Talk to the Experts Questions for 11/16/06



Social Media Résumé Checklist

Week 1 - Building Your Social Media Résumé

The main idea behind "social" media is connecting with people on an emotional and human level - to gain trust through transparency, establish credibility through social proof, and develop relationships built on your own unique value proposition.

Before we actually get social on the web, the first step is establishing your identity, goals, and purpose.

Complete the following checklist/questions to be prepared for Week 2.

Create a file folder on your desktop and include the following:

[ ] Step 1: A professional photo

Ditch the ‘80s big hair glamour shot or photo of you holding a Zack Morris cell phone, and find something more relevant.

Since some sites may require different sizes of photos, here is a free photo-sizing tool that you can use:



[ ] Step 2: Keep Track of Your Accounts

Create a spreadsheet for all of your online profiles and passwords and include the following columns:

• Web Site

• User Name

• Password

• Notes

• Goals

*If you are going to run out and start creating profiles, I recommend that you try and use your name vs. something that represents your city + mortgage. While some people have successfully branded themselves as "something mortgage guy," I believe future relationships will be much easier to build if you remain as human as possible.

[ ] Step 3: Build Your Profile

Some social networks have large areas for a full personal and professional bio, while others only allow a sentence or two. Either way, this is the most tedious and painful process of joining the Web2.0 world.

Complete the following bullets and you'll have plenty of information when the time comes to start filling out profiles on social networks:

• Name

• City, State

• Mortgage Company

• Address

• Contact Phone

• License Number

• Business Email

• Gmail acct - It is important to have an acct with Google

• Websites / Blogs / Current Social Profiles

• Work History (companies, years in business, experience)

• Professional organizations

• Personal organizations

• College / Educational accomplishments; degrees; year attended

• Church / Social Clubs

• Sports / Community Organizations

• Professional Interests

• Personal Interests

• Mission Statement

• 60 Sec. Elevator Pitch

• Testimonials

• Niche Expertise

• Content Schedule - What type of info will you want to share online? 

[ ] Step 4: Consider questions to start asking to help define your purpose:

A) Are you a hunter or farmer?

Basically, are you building a database, creating blog content for future business opportunities, or do you want to actively spend your time online looking for current deals?

B) How social do you want to be?

Is your goal to create a network of friends that have to be interacted with on a daily basis, or do you want to be part of a network that other people are maintaining? Are you a private person, or are you comfortable living your entire life in the public eye?

C) Are you an originator or a rain maker?

Who is your target audience and how do you plan on leveraging these networks to build your organization or personal loan volume?

D) What are your goals for social media?

If you say leads, then feel free to take this month off. Your "leads" will be highly offended and probably smell the sales pitch from a mile away.

Social media is about building relationships by providing value first, then the business opportunities will present themselves.

A better way of describing the goal of more "leads" might be to build a database of potential clients or referral partners who want to receive regular updates about timely mortgage news and information that is important to their business or transaction.

E) How much time do you want to commit to social media/networking activities on a daily or weekly basis?

You may love being social, which is great for a Facebook marketing strategy. If you love to write, but don't necessarily want to take applications, then a blog, mybloglog, Google Reader, and Twitter mix might fit your personality a little better.

Maybe you are more interested in making high level contacts and building a network of well connected referral partners through LinkedIn.

There are 100 ways to skin this cat, just be true to yourself and you will find something that works.

F) Who do you want to do business with, and what are their interests?

Look at your database of referral partners and think about places where they may already be thriving online. The best thing about social media is that you have the ability to choose what, where, who, and how you want to be. You don't have to do it all, you just have to do some of it right.

Some final thoughts…

Even though we're going to have weekly checklists, you'll probably be coming back to this document several times throughout the month.

Talk these questions over with your family and friends. Ask the people you trust for a little constructive criticism about where they think your main challenges are going to be. Maybe they'll remind you of something you forgot you love to do.

Remember, social networking is about building relationships.

This month we're going to help you fit a business purpose into those relationships.

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