I am very inspired by social media and technology. I recently blogged for Virgin about how much I love technology for providing me the ability to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships. Social media at its core is just an awesome form of technology that is shaped by the human touch. 

I have been one of the leading social media marketing consultants since it’s conception. I will be the first to admit that I absolutely don’t know everything there is to know about social media, but I know how to utilize it to produce results and love to share. 

Social media is all about connecting people in business and pleasure. If used correctly, social media can be a an almost effortless way to find your dream job, buyers, sellers, or just someone to talk to when you need to feel inspired.  

You should absolutely be active on all social media and announce the news of what you are looking for. That makes it easier for recruiters and lead generation target markets  to learn about you. It is essential that you build out your online brand on social media and make certain that everything portrays you in the same way. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, G+, Instagram, YouTube and other similar platforms you utilize to enable people to view you outside of your resume, cover letter, website and LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn is the hub for professional online networking, and with two new members joining every second, it is essential for your job search and lead generation. I put together a guide earlier this summer with tips to optimize your profile so you can build your brand image and make the most out of your business connections. Don’t forget to post what you are looking for on your LinkedIn profile as well to let everybody know that you’re on the market.

Be sure to visit your target company’s page on LinkedIn and see how you are connected. Thenen reach out to these connections and see if they feel the company is a good fit for you and see if they can assist you with getting to the right person to help you out. I am a big advocate of helping people in their own business endeavors and mentoring. Not only does it make me feel good to give back, it also encourages people to want to help you.

Everybody is looking for leads these days, so it’s perfectly fine to tell people on social media. Networking is key and it’s much easier to do online with the aid of social media. It’s more about who you know, then what you know. People are much more apt to get jobs and other leads through referrals from people they know. Best practices is to use social media to highlight your skills, ask for advice and connect.

I love Twitter. It is absolutely the most versatile social media platform out there and the potential to fly high in the sky from day one is endless if you use it correctly. One of the best things about Twitter is that  require a personal introduction or recommendation, as LinkedIn and Facebook do. Just by following others on Twitter, you can get the inside story on organizations, interviewers, buyers, sellers, inspire people to follow you, or just for sending a tweet to somebody in your industry asking for advice.

Twitter is great for sharing ideas, tips and for showing that you are a thought leader in your industry. If you are engaged and post frequently on Twitter, this can be done easily. As you follow others and post interesting tweets, you build your own following and broaden your personal network. Now get out there and starting interacting with your new Twitter followers that you have never met in person, collaborate and help each other out!

Twitter chats are great for interacting with other thought leaders in your industry. Make certain that you utilize Twitter search. I actually use that more than Google search. Just type in the keywords for what you are looking for, the demographics and the opportunities will start flying by. Twitter also has an advanced search option that can assist you find the latest news and world events faster. Twitter can assist you find jobs, hashtags, buyers and sellers for any topic you can imagine.

Be sure to follow and engage on social media with the companies you are interested in. Chances are they will be a lot more interested in doing business with if you show a genuine interest in them. This will give you a lot more info on the company, what they are doing and how that relates to its industry. The best part about it is you can use social media to get jobs, buyers and sellers from anywhere.

Last but not least, remember to always be smart about engaging with your target market connections and followers. This can be as easy as congratulating a colleague on LinkedIn on a new role with a company you are wanting to get involved with or retweeting a job from a hiring manager from the same company. This creates trust and people are more inclined to help people they interact with.

I hope this helps you out. As I said above I am a big fan of giving back, so feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or send me a tweet and we can help each other out. Good luck!