This document provides tips and strategies for using various social media platforms and technologies in career services. It discusses leading social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube and how each can be used to deliver career content like advertising events, sharing success stories and videos. Specific tips are provided for using each platform effectively and engaging followers. Other sections discuss staying current with technologies, using tools like Google Alerts and Twitter lists, finding influencers to follow, using hashtags and analytics tools, and creating infographics and videos. The document emphasizes adapting to evolving technologies by taking risks but knowing your audience.

1. Tech Tools &
Tips for
Career
Practitioners
Deb Osborn, PhD
Florida State University

2. Current Technologies
What are the Leading Social Media Platforms?

3. Depends on Who You
Ask
http://milkshakesandmargaritas.typepad.com/milkshakes_and_margaritas/2009/07/it-is-hard-to-find-a-book-that-will-
hold-the-attention-of-both-my-8-month-old-baby-and-my-six-year-old-first-grader-but-duck.html

4. https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2016/08/study-facebook-twitter-youtube-
top-3-social-media-channels-u-s-companies/

5. http://www.smartinsights.
com/wp-
content/uploads/2016/05/st
atistic_id272014_global-
social-networks-ranked-by-
number-of-users-2016.png
Leading
Social
Networks
(as of April
2016),
worldwide
In
millions

6. Fastest Growing Social Networks

7. Most Engaging

8. Want Interactivity?

9. Technologies US Teens are Using
https://www.statista.com/statistics/199242/social-media-and-networking-sites-used-by-us-teenagers/

10. Who are the Top Players?
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Snapchat
• Youtube

11. Potential For Career Service Delivery:
Facebook
• Facebook Page
• Facebook Live (live video casting)
• Instant Articles-https://instantarticles.fb.com
• Potential ideas:
• Advertise, share success stories, post questions and fill-
in-the-blanks, market career fairs and activities, share
inspiring quotations, post videos, highlight services,
polls, statistics, job openings, success stories, behind
the scenes pictures, post questions and fill-in-the-
blanks

12. Facebook Tips
• Integrate profile picture with cover photo
• Pin to top.
• Complete the “About” section and milestones
and accomplishments.
• Determine desire for comments.

13. Potential For Career Service Delivery:
Twitter
• Tweetchats
• Twitter moments-Create SM editorial calendar of holidays. B4 the days take
place, create content to tweet to promote it
• Lists
• Use Tweepi to find new peeps
• Paper.li
• Advertise live streaming videos (Facebook Live and Periscope)
• Potential uses:
• Throwback Thursdays/Flashback Fridays, hashtag holidays, songs about work,
Motivational quotes, advertising, advertise events, industry events, link to blog, use
fill in the blanks with your quotes – When you say you’ll be ready in 5 minutes, you
REALLY mean ___ minutes

14. Twitter Tips
• Keep profile/bio sharp-attract niche followers
• Tweet often – those with 15,000+tweets have b/w
100,000 to 1 million followers.
• Use hashtags – but only 1-2 per tweet, and mix them up
• Schedule/automate tweets
• Retweet content of influencers-use @mention, and make
a comment on it, add something
• Twitter chats

15. More
• Have strong headlines
• Have a link to the full story, use url shorteners
• Be negative – sometimes (Don’t! Stop! Without! Avoid!)
• Pictures
• Don’t use the full 140 characters-leave room from RT
symbol
• Get suggested by Twitter. Get followed by influencers,
tailor tweets to industry

16. Potential For Career Service Delivery:
Instagram
• Stories
• Potential topics:
Behind the scenes, sneak peak shots; Reposts
from followers; Quotes, quote images (quippio
and quick, wordfoto apps); Cool stats; Timely
posts, newsjacks (national holidays); Funny posts,
cool illustrations; Hyperlapse videos ;
Lighthearted animated GIFS (no longer than 60
seconds); Mosaics

17. Instagram Tips
• Shoot square photos, make them shareworthy.
• (e.g., inspiring quote, fact)
• Ask to Tag a friend
• Post a picture of your unique Snapcode (for snapchat)
• Add text to photos with over app
• Use Instagram’s Explore feature (find hot hashtags)
• Mix videos and photos

18. Potential For Career Service Delivery:
SnapChat
• Photos
• Stories
• Potential uses:
• In the moment demos/advertising, behind the
scenes/hot off the presses info, flash codes (snap
this keyword/coupon), scavenger hunt – snap
picture of item in career library, reward for finding
it, interview pics/dress for success, contests, vote
(on best job search advice, who wears it best, etc.),
feature your followers

19. Snapchat Tips
• Create snapchat contest (and advertise these on other
SM platforms)
• Send snap fulfilling certain conditions (answer a
question; take a specific photo or video)
• Entice followers by showing just enough to get them
curious to learn more
• Caption snaps with a “visit us online”
• Use your snapcode-makes it easier for people to find
you
• Ask influencers to advertise your contest
• Include influencers in your picture/video

20. Youtube

21. Potential For Career Service Delivery:
YouTube
• YouTube Channel
• YouTube Director- video ads
• https://www.youtube.com/yt/advertise/make-video-
ads.html
• Potential ideas:
• Overview career services, Showcase events, Deliver
Workshops, Interview students, Demonstrate skills
or how-to videos, Share research findings, Outline
steps to career decision making, interview local
employer, archive panel presentations, review
career assessments, respond to work-related news

22. Youtube Tips
• Tag your videos
• Use the description box to give information (and links to FB/Twitter) about
the video
• Consider video length
• Quality, quality, quality
• Create a youtube trailer showing what your channel is about – and ask them
to subscribe.
• Choose your channel name and icon purposely.
• Review other youtube channels regularly.
• Address local communities relevant to your videos.
• Pilot content.

23. General Tips
• Cross-market (Tweet it, post it, blog about it, email signatures).
• Vary content and style
• Be consistent and strategic in posting content.
• Consistently scan for great ideas.
• Pay attention to trending topics (Pokémon go?) and viral photos
• Determine ideal posting times
• Determine SM goals, evaluate pros and cons of SM investments
• Learn where you “fans” are likely to be

24. More Tips
• Customize for different SM
• Add social sharing buttons
• Follow the 80/20 rule
• 80% useful, 20% self-promotional
• Use Lists (Top Tens, 7 steps, etc.)
• Use visuals - visme, canva, vine
• Choose topics to attract traffic
• Pick a topic that attracts traffic-google trends, buzzsumo, feedly
• Connect with top influencers
• More Tips-Analyze Headlines

25. http://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer#

27. Even More…
• Curate content (get the best info on a topic
and share it)
• How to’s, news, research, case studies
• To build social authority, take screenshots of
compliments and share
• Use infographics

28. Infographics
• Easel.ly
• Visualize.me
• Visme.co
• PiktoChart
• Canva
• Infogr.am
• Venngage
• Dipity
• iCharts
• InfoActive
• Creately
• Gliffy
• Wordle
• Simle Widgets

29. Find Hot Hashtags
• Ritetag - This analyzes hashtags across Twitter to find
popular/trending hashtags and can then automatically add
these hashtags to tweets or Facebook updates when you are
sharing.
• Hashtagify.me - enter any hashtag and it will give you a
selection of related hashtags to use in your updates
• Twitonomy - analyzes a person’s account to see which
hashtags they use the most often
• Tagboard - a search tool for hashtags across multiple
platforms. You enter in a hashtag and it displays a board of
content that has that hashtag included
• Iconosquare -an Instagram tool that allows you to search for
hastags on Instagram and see how many times each has been
used.
• Trending - There are some platforms (e.g. Twitter) that show
what is trending on the platform.

30. What about Apps/Other Tools?
Self-Knowledge Options
Knowledge
Decision
Making
Self-talk

31. Challenge: How to Stay
Current

32. Strategies – Google Alerts
• Daily alerts in email format
• Based on search terms you identify

33. Twitter Lists

34. Twitter Lists
• Read your favorite Tweeps
• Organize by subject
• Save time (don’t have to
scroll through hundreds of
posts or remember who you
ilke reading

35. Find People Who Love
Technology
Tweeps:
@TechnologyTwins
@counselingtech;
@CareerTechForum;
@dsosborn;
@Melissa_Venable;
@PeterCarey
NCDA Technology Committee; Tech Tips

36. Summary
• Technology will always be evolving.
• New technologies will emerge, older platforms will
grow.
• Not all will last.
• Be willing to take calculated risks.
• Know your current and potential audiences and go
where they are, use what they use.
• Be willing to let some things go, be willing to fail, but
aim to succeed.
• Avoid information overload by being selective.

37. Connect With Us!
technologytwins.wordpress.com
• Deb Osborn
• https://twitter.com/dsosborn
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/debosborn
• dosborn@fsu.edu
• Melissa Venable
• https://twitter.com/Melissa_Venable
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissavenable
• https://www.pinterest.com/melissaavenable/
• melissa@onlinecolleges.net
@TechnologyTwins