As online marketing terms and phrases go, “synergy” is probably one of the most overused. In fact, those of us in the industry hear it so much that sometimes tends to lose its meaning.

Despite that fact, however, it really is the best word to describe what usually happens when social network marketing starts to work. It’s never easy to pinpoint any one tactic or moment; rather, you suddenly find that clusters of new clients and colleagues start coming at you from all angles. What seems to be a useless exercise just a few weeks or months ago suddenly starts yielding monstrous results. You reach a “tipping point” where all of your efforts start to pay off.

How long it takes to reach this point depends largely on you, your business, and what kind of time and effort you put into social network marketing. The easiest way to speed things up, though, is by using all of your tools in concert. In other words, never rely only on Facebook to generate leads, or Twitter to get your message out – instead, be sure that each profile is linked to the others, with a consistent message coming through every blog post, social update, or video you put out into the virtual world.

Additionally, don’t just limit your efforts to what’s online, or even considered “social media.” There’s no reason your print ads can’t mention your Facebook fan page; likewise, Twitter can be a great avenue for broadcasting the sale you’ll be having at your physical retail location in a couple of weeks. Naturally, as we’ve mentioned all along, you’ll want to keep these outright promotions relatively rare when working on social networking sites, but that doesn’t mean you have to abandon them altogether.

Just as you would want the sales and marketing divisions of your company working closely together, so too should your social networking profiles be building on top of each other in your other online and off-line promotional efforts. Take a step back once in a while and check whether all the parts of your marketing advertising are moving in the same direction; synergy might get talked about too much, but that’s only because it’s so beautiful when it happens.

As we pointed out a couple of times, when it comes to social network marketing, you’re never really done – you’re only working towards the next step. The moment your profiles become static marketing objects is the moment they’re going to stop working for you. That’s an easy concept to remember when you get started, but a hard one to keep in mind when it’s difficult to find 10 minutes to write in your blog, and your to-do list is four pages long.

But, do it you must… at least if you’re ever going to hope to turn your social networking contacts into online and off-line buyers. And remember, the more content you add online, the better you’re going to rank on the major search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, which is good for your business all around.

A few things to keep in mind when updating and refining your social networking profiles:

Put real world changes online. If something exciting is happening in your life or career, make sure to spread the word! While you don’t have to release a professionally written public statement, you should inform your contacts if your company is growing, taking on a major new project, or doing something else that would enhance your standing in their eyes. An astounding number of marketers struggle with self-promotion, online and off; but don’t fail to take advantage of one of the most powerful news-spreading tools that has ever existed. The Internet is the perfect place to give yourself a pat on the back – not to mention having a few come back to you.

Fill out your social media content. It’s not uncommon, when filling out so many new profiles all at once, to end up leaving a lot of sections blank. Maybe you don’t have the time or relevant information in hand, or perhaps you’re thinking that some part of your profile might change in the future. That’s fine, but make sure you look over your content once in a while and ask yourself what other people might want to know about you, but can’t find in your existing pages. It’s all about interest and attention – not mystery – so fill clients and colleagues in.

Refine your message. In an earlier post, we advised you to try to find your marketing voice and stick to it. The chances are, however, that that tone is going to change a bit over time. Sometimes, we discover that the things we thought we were good at – or what we were trying to accomplish – changes on the fly. That can be a great thing, but usually only comes after you’ve tried a few different angles and approaches. So make social network marketing a habit, devote a bit of time to each day, and then refine your message so that it brings you the kinds of results and business you’re looking for.

Although the spread of next generation mobile devices, like the iPhone and Droid, goes far beyond just social networking, the two trends do run together. That’s because both are central to the notion of a more digitally-integrated business world. No longer do you need to be at the office to be connected, or to draw lines between what’s professional, social, or just fun. The different areas of our busy lives are starting to bleed into one another, and the sites and technology we use is following suit.

That’s not to say that knowing more and more of your social networking contacts are connecting via mobile devices means that you have to change your message all that much. Instead, you just have to be aware that they’re out there and make sure your content and profiles are accessible. Here are a few pointers to get you started in the right direction:

Make things accessible. In most cases, a couple of hours spent with the quality web designer will ensure that all of your webpages, social profiles, etc., are accessible via mobile devices. In fact, sites like Facebook, Twitter, and others make it easier than ever to follow people when you’re on the go, as well as send information. Still, it bears mentioning that your company’s web presence should load on mobile devices. If it doesn’t, you’re taking away the option for people to visit you when they’re away from the office.

Design and release mobile device apps. While not necessarily technically a social networking strategy, the best way to make your company more integrated into your customer’s mobile lives is by coming up with easy-to-use apps that they can add to their devices and connect with you. Whether it’s a small program that loads account information, or just a quick day-to-day news feed that keeps them on top of your industry, try to come up with an app that will make your customer base wonder how they ever lived without it.

Send info when you’re on the go. Mobile devices aren’t just for your customers – they can help you stay on top of your social network marketing plan when you’re not sitting in front of a computer. If you have an extra five or ten minutes waiting for a train, before lunch arrives, or in some other quiet moment, why not take advantage by updating Facebook, Twitter, and other accounts? Since the key to your social network marketing plan is consistency, I definitely encourage you to take advantage of all the mobile tools available and make it convenient to work in what would otherwise be downtime.

Prior to founding Jacob Tyler, when I worked at a large creative agency, i watched the “ways” of bigger business and swore I would do things differently when I was on my own. For example, I would personally respond to each and every individual that was interested in working with Jacob Tyler or had questions about the business. Well, I did for a long time but then the business caught up to me. I started to realize that the bigger the interactive agency became, the harder it was not only hard to keep track of clients and jobs, but also job applications and basic informational requests from students. So… the upshot of all this is now we get roughly 5 job applications a day ranging from web designers to project managers and everything in between. While I DO review and save all of them for when I may need to get someone in the office “on the quick”, I don’t respond to anyone really anymore. For that I am truly sorry. I don’t want to come off as arrogant or that we are too big to get back to you….I just simply don’t have the time and we don’t have a specified “HR” person to review applications and hire people. Charlie and I hire people personally.

Now…with all of that being said, a friendly tip of advice. GET TO KNOW ME! If you REALLY want a job or want to talk business, come to an event that I will be attending or speaking. I am pretty open on Foursquare or Facebook, letting people know what I am up to so feel free to say hello. Needless to say… please DON’T just show up to the office expecting an in-person meeting at any given moment. Not only do you not know my schedule…but sometimes neither do I.

What sparked this Blog? Starting next week I am extremely happy to announce that close friend of mine will be working at Jacob Tyler. For you Mad Men fans, she will be our “Joan” and knowing her, she will be great for the position. The irony here is I wasn’t hiring for this position. She knows me. She approached me. I thought it was a good fit that can make a difference for the better for Jacob Tyler. Well… I asked her to to send me a sample of her writing, and below is what Jacquie submitted. Thanks Jacquie!!

Networking your way to a career….it’s not what you know but who you know that gets you that dream job!!



I have been in the workforce for about 25 years and I will tell you that things have really changed!

Changing jobs & careers was such an easy thing when I first started working, if you didn’t like what you were doing or who you were working for, you just gave notice and moved onto bigger and better challenges. For some, it is an endless cycle, or recycling if you will, of going from one so-so job to the next as you search to find what truly ignites your passion and fuels the creative fires inside of you.

Today, getting a job means holding onto it for dear life, regardless of what it ignites inside of you for fear you will end up jobless, penniless and homeless!

I will admit, I too changed career paths a few times but finally landed on one 16 years ago that I thought would satisfy all of the things I hungered for in a job. I worked diligently acquiring vast knowledge and learning all aspects of the Insurance Industry but, regardless of my years of loyalty and experience, I too found myself in the unemployment line with hundreds of thousands of other Californians this summer. I told myself as I walked out of my office after being blindsided that August morning, I was not going to be a victim of these terrible economic times, I was going to choose my own destiny and make things happen and that is just what I have done.

You see, getting a job now is probably one of the most difficult things to do, let alone getting the unemployment that you so deserve for being blindsided (but that is a whole other story)!!! First thing I did when I got home was review my old resume, updated it, fine tuned it and even paid a resume service to “bedazzle” the hell out of it so my accomplishments and qualifications would sparkle just as much as my pearly whites when I smile!

Days, then weeks went by of sending my resume out to countless numbers of companies, agencies and recruiters. It seemed like no matter how qualified I was for the position I was applying for, my resume was sent to some black hole! Don’t worry, I got my fair share of interviews which prompted a much needed ego boost, but the air was soon let out of my sails when I was passed over for one substantially less experienced person after another, only because they could be bought for so much less than I could.

I already knew I had no intention of settling for the first job that came along even though I was going through major financial hardships. I wanted to CHOOSE A CAREER, not just take a job! This was going to be my chance to finally map out my happiness (which is all fine and dandy on the personal side), but the work side of things was in need of some major reconstruction.

So one morning I posted I was looking for a job on my Facebook page, next thing I know I had about 15-20 comments from my friends that wanted to help! Then I called, texted and emailed personal friends, family, acquaintances, friends of friends, and I even pulled out business cards of people I casually met at past business functions and let each of them know I was in need of a new career and asked for their help too! I continued to go to my bi-weekly Networking group (after all I paid for the membership) and used that opportunity to showcase my desire to find something new on the professional horizon! The response was amazing, I was getting referrals to jobs (too bad I wasn’t getting all those referrals for new business when I needed it from the Networking Group) and even an opportunity to start my own business!!

Things were looking up for me, I felt like something great was in store for me and boy, was I right!

After scouring the internet, working with recruiters and agencies only to come up empty handed, I now was in possession of my dream job, not because my resume was plucked from a recruiter’s desk or chosen from one of 500 emails some corporate guy received but because I MADE this opportunity happen. I reached out to people, I put in the face time and I persevered, I finally found the career opportunity of a lifetime!

Afterall, what it really boils down to is that regardless of what you know and how good you are at it, those people who have never met you before are going to judge you before you walk in the door, they will have a pre-conceived image of you and they will formulate their decision based upon that. But when you know someone and they refer you to someone else, you are already far more credible and someone they would seriously consider hiring because you were referred by someone they know and trust. Their word is good, so why wouldn’t you be a good choice for the job, right?

So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, you just never know what it could mean for you!