Just this week Stickybits, the iPhone and Android app that allows you to attach digital content to physical objects, announced the latest updates to their business model: “official bits,” voting and threading. (more…)
Since downloading the SquarePik app on the first day of its launch, I have been using the app as a way to get more creative with my Foursquare check-ins at various venues. Instead of focusing on the Foursquare points I rack up on a weekly basis, I look for ways to take a creative photo at each venue. Each check-in photo or video is then immediately added to my Pikchur profile. (more…)
As I’m driving to work, brainstorming client strategies, walking through stores and around town and while I’m sleeping (ok, maybe just a few dreams), I think about different ways I can utilize stickybits to create digital media campaigns. (more…)
Personal branding and striving for creative ways to get the attention of potential employers, is becoming more of the norm. When I created my “Laura Gainor Utilizing Social Media” SlideShare presentation to get the attention of Comet Branding, I knew I was taking a large risk putting myself out there for one company, but the excitement of the potential result was so exciting.
By expressing eagerness to set himself apart, Alec Brownstein has impressed me with his recent Pay Per Click campaign, “The Google Job Experiment,” to eventually land himself a job at Y&R New York. This is an absolute genius and hidden way to pitch his personal branding campaign through pay per click ads for individuals’ names at agencies of interest for Brownstein.
This shows another unique example how young professionals are using their personal brand to get their foot in the door. It pays off to plan your resume distribution strategically, and in this case for Brownstein, it cost $6.
Congratulations Alec and best wishes to you at Y&R New York!
Many of you use video conferencing, such as Skype, every day to have business video conferences, stay connected with family members, or use the chat features to communicate interoffice. Now with TokBox, you can bring back face-to-face interaction with video messaging.
When I was first introduced to TokBox, I liked the feature of being able to chat with multiple people at one time. Many of my family members use Skype as a way to stay connected and multiple user features was exactly what we needed. As many of you also know, Skype has just announced they will be releasing a feature allowing you to chat with up to five people at one time. With both of these platforms, it all depends on which one has the clearest video stream.
With TokBox you can chat with up to 20 people for free. There are options to upgrade your account to have access to other features, such as scheduling video chats and having a broadcast video chat with up to 200 people. TokBox has a lot of opportunity for growth as they continue to upgrade their features and make sure the streaming of the video conference is seamless.
As I have been testing out Tokbox’s features, what I like the most is the capability to send a video message. It’s very simple to record your video message and send the recipient the recorded video message through an email. The recipient receives an email notification that they’ve received a video message from you that looks like the screenshot below:
The recipient then clicks on the link within the email to directly open the video message in their internet browser, which immediately starts playing the recorded video message. With this video message, you can have it replace a simple email that you would want to send the end user or leave a personal video message for someone. Many times when sending emails, your message can come across differently than intended, or it takes out the personable touch that you’re hoping to achieve. With video messages, it brings back face-to-face interaction to make sure your message is received correctly and help build a relationship.
I’ve recorded a video message for all of you to see and tell you a little more about why I’m excited about video messaging with TokBox.
Click HERE or on the image below to hear my message.
I am honored to introduce myself to all of you as the PR and Social Media Strategist for Comet Branding. I have had an interesting adventure as to how I landed myself in this position and I wanted to take a moment to fill you in on my story.
After finding out my husband and I were moving from Charlotte to Milwaukee, I decided to use Twitter as a means to reach out and begin communicating with new contacts residing and working in the city. Through my networking, I quickly came to realize who the social media gurus were and what companies were most appealing to me. One that stuck out was Comet Branding. Then to my luck, @cometbranding tweeted about a position on Thursday, February 11, that had recently opened up and my creativity sparked!
I am a huge believer in “things happen for a reason” and “life is about taking risks,” and this is exactly what I sought out to do. Comet Branding posted the PR and Social Media Strategist position opportunity on the same day SquarePik, an iPhone app allowing you to add a photo with each Foursquare check-in, launched itself to the world. I utilized this social media outlet to tell my story as to how, after all of my personal and professional experiences, I thought I would be a good fit to join the Comet Branding team.
With some quick thinking on the night Comet Branding posted the job opportunity, I created their logo as a large poster and took a YouTube video to kick off my #LauraGainorToMilwaukee campaign. My husband and I happened to be leaving for Milwaukee the next day to find a place for us to live. My plan was to bring the Comet Branding logo poster with me on the plane from Charlotte to Milwaukee, where I would capture creative photos of the logo in each venue I checked in at through SquarePik and Foursquare. Throughout the process I strategically tweeted to @cometbranding to notify them of each check-in, hoping to get their attention.
As you checked out #LauraGainorToMilwaukee on Twitter, you could see the full list of my Foursquare/SquarePik check-ins with links to my Pikchur account, featuring creative photos I took with the Comet Branding logo poster at popular venues around Milwaukee. At the same time, it was also a creative way to show my husband around Milwaukee!
After returning to Charlotte that Monday, I looked to create a non-traditional presentation that showcased my social media efforts as to what I did, and how I did it. As I was creating the presentation, Al Krueger and Sara Meaney provided some great feedback after noticing my tweets from over the weekend. I was able to incorporate their immediate feedback into my presentation.
That afternoon, I launched what is now the Slideshare Presentation that got me hired at Comet Branding. Within this presentation I started out with a virtual resume of what I’ve done throughout my career, while also showcasing my creative and strategic talents. The presentation enabled me to tie the #LauraGainorToMilwaukee campaign together as a means to show I wanted to become a part of their team.
The reaction was incredible! Within 36 hours the Slideshare presentation had reached over 1,000 views. I was gaining more Twitter followers and people were contacting me as to how I somehow inspired them or wanted to share my story with other job seekers.
SquarePik tweeted: @lauragainor used SquarePik to document her trip 2 Milwaukee http://slidesha.re/c8XJui (slides 24-36) @cometbranding hire her!
Chaos To Clarity featured my presentation as to how job seekers can make the most of social media.
Following the community responses, Comet Branding contacted me to setup a Skype interview from Charlotte! I had a successful, 1-hour-long interview with Al Krueger and Sara Meaney on February 19th. On March 1st I arrived in Milwaukee, as promised, and went to their office where I had my second interview and was immediately offered the position!
I feel very honored to have had my first day in my new desk at Comet Branding on Wednesday, March 3rd. I look forward to being a part of such a growing team and continuing to utilize my knowledge and talents to help our clients grow their brands! It will be an exciting adventure and I invite all of you to stay up to date, via my Flickr account, with daily photos of my experiences of working for Comet Branding. Please be sure to also connect with me on Twitter! @LauraGainor