Give to Get Jobs CEO/Co-Founder Stacy McCoy

Launching a startup in undoubtedly an uphill battle, with our increasingly entrepreneurial society vying for their latest ideas to be heard above all others.  Social media has allowed these companies to have more creativity and get the most out of their often nonexistant marketing budgets.  We recently spoke with Give to Get Jobs CEO and Co-Founder Stacy McCoy to find out how the strategic use of social media has affected the growth of her startup.

Can you tell us a little bit about your business and how it got started?

Give To Get Jobs is a job board and information hub for jobs in the for-profit sector with a social and/or environmental mission, mainly social enterprise and corporate social responsibility/sustainability.  As a social enterprise ourselves, we donate a portion of the proceeds to fund job creation programs via our non-profit partner, See Your Impact.  It was born out of frustration.  I had spent time in the non-profit sector and the corporate sector, but came increasingly interested in the gray area in between.  Because the sectors of social enterprise and corporate social responsibility are not streamlined, it was a long and arduous task searching for jobs via traditional methods.  Instead of continuing to complain about it, I decided to fix it.  Give To Get Jobs officially launched on May 2^nd.

Did you know you wanted to implement social media from the beginning?

Yes.  We are 100% self-funded at the moment.  Having a limited marketing budget, social media was an obvious must.

How involved were you in social media before you began your business?

My freshman year of college was the year Facebook launched.  I was a Facebook user from the very beginning, but only for personal reasons.  I also used LinkedIn for its basic services.  I had very limited knowledge of how to use social media for business.

What social media platforms do you use for your business?

Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google Plus are the main social media platforms I use for business purposes.  I also try and blog an average of twice per week.

Which social media platform do you use the most?  Which is most effective?

I use Twitter the most.  What is most effective probably depends on how you define effective.  We get the most traffic from LinkedIn and Facebook.  But, Twitter has been the best relationship-building tool.

Do you use any third party agents (Tweetdeck, etc.)?

I use Tweetdeck.  It changed my life when I started using it.  I’ve used ManageTwitter to manage who I follow and get rid of inactive users.   I also use Klout to keep track of my business and personal brands and make sure they’re targeted and focused.
Do you have any plans to expand your company’s social media presence?

I am planning on starting a separate blog that is more interactive and indirectly tied to the business.  I am also hoping to incorporate video through either YouTube or Vimeo.

Do you find that your social media reaches mostly those seeking jobs?  Do you feel you are effectively reaching those who are supplying and potentially listing the jobs?

My social media outreach via LinkedIn definitely reaches job seekers.  Facebook has been another great tool to reach mainly job seekers.  Being a B2B and a B2C company, we also use social media to connect with other companies, recruiters, and professionals in the space.  It’s a hard balance to strike at times, figuring out which audience to gear social media content towards.  But I think we have done it well so far and have been able to reach people on both sides of the job search process.

What has the ROI been like?  Have you been able to see your social media strategy translate into financial gains for your company?

Social media is a big part of creating visibility for the jobs that are listed on our board.  LinkedIn is one of the tools that have helped us find job applicants.  Providing employers with a quality group of job applicants is the main reason our clients keep coming back.  On the employer front, social media has enabled us to build relationships with people we would otherwise not have been able to reach.  Twitter has been particularly important in this way.  However, the biggest financial gain on the employer side has come from direct outreach via email and in person not social media.

Has your opinion on social media changed at all since you’ve begun using it more to engage for business?

Yes!  I have a much better understanding of branding and how important social media is in creating a brand.  I’ve also come to understand that everything you put on the Internet becomes part of your brand; it is your online resume.  And it’s important to keep that in mind every step of the way.  You have to use social media appropriately and with caution in some ways.  Because it all factors into how people see you and your brand.  Social media must be used strategically.

What is the most inspiring incident that has occurred for your business as a result of social media?

The most inspiring thing has been taking online relationships offline.  I have met numerous business contacts online via Twitter that have become friends and real life business contacts offline.  Social media isn’t just a fluffy tool to feign engagement with your customers and clients.  It really is a relationship-building platform.  And those relationships are real.  The people that support you online sign off and support you offline.  The number of people in your corner multiplies.  That is what is most inspiring about social media.

Where do you think your business would be today without such an emphasis on social media?

We certainly would not have been able to build the traction we have had in just a short handful of months.  The growth we have experienced would have been slower.  It would have been a lot harder and more expensive to create a following and an engaged audience.  Social media has leveled the playing field in a lot of ways.  It has been a big part of our success thus far.

Let’s face it, gone are the days where kids get together with their neighbors and carelessly play freeze-tag and capture the flag until dinnertime.  Now, they are practically born with an iPhone in their hands and seem to know more about social media than their parents do.  So in a world that is growing more and more “virtually connected” does it make any sense to try to shield your children from it?

Facebook users are required to be 13 to create an account, although it doesn’t take a genius 10 year old to figure out that they simply need to manipulate their birthday to reflect this and get around the official requirement.  And since many of their friends are going to be jumping into social media, they are likely to be secretive in order to make it happen for themselves.

It is important for parents to communicate their feelings towards their child’s activity on social media, but also to be realistic.  While it is entirely understandable that parents would like to shield their children from the transparency that social media provides and the potential harassment, being too harsh with rules is likely to only create more problems.  If parents, instead, work with them to create a profile with privacy settings that both parties comfortable with, then they will actually have a more active role in protecting their children’s privacy.

Take some time yourself to really understand all the privacy settings and which would be most important to a child’s privacy.  Here are some suggestions:

• How they can connect with others: Go to Privacy Settings –> How You Connect –> Edit Settings and Select “Friends” for all options, allowing only those that your child already connects with to search for them, send friend requests and messages, post on their wall and view wall posts.
• How/who they share their photos with: Go to Privacy Settings –> How Tags Work –> Edit Settings and Select “On” for Profile and Tag Review to make it so that your child must first approve of a posting that includes a tag of their name or photo before it gets posted to their profile.  Next, select “Friends” for Maximum Profile Visibility to allow only friends to view tagged posts that have been approved.  Lastly, select “Off” for Tag Suggestions and Friends Can Check You Into Places in order to turn off geo-location for your child.

It is important for parents to have open communication with their child about their involvement in social media.  There is no way that you can be the controller of their Facebook account or have alerts sent directly to you, Facebook only allows the intended user to access their account, even if they are under 18.  If parents establish trust with their child and their social media activity and maintain and open conversation about it, they are less likely to act out recklessly and “overshare” and potentially put themselves in harms way.

But one thing is for sure: Your child WILL get a Facebook account, better to accept it now.

Panelists prepare for a discussion on Facebook in Entertainment PR & Marketing

Just returned from my first Social Media Week Los Angeles event sponsored by PRSA-LA and Social Media Week.  The panel, held at The Palen Center in Beverly Hills featured KTLA Tech Reporter Rich DeMuro as moderator and industry experts Kay Madati (Entertainment Strategy, Facebook), Eric Kuhn (Social Media Agent, United Talent Agency), Allyson Smith (Vice President, New Media, The Jim Henson Company) and Clinton Schaff (Vice President Digital & Interactive Media Group, Golin Harris).

The conversation centered on the continually evolving role of a publicist in our social media infused world.  Though we are no longer able to so acutely control the message about an individual or a client that is being put out into the world, we are better able to connect with an audience in real time and with increased authenticity.  Through social media outlets, brands can connect with real people and create advocates that will increase their earned social media by a spike in sharing with their friends.

Facebook’s Kay Madati advised that the average Facebook user sees only 20% of their friends news on their daily newsfeed.  In order to best engage a brand’s fans on social media, it is essential that all content posted be engaging and compelling in order to make it into this small percentage that actually is viewed and, ideally, shared.  For each individual brand, the type of content that will be most effective in nudging its way to the top of this every-shifting algorithm will vary.  For some, it will be sharing their own exclusive brand-created content. While for some others it could be simply engaging in conversation with their fans on a relative trending topic of the day (ex. A television production company connecting with their fans about the results of last evening’s Emmy Awards).  The Jim Henson Company’s Allyson Smith advised that all content be 80% entertainment and 20% marketing in order to allow fans to have a greater sense of comfort with connecting with the brand, rather than feeling like they are being subjected to spam.

With the introduction of Facebook’s subscribe button for public updates, making it easier than ever for fans to opt-in (or opt-0ut) of news, creating compelling content is more essential than ever before.  Individuals now feel that they can not only directly connect with brands, but often times feel a sense of friendship and trust with that brand that can only be built through transparency and authenticity.  Ask yourself this: Do you feel you have a better “insider” view to a brand (whether that be a company, product or personality) from following their social media?  One example used was actor Vin Diesel, whose Facebook page currently boasts over 27 million fans.  Not only does he regularly and directly interact with his page and the fans that frequent, but he is also connecting on a wide range of topics, as anyone would do in an open conversation with their real friends.

Though they may function differently in the technology of the Facebook platform, it is important for brands to think of fans as their friends.  The question to ask is: What would the brand’s friends be interested in reading/interacting with?

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo

I remember the very early stages of Facebook, when the social networking platform was only available for students at a select group of approved universities.  When my small university in New Hampshire was finally approved for Facebook, I would have never dreamed that it would evolve into a network that would be used by students of all ages, my family members, work associates and even the president of the United States.

Last week’s online town hall meeting with President Obama at the Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, CA certainly brought to light the fact that the government has accepted not only simply that social media is here to stay, but that it is also a prime means to target not only young people, but also the tech-savvy thought-leaders that are frequenting these types of social media platforms.  Obama is also casting himself into the social networking frenzy in hopes to tap into a wider audience for his 2012 campaign fundraising efforts.

In May 2009, The White House began it’s “White House 2.0″ blog as well as created accounts on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.  Currently, The White House has over 1 million fans on Facebook, 145,693 “friends” on MySpace and over 2 million followers on Twitter.  At the time of the launch, the president noted, “We need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative,” and sought to “reach beyond the halls of government” to connect with the public.

Although the open forum at the Facebook campus was a good way for Obama to wade in the social media waters, he certainly took measures to avoid taking the full plunge right away.  Though questions were submitted from online Facebook users, all questions were pre-screened and all Facebook employees who were allowed to ask questions live were hand-picked before the live streaming webcast.  Though Obama did display a good deal of wit and charisma in his answers, he still lacked the real-time authenticity that social media is most effectively used for.  In order for this social media push for the 2010 Obama campaign to be as effective as the unique branding and marketing campaign launched for his 2008 election campaign, Obama will have to go to even greater lengths to reach the public in a more transparent and direct manner than his previous “safe” social media efforts.

1. Not everybody likes your company. People are going to say bad things about you.  Sometimes, they will say such horrific things that you will cry yourself to sleep and wonder where your career is going, but this is just part of the game.
2. Conversations go two ways. It isn’t enough to simply be present on a social network, you have to actually engage.  If your brand isn’t big enough to have customers coming to you, take some initiative and reach out to them!
3. Negative shouldn’t be avoided. Attacking the negative comments directly and in a timely manner is one of the greatest innovations of brand/consumer relations on social media… is you are avoiding it, you are only hurting yourself further.
4. It’s not all about you. If you are constantly talking about your own company/brand, your customers aren’t going to learn any more about you than they could have garnered from your website and traditional advertising.  Come up with a “voice” for your brand that allows you to communicate with customers directly and win over their loyalty in a more personal way.
5. Honesty is always key. Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes an tweet of Facebook post may go up that regrettably does not best represent your company.  Your followers will respect you more if you own up to your mistakes, apologize and move on rather than taking elaborate steps to cover up blunders.

If your company is unsteady about entering into social media, it’s really important to educate the staff about the positive effects that social media can have on your brand if done RIGHT.  Top brands including Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Dell and Whole Foods Markets are excellent examples of how a brand can successfully engage with their audience and leverage the latest trends in social media technology to create conversation and excitement among their listeners.

Never be embarassed about taking advantage of a killer photo op.

We all come to SXSW hoping to get the latest buzz on emerging media and technology.  There are also a range of other reasons why we come to SXSW Interactive, so tips on how to get the most out of the experience academically can be somewhat subjective.  However, here are some key tips that will get you through like a champ, regardless of your reasons for attending:

1. Drink Water. And PLENTY of it.  Bring your own water bottle and fill up whenever you get the chance– you will be thankful in the morning.
2. Recharge. Bring your cell phone charger with you wherever you go and never let your charge get to an “emergency” situation.  I highly recommend investing in a portable charger (you will also make lots of new friends this way!)  There are outlets in more places than you may think but sometimes you will need to get a little creative.
3. Carry snacks. At any given time, there are so many options for things going on from parties to panels to meetups, so it can sometimes hit you out of the blue that you have forgotten to eat anything for seven hours!  If you see free food being given away, grab it whether you are hungry or not, as you will be thankful for that forthought later.
4. Be flexible. It’s a great idea to make a plan and have an outline of what you’d like to get accomplished in a given day, but it’s also key to go with the flow as some of the best experiences you will have could be waiting in line for a session or grabbing a sandwich at a food truck.
5. Bring a backpack. Between your pocket guide, party fliers and useless branded swag, you are going to end up accumulating a lot of “stuff” and it’s much easier to assess what is actually worth keeping later (why did I think I could find use for 9 frisbees again?)
6. Talk. Meet people.  Meet anyone you happen to be next to for more than 20 seconds–they could be the most interesting or most important person you encounter in your entire time in Austin and there’s no risk in saying hello.
7. Be comfortable. Most people dress casually, but beyond that it’s even more key to be comfortable.  You’re going to be walking all day and are most likely not going to have a chance to stop back at your hotel, so make sure you are wearing the MOST sensible shoes you own and have brought sufficient layers to accommodate for Austin’s rapidly changing weather patterns.  As pessimistic as it is to carry an umbrella, you will be thankful that you didn’t have to pay $30 for one at the convention center just because you were crossing your fingers for sunshine all day.
8. Know your limits. There are as many parties and free beers floating around as there are startups at SXSW, but you have to know when to put on the brakes and call it a day.  If you can party like a rockstar and still make it to that 9:30 a.m. session that you’ve been eying on the schedule, then more power to you!  If you know that you need a solid night’s sleep and a decent breakfast before you are of any use as a human, perhaps a low key night is more your pace.

As long as you are open to new ideas and ready to have fun you, can get the most out of your SXSW experience.  But always keep in mind that this experience is a marathon–not a sprint!

Young adults who are currently entering the professional workforce are very much ingrained in the “social media generation”.  They have most likely maintained their various social media accounts (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.) since college or before.  As they enter the more “serious” work environment, many of these budding professionals are warned of the possible implications of their social media activity on their employment prospects.  Does this mean that after graduating college everyone should delete their Facebook accounts and completely reform themselves in the social media realm?  A potential extreme measure, perhaps, but certainly not necessary.

Making your social media accounts “work friendly” has a lot to do with being aware of how you are perceived on the internet.  It is important to regularly Google yourself to find out what sort of information is out there about you.  If the third result on your search is a photo of you doing questionable things at a college frat party, it might be time to clean up your social media activity a bit.

Some tips for maintaining your professional social media persona:

1. Create a “Limited Profile”: This feature on Facebook allows you to limit the content that certain Facebook friends (of your choosing) are able to view.  Each time you add a work-related contact, you can choose for them to be added to your “limited profile” list and they will not by privy to any information that you may not want muddled with your professional image.
2. Network: It’s called social networking for a reason!  Do not limit yourself to only expanding your professional contacts on Linkedin (although it is a wonderful resource for that), also network with potential work contacts via more “casual” platforms, such as Twitter or Facebook–you never know when it will come back to benefit you.
3. Use Your Discretion: In certain industries, it is more acceptable, and sometimes even beneficial, to allow your work contacts to see some of your more “personal” posts.  If you are in a creative profession, it may be wise to let your professional social media connections be aware of what kind of events you are attending, etc.
4. Connect: So you’ve become Facebook friends with a potential client at a networking event.  Don’t simply accept the friendship and hope some conversation will magically appear… take the time to write them a brief note.  Even if nothing comes of it right away, people will always remember that you were attentive and that your meeting of them was memorable.
5. Monitor: You can’t maintain a positive professional image online if you are not tracking your virtual perception.  Not only should you regularly Google your name, but also any usernames that you frequently use.

A compilation of predictions for 2011 social media trends from some of the best experts on the web.

“It will become increasingly apparent that many of the functions of a corporation can be duplicated outside a corporation by new vetted social media applications.  Networks of people will become “corporations” and trade knowledge assets through the trade of virtual currency contracts.”  -Dan Robles, Conversational Currency

“Ongoing privacy issues will lead to a tightening up on the key social media sites and a universal legislation developed. This will primarily deal with the increasing attacks on our privacy due to the amount of information we’re putting out and who owns this.”  -Natalie Sisson, The Suitcase Entrepreneur

“But even if WikiLeaks itself gets shut down, we’re going to see the rise of “leakification” in journalism, and more importantly we’ll see a number of new media entities, not just mirror sites, that will model themselves to serve whistle blowers — WikiLeaks copycats of sorts.”  -Vadim Lavrusik, Mashable

“There are a number of great companies and apps currently experimenting with (or betting their business on) QR codes, and I predict that we’ll see a great deal more in QR territory in the coming year, including greater brand integration in print magazines, more consistent use in outdoor media, and even some clever mashups of QR codes, gamification and social commerce.”  -Stephanie Schwab, Social Media Explorer

“In the coming year, gaps in our video experience will be filled with the integration of filtering, tagging, editing and locating tools into each and every video feed. Both companies and consumers will increasingly rely on video to provide information and behavioral cues that are not otherwise present in texts, tweets and status updates, making video a critical component of the value chain for its impact on shaping people’s’ perception about companies and about each other.”  -Ravit Lichtenberg, Ustrategy.com

“Open source publishing application WordPress will become the platform of choice. Why? It makes it easier for websites to implement search-engine optimization at little to no cost with plug-ins, which add specific capabilities to software applications.”  -Starr Hall, Entrepreneur

“Blogs are an imperative part of the social space, allowing companies to generate branded content that can be used as fodder across social mediums. If your company has a blog, your social media agency should have a large role in the content creation, the editorial calendar, the site design and more. In 2011, I predict we’ll see more companies turning to agencies for help with their blog strategy and management and more agencies trying to integrate this into their services.”  -Callen, Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid Blog

“As competition heats up in the form of cheaper, smarter phones and an assortment of tablets that may hit the market, technology consumers will come one step closer to being connected 24/7, and in more powerful ways than previously possible. Social networking will be on the go, out of the house, and out of the office. More competition, variety, power, and affordability in devices will fuel the increase of ubiquitous social computing.”  -David Armano, Harvard Business Review

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SB: How do you think you can leverage your knowledge of the “old” ad world to modern advertising and its ever-changing trends?

CT: Some things never change. Brands will always want to be on the tips of everyone’s tongue. At the same time, consumers will always want to be entertained, to be given something to talk about. To fill all those awkward silences with their loved ones. Today we merely have a more various and sophisticated set of tools with which to do this. Which of course makes it all the more fun.

SB: When did you begin your involvement with social media?

CT: Despite my best efforts to introduce social media back in the 1960′s, the whole thing didn’t really catch on until a few years ago. I myself first set up my Facebook account back in March of this year.

SB: Describe your social media “approach”.

CT: My social media approach is to try to unite a wide and disparate group of people (namely those who work in or around the advertising world) through participation in something both intriguing and fun. What I have learnt is that people are very proud indeed of working in the advertising arena. It is an industry with a richly creative and highly influential history. I offer people a way of feeling an even closer connection to this advertising history, whilst also offering them an active role in its future.

SB: You have a pretty large following on social media (namely, Facebook).  What steps did you go to attaining this popularity?

CT: People love a story. A narrative. From day one of my social media life I gave people more than just a random smattering of advertising wisdom. I let them into the story of my unfolding life, and burgeoning advertising comeback.

SB: What led you to start this online recruitment search?

CT: T&T’s success will depend entirely on participation and involvement from talented people. It is important to recruit people in a semi-formal way, even within the fluid world of social media.

SB: What has the response been like?

CT: Overwhelming.

SB: What is the most interesting response you have received so far?

CT: Each and every response has been fascinating. I particularly enjoy receiving applications from students. Anyone looking for their first break. One curious character sent me a 10 minute animation about her love of chickens.

SB: Have there been any offensive submissions?

CT: Not a single one.

SB: What kind of talent do you hope to find through this search?  Are you looking to collect a large pool of individuals or just a select few?

CT: A large pool of anyone hungry to do something different.

SB: What is in the works for Trunchpole & Trunchpole?

CT: T&T will soon have the largest, most diverse and most talented creative department of any agency on the planet. As well as recruiting individuals through social media I have also formed strategic partnerships with a number of the most prestigious advertising colleges in the world. Phase one of the return of T&T is almost complete.

SB: Where will your headquarters be located?

CT: T&T headquarters is wherever I happen to be.

Take some time to check out Cornelius’ blog for T&T HERE.  You can also follow him on Facebook HERE as well as Press Kitchen.

It’s pretty obvious as we head into the holiday shopping season that there are no shortage of sales to be had. With Black Friday and “Cyber Monday,” shoppers are encouraged to make their purchases on the spot in order to get the best deals before they are gone.

To keep this incentive for immediate purchases, many brands are turning to online sample sales to sell their merchandise or services at a discount for a limited time (typically one or two days). With the recent nationwide Gap sale, Groupon has moved up as a front-runner in this daily sale phenomenon. Local Groupon participant iFlyHollywood offered a 56% discount on 2 Indoor Skydiving Flights and accompanying DVD which sold to 1,299 Angelinos. Their Groupon experience not only increased their local name recognition (even among those Groupon members who did not purchase their offer) but also saw increased sales after their Groupon participation.

Highlights of some of the most popular Daily Sales:

Fashion:

• Hautelook: Each day, HauteLook offers discounts of 50 to 75 percent off millions of members in the U.S. and Canada. Membership is free to join and everyone is welcome.
• RueLaLa:  Rue La La is an exciting new division of Retail Convergence, Inc., a portfolio of e-commerce companies leveraging a common technology platform, customer database, and management team to revolutionize online shopping.
• Ideeli:  ideeli is the fastest-growing online members-only shopping site in the U.S. Our 3 million members enjoy limited-time sales featuring the most sought-after brands across the categories of apparel, accessories, home, beauty, travel and kids. Each event is designed by ideeli editors to offer an exclusive shopping opportunity with new brands featured each day at up to 80% off.
• Gilt Group: Gilt Groupe provides invitation-only access to highly coveted products and experiences at insider prices. Each day, Gilt offers its members a curated selection of merchandise, including apparel, accessories and lifestyle items across the women’s, men’s and children’s categories. In addition, we provide the best in home décor and entertaining essentials, along with luxury travel packages and fantastic offers on local services and experiences.
• Swirl:  Swirl is an online sample sale site created in partnership with DailyCandy. What this means for you: clothing and accessories from the world’s best designers, from up-and-coming buzzmakers to our favorite established brands, at 80% off.

Local Services:

• Groupon:  Groupon features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat and buy in a variety of cities across the U.S., Canada, Europe and soon beyond.
• Living Social:  LivingSocial connects customers to cool stuff. In addition to our popular Facebook apps—Pick5 and Visual Bookshelf—we also offer daily deals to the best places in your city, so you can: Try new things without breaking the bank, support local businesses and hang out with your friends, guilt free.
• Deal On:  DealOn provides its members with access to unique offers from the most reputable local merchants and vendors. The DealOn staff works hard scouring each city for unique venues, offers and experiences.

• Daily Candy:  DailyCandy editors scour the corners of the U.S. and London to deliver the very best in style, food, fashion and fun fro free via e-mail, video and the Web. Tuesday’s DailyCandy Deals features special sales (always at least 25% off!) and promotions exclusively for DailyCandy subscribers.
• Yelp: Yelp was founded to help people find great local businessed like dentists, hair stylist and mechanics. In addition to reviews, you can use Yelp to find events, special offers, lists and talk with other Yelpers.