Social Media

Pretty neat. Internet marketing staffing company Onward Search has put together a chart showing where social media pros are most in demand, how much they can expect to earn, and the most popular job titles.

The best city for social media jobs is, unsurprisingly, New York, followed by San Jose and San Francisco. But you’ll also see Minneapolis, Denver, and Baltimore on the list.

“Blogger/social media content writer” is the most popular job title, and in New York that position pays anywhere from $22,000 to $60,000.

A social media marketing manager can make six figures in five major cities.

See below for more factoids!

© 2012 Onward Search

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.

Blogger Josh Davis writes that Pinterest, for at least a month, has been hijacking users links to insert affiliate codes that get Pinterest some revenue if a user clicks and then purchases an item on the source page.

If a pinner has added his or her own affiliate code, Pinterest won’t delete it to insert its own, but otherwise, links to ecommerce sites are fair game.

This isn’t disclosed anywhere on Pinterest’s site.

This is interesting on a number of levels, Josh says. “Pinterest is taking the unique path of generating revenue early…I wrote previously on how Pinterest could be the most valuable social network for retails sales, and in Pinterest’s case, they have found a relatively easy solution to start capturing the value of the network before they even leave their beta phase.” But, it’s also creepy. “How they are doing it with no disclosure to users feels weird…I, like many people, don’t have a problem with Pinterest making money off of user content. The links are modified seamlessly so it doesn’t affect the experience. Pinterest likely should disclose this practice to users even if they aren’t required to do so by law, if only to maintain trust with their users.”

In a follow-up post, Josh points out that Pinterest’s terms of service unequivocally say they can do this (or whatever they want to your pins) and that it’s not illegal to not disclose affiliate links. But it is kinda creepy, no?

A motion by Noah Kravitz to dismiss the case against him by Phonedog was denied this week, reports ReadWriteWeb.

As a reminder, Kravitz, a former employee of PhoneDog, changed his Twitter handle when he quit the company but kept the 17,000 followers he’d amassed.

According to Kravitz, this agreement was fine with PhoneDog for eight months, and then he sued them for back pay. In his mind, this is simply a retaliation lawsuit.

However, other social media analysts are saying that taking your Twitter followers with you when you leave a company is the modern equivalent of grabbing your Rolodex on the way out.

Without the agreement in writing, Kravitz may have a rough time ahead of him. But Kravitz’s lawyer said of the denied motion to dismiss: “”The Court’s decision … means that PhoneDog has met the minimum requirements to survive a motion seeking to throw PhoneDog’s claims out of court, but it was not a decision as to whether or not PhoneDog is entitled to the relief it seeks. Ultimately PhoneDog will be unable to prove its allegations against Mr. Kravitz, and Mr. Kravitz will prevail.”

A hearing is set for later this year.

Ed. Note: The last time we heard from journalist, social media strategist, and MJD friend Alexis Grant, she was telling people how to turn their traveling dreams into reality without hurting their careers. Here’s another post of hers, this one about getting lucky, or rather, making your own luck while you’re searching for a job. She also asks that we mention her new online course about how to use social media to Make Your Own Luck. If you feel like you’re not getting the most out of your social networks, now’s the time to sign up!

When it comes to looking for a new job, we often credit luck with bringing us success.

Someone important noticed how awesome you are and recommended you to a recruiter? How lucky! You heard about an open position before it was listed on job boards? Just your luck! A hiring manager reached out to you on Twitter? You lucky duck!

But in truth, luck rarely shows its face without being summoned. Most of these “lucky” situations only occur when you set the right foundation and go out of your way to make strategic connections. In other
words, you have to make your own luck.

But how the heck do you do that? How do you help opportunities come your way?

Years ago, this would’ve required a ton of legwork. And while legwork can still be part of that equation, we now have a way to get far more bang for our buck: social media.

Now you can get the right people to notice you without getting up from your desk. Here are a few tips for doing just that:

For the love of God, get on Twitter. LinkedIn and Facebook are great networking tools, but Twitter is by far the most effective network for getting on the radar of people you don’t already know. And let’s face it, you probably don’t yet know most of the people you want to hire you. So if you’ve been putting off joining Twitter and – even more importantly – learning how to use it well, you’re at a disadvantage. This should be a priority for your career.

Recognize the power of the RT. If you want to get someone’s attention without getting in their face, retweeting one of their (quality) tweets is a subtle way to do it. A RT is Twitter’s version of giving props, and who doesn’t love a little flattery? Better yet, add a thoughtful comment to that RT, so they quickly realize what a smart cookie you are.

Stop trying to remain anonymous on LinkedIn. Why does everyone not want their name to show up in someone else’s list of who has viewed them that week? Don’t look at that hiring manager’s profile from your friend’s account just to remain under-the-radar. You want that person to know you took the time to look them up on LinkedIn and learn what you have in common – it shows your resourcefulness. In fact, even if you already know everything about the person you want to notice you, go view their profile just so they see that you did.

Use your cyber-stalking abilities for good. Know those sleuthing skills you relied on to find juicy details about your ex’s new flame? Dig for info on the company or person you want to hire you with that same passion. Rather than relying on your application alone, try to make contact – in a non-creepy and non-annoying way – on your social networks. This is where Twitter is super important, because it’s not creepy to interact with people you don’t know on Twitter, where it might be perceived that way on Facebook or LinkedIn. With so many qualified workers applying for most journalism and media positions, filing an application is no longer enough.

Make return-stalking work to your advantage. If you do catch the eye of the right person, they’ll turn around and check you out right back. Are your profiles set up in a way that will make the most of that return-stalking? Are you providing value on your channels? Showcasing your expertise? All your efforts are likely to fail if you haven’t followed through on this essential step.

Target, target, target. These strategies work best if you know exactly who you want to notice you. That means which company, which recruiter, which boss, even which co-workers. So hone in not only on the type of job you want, but the company or organization you want to work for. The more specific you can be, the more effective these strategies. And that’s when you’ll really start making your own luck.

According to Gigaom, the photo-collection site Pinterest is driving more referral traffic than Google+, YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn combined.

Shareaholic tracks aggregated data from 200,000 publishers that reach 260 million unique visitors monthly, and found in its January survey that Pinterest was responsible for 3.6 percent of referrals. That’s up from 2.5 percent in December and .17 percent in July.

Facebook, not surprisingly, was responsible for the majority of referrals. 26.4 percent to be exact.

But if your content is picture-heavy (think food, fashion, movies) you certainly shouldn’t neglect this player in the social media space. Check out our short guide on getting to know Pinterest here.

The above recruiting video for Twitter is bad. Purposely bad, of course, but it’s still cringe-inducing. Hey, nobody wants to work at a company that takes itself too seriously to make a video this bad, right?

Most of the social network’s open positions are for engineering jobs, as you’d imagine, but we found a few for media pros, like this one for a copywriter/editorial manager.

According to marketer Mark Schaefer, yes. He lists seven reasons why a blog will help you in your job search.

Blogging while job-searching will:

• Show what you’re made of. In any interview, you normally have to try to convince people that you know what you know.
• Build a professional network.
• Engag[e] versus advertis[e].
• [Serve as a] point of differentiation.
• Sharpen your professional skills.
• Expand your reach.
• Extend the interview. Here is the last thing you say to your interviewer: “I’ve enjoyed our time together but there is so much more I could tell you about my abilities. I hope you’ll take a look at my blog (the web address is on my resume) so you can see for yourself the way I think about things.”
• And you know what? They’ll do it. You have just extended your interview by another 15-30 minutes and that may make all the difference!

Yes x 7.

But here’s the rub: what do you blog about? An unemployment blog (this particular example chosen randomly) seems to work for some people but we don’t recommend you do it. An industry blog makes more sense.

We suspect, however, that the blog that will make you most impressive in the eyes of an employer is one with quietly compelling content that shows not just how you think about things but provides solutions. So instead of just blogging about the latest social media scandal, offer tips for what the brand should have done instead. Instead of pointing out that Pinterest is gaining popularity with journalists, provide new ideas for other ways journos can use the site.

In other words…yeah, you’re giving it away for free.

But employers want to see solutions to problems and creativity. Show them that on your blog and you’re that much closer to landing your dream job.

Here’s a guest post from Brian Jenkins of BrainTrack.com that looks at whether you need a degree or certificate to be a social media marketer. We would be remiss in our duties to the mothership if we did not point out that in addition to the certificate programs mentioned below, Mediabistro offers a social media certificate program that requires 4-6 courses taken over one year.

Should aspiring social media marketers spend the time and money to obtain a college degree? It depends who you talk to. I asked Mark Stevens, a popular guest in mainstream media, author of “Your Marketing Sucks,” and CEO of MSCO Media, if it’s worth getting a bachelor’s degree in the field of Internet marketing. He strongly stated, “No. Get out, get your hands dirty and find your own way to make it work. All the great tech biz people passed on school for a reason. The marketplace beats professors as a teacher every day.”

I also spoke with John McCarthy, Senior Director of Digital Strategy at WebMetro, a prominent digital marketing company. John he told me that experience trumps Internet marketing degrees. He said, “An Internet marketing degree shows initiative, but experience is more crucial.” Some of the experts I interviewed believe that a college degree is a factor when hiring, but demonstrated success in the real-world of Internet marketing is much more important. They also told me that companies are looking for people with good Web analytic skills.

Mikolaj Jan Piskorski, associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, has a different view. According to him, it is crucial that students learn the theories, science, and facts behind social media marketing in the classroom. He believes marketers need this training to get beyond their own social media biases. Only that way can a marketer truly understand the people who are using the various social media platforms.

So a case can be made for taking Internet marketing classes: If a student goes to a good school, he or she will receive expert advice from professors with real-world experience. Students gain knowledge of what actually works through best practices case studies. They also learn how businesses effectively use online communities and influencers to enhance their marketing campaigns. The key is making sure the instructors have recent real-world experience in social media marketing. Besides courses, certificates, and bachelor’s degrees, some schools provide MBA programs with a specialization in Internet marketing.

Based on interviews with Internet marketing people, an internship, even if it’s unpaid, is worth the effort. Some Internet marketing companies end up hiring their best interns. An internship will enhance your resume and put you ahead of people with only a college degree and no social media marketing experience. If you can’t find an internship, volunteer some time every week for six months or longer. Not surprisingly, many firms enjoy receiving free help! Experience gained from internships or volunteering demonstrates to prospective employers that you have the skills they need.

There are a few quick programs out there that social media marketers can take to enhance their resumes. Rutgers University Center for Continuing Professional Development offers a fully online Social Media Marketing Certificate program that can be completed in less than a traditional semester. The University of San Francisco (USF) offers an online Master Certificate in Internet Marketing (three courses). USF also offers an Advanced Social Media certificate course, which can be done in eight weeks.

Completing some online Internet marketing courses, either through a college or some other notable entity, may increase your chances of getting an internship or a volunteer position. If you’re thinking about being self-employed in the field, some businesses may be impressed by a combination of proven success and a college degree in Internet marketing or related certificates.

Brian Jenkins writes about many different topics for BrainTrack.com, including college degrees in marketing.

Pinterest is the latest social network to really grab the attention of brands and bloggers, and for good reason: it is working. According to ShePosts, a blog for other women bloggers, Pinterest has increased some bloggers’ traffic by 40,000 impressions monthly. Not bad for a social network nobody had heard of six months ago.

So here, according to Mashable, is how to get the most results from the newest social network. There are 13 tips at the original post, so we’ll choose our favorites, and you should click through to the full post if you are interested.

Pick your niche. Curate, curate, curate. Don’t try to be everything to everyone.
Sell your stuff. If you sell physical products, adding a $ or £ to the description will cause Pinterest to automatically add a price banner and include the pin in the gifts category.
Keep it updated. Fresh stuff is valued at Pinterest, so adding new content is the best way to get more views.
Use power-search tools. This one is awesome: go to pinterest.com/source/mashable.com/ (or any site) to see which pins originated from that site.

The war is intensifying between BranchOut and BeKnown, competing Facebook apps that aim to add a professional layer to the social network.

Both apps try to make use of your friends and qualifications from Facebook in a way that’s more attractive to employers.

According to Randall Stross writing for the NYT, the developers “are hoping that users will accept a less-than-complete separation of the professional and the personal.”

When users join BranchOut, he says, the app automatically shows prospective employers the user’s friends. “These aren’t likely to have been assembled the way they are at LinkedIn, with the idea that one’s connections will be reviewed by strangers checking on professional qualifications,” he says.

BeKnown’s manager, Tom Chevalier, says this is bogus. “There are some people I’d prefer not to interact with in my professional career, but I’m still good friends with,” he told Stross.

But BranchOut’s CEO, Rick Marini, says he would feel more comfortable vouching for his “real friends” on Facebook than his LinkedIn connections, who are “people I’ve met for five minutes at a conference.”

As for LinkedIn, the network BeKnown and BranchOut are attempting to compete with? Still draws about 95 million visitors a month, compared to BranchOut’s one million and BeKnown’s 170,000.

“[David] Hahn[, vice president of product management at LinkedIn,] notes that Facebook users clearly love games like CityVille and Texas HoldEm Poker, which draw millions of users. But the relatively minuscule use of the Facebook apps that venture into professional profiles or networking, he says, is ‘evidence that users clearly want to keep their professional lives separate.’”