessfulonTwitter.ButimagineifyouraudienceisonTwitterandyouhavebeenusingFacebookasyourwaytodevelopatalentcommunity.Thatdoesnotreallyworkverywell,doesit?Alsoanothercaveatisyouneedtounderstandhowsocialbehaviorchangesamongstadifferentsegmentsandstagesoftherecruitingprocess.Someonewhoisanactivejobseekermaymoreactively,morepassionately,morefrequentlyvisitandcommentonwebsites,someonewhoisa“passivecandidate”mayonlylurkaboutandread.They’restillpayingattentionandthey’restillreadingandtheymayreactorrespondbutfarlessseldomthanthosewhoareactivejobseekers.Andofcoursewehavetheentirespectruminthemiddlebetweenthosetwo.So,doessocialmediaworkinrecruiting?Yesifnumberone,youbuildsomethingonaplatformthatyouraudiencealreadyusesorthattheyarecomfortableorfamiliarwithsothatyoudonothavetoeducatethemandtrainthemonanewtechnologyoranewplatformandifyouusethetoolsforthatparticularplatformtomeetyourobjectives.Forexample,ifyouarerecruitingonTwitteranddevelopingafollowing,atalentcommunityorcompanyTwitteraccountwithlotsoffollowersyouaregoingtowanttospeakinTwitter-likelanguage.YouaregoingtowanttolearnTwitterspeakifyouwill.ItisnotthesameasFacebook.OnFacebookyoucanhavelongersentences,youcanpostalotmorepicturesthatdonotneedtobeself-explanatory,whereasonTwitteryoureallyarelimitedto120to130characterssothatyoucanhavesomeroomtobere-tweetedandyourphotosneedtotelltheirownstory.Thereisalotofotherdifferencesofcourse,whichwewilltalkaboutlateroninthismodulebutifyouunderstandthat,thenyes,socialmediawillworkinrecruiting.Ifyoudonotunderstandthat,don’texpecttojustpost


picturesandcreategroupsandstartsendingoutjobpostingsthroughallthosesocialmediadestinationstobeasuccessfulsocialmediastrategy.

Groundswell = Strong Communities Hereissomemorehomeworkforyou.Clickonthegroundswellandgoreadthat.Hurryup.Doitnow.Areyoubackyet?Excellent.Now,clickonvarioustypesofinvolvement.Seeyouinalittlebit.Bye-bye.Okay,areyouback?Solisten,here’swhatIwanttotellyouaboutthis.Thegroundswellisreallykindofawayofexplainingthemoborgroupmentalitythathappensinstrongcommunities.Agroundswelliswhenabunchofpeoplegatheraroundaparticulartopicandmakeadifferencewhateverthatmaybe.Itcouldbeforthebetterorfortheworse.Itdoesn’tmatter.Butthegroundswellrequiresavarietyofdifferenttypesofparticipation.Noteverybodythatisamemberofanonlinetalentcommunitybehavesinthesamewayortakesthesameactions.Sohereishowthesesplitup.Amajorityofpeople,avastmajorityofpeopleonlyreadcontent.Theylurk.Theyhangout.Theywatch.Theylisten.Theyplayback,buttheydon’tlogin,theydon’tcomment,theydon’tpost.About70%ofthemthereforewedesignasspectators,thosewhojustlurk.Andalittlebitlessthanthatareactualparticipantsthatforwardincommentandretweet.Soofthepopulationononlinecommunities,70%,itwouldbefairtosay.Andbytheway,thisisarapidlyincreasingnumberareadapters.70%arespectatorsoradopters.Thesearetheonesthattunein.Butonlyabout60%ofthemactuallycreateaprofile.Sooutof100people,70ofthemmightbereading,watchingandlisteningand60ofthemmightactuallyloginandcreateaprofileleavingahandfulofabout10orsopercentthatwell,theyjustkindofread,watchandlistenbuttheyneverreallyloginorcreateaprofile.Ofcourse,thesearealltheotheroneswhodon’tre-watchandlisten.Whenitcomestopeopleactuallyparticipating,that’sadifferentstory.Ofamongthosewhoparticipateandthepercentageofthoseisactuallydecreasing,youhavethreedifferenttypes.Thecritics,thecreatorsandthecollectors.Acriticissomeonewholikestoratestuff,peoplewhogivefivestarsforamovieonNetflixorwriteareviewforarestaurantonYelporcommentonablog.Orcontributeanarticleorsomethingelsetoalibraryofcontent.ThiscouldbesomeonewhopostpicturesonInstagramorwhopostpicturesonFacebookorvideos.Therearealsothecreators.Thecreatorsaretheonesthathavetheirownoriginalcontent.Thesearepeoplewhowritetheblogpostthemselves.Asopposetothecriticswhoarerating,reviewing,commentingandmaybeperhapsaddingto.Andthenfinallywehavethecollectors.Werefertotheseascurators,contentcurators.Contentcurationofthesethreecategoriesisthefastestgrowingone.Criticsandcreatorsaredeclining.Somoreandmorepeoplearecollectingcontent.Fewerpeoplearecreatingoriginalcontentandfewerpeopleareratingandreviewingcontent.Whatthatmeansforyouisthatexpectalargepartofyourpopulationtonotreacttoanythingthatyouputonyouronlinecommunity.They’rejustspectators.Expecttheretobeagood30%orsoofpeoplewhonevercreateaprofilebutstillpayattention.Sousingour100-memberexamplethatIjustillustrated.Ifyourcommunityhas100members,it’squitelikelythatthereare130peoplelisteninginandpayingattention.It’sjust30ofthemnevercreatedanaccount.AnotherwaytolookatthiswithaslightlydifferenttwistonnumbersisJakeMcGee’srepresentationofthe99-1rule.Thatiswhere90%ofthepeoplethatgotoawebsiteoronlinecommunityaresimplyjusttheretosee,checkitout,read,watchlisten.9%ofthemreactinsomeway,shape


orform.Thosearethecritics,thecreators,collaborators,collectors,etc.Those9%arevotingorcommentingorretweetingorforwardingorevenjustaggregating.Thenthere’sonlythat1%thatcreate.Sogoingbacktoour100,inthiscase,inacommunitywithabout100people,thatmeansthatthereare100registeredmembers.Thereareprobablyabout130peoplewhoarepayingattentiontothatcommunity,30ofthemwithoutaccounts.Outofthe100thatareregistered,90%ofthemjustreadwhichisbasically90outofthose100.Nineofthemwillvoteandclickonstuffandoneofthemwillcreatenewcontent.Thinkaboutthat.Sowhenyoucreateatalentcommunityandyouonlyhaveonepersoncreatingcontentotherthanyou,that’sactuallyprettymuchparforthecourse.Thepointisthatwithacommunityof100members,you’reonlygoingtohaveonepersoncreatingcontentandninepeoplereactingtoit.Sothewaytogetmorecontentistoincreasefrom100to1000.Now,you’llhaveperhaps10peoplecreatingcontentand90peoplereacting.Still,theother910willjustbehangingout.Sohopefullythathelpsyouunderstandalittlebitmoreabouthowthesework.

Your Activities Nowyouhaveatalentcommunityoryou’reusingsomeoneelse’s.Whatareyousupposetodonext?Well,youshouldpromoteit,drivepeopletheresotheybecomemembers,andbringtheirfriendsandthemoreofthemtherearethemorepeopleyoucansource.Youcanalsonurturethecommunity,providethemwaysforthemtosupporteachother.Forexample,interestingtoolslikebookmarksharingtoolsorratingsandcommentingtools,aWikilikeinterfacesotheycanaddcontentthemselves.Maybeevenpromotethattheyguestblog.Thennurturealsothosewhoemergeasevangelist.Whatisanevangelist?Well,inyourcommunitythere’sgoingtobeafewpeoplewhotakeonaleadrolethataren’tyou.Thesewerenotnecessarilypeoplethatyouappointed.Thesearegoingtobepeoplethathavetheirownagenda.Theycamewiththeirownagenda.They’remotivatedbydifferentreasons. Perhapstheyhavealtruisticreasons,theyenjoythiscommunityandwanttohelp.Perhapstheysimplywanttofeelvalidatedortheywanttogaininfluenceorpopularityorjustwanttobelongsomewhere. Thisisgoldforyou.Treatthesepeoplelikegolddespitethefacttheyhavetheirownagenda.Youknowtheyhavetheirownagenda.They’regoingtohavetheirownagenda,butyou’vegottofeedthem.Inotherwords,ifyoudon’tvaluethemthey’llgoawayandyoucan’tcontrolthembecausetheyhavetheirownreasonsforwhythey’rethere.Whatareyougoingtodo?Supporttheevangelistthatdoappear,usetechnologytoleveragethecommunityandhelpitsupportitself,continuetodrivenewmembersbypromotingthecommunity,andrecruitingothersandjustgenerallynurturethecommunity. The Start of a Journey toward Prospects Let’stakealookatanexample.LinkedIncanbeaverygreatplacetostartatalentcommunity.Youcanusegroups,forexample,LinkedIngroups,toaskquestionsaboutyourtargetaudience,tobuildacommunityandactuallyaskquestionsofthatcommunity.Youcananswerquestionsfromthatparticularcommunity.YoucanalsouseLinkedIngroupsasaadhoccontactmanager.Thiscontactmanagerallowsyoutostayintouchwithlargenumbersofpeoplethatarenotcandidatesyet,muchlikeaCRMwould,butalmostalittlebitearlierthantheCRM.Theseare


notnecessarilypeoplewhohaveidentifiedthemselvesaspotentialprospectsforyourrecruitmentstream,butmorethanlikely,justsimplymembersofthecommunity.Youdon’tnecessarilycountthemasalead,ifyouwill.Facebookhassomeofthesamesimilarity.YoucandothatwithFacebookgroupsorFacebookpages.The Most Vibrant Online Communities Regardlesswhetherit’sLinkedInorFacebookoranythingelse,themostvibrant,themostsuccessfulcommunitieshaveafewthingsincommon.RachelHapprovidesafewoftheseguidelinesforus,sothatyoucanknowifyourcommunityisonethat’sonthepathtobeingvibrant.Insummary,themoresuccessful,vibrant,longestlastingandvaluablecommunitiesarethosewherethecoremembershavestuckaroundforalongperiodoftime.RememberwhenItoldyouthatyouhadtogoanddothisforthelonghaul?Youcan’tdothisasashortstreamsolution?Well,thisiswhy.Oneofthewaysthatpeoplevalidatewhetheranonlinecommunityisworthjoining,isbyseeinghowlongothermembersofthatcommunityhavebeenpartofthatcommunityandcontributed.Ifeverybodyisnew,itraisessomesuspicion.Ifeverybodyisold,butthere’snoconversation,andbyoldImeanthey’vebeenamemberforawhile,thenitmightbekindofadormantgroup.Havinganactive,coremembershipisoneofthosevibrancyindicators.Anotheristhattheconversationtendstocirclearoundacommongoal,notnecessarilycontent.RatherthanitbeingallarticlesaboutX,YandZtechnology,thegoalthatemergesismorearoundexploringnewideasforX,YandZtechnology.Or,gettingajobwithX,YandZtechnology.Orpreparingforatest,forcertification,forX,YandZtechnology. Anotherindicatoristhatyouwillseevarious,differentconversationsinsideofthecommunitytakingplaceatthesametime,andprobablyledbydifferentpeople,althoughthat’snotnecessary.Ifthere’sonlyactiveconversation,that’salessvibrantcommunity,ofcourse,thanonewherethereareseveraldifferentchannelsofconversationgoingon,atthesametime.Agoodcommunityisonewheretheinteractivitybetweenthemembersisregularanddoesn’tneedfacilitation.Inotherwords,youknowyourtalentcommunityisstrongifyoudon’thavetoremindyourmembersthattheyshouldbetalkingtoeachother.Ifyouhavetoconstantlyprodthemtoconversewitheachother,it’sprobablynotaveryvibrantcommunity.Thelastthingis,theleadersthatcomeout,thatemerge,asthosewhocarrytheflagforthatparticularcommunity,areoftenselectedbecauseoftheirabilitytoengageinconversation,notbecauseoftheirsubjectmatterexpertise.Sometimes,it’sthepersonorpeoplewhoknowtheleast,thatendupbecomingthemostprominentleaders,becausethey’retheonesthataremostinterestedinlearning.They’retheonesthataremostactivelyaskinglotsofquestions.Facebook Pages and LinkedIn Groups BecauseofthepopularityofFacebookwithover1billionusersatthetimethatthiswasrecordedandonLinkedInwithalmostapproaching250millionusers,it’sagoodplacetostartyourowngroups.Letmegiveyouacoupleofreallygoodreasons.Incaseyouarewonderingtoyourself,“Gee,doIreallywanttostartmyowngrouporwouldIratherjustusesomeoneelse’s?”Heybyallmeans,ifyoufindareallybig,veryactivegroupthat’svibrantaccordingtothedefinitionsfromthepreviousslide,goforit.Getinthere,hijackthegroup,participate,networkandyoudon’thavetoownittostillbenefitfromit.Buttherearesomereasonswhy


youwanttoownyourowngroup.WithLinkedIngroupsandFacebookpagesforexample,peoplearealotmorelikelytoacceptaninvitationtojoinagroupthantheyaretoacceptaninvitationforanetworkingconnection.Inotherwords,I’malotmorelikelytojoinyourgroupthanIamtojoinyourprivatenetwork.It’ssimplyamatterofsafetyinnumbers.IfIjoinyourgroup,Ihaveacoverstory.IfIconnectwithyoudirectly,therearenoexcuses.ImustknowyouorI’mnowsomehowendorsingyou.Orperhapsyou’reendorsingme.Butinagroup,there’ssafetyinnumbers.Anotherreallyimportantreasonisthatyoucansharetheworkload.WhenyouownthegrouponLinkedInorthepageonFacebook,youcanmakeitateamprojectanditwillallowforseveralpeopletobeadministratorsandmanagers.There’salsohastheaddedbenefitofmakingittransferableifanyoneofthoseteammembersdecidestoleaveorgetshitbytheproverbialbus.Otherteammemberscanjumpin.Andinfact,ifeveryoneleaves,youcanstillgoinandtakecontrolofthegroup.Orifyouyourselfleave,youcanpackageitupinanicelittleboxwithabowandhandittoyoursuccessor.Sotheabilitytotransferthegroupissomethingthatsetsitaside.KeepinmindifyouinvitepeopletoconnectwithyouonLinkedIndirectlyandyouleaveyourcompanyorifthatemployerletsyougoortherecruiterleavesthecompany,thentheyhavenochoicebuttotakethatwiththembecauseit’stheirLinkedInprofile.Theycan’tgiveyoutheiridentitynomatterhowmuchyouwantit.Theycanexportthecontactsbutit’sstilltheirnetwork.Insteadifthatwasagroupthatwascreated,whentheyleavetheycanbekickedoutofthegroupandunassignedasmanagersandsomeoneelsecanbereassignedinthatgroupremainsthepropertyifyouwillofthatcompany.

Seeding Your Communities Youreapwhatyousow.Whatdoyouwanttosow?Inordertoseedyourcommunities,youmighthavetorecruitthemfromsomewhereelse.Maybeothercommunitiesthatalreadyexist.Maybethesearepeoplethathavealreadybeentoyourwebsiteorappliedforajoborregisteredforsomethingelse.Invitethemtoyournewlyformedcommunity.Orgotoothercommunitiesandrecruitthemfromthere.Thepointisyouwanttogrowacommunity.Theeasiestwaytodoitisbybringinginnewtalent,newmemberstothatcommunityandtheydon’tallhavetobeyour100%spotondirectlymatchingtalent.Monitortheevangelistthatemergeandaskthemtocross-pollinatewithsomeofthegroupsthattheybelongto.Asyouhavetwoorthreeevangelistemergeinyourowntalentcommunity,reachouttothemandsay,“Heythankyousomuch.Ireallyappreciatealltheworkthatyoudotokeepourcommunityvibrant.Here’sacupofcoffeeonmeandohbytheway,wouldyoumindpostingthistosomeoftheothergroupsthatyoubelongtotrytodrivesomemoretraffictocometoourgroup?”Everyonceinawhile,youcanpublishahotitemthatyouraudienceisgoingtofindsocompellingthattheywanttoshareitwitheveryoneelse.Bythat,thosethenwillbeattractedtoyourcommunity.IwouldalsourgeyoutocreatealittlelistofyourVIPs,thosewhogetthealphaorbetacontentfirst.Soyoumightwanttoactuallygiveyourevangelisttheopportunitytocommentonsomethingbeforeit’sevenpublishedtothegroupsothattheygettohighlighttheirspecialplaceaspartofthatcommunity.Inotherwords,havethatpre-releaseblogpostdistributedouttothedozenorsoevangelistthatyou’vealreadyidentifiedwithinyourtalentcommunityandhavethemcontributeandcollaboratetothat.Thenyouactuallypostitwithallofthatcontentandtheircontributionssothatitlookslikeit’sacollaborativeeffortwhichin


factitreallywasacollaborativeeffortbetweenyouandtheleadersoremergingleadersofthatcommunity.Anotherthingthatyoucandoismonitorothercommunitiesandsendyourpeopletogocommentonthoseanddriveattentionbacktoyoursbysimplylinkingbacktocontentthat’srelated.Soifyouseeanarticleofinterestinadifferentcommunity,thatwouldbeusefulforyourcommunity.Haveoneofyourevangelistgotothatcommunityandpostalinkbacktoyourcommunitywherethere’sadditionalinformationaboutthatarticle.Andthat’sanotherwaythatyoucansortofcross-pollinate.

Content Curation Earlierinthismodule,Imentionedthatthosewhocurateinformationoraggregateinformationareagrowingnumber.Infact,thatisverymuchthetrendandpartofthereasonforthatisthattechnologyexistsnowtomakethatveryeasytodo.ItusedtobeyouhadtosubscribetoahundreddifferentblogsandprobablyevenhavesomesortofRSSfeedorwithfiltersbuiltinsoyoucanstayuptodateoneverythingthatwasgoingonanditwasverydifficulttoaggregateallthatinformation.Nowwithsomeofthemoderntechnologythat’soutthere,it’sveryeasytodo.Sothiscontentcurationtechnologymakesitpossibleforustohaveoneplacewegotowherewereadallofthethingsthatwe’reprobablygoingtobeinterestedin.Andwecanverysimplystarfavorite,forwardorcheckboxtheonesthatwewanttoshare.There’sabunchofdifferentwebsites.IencourageyoutoclickonallofthelinksthatyouseeonthispagestartingwithStartpix,whichhasagreatvisualgridformat.Butalsosomesocialbookmarkingtools,ClipItandDiigoandDiggandDeliciousareallplaceswhereyoucansharecollectionsoffavoritesandbookmarks.Soifthisiscouldbeyourlibraryofallthingsnuclearpower.Yourlibraryofallthingssoftwareengineering.Andthiscouldbesomethingthatyousharewithyourteamorwithyouraudience.Itdoesn’tmatterifthisisfellowrecruitersorifthisisyouractualtalentcommunityyou’resharingitwith.Iwilltellyouthattherearesomeplatformsthatarepremiumthatallowforverysophisticatedcontentcuration.Personally,IfindCuratatobeoneofmyveryfavorites.Infact,Icontinuetouseittoday.TherearealsootherslikeCurationsoftandZemanta,PageOneandthingslikethat.Allofthosecostalittlebitofmoneyandsomeofthemcostalotmoney.ButwhattheydoistheygiveyoutheabilitytolistenintohundredsofthousandsofRSSfeedsandhavesomeartificialintelligencebuiltinthatfiltersoutmostofthegarbagesothatwhenyoulandintheircuratecontent,you’reonlyreadingthedozenorsothingsthatarereallylikelytobeimportanttoyourcommunity.Youcanthenchecktheboxesorstarthearticlesorflagthemandthenpublishthemveryeasily.Thisiscalledcontentcuration.Thisisdifferentfromcontentcreationbecauseyou’renotwritinganyofthoseblogpostsandyou’renotreallycollaboratingorcommenting.Allyou’redoingisyou’resayingyouvoteforthisarticle.Youapprovethisarticleandbecauseyouapprovethisarticle,you’reessentiallysayingthatthatisyourvote.You’regivingthearticleastarbysimplyputtingitonyourcontentsitetoshare.We’reseeingalotlesspeopleactuallyclickonthethumbsuporlikeordislikeorthestarsthemselveswhenthey’remembersofatalentcommunity.Sodon’tbediscouragedwhenyoupublishalotofcontenttoawebsiteandthereisverylittleparticipation.Rememberthatifthereareninepeopleparticipating,thatmeansyourcommunityisfairlybigbecausethat’sreallyonly9%.TherearesomefreesocialcurationtoolslikeScoop.itandPinterestandTumblr,Trap.itandBundlr.Someofthemareveryeasytouse,butthenagain


someofthemarereallyjustforoneparticulartypeofplatform.PinterestforexampleisveryvisualasopposetoTumblr,whichcouldbevisualorcouldalsohaveaudiofilesandtextandquotesandthingslikethat.SojustexploresomeoftheseandI’msureyou’llcomeacrossonethatfitsyourstyle

Scheduling, Programming, and Buffering Evenifyoudon’thaveacurationplatform,you’regoingtogettiredofgoingineverydayandpostingandupdatingandstuff.Soyou’regoingtowanttoscheduleinadvanceorprogramyourstatusupdatesandyourarticlesonyourblogposts.Tumblr,forexample,hasabuilt-inschedulersoyoucouldwrite12blogpostsandthentellTumblrtoonlypostthemoneeverydayoroneeveryweekorparticulartimesofadayorweekoramonth.Thereareotherwaystoschedulecontentinadvance.Soyoucanusesomesortofplatformforcurationornotatall.Gatherabunchofarticlesthatyouwanttoshare,puttheminaspreadsheetandthenfeedthemintosomesortofschedulingsystem.Thatthenputsthecontentoutatanappropriatetime.BufferletsyoustaggeryourFacebook,TwitterandLinkedInpostsdaysinadvanceandactuallyhasanalgorithmthatpostsomeone.Youraudienceismostlikelytobepayingattention.HootSuiteisapioneerandoneofthebiggestofthisschedulingandprogramingtypesofplatformsandtheyallowyoutousemultiplesocialmedianetworksincludingFacebook,TwitterandLinkedIn.ButalsoYouTubeandVimeoaswellasFoursquare.TheyevenhaveablogintegrationwithWordPressandTypepadandthingslikethat.There’safewothertoolsthatexistoutthere,forexampleTwitterfeed,thatallowyoutoautomaticallypostcontentthat’sbeingpublishedsomewhereelse.Soifyourcompanyalreadyhasablog,averygoodblogthat’sdirectlyrelatedtoyourtargetaudience,thatblogprobablyhasanRSSfeed.YoucanusesomethinglikeTwitterfeedtopublisheverytimeablogpostgetscreatedbyyourcompanyblogandhavethatredirectedtoyourTwitteraccount.Soratherthanyouhavingtogoinandtweetiteverytimethatanarticlecomesout,thisTwitterfeedforexamplecantweetforyouwheneveraparticularbloghasanewarticle.Youcanevencreatesomefiltersthatwillonlypostcontentthat’staggedacertainwayorwrittenbyaparticularauthororwhatever.SocialOomph,forexample,isaverypowerfultoolthatisn’tfree,butitdoesallowyoutosenddirectmessagestopeoplewhofollowyouandunfollowyou.Notonlydoesitdosomeoftheotherthingsthatwetalkedabout,likeschedulingtweets,butitworkswithmultipleaccountsandcanintegratewithURLshorteningtools,suchasBitly.Whythisissopowerfulisbecauseyoucanthenputeverythingonyourowndomain,andyoucandirectlycommunicateprivatelywithpeoplewhojoinyourgroups.That’sdifferentthansendingamentionofthem,whichispublic,andthathastheaddedadvantage,butinthatprivatemessage,youcouldsendcontentthatwouldbealittlebitmoreofasensitivenature.Justforexample,“Areyoulookingforwork?Are group tweets better than one tweet?Youprobablyheardmanytimesbeforethatmanyvoicesarelouderthanone.Especially,whenitcomestoTwitter,ifyoudon’thavealotoffollowers,tweetercankindofbealittlebitlike,well,we’resailingintoatornado.So,it’sareallygoodideatogetseveralpeopletotweetyourcontentoutonbehalfofyourorganization.Youcouldcreateaparentaccountforyour


company,Forexample,CompanyCareers,orCompanyJobs,andinthataccountlistinthebiosorsomethingaboutyourcompany,butthenalsohaveindividualTwitteraccountsforallofyourteammembers,andsomeotherkeypersonnel.Thosefolkswillthenbeabletotweet,andre-tweet,andcommentonthingsthatarepostedonthemaincompanysite,butitbringsahumanelementtoTwitter.Ifyoudon’tdothat,ifyoualwaystweetfromthemaincompanysite,andthere’sno,quoteandquote,humanbehindit,peoplearealotlesslikelytofollowyou,unlessyouareginormousbrand.So,encouragepeoplethatarepartofyourorganization,itcouldbeyourfellowrecruitersorH.R.folksthatcouldbehiringmanagers.Itcouldbebusinessleaderstosomehowconnecttheiraccountswiththecorporateaccount.There’safewwaystodothis.ConnectTweetdotcomofferstheabilitytotweettomultipleaccounttoacentrallocation.There’salsoSplitTweet,andSproutSocial,andofcourse,asI’vementionedbefore,HootSuiteallowsyoutomanagemultipleaccountsandeveninvitepeopletojoinasmanagersoftheirownaccounts,butinconjunctionwithyours,sothatyoucanevenassignthemtask,like,“Pleaserespondtothistweet,”or“Pleasere-tweetthis,”andsoon,throughacentralizeddashboard.

Sweet tweet? Whatshouldyoutweet?Hmm...Whatarewegoingtotweetabout?Well,hereareafewideas.Youcanre-tweetinterestingthingsotherpeoplesay.Byre-tweetingothers,youactuallyareengaginginthecommunity,andsomeonearguethatre-tweetingshouldbealargepartofyouractivity.Becausewhatthatdoesisitsays,“Hey.I’mfollowingtheseotherpeople,andIfindtheminteresting,andIthinkthoseofyouwhosharedthatinterestwithme,andarefollowingmewouldalsofindtheminteresting.”Italsomakesthoseotherpeoplewanttore-tweetyourstuff,andsortofreciprocate.Now,don’tdoitjustforthereciprocation,buttheend-resultisoftenthat.Youcanalsotweetaboutblogpostsfromyourorganizationorotherblogpoststhatyoufindinteresting.Aneasywaytodothisistouseyourcontentcreationplatform,andyoucanevenautomatethatwithanRSSFeed,butifyou’redoingitmanually,that’sokay.Thinkaboutthisassharingthingsthatyoufindinteresting.Iwillencourageyouthoughnottojustre-tweetthearticlewithalinktoitexactlyasitwasoriginallyposted.It’sagoodideaforyoutosaysomething.Forexample,“Ilikethisarticlebecause...,”or“Ithinkthisarticleisright,because...,”or“Yes,and...”Somethingthathavebeencontinuoustheconversation.Ifyoucanuseahashtagifyouhavespace,thatwillhelpyougettractioninaparticularcommunity,especiallyifyou’reusingahashtagthat’sbeingverycommonlyused.AtthebottomhereyouseeeightstepsforbuildingcommunityonTwitter,andhowtogetthemostoutofTwitterhashtags,bothofthoseveryusefularticlesIencourageyoutoread.Whatelseareyouwaitingfor?Quick Reference Twitter,Facebookinvolved.Youmightwanttoprintthisout,noreallyImeanyoumightwanttoprintthisout,likerightclickandhitprint.Here’swhy,thisisthekindofstuffthatyoushouldbedoingonTwitterandFacebook.Sometimesit’snotthesame,howweparticipateonTwitter,andhowweparticipateonFacebookcanbeverydifferentbecauseoftheplatform.Ontherighthandside,youseethecommonalitiesthatoverlapbetweentwoofthem.Forexampleit’s


alwaysagoodideanottopostalotoffluff,stayrelevant,stayinteresting,stayfunny,orcontroversialandyou’reinagoodplace.Youalsowanttomakesurethatyoudon’tincludealotoflinks.Byalotoflinks,Imeanmaybeoneoutofthreeofyourpostshouldnothavealink.Somepeoplewillsay,oneoutoftwo.Inotherwords50%ofyourtweetsorFacebookpostshouldnothavealink.Ithinkoneoutofthreeisfine.Inbothcases,youshouldpostaboutblogs,events,promotions,photos,questions,opinions,contributetotheconversation.Inbothcasesyouwanttobeconciseandclear.Inbothcases,thebestkindofimagesarethosethattellastoryontheirown.TherearesomedifferencesbetweenTwitterandFacebook.Ifyou’rewonderingwhereInstagramis,it’snotyetbigenoughforittodeserveit’sownsliderightnow,butitmightverywellbeit’sownmodulesoon,sostaytuned.Inthemeantime,youcanreplaceFacebookwithInstagram,inotherwordsconsiderTwitter,andInstagraminsteadofTwitterandFacebookandit’sprobablyprettyclosetothesame.Thingsmightchange,butfornowthedifferencebetweenTwitterandFacebookwhenitcomestoengagementisthatonTwitteryoushouldbeinteractingalotmoreintheformofreplies,mentionsandretweets.Whenyoumentionsomeone,thatmakesthatpersonfeelgoodandtherearealotmorelikelytoretweetyou.Whenyoumentionthem,itshowsupontheirstream,whichdrivesthisabilitytoyou.Sometimesitshowsupontheirfollower,streamsaswell.WhereonFacebook,it’salittlebitmoreabouttheconversationasapposedtothereplyandtheRetweet.Onereplydoesnotaconversationmakeandaretweetofcourseisjustrepeatingwhichisreallynotaconversation.OnFacebook,youwantconversation,askforthoughtsandopinions,curatecontent,writeads,createpolls,commentonotherpagesandgroups.Asforfrequencythere’saverybigdifferences,andthatisthatwithTwitterifyoutweetonceanhour,you’reprobablygoingtobeokay.IfyoupostedonestatusupdateanhouronFacebook,you’llprobablyfindalotofpeopletuningyouout.Why,becauseTwitterisinstant,it’s30secondorless,theTweetcomesup,youreadit,youmoveon.Whoeverhappentoseeitatthattimesawit,iftheydidn’tseeitwelltoolate.Whichiswhyit’sokaytorepeatyourtweets,justrephrasethemandmaybeevenretweetsomeofyourowntweetsonceinawhile.Ofcourseyoudon’twanttoretweetitwiththeRT,justsimplygrabit,copypasteandretweetit.OnFacebook,posttendtostayupforalongtime.InfactaFacebookstatusupdatemightbeonyourpageforacoupleofdays,beforeitfallsoffthebottomofthepage.Meaningthatpeoplewhovisityourpagewillstillseestuffthatyoupostedabout,maybetwoorthreedaysago.OnFacebook,youdon’twanttopostmorethanfivetimesaday,forthisparticularobjective.Nowwhatyoudoonyourowntime,andwithyourownFarmvilleaccountorwhateverelsethat’sdifferent.I’mtalkingaboutpostingforrecruitmentpurposesmaximumfivetimesaday.Youdon’thavetorespondtoeverything,butit’sagoodideatoacknowledgealmosteverything.Attheveryleastofsomeonehasthecourtesyofcomingbyyourpageandlikingityoucouldoccasionallygobackandsay“Heythanksforthelike.”Languagehasanothersetofdifferences,betweenTwitterandFacebook.OnTwitter,eventhoughyoumightbecompelledtofollowtheculturaliconofshorteningyourtweetstobasicallyanindescribablelanguagethatincludewordsthatarenolongerthanthreeconsonants,withoutanyvowels.Reallyyouwanttoresistthaturge,becauseyouwanttoberetweet-able,andyoudon’tknowifyouraudienceisgoingtodecipheryourgobblygook. Shorthand,isnotgoodaslongasit’scommonlyacceptedandeasilyinterpretedshorthand.Symbolslikehappyfacesarealittlebiteasiertounderstandacrosstheboard,butabbreviationsthatonlymakesensetoafewpeoplewellthey’reonlygoingtobuildthe


following,likeIsaidpeoplewhothatmakesenseto,andthat’snotgoingtoexpandyouraudience.OnFacebook,youcanbealittlebitmoreconversational,andcasual.OnFacebookyoucanhavelongersentences,andpoorgrammarifyouwillbecauseit’smuchmoreabouttheexchangeasitisletsayaboutthevisibility.Asfaraslength,wellwithTwitteryougottokeepitshort.Irecommenda120,to130charactersthatleavesyouatleast20,or10charactersforsomeoneelsetoanswersomekindofcommentwhentheyretweetyou.Ifyouhitthe140characterlimit,andthere’snoroom.Yourtweetmaynotberetweeted.Nowtheycanstillretweetedasis,whichisfinebutI’malotmorelikelyandputyourselfintheshoesofsomeonewhoisreceivingthis.I’malotmorelikelytomakeacomment,orsaysomethingaboutthetweetifIthinkit’sworthyofrepeating,ratherthanjustsimplyrepeatingeverythingeverybodyelsesays.OnFacebook,youcanhaveuptofourlinesoftext.Infactyoucouldfitfivelinesoftextbeforetheyhavetostartscrolling,butyoucanhaveamuchlongerpostonFacebook,thatfitswithintheentirepostandisvisible,whereaswithTwitterfourlinestext.Wellthatwouldprobablyseveraltweetsatonce.Imagesisthelastone,wherethere’sahugedifference.ThatisthatonimageonTwitterwhenyoushareitonTwitter.Theimagereallyhastobeself-explanatory,youcannothaveimagesthatrequireacaption.IftheimageonTwitterneedstobeexplained,chancesareprettygoodthatthey’reonlygoingtocomeupasafullscreenimageonsomeone’sphone,andtheexplanationwon’tbethere.Unlesstheyclickonthepicture,alotoftimes,thephotoswillbemisinterpreted.OnFacebookisdifferentbecausethecaptionsshowthrough.YoucanpostpicturesthatrequireexplanationonFacebook,alotmoreoftenthanyoucanonTwitter.Twitter Influence Ifyoutweetaloneinaforest,doesanyonehearit?Well,allkiddingaside.Inthissection,let’stalkaboutinfluence.Youdowanttoknowafterallifshorttweetsarebeingreadorpaidattentionto.Howmanypeopleclickthem,andwanttoforwardthem?ThecommontechniquetouseisaURLshorteningtoolsuchasBitly,that’slocatedatB-I-T-L-Ydotcom.IfyouuseavarietyofshorteningURLs,oneofthemisJdotMP,whichistheshortestonepossible,becauseit’sonlyoneletter.Bitly,givesyouallkindsofintegratedstatisticsthatshowyouhowoftenatweetispassedaroundbasedonthelinksthatarepostedonit,howoftenthoselinksarebeingclickedon,andevensomegeneralinformationarounddemographics.Forexample,thelocation,andsometimesotherdemographicalinformationabouttheusersthatarere-tweeting.AnotheroneisBudURL,whichintegratesdirectlywithGoogle,andGoogle+themselveshastheirownGoogleGLdotOL,whotweetusesOwlyandHitlythatarealsointegrated.IfyoureallywanttodivedeepintojusttheTwitterstatistics,whichalltheseotheronesaregreat,buttheyonlytrackwhenyouhavealinkoraURLthatyouactuallyuseBitlyorOwlyfor.YouhavetohaveshortenedthatURLwithsomeservice.WithserviceslikeRetweetRankandotherkindsofservices,youdon’thavetouseaURLshortener.TheycanjustlogrightintoyourTwitteraccount,oryourteamsTwitteraccountandmeasurethingssuchashowoftenyourmessagesarebeingforwardedorre-tweeted,howoftenthey’rebeingrepliedto.Onthisslidehere,youseeascreenshotofmine.I’minthetop,maybesevenandahalforsopercentile,meaningthat,onlyabout3%ofthepopulationonTwitterismorere-tweetedthanIam.Theyhaveabout17,000followers.That’saprettydecentmetric.Itshowshowoftenyour


messagesbeingspreadaroundtoothersthatarenotnecessarilydirectlyconnectedtoyouviaaTwitter.Ifmymessagesbeingre-tweetedbysomeonewhofollowsme,andalltheirfollowersseeit,perhapsmanyallthose,ifnotallofthosefollowersofthatindividually,arenotfollowersofmine.Allofasudden,nowmymessagesarebeingexposedtoabrandnewaudience.YoushouldalsocheckoutTweetStats,andxQferbothofthosearelinkonthispage.Let’stakealookatacoupleofothertools.Measuring Reach and Influence Andjusthowinfluentialdoyouthinkyouare?Whatofthethingsthatweneedtolookatwhenwe’redoingdevelopmentofonlinetalentcommunitiesiswhetherornotwe’reactuallyachievingourgoals.Wemighthavesomeverysimplegoalsbutitcouldbeverydifficulttotrack,forexample,thingssuchasreputationandbrand.Sometoolshaveemergedtohelpanswerthat.ForTwitteraccounts,oneofthebestonesI’veseenintwinfluence,whichmeasuresyourinfluenceorreachspecificallyontheTwitterchannel.Buttherearesomethatareacrosschannels,kloutandkredandPeerIndexallbehavedifferentlyandclaimedtobeabletomeasurereputationorreach.Incaseofklout,it’sreallyallabouthowpeoplereacttoyouractivity.TheylookveryheavilyatFacebookandTwitterandarepayingattentiontopeoplewhoarecommenting,retweetingandreplyingtoyourposts.Theyofcoursealsomeasureafewothers,forexample,InstagramandFourSquareandevenLinkedInbutthebiggestkloutmetricprobablycomesfromFacebookandTwittercombined.Kredisalittlebitdifferentandthatitattemptstolookattheoutreachthatyoucanattainondifferenttopics,forexample,footballwouldbeatopicorcollegerecruitingmightbeatopicandittriestomeasurehowdeepintoanetworkasmeasuredbykredorhow...dependingonhowbigthatnetworkisonkred.Howdeepyougointothatnetworkanditgivesasortofpercentagescoreifyouwill.It’salittlebitsimilartokloutbutmeasuresdifferentthingsandisalittlebitmoretopicspecificwhereasklouttendstogiveyouanoverallinfluencescore.Andfinally,PeerIndextakesalookatyourinfluencecomparedtothoseofyourpeersismeasuredbypeoplewhoareinyourcircle,whoareyourfollowersorwhofollowsimilarpeopletothoseyoufollow,etc.itkindofgroupsyouintoagroupofotherusersofthePeerIndexSystem.Nowthebestwaytomeasurewithanyoftheseistocreateanaccountsothatthesystembeginstotrackyouraccount.OfcourseyoumaybeassignedtokloutorkredorPeerIndexscoreevenifyoudon’tcreateanaccountbutit’sbetterifyoudo.Allofthemhavetheabilitytorewardpeopleinyournetworkbygivingthemextrakloutorkredandthatincreasestheirscore,whichofcoursehastheaddedeffectofperhapscreatingsomereciprocity.Nowdon’tdoitjustbecauseofthat,inotherwordsdon’tgotokloutandstartvotingpeopleorgivingklouttopeoplebecauseit’snotgoingtohavesuchabigimpactbutitisanicethingtodoanditdoesbuildcommunityanditdoesincreaseyourcredibilityandwhentheyreciprocateafterawhileitwillincreaseyourscore.

Evaluating New Technologies Sohereyouare,surroundedbyallkindsofappsandsocialmediadestinations.Howdoyouknowwhichonetoinvestyourtimeandeffortinto?Afterall,youmust’vemadeadecisionaboutTwitterorFacebookbeforeyoujoinedthem.Maybeyousimplysuccumbedtopeer


pressureorjoinedthecrowd.Perhapsyou’reanearlyadopter.Isyournewfavoriteappsomethingthatwillreallymakeadifference,orisitatotalfailure?Here’ssomequestionsthatyouwanttoaskyourselfasyou’recheckingoutanewsocialmediadestinationorsite,anewtool,anewapp,anewplatform.Askyourself,“Isthissomethingthatenablespeopletoconnectinanewway?Oristhisjustkindof,moreofthesame?”Forexample,it’sgoingtobeverydifficultforamicro-bloggingsolutiontoreplaceTwitter,ifitprettymuchdoesthesamething.Allowsyoutopost140charactersusingmobiledevices,etcetera.It’sreallynotgoingtobeabletocompeteunlessitdoesthatmuchbetter.Ifit’sdifferent,forexample,Pinterest,itcancertainlycompete,becausethefocusthereisaroundsharingimagesandstories. Anotherquestionyoucanaskyourselfis,“Doesthisreproducesomethingthatwealreadydointherealworld?Inotherwords,dowegatheraroundwhateverthistopicorsubjector,inthiskindoffashion,alreadyintherealworld.Pinterestseemstoreflectthetradingofphotosandthebulletinboard.Perhapsthefamilyrefrigerator,wherewepinupallkindsofthings.WhereasFoursquaretriestoreplicatethesmokesignaleffectofheywhere’severybodygoingtobehangingouttonight?Twitterreplicatestheannouncementofthoughtandjustbriefideas.Facebookisamuchdeeperwaytoconnectwithpeopleusingphotosandvideosandreallykindofstayingintouch.LinkedInisawaytodevelopbusinessrelationships.Ifit’sanewtool,anewsystem,anewsocialnetwork,isitgoingtodosomethingthatwealreadyliketodo,butjusthaven’treallybeenabletodo,ordidn’tknowwecoulddoonline?Thenextthingis,isitgoingtobereallyeasytosignup?Ifit’seasytouseandeasytosignup,andnowadays,ofcourse,free,it’sprobablygoingtowinsomefollowers.Thatdoesn’tnecessarilyguaranteesuccess.GooglePlus,forexample,whenitstartedout,wassimpleandeasyandfree,butitdidn’tgainmomentumuntillateron,whenitstartedbecomingclearhowyouwoulduseGooglePlusdifferentlythanTwitter,forexample.Thenextquestionis,“Willthisshiftthepowertothepeople?Willthisdis-intermediate?Isthisgoingtocreateadisruptioninthewaythingsnormallyare?”ThinkofWikipediawhenitcameout,andhowdifferenttheworldisnowbecausewecanlookthingsuponafreeencyclopediaofsorts.Youmighthavesomebeliefsfor,oragainstthecontentinWikipediabeing,notnecessarilyalwaysfactual.Itdidhaveaneffectonhowpeopleshareinformation.Thosearethekindsofquestionsthatyouwanttoaskyourselfbeforeyouinvestindevelopingyourpresenceonanewonlinecommunity.OneotherthingIfailedtomentionisyouprobablywanttotakealookatwhetherornotthiscommunityactuallyhastheabilitytogeneratemomentum,throughitsowncontent.Inotherwords,arepeoplereallygoingtopoststuff,createstuff?Isthisaplacewherepeoplearereallygoingtoparticipate?OneofthebiggestdisadvantagesofLinkedInisthatit’snotagreatplaceforcontent.Whileitisagreatplacetoconnectwithotherprofessionals,it’sonlyjustrecentlystarteddeveloping,andgeneratingtraction,intheideaaroundsharingarticles,andsharinginformationwithpeopleinyourquoteunquotecircleoffriends,orinLinkedIn’slingo,yourcontacts.ThelastthingIwantyoutothinkabout,asyou’reevaluatinganewtechnology,is“Willthisbesomethingthatpeople,developersandcompanieswillopenlyadoptandwillitpromotetheirparticipation?”Closedsystems,or,asthey’resometimesreferredtoaswalledgardens,canbemoreprohibitive.Nowyoutake,forexample,somethinglikeFacebookwhichwascalledawalledgardenforawhile,becausetheyhaveaveryopenAPI,itmakesitpossibleforjustaboutanybodytodevelopanappforFacebook.AnotherexampleofthatistheiPhone,orAndroid.Ifit’sreallyeasyforsomeonetocreateanapp,thenyouknowpeoplearegoingto


experimentwithlotsofthings.Thereallygoodstuffwillbubbleuptothesurface.Ifit’sprohibitivetodevelopappsthatconnecttoit,thatbecomesanobstacleforagreateradoption.Youcanseethis,forexample,withthefactthattherearefewerappsthatconnecttoLinkedInthanthosethatconnecttoTwitterandFacebook,forexample.ThatissimplybecauseofthatopennessthatTwitterandFacebookbelievein,versusLinkedIn’smoreclosedsystem.

Blogging as Community Shifttacticsalittlebithereandtakealookattheblogasacenterofacommunity.Bloggingwasindeedthenumber1andbythatImeanhistoricallythefirstsocialnetwork.Ablogisacollectionofpeoplewhogatheraroundsomesortofstorytelling,factorfictionandtheyhavesimilarinterestinthatthey’rereadingthecontentofthatblog.Blogsstartedoutwithsingleuserscreatingcontent,inotherwordsapersonalblogandnowadaysyouseealotmoreblogsthataremorecommunitybasedwhereastherearealotofauthorsthatsharetheresponsibilityofgeneratingcontent.Whicheverwayyougo,yourtalentcommunitywillbenefitfromhavingablogorsomethingthatlookslikeablog.Youwanttogroupsomeofyourin-houseexpertsfromyourcompany,notpeoplethatarepartofyourrecruitmentteambutpeoplewhoactuallydothejobsforwhichyou’rerecruitingandaskthemtocontributeparagraphsoressays.Theydon’thavetoblogconsistentlyandtheydon’thavetoblogthemselves,theycanssimplycreatethecontentandsenditforyoutopostandyoucanthencreateaguestaccountforthem.Youalsowanttoencourageyourteammatesatyourcompany,boththoseinrecruitingaswellasthoseinyourgeneralbusinesspracticedepartment,division,group,etc.,encouragethemtoreadandcommentandforwardthoseblogpostsbecausethatalsodrivestrafficandcreatesabiggersenseofcommunity.Ifablogposthasabsolutelynocommentsanddoesn’tgetforwarded,traffictothatblogisnotgoingtogrowveryquickly.Keepinmindthatyoudon’thavetousealotofcontentandyoudon’thavetofrequentlypost.Inotherwords,it’snotsomethingaboutpostinglargevolumesoftextsanddoingitseveraltimesthroughouttheday.It’smoreaboutthequalityofthecontentandit’sokaytorepeatsometimes,recycleposts.It’sokaytoinviteotherstogeneratethecontentforyou.Youcanevenputwidgetsorapplicationsonyourblogthatallowpeopletocross-pollinate.Thereareanumberofviewsyoucanuse,WidgetFinderorWidgetBoxandifyoualreadyuseTypadorWordPress,therearemanywidgetsthatarealreadybuiltin.

Create Your Own: Prelaunch Youdecidedthatyou’regoingtocreateyourowntalentcommunity.Beforeyoulaunch,here’safewthingsthatyou’llneedtodotoprepare.Numberone,makesureyouhaveatargetaudience,inotherwordsmakesurethatyouknowexactlywhatkindofvieweranduseryou’regoingtowanttodevelopinthistalentcommunity.Ifyoudon’thaveagoalfortargetaudienceinmind,thendon’tbesurprisewhenyourtalentcommunityorwhatevercommunityyou’retryingtodevelopgetsfullofspammers.Youhavetobepicky,andmakesureyoutargetappropriately.Alsomakesurethatyouagreewiththosethatarepartofthisteam,onwhattheultimatebusinessgoalsareforthisparticulartalentcommunity.Inotherwordsarewedoingthistodrivetraffic,arewedoingthisforSEOpurposes.Isthisatalentcommunitythat’sgoingtobringaboutconversionsofpreviouslyuninterestedcandidatesthatnowmaybecome


interested.Thisisatalentcommunitywherewe’regoingtodokeepwarmanalreadyexistinggroupofpeople.Whatistheobjective?Withoutthat,it’sverydifficulttomeasurewhetherornotyou’reachievingthatobjective.It’sbetterifyoustartoutwithanarrowersetofgoals,inotherwordsstartwithmaybejustonejobfunctionorevenasubsetofafunctionbeforeyoustartexpanding.Becausethatwayyoucanlearnfromthebehaviors,andyoucanlearnyourselfhowtomanageanonlinetalentcommunityparticularlyifyouhaven’tdoneitsobefore.Anotherreallygoodideabeforeyoulaunchistomakesureyougetsomecommitmentfrompeopleinyourorganizationthatwouldbewillingtocontributecontent.Iftheyarealreadybloggersoftheirownright,theymightbewillingtoletyouborrowsomeoftheirblogpostandreblogthem.Iftheyhaven’ttheymighthavewrittenarticles,orwhitepapers,orsomethingthatyoucoulduseasoffersandclosetoactionforyourblog.Thenextthingyouwanttothinkaboutbeforeyoulaunch,ishowyou’regoingtoacceptfeedback.Inotherwordsifyouwantthistalentcommunitytogrow,andbesuccessfulyougottoneedtolistentothepeoplethataremembersofthatcommunity.Howisthatgoingtohappen?Areyougoingtoletthemcontributetoaconversationinagroupordiscussionormailinglist,willitbeablog,willitbe...Somewayforyoutoallowthemtocommunicatewithyoutomakerecommendationsonhowtoimprovethecommunity.

Create Your Own: Promote Wellthereyougo,youdidit.Youlaunchyourtalentcommunity,nowyougottogetpeoplereadingit,joiningit.Coupleofeasywaystodothisistopromotetheexistenceofyourtalentcommunitytoyourowncompany,peopleinternally.Ofcoursealotofthemhavevestedinterestedinthecompanysuccess,mostofthemshouldandwillprobablyjoinoratleastforwardandpassitalongtoafriend,colleague,etcetera.YoualsowanttoreachouttothosewhoareVIPpartners,ofyourcompany.Thiscouldbeforexamplecustomers,aswellasvendors,andsoon.Consideralsoacquiringsomeadvertising.YoucoulduseforexampleGoogleads,orPaperclickasitcommonlyreferto,todrivetrafficjoinus,atsuchandsuchacommunity.Anotherthingthatyoumightwanttodoisaskaroundprobablyamongstyourcurrentstaff,andthecandidatesyou’recurrentlyworkingwithwhoareyourtargetaudienceforthistalentcommunity.Askthemwheretheycurrentlyhangout,andyougothereandseeifyoucanrecruitsomeofthosefolkstocomeandjoinyourtalentcommunityaswell.Forexampleifyouknowthatthereisalreadyagooddiscussiongroupgoingon,gotothatdiscussiongroup,joinitandinvitefolkstojoinyourtalentcommunity.Besureandbeveryclearaboutthevaluepropositionofyourcommunity.Inotherwordswhatisthegoalandpurpose,whatproblemdoesitsolve,orwhattypeofinformationisitgoingtoprovide?

Sourcing for Your Community Youmayalsowanttoactuallygenerateleadsmuchlikeyouwouldtosourceforarequisitionorarequirement.Youmaywanttofindpeoplethatyoucaninvite.It’seasytodothisonLinkedInbecauseeveryonethereisalreadyaprofessionaltryingtonetwork,soyoucanuseaLinkedInsearchliketheoneexemplifyintheslide.YoucoulddothesamethingwithFacebookorTwitter.ButyoucanalsodigintoyourATS,oryourCRM,orspreadsheetsthatyoumighthaveandsendoute-mailsinvitingpeopletojoinyourcommunity.


Campaigns Around Special Elements Finallyanotherwaytosourcemembersforyourtalentcommunity,wouldbetodrivesomecampaigns.Campaignscouldbeforexampleacontest,namethisphotoorcaptionthisphoto.Itcouldbenamethiswebsite,namethisblog.Simplypollsandquestionsthatyouasksurveys.Doesn’tevenhavetobegimmicky,itcouldalsobesomethingdirectsuchasjoinourwebinar. Ifyouhostawebinar,thathascontentinit,that’saveryattractivetotheparticulargroupofpeople,thenyou’llgetthemcomingtoregister,andthepriceforregistrationissimplyjoiningyourtalentcommunity.Asyourcriticalmassbeginstogrow,youcanthenstartintegratingotherthingsuchasforexamplemeetups,meetup.comforinformalsocialgatheringsaroundthistalentcommunity.Thiscouldbeforexamplehappyhours,orteaparties,oricecreamsocialsandsoon.Takealookatthearticlelinkontherighthandside,asToddDefren.Hesays,"Longtermrelationshipsdon’tstartwithshorttermcampaigns.Butshorttermcampaignsarereadilysupported,bylongtermrelationships."Inotherwordsleveragethepeopleyoualreadyknow,inashort-termcampaigntobuildcriticalmass,andthosethenbecomelongtermrelationships.