This document discusses how to market yourself through social media. It focuses on using platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to build a personal brand and promote your work, skills, and accomplishments. Specific guidance is provided on using Twitter to network, keep up with trends, promote your library and colleagues, start conversations through hashtags and chat communities, and engage with others through tweetups and conferences. The goal of using social media for professional purposes is to enhance career opportunities and advancements through an online presence.

1. Marketing Yourself
with Social Media
Amanda Binder
UNC Charlotte
@ahbinder
#Marketyourself14
NCLA LAMS/NMRT Conference, July 2014
Marketing Yourself: Career Advancement at Any Stage

2. Social Media
 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabinder
 Facebook: Amanda Binder
 Twitter: @ahbinder
 Blogs: http://lib411.wordpress.com/
#Marketyourself14

3. Why social media?
 Helps you build a personal brand which can lead to jobs,
connections, promotions, opportunities, growth and success
 Marketing yourself benefits your library/employer
 Marketing yourself benefits libraries and the profession
 Enhances rather than replaces traditional means of marketing
 Works well for different personality types

4. Facebook
 If you are not comfortable blurring the lines between personal and
professional on Facebook, make sure to create lists
 Promote your work through professional FB groups
 ALA
 NCLA
 Other (ex. ALA Think Tank)
 Make yourself known by asking and answering questions in these
groups, just as you would through a traditional listserv
 Remember that this is not a private space
#Marketyourself14

5. Why use twitter?
 Keeping up with news/trends
 Keep up with your community and peers
 Networking
 Promotion of yourself and your library
 Raise issues/start conversations
 Communicate with vendors
#Marketyourself14

6. Twitter as community
#Marketyourself14
http://www.socialstrategy1.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Twitter-Peeps.jpg

7. Common excuses for NOT
using social media
“I’m too busy”
Treat professional social media engagement as part of your job.
“I don’t have anything to say”
Start out with retweeting. It is a low-pressure, easy way to start building
your personal brand. If you are engaged in your work and the
profession, you should have something to say, and eventually, you will
feel comfortable sharing it with others.
“I do not have the authority”
Tweet about what you know.
#Marketyourself14

8. For beginners
Get over any fears you have about posting original tweets by
easing yourself into it…
1. Follow people/organizations that interest you
2. Retweet
3. FYI tweets: Tweet when you attend a webinar, workshop,
conference. Use assigned hashtags.
4. Thank people who presented webinar, workshop, etc.
using their Twitter username(s)
#Marketyourself14

9. Anatomy of a tweet
#Marketyourself14
RT = retweet
username
reply
retweet
favorite
shortened URL
# = hashtag

10. Personal brand
 Keep in mind that marketing yourself through Twitter really
requires a public Twitter account
 Be aware that what you say on Twitter reflects on you and
your affiliations
 You must decide where to draw the line between personal
and professional
#Marketyourself14

11. What’s worth tweeting?
Examples:
 An interesting article you read or would like to discuss
 Slides from a presentation you made at a conference
 Information about your presentation or one you attended
 Link to a book chapter, article or blog post you published
 Congratulations to a colleague; thanks for recognition
#Marketyourself14
Anything that represents your character, interests, work

12. Marketing yourself
 Follow those that interest you
 Promote your work, accomplishments, ideas, etc.
 Promote the work of your colleagues and friends
 Promote the work of the library and the community
#Marketyourself14

13. Promote your work:
Conference
#Marketyourself14

14. Conferences
 Follow conference Twitter accounts
 Follow conference hashtags
 Use conference hashtags to connect with others
 Create hashtags for conference presentations
 Schedule tweets (using hashtag) to accompany your
conference presentations
 Have a friend or co-presenter Tweet for you during
your presentation
#Marketyourself14

15. Promote your work:
Research and writing
#Marketyourself14

16. Write about what you do
#Marketyourself14

17. Share what interests you
#Marketyourself14

18. Promote work of the library
and the community
#Marketyourself14

19. Promote work of colleagues
#Marketyourself14

20. Be a resource/Ask for help
#Marketyourself14

21. Share what you learn at
conferences/workshops
#Marketyourself14

22. Congratulate/celebrate
accomplishments of others
#Marketyourself14

23. Say thanks!
#Marketyourself14

24. Start conversations
 Re-tweet posts to start a conversation
 Use hashtags
 Post questions to your followers and beyond
 Engage in live Twitter chats
 Engage in tweet-ups
#Marketyourself14

25. Chat communities
Follow and/or join in live conversations on Twitter
#libchat (Wednesday evenings, 8-9:30 PM ET)
#edchat (educators chat)
#tlchat (teacher librarians chat)
#engchat (English teacher chat)
#FYCchat (first year composition chat)
#critlib (critical pedagogy in libraries chat)
#yalitchat (young adult literature chat)
Learn more at http://bit.ly/13F4WLf
#Marketyourself14

26. Tweetups
 Real life meetings of people that have connected
through Twitter
 Can be based on geography (#CLTtweetup), theme
(technologists in Chicago), or conference
 Just another tool for bringing people together
#Marketyourself14

27. Questions?
Amanda Binder
@ahbinder
Atkins Library
UNC Charlotte
#Marketyourself14
Basics of Twitter: http://www.slideshare.net/ahbinder/basics-of-twitter-19577459