How to Market Yourself Successfully in the Job Search

Following is an excellent overview of the use of social media in your job search by Colleen M. Brueummer of Target Marketing Success, LLC

The job market has fundamentally changed and is more competitive than ever before. To market yourself successfully, you must understand and be able to quickly communicate your value to targeted employers. If you do not already have one, you should have a marketing plan for yourself. Other tips include the following:

1. Networking is the number one way that job seekers typically find new positions so once you have a clear understanding of your unique value proposition, you should spend most of your time on this activity.
2. Online social networking using social media is becoming a huge trend as we move into 2010. It does not replace offline networking but is a place you need to also be. According to Charles Fellingham (a personal branding expert), “if you are not visible online today, you do not exist”. He says that you should own the first three pages in a Google search on your name. Search engines love to see multiple mentions and the appropriate use of social media can help you to dominate the results for your name. Monitor your online reputation using a Google search agent to see when and how you are being mentioned.
3. The key benefits of using social media include networking, being able to publish, commenting, sharing interests and being able to conduct research about target companies as well as individuals there. Using social media can help you to build credibility and demonstrate subject matter expertise. It demonstrates to potential employers that you are aware of and can use new technology, but you must have a strategy. This is particularly important if you are a person with many years of experience.
4. Companies and recruiters are starting to use social networking more. A survey conducted by JobVite in May 2009 found that 68% of HR professionals were using social media/networking with 13% saying they were starting to do so in the next year. Of those using it, 66% said they have successfully hired through an online social network. LinkedIn (LI), Facebook (FB) and Twitter are especially important.
5. LinkedIn: 95% of companies surveyed use this professional site to find candidates and 76% use it to research candidates. Some tips for using LinkedIn are to: (1) be sure your profile is 100% complete and optimized, (2) grow your network and make it easy for your network to find you, (3) give and obtain recommendations, (4) establish your personal brand by joining groups and participating in discussions, and (5) remain top of mind by updating your status weekly and staying in touch with your network. You may use the advanced search feature to identify target companies and networking contacts at the companies.
6. Facebook: 59% of companies surveyed use this site to find candidates and 44% of them use it to research candidates. A June 2009 survey done by CareerBuilder found that 35% of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire the candidate. Often times, it is content on Facebook that results in candidates not being hired. Be careful what you post on Facebook and ensure that your privacy settings are set appropriately for what you want to share.
7. Twitter: 42% of companies use this to find candidates while 21% use it to research candidates. Twitter is a tool that offers a communications platform and search engine. It takes only a few minutes to set up a free account and is a great relationship tool. It is a wonderful way to build your personal brand since you may use it to drive people to your blog (the number one marketing tool), your LinkedIn profile or your website. Given the ease of following targeted people and having them follow you back in many cases, you can quickly establish yourself in your own area of expertise as a subject matter expert and connect with people you might otherwise never be able to reach. You can set up keyword and job searches based on the Twitter service since there are a number of applications available, e.g., Tweetmyjobs, search.twitter.com.

Colleen can be reached at 216-973-4847, 330-225-5629 or at colleen.bruemmer@yahoo.com

Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Plans Show Strong Rebound

Owatonna, MN, January 19, 2010-What recession? Digital and direct marketers are planning a major ramp-up in hiring this winter, according to Bernhart Associates' latest Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report.

"All of our major indicators are showing significant improvement," said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC. "As far as hiring goes, digital and direct marketers are back on a growth trajectory."

Bernhart Associates is one of the nation's leading digital and direct marketing executive search firms. Since 2001, the firm has been issuing quarterly reports that track employment trends with digital and direct marketers, agencies, and industry service providers.

Bernhart stated that the record number of responses received for quarter one (Q1)-544 in total-now rivals other private employment surveys conducted for major occupational segments of the US economy.

Here are the key findings from the Q1 survey:

·46% of the respondents said they will add to staff during the first quarter of 2010, rebounding from 30% last quarter. The biggest hiring surge will be among suppliers, while marketers plan the least amount of new hiring.
·Companies reporting Q1 hiring freezes plunged to 26%, compared with 45% in Q4.
·The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q1 dropped slightly to 7%. Not one agency or supplier who responded to the survey said it expected further layoffs.
·Among employers who imposed pay cuts last year, 37% said they plan to either partially or fully reinstate those reductions in 2010. Only 20% said pay cuts will remain in effect for this year, and 43% said they are unsure when salaries will be restored to previous levels.

Bernhart said that, while Q1 survey results clearly indicate that digital and direct marketing is outpacing the overall US economy in terms of recovering lost jobs, marketers continue to feel the economic strain.

"About half of the client-side marketers who participated in our first-quarter survey said they still have a hiring freeze. Hiring on the supplier side, by contrast, is on a fast track with more than 60% telling us they plan to add to head count this quarter. We haven't seen numbers in that range for more than two years."

On the agency side, Bernhart said 37% of survey respondents plan to add to headcount this quarter.

Bernhart said results showed that business-to-consumer (B-to-C) marketers are stepping up hiring plans slightly more than their business-to-business (B-to-B) counterparts as B-to-C recovers from deeper job cuts last year.

"Among B-to-C marketers, 50% said they'll have positions to fill compared with 46% for B-to-B, and more B-to-B'ers still have hiring freezes compared with B-to-C," Bernhart added. "B-to-B jobs were less impacted by the recession, so B-to-C hiring is now staging a sharper rebound."

As to what specific positions will be in greatest demand during the current quarter, Bernhart said analytics dominated the list, both online and offline. Second on the list was Internet marketing, which was followed by sales, creative, technology, and campaign management.

"We're seeing some newer job categories emerge," Bernhart added. "A couple of companies will be looking for senior-level social media strategists and online video experts."

Participants also weighed in on the challenges they face finding, compensating, and keeping their best digital and direct marketing talent. Comments and observations were received from more than 200 hiring managers at all levels across the digital and direct marketing employment spectrum, including marketers, agencies, and service providers.

Here is a summary of comments received:

On Hiring:

·Quality of applicants: Many are unemployed. The quality and skill level tends to be low with digital, healthcare, and mobile. The good ones are hunkering down where they are. Some employers said they're challenged trying to match candidate skills with organizational needs.
·Uncertainty: Many employers are waiting for a consistent flow of new business before pulling the trigger on new hires.
·Creativity and execution: This remains a difficult combination to find.
·Temporary hires: Mixed results-some found high- quality temps, others did not.
·Rising cost of benefits: This is posing challenges for smaller digital and direct marketing employers to add to headcount.
·Multichannel skills: Demand is strong, and growing, for digital and direct marketing talent who understand DM in a cross-channel environment, knowing how consumers interact with content, and building relevant, meaningful relationships with them.
·Younger hires: Respondents reported seeing a lack of strategic insight, a lack of solid direct response testing and analysis, and seeing a sense of entitlement.
·Financial savvy: Respondents want marketers who understand how decisions impact the overall business.
·Training: Companies expect employees to work smarter and advance their knowledge, but there seemingly is a lack of industry training by competent, experienced subject matter experts to help them do that.

On Retention:

·What works: Keeping the company transparent, providing an atmosphere of collaboration, encouraging innovation, rewarding success, investing in current technology, and making the work place fun. Also, solidifying relationships with top performers, paying them top dollar, and challenging them.
·Turn-over concerns: Many companies said they are currently evaluating talent to identify and keep top performers. Employers are concerned that they will face much higher churn as the economy recovers and good talent bolts.

Bernhart Associates' first-quarter survey was emailed to more than 9,700 senior executives and hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing during the first two weeks of January 2010.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, direct marketing advertising expenditures as a portion of total US advertising expenditures grew to 54.3%, and generated 8.3% of US gross domestic product. Also in 2009, there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.9 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC's website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with "Opt-In" in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates' website.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Jerry Bernhart to Moderate Popular Tweetchat Jobs Forum

Multichannel marketing recruiter Jerry Bernhart has announced that he will be hosting a second Tweetchat on DM Jobs soon after the New Year

The online session allows participants, through the popular social media network Twitter, to exchange job leads, ask questions, share ideas and get advice on all things related to digital and direct marketing hiring and employment.

"We've decided to host another session in response to a large number of requests we've received since our fist session last August, " said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, in a statement. "There are still many unemployed direct marketers out there who could use all the help they can get."

For those unfamiliar with Tweetchat, Bernhart describes it as "texting on steroids," allowing an unlimited number of participants in a confidential forum to exchange informational tweets with one another almost instantaneously on a common topic. Bernhart said this session, like the first, will be open to any and all areas related to hiring and employment in digital and direct marketing, including job leads, resume preparation, interviewing tips, salaries, job offers, finding candidates, counteroffers, job descriptions and sources of hire. It also allows Tweetchatters to share links just like they would with one another on Twitter.

"This is also an excellent opportunity for employers to advertise open positions, " said Bernhart. "There will be a ready audience of motivated and experienced job hopefuls, and if they're not the right candidates they might know someone who is."

The Bernhart Tweetchat will take place Sunday, January 10, at 8 pm Eastern time. All that is needed to participate is a Twitter account. To join the session, go to Tweetchat.com, sign in with your Twitter username and password, enter DMCareers in the "enter hashtag to follow" box, then click on "Go" which will take you to the DMCareers chat room.



Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

6 key takeaways for getting a handle on this new-fangled social media customer service

From the Blog of Jim Gilbert- The Gilbert Direct Marketing Blog

A few weeks ago, I downloaded a Monopoly game from a company called GameHouse. My son was itching to play the computer version with us on our family night (mostly because I move too slow).

Downloading was a success, but I had problems finding the activation code for the software, so I went in search of a company contact.

I jumped on GameHouse’s website, and my first instinct was to look for a phone number to call its customer service department. If you read part 1 of my “You Lost Me There” series a few months back, you know that I’m an adamant believer in having your contact info prominently displayed on your website. Another one of my pet peeves is the ubiquitous page with the contact form. Or, more importantly, how long it takes to get a response from said form.

To me it’s simple: Make it easy to speak with me or my business goes elsewhere. I couldn’t find a satisfactory way to contact GameHouse, and I grew frustrated. But there was a big (really big) “Follow us on Twitter” button, so I clicked it. I sent a tweet to GameHouse — and the rest of its followers — on how I was having problems and was aggravated that its website had no contact info. For good measure, I joined its Facebook fan page and sent the same message.

It didn’t take GameHouse long to respond. Thanks to Kristy, who manages GameHouse’s Twitter presence, I had an easy way to establish communication with the company and resolve my issues. Turns out that I also ordered half a dozen copies of Monopoly as I tried to get the activation code. Kristy helped me get squared away with GameHouse’s billing department, too. It took about a week of back and forth to get all the additional orders credited to my account. Kristy had one of GameHouse’s customer service reps work closely with me throughout the process.

Then — and this one blows me away — about a week later I got a package from GameHouse with a different version of Monopoly inside. Also inside was a handwritten card thanking me “for my patience” signed by Kristy with the note: “A little gift for all your troubles.” My son loves it, and everywhere I go (including a lecture I did last week) I tell of my exceptional customer service experience with GameHouse. With this in mind, I offer up some useful pointers.

6 Customer Service Takeaways

1. I sent my “You Lost Me There” article to Kristy, who said she’d pass it up the food chain. I hope GameHouse heeds my advice and makes it easier for customers to be served by adding a prominent phone number to its website. I’m not sure everybody will use Twitter like I did, however, meaning the potential for a negative customer service experience is present.
2. I was also quite surprised by how seamless the customer service experience can be without “traditional” contact methods being in play. As a “stone age” customer, once I adapted I was happy again.
3. Serve your customers in all channels. Social media is having a dramatic impact as a customer service tool; customers will self-select the channel of their choice.
4. Exceptional customer service can (and should) be the rule in all channels — online and offline.
5. If your customer service isn’t exceptional, expect to see negative reviews expressed publicly. Also expect to see bad customer service stories spread virally. Had I not been totally satisfied by the work of Kristy and her team, this column would have read very differently.
6. Upset customers can easily be turned into advocates with proper service. Today’s angry customer is tomorrow’s best customer.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Guest Article: 10 Tips for Looking HOT on Internet Marketing Video by Jessica Kizorek

From the Blog of Jim Gilbert: The Gilbert Direct Marketing Blog

Preparing to be in front of a camera soon? Follow these ten tips or risk looking like a loser on video.

1. Look Me in the Eye

With the advent of the webcam, people are way more interested in looking at themselves perform in the video preview window than actually making eye contact with the person watching the video. Look into the camera. Straight into the lens. Don’t wander with those eyes…you have to be 10 times as engaging through online video to keep people from wandering off your page. Stare them down. Lock them in like a bomber pilot locks in on his target.

2. Be in the Spot Light

If your face is going to be the centerpiece of the video, make sure that it’s got the most light on it. People’s eyes will wander towards the light, so if there’s a bright window with little kids riding tricycles behind you…that’s what people will be watching. Viewers are like horses. Put blinders on them and tell their brain what they should focus on. Illuminate the key elements of the frame, whether that’s your face, a product or a logo. Place a smaller light to the opposite side (and a little behind) so that you have dimension and pop out from the background.

3. Speak Up

Computer stereos are notoriously insufficient when it comes to pumping up the volume. Most people think that the visual element is the most important when it comes to video, and underestimate the power audio has in communicating the message. Video is 50% visual, and 50% auditory. Use an external microphone whenever possible, or get close to the camera if it’s a cheap-o. Speak up, or else people will get frustrated when you make them struggle to hear what’s going on. When they can’t hear, they say “@*#% It.”

4. Think in Threes

Try and narrow your message down to three key ideas. Three ideas that you’ll communicate if you forget everything else. This keeps it simple, and helps you remember what you were saying if you go blank. The more simple your schpeel, the more relaxed you’ll be. Especially if the video is an interview or back and forth exchange.

5. Get Busy with the Mirror

Once you’ve got your three points identified, stand in front of the mirror. You can do it naked or with clothes on. Look yourself in the eye and let loose. Practice delivering your talk until you’re confident and relaxed. You may know what you’re talking about, but you have to convince yourself of that. After a while you’ll stop worrying what you look like and what other people will think. The more you practice in the mirror, the greater chance you have of looking like a natural once the camera’s red light comes on. If not, you’ll spend your energy second guessing yourself and looking like a stiff.

6. Up Close and Personal

Get closer. Closer. A little closer… Don’t be afraid to get close to the camera. Internet video players are pretty small, so don’t want to get lost on the wall paper in the background.

7. Befriend the Camera Girl

If you’re doing a professional shoot, chances are the camera girl knows more than you do about looking good on video. Ask her advice, and let her set up the scene. Listen to her coaching and suggestions. Ask to see the set through her monitor or LCD screen so you know which parts of you are in the frame. If she asks you to repeat a line or change your shirt, do it. She has your best interests at heart, and wants just as much for you to look good on video.

8. Wear Video Friendly Fashion

Be careful what you wear on camera. Red sometimes bleeds on television. Black and white can create too much contrast and throw off exposure, making your face too dark or too bright if you’re using a webcam or camera without manual controls. Avoid stripes, crazy patterns and sparkles, as the can cause noise or pixilation when the video is compressed for the Internet. You may not notice that you’re shirt is wrinkled or dirty, but the camera will. So make sure your clothes are freshly laundered or else be filled with regret once you see the play back.

9. Don’t Sweat it

Nothing will make you more nervous than sweat beads forming on your upper lip. Make sure the room you’ll be shooting in is cool so you don’t start to worry about whether you’re armpit sweat will show on camera. Give yourself one less thing to think about. Heat will make you uncomfortable, and the camera lens will catch that.

10. Act Like You Own the Joint

This may be the wrong way to word it, but seriously. You don’t want to come across arrogant, bit get pumped before you sit down. Stroke your own ego a little. You’ve got what it takes. 250,000 people may see it on YouTube, but it’s only video.

About Jessica Kizorek

Jessica Kizorek is a keynote speaker, Internet video expert and the respected author of three books on the subject of video marketing and the Internet. Jessica Kizorek has made it her mission to keep marketers in the loop with her keynote speeches and seminars on the latest in online video, online branding, consumer marketing trends, plus how social media marketing can be a valuable channel within integrated marketing campaigns.

Jessica has produced video content on all seven continents and was nominated as one of CNN’s “Young People Who Rock” for her passion in documenting the impact of humanitarian efforts around the globe. Jessica Kizorek has been invited to deliver keynote speeches about online video, video marketing and Internet fundraising for many corporate meetings, trade associations, national conferences and non-profit groups.

Since graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Colorado, Jessica Kizorek’s company (The Viral Pulse - www.TheViralPulse.com) has produced video and digital media for clients such as Bacardi, Hyatt Hotels and Moet Hennessy.

As an adjunct professor at the prestigious Miami Ad School, Jessica Kizorek has also been published as an expert in the online video marketing field by industry journals such as The American Association of Advertising Agencies, MediaPost and iMedia Connection.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com