How To Use Social Media - promoting yourself as a hire or design freelancer

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TAMING THE BEAST THAT IS

SOCIAL MEDIALaguna College of Art + Design

Professional Practices Fall 2014


SOCIAL MEDIA

The Face

YOURFACEHERE


Separate profiles for personal and work

• More privacy on your personal profiles.

• Double the work (posting)

• Gaining new following

SOCIAL MEDIA | The Face

CONS PROS


SOCIAL MEDIA | The Face

Unite or die. Personal profiles doubleas work profiles.

• Already have a following

• Less work (posting)

• More censure on whatyou post.

CONS PROS


SOCIAL MEDIA

The Deep Cleanse

SOAP


of companies (almost 2 in 5) use social networking sites to research job candidates.

SOCIAL MEDIA | The Deep Cleanse

39%

Source: Career Builder study, 2013, by Harris Interactive


of hiring managers who currentlyresearch candidates via social media said they have found information that has caused them not to hire a candidate.


43%



You’ll want to go through all your current networksand do the following:

Update bios

Remove outdatedwork that no longerreflects your skills

Remove inappropriatestatuses, tweets, photos, etc. that mayturn off potentialemployers



What is inappropriate? Every company isdifferent, but here is a basic list to start:

• Provocative photos.

• Photos or posts about drugs or overuse of alcohol.

• Cursing or angry rants.

• Bad mouthing of employers.

• Discriminatory comments about race, gender, religion, etc.

• Proof of lies on resume




Double check your privacy settings.



Double check what your friends are posting to your wall/statuses.

After all, we are who we hang out with.



Rule of thumb is: If you don’t update it, get rid of it.



Lastly: this doesn’t mean you can’t have a personality!



of hiring managers (1 in 5) saidthey found something that caused them to hire a candidate.

19%




If your social media profiles clearly show your personality and that you’re a capable,

well-spoken, well-rounded person, this is a plus!


SOCIAL MEDIA

A Guide To The Networks


SOCIAL MEDIA | A Guide To The Networks

Twitter !

A network for opinions, discussions about your industry, and pop culture. It’s very much like

highschool. You kind of have to find your niche group. For us it’s design/tech.

Facebook !

This is more for family/friend interactions, but if you keep people apprised of projects you’re working on, or

share links to new posts on your website, it’s a great way to remind your family and friends that you’re a designer

accepting new clients.



Instagram !

The easiest of the networks for us designers! You can post progress shots, finished projects, pics of your team, etc. Great for a behind the scenes look at the design process and for defining the culture behind

you and your brand.



LinkedIn !

For keeping up your professional network in case you need a job. Also now allows people to give you

recommendations and reviews on your work. More of an old school network, but can be helpful nonetheless.



Pinterest !

Another great network for visual creatives. If you post your own work with proper attribution of your name

and your website, this can be a very powerful network and business tool.



80% of pins on Pinterest are re-pins !

So it’s better that you put your work out there with the right link-backs and credit so YOU get the web

traffic and recognition, instead of some random Tumblr feed.



Dribbble !

An invite-only site for designers to bounce ideas and designs off of one another for feedback. It’s a chance to gain street creed from your design peers. Pro: A lot of agencies search here for subcontractors. So bring your A-game. It’s also a great place to hunt for jobs.




SOCIAL MEDIA

Tips & Tricks


Photos: Use Natural Light

So you don’t have a professional photo studio? So what. Natural light always looks best! Take your work

outside and stage it on a white poster board or aclean wooden table.

SOCIAL MEDIA | Tips & Tricks


Photos: Don’t take photos in Instagram

Use VSCO app to help you take better shots, edit them in a more modern way, then post those

photos to your Instagram.



Photos: Consider Composition

• Centered subject.

• Off-center subject (rule of thirds).

• Use negative space to create interest.

• Consider sight lines (do the lines on the environment lead to the main subject?).

• Focus. If you’re using your iPhone, make sure you tap to focus before taking the shot.



Photos: Use Props

Give context to the work. If you’re sketching out logo options, show the pens and pencils you use.



Fake it Till You Make It

Want to get logo work? Do a personal project and createa logo for it. Or redesign a major company. Then share it

across social media. You get what you put out there.



Ain’t nobody do it like my clique

You all have talented and connected friends. They’re you’re allies and your avenue to potential clients. Tag

them in posts, give them shout outs when they’re working on cool things. It’s likely they’ll do the same for you when you launch something. Also, it positions you in

the eyes of others. You are who you hang out with.



Use hashtags

And use them correctly!Help people discover your work.



Embrace the two way conversation

If someone responds to your post, if you have thetime, write them back. Comment on other people’s

posts. You get what you give.



It’s not just about friends

Social media is a place for likeminded people, not just friends. Follow people you admire or want to work with.

Start interfacing with them.



That being said, be unique!

Don’t just say “love your work!” or “let’s collaborate!”. It’s “social media” not a networking mixer or a fan club.

Play. It. Cool.



Start creating a lifestyle and culture behind yourself and your brand.

If you want to get jobs with the apparel industry, start checking in when you’re in the LA Garment district. Start checking in at the Rose Bowl swapmeet. Start checking

in at your favorite stores. Start getting into circles.



Beware of the Tumblr feed creep.

Tumblr belongs on tumblr. Don’t turn YOUR social media presence into a tumblr of other people’s work. Post your

work and be authentically you.



Don’t try to be someone you’re not.

Be yourself! Create work that’s authentic to you. You’re more likely to get clients you’ll vibe with if you’re honest.



Don’t Be a Negative Nancy

There’s a difference between sarcasm and whining. No one likes a whiner. Be positive! Or at least

hilariously cynical.



Death to feed replicator bots!

Tailor your posts for each social media venue. On twitter, keep it short and sweet. DON’T just post something on Instagram and push it out to all the

other networks.



The Devil is in the Data

Analyze your networks. What content is engaging your users? There are proprietary analytics on

Facebook and Twitter, and there are also analytic 3rd party sites for Instagram (Iconosquare).



Google Analytics

Install this on your website to track the most successful ways you’re gaining traffic.



Google Plus

You should have this purely for the fact that Google puts priority on the content submitted by Google

Plus users in search engine results.



Full Speed Ahead!