Oyetola Oyewumi speaks on Online Reputation Management at Growth HUB Manchester Seminar
Oyetola Oyewumi CEO of COBS GROUP speaks at a seminar for the Growth HUB in Manchester about Online Reputation Management.
Oyetola discusses a number of topics on the subject of Online Reputation Management and Social Media Reputation Management such as: the importance of proactive and reactive Online Reputation Management, he explains the lasting impact of Social Media on people's careers and how the internet can impact individuals and businesses.
Online Reputation Management is an interesting topic to which his digital and legal background compliment each other.
Dealing with Random Linkedin Requests and Linkedin Etiquette
So its nothing new that LinkedIn is an excellent Social Networking tool for the professional and business community. There are so many great things to do with LinkedIn from the ability to sell your professional self in your profile to the ability to make great connections and good contacts in the business world.
Imagine if Napoleon Hill had the ability to just email and send connections via LinkedIn when writing the amazing : Think and Grow Rich (if you haven't read it I suggest you stop reading this and go read it NOW!!!).
He could have simply and easily got in touch with all those business magnates from the comfort of his bed in his pyjama slippers.
However, with most things there are always two sides to the coin
1. The good things you can do with it and
2. The other things you can do with it,which it was never designed for .e.g in Manchester briefcases frequently also double as umbrellas.
Now in the case of LinkedIn it could be that your are ''subjectively Famous'', people have researched you from another source or heard about you from somewhere else and as you are an authority on a particular subject they want to have you as a contact, anyone who read Lewis Howes's book on LinkedIn would have instantly tried to connect with him (I know I did).
But there is an unwritten etiquette in life that states when you meet strangers for the first time you should introduce yourself, the same goes for the online world, if I get people I don't know adding me on LinkedIn the first few things I think are:
How do I know you?
or
Do I know you?
or
Did we meet, did I forget, am I a bad person for that ?
or
Wait, do you just want to see my contacts ?
Statistically if a masked person approached, you would more than likely side step such an approach with the finesse of a New Zealand Rugby player 100% of the time, the same goes for the online world.
If you're intending to use LinkedIn properly you have to let people know who you are and why you want to connect otherwise they will be very suspicious of who you are and your intentions.
So here are a few tips
1.Have a face
2.Have a properly filled out profile in case I've met you but my memory has failed me momentarily, all I need to do is see your title, where you're from or what you do and I realise oh ''this is X from Y that I met at Z ''.
Best of all it takes only a few seconds to do so, as the form below makes it easy to put an intro that helps answer the who why and when questions.
However it might not be entirely your fault.
LinkedIn has this new thing where if you search for a person using the LinkedIn search bar and add them it doesn't give you the option to explain who you are as in the form above.
Instead if you go onto their profile and click connect that way it then gives you the option to introduce.
Hence, I would suggest you do that and connect directly from the person's profile and not from the LinkedIn search results.
Moral of the story:
Have a good and properly filled out LinkedIn profile
Connect directly via the persons profile
State who you are
Why you are connecting
OR
Face the wrath of the Delete/Rejection button
Oyetola Oyewumi CEO of COBS Group in Business Week
I imagine a Tech magazine cover would read something like this : Oyetola Oyewumi Online Reputation Management Strategist and CEO of COBS Group was featured in Business Week with regards how to use Social Media for your Business (quite a long title though).
I must say this was a very proud moment, as an Entrepreneur it's always great to get Media recognition from the business community and I hope the information in the feature can help more people in business embrace the Digital age and get more profitable.
Mark Zuckerberg The Real Face Behind Facebook
A look at the rise of Mark Zuckerberg the birth and development of Facebook. Very interesting documentary on Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook and its inception.
http://youtu.be/0QfY0uXLD2g
A Quick Guide to Tumblr
First things first Tumblr is totally awesome for visual content hence sport teams, before and after gym sessions , then and now interior decorators in fact just about anything that you can create visual content for works well with Tumblr.
So the only thing you really need with Tumblr is a CREATIVE imagination.
Now without any further ado let me explain how to understand and then make the most of Tumblr with this simple guide.
Set Up Your Tumblr
First things first set up your Tumblr account with a good name reflecting what your niche interest or audience is about and use a nice theme that you like. Have a scroll through some other Tumblrs that you like and see their themes and layouts.
This will give you an idea of what you like and don’t like. (Below we discuss how to find Tumblrs you might like)
Search & Tracking
Next thing is use the Tumblr search highlighted below in orange to find your interests simply type in names of celebrities, fashion, music genres pretty much anything you like and then start tracking.
What Tracking means is that all the new content (pictures posts videos etc) related to those interests will keep coming up on your dashboard.
For instance as a young entrepreneur naturally other entrepreneurs would be of interest to me hence I would track and follow content of others in that niche and as such reblog the content that I liked and vice versa.
Not to mention Tumblr will also suggest stuff which you might also like for instance below while I track Entrepreneurs Tumblr suggests business, entreprenurships, and start-ups.
When you follow content, reblog other content and follow other tumblrs you slowly build your own niche Tumblr network they in turn follow and reblog the good content you have and slowly but surely the snowball effect begins .
Your first Tumblr Move.
The basic trick to having a good Tumblr is great content: videos from youtube or any other video networking site, amazing 3D art, breathtaking pictures or just very cool visual content are the basic principles to a good Tumblr pretty much anything that makes you say WOW.
When you make a Tumblr post be it a video, quote, picture makes sure its appropriately tagged with the vocabulary of that particular industry/interest niche for instance fashion tumblr posts, cool stuff posts and entrepreneurial content will all be tagged differently to represent the language of the audience.
The right Tags ensure it can be searched ,tracked and you will be followed by other Tumblrs looking for your type of content.
Trip Advisor Negative Reviews and the Effects of Negative Reviews
When it comes to the Hospitality industry TripAdvisor can make or Break a Business and this BBC video shows both the Good and Bad of TripAdvisor.
If your business is looking to remove or deal with Negative Business Reviews Our CEO Oyetola Oyewumi will also discuss in a Tutorial how to deal with Negative Reviews from Yelp,Google and TripAdvisor.
Social Media Training Manchester
I regularly receive requests regarding doing a general training for business owners to learn how to use Social Media in their business not only here in Manchester but as far as Canada.
One rule to Understanding Social Media
Social Media is not a one size fits all service, the expertise used to manage, market and execute a Social Media Campaign for one company is not going to be the same for another. Take for instance a Fortune 500 company issues such as shareholder/stakeholder confidence, corporate image, CSR are all under more public scrutiny than a small but growing one man business consultancy. Similarly the social Media Campaign for a restaurant will be different from that for a Hotel.
A Quick Guide to your Social Media Campaign
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail was the motto or something similar to that effect so allow me to set a simple guide that will also do Some light Social Media Training for all those reading this here are three important elements;
1.Understand Each Social Media Platform
Understanding how each platform works is key to success in Social Media Marketing. In the same way that A Tv ad is different from a Radio ad so are the various Social Media platforms uniquely different from one another.
The Main platforms include:
Facebook the brand magazine.
Twitter the voice of opinion (sometimes ranting)
Linkedin the professionals brand of one
Youtube your very own brands Tv channel online.
A related article that can help shed more light is My Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Business Doctor: How to Use Social Media for Your Business
2.What is your Social Media strategy?
Effective Social Media levels the playing field a lot when you know the objective that will lead to the strategy you will follow :
A. What do you want to achieve with your Social Media campaign ?
B. Do you want to position your company as the market leader?
C. Do you want position yourself as the thought leader ?
D.Make Money
Most businesses when asked this question will say I want to make money with Social Media but in reality all of the above done correctly will in fact lead to option 'D' inevitably.
3. It is a two way conversation
We should always remember Social Media is a relationship and with any relationship communication is vital and this is no less the case when you have the ability to generate an unlimited number of brand ambassadors for your company and business just because you are good at what you do. Social Media done properly is like ''Word of Mouth on Performance Enhancing Vitamins''. Picture your favourite sports athlete, entertainer, politician, icon, classical /modern day hero e.t.c and that position they hold in your eyes is the same perception an authority you can benefit from with proper social Media finesse.
Hope this has been helpful and an enjoyable do always feel free to share and let us know any burning questions you may have.
Ellen Degeneres In Your Facebook.
Its no secret that we at COBS Group are big fans of Ellen Degeneres, her use of Social Media engagement plus all round ''awesomeness'' are just some reasons we follow her and enjoy her comedy.
This video about Ellen in your Facebook isn't just a funny video its a brilliant use of social media to engage your target audience and making the most of user generated content.
The future of Social Media is shaping and Ellen is one of the people at the heart of it.
http://youtu.be/U__EzGsezGg
If I was Police and Crime Commissioner Here's What I Would do With Social Media.
The Police Commissioner Elections
Today is an interesting day in the United Kingdom as the elections for the new post of Police and Crime Commissioner are in full swing.
So what exactly is the this role about?
Well according to some research aka ''Googling'' we have identified that the Police and Crime Commissioner has a "mission to fight crime and Anti Social Behaviour "
I also found a list of other duties that were of interest and these two stood out:
- Representing and engaging with all those who live and work in the communities in their force area and identifying their policing needs.
- Setting priorities that meet those needs by agreeing a local strategic plan for the force.
Crime Fighting with Social Media
A point which I believe needs to be understood by the person who fills this role is how to use Social Media as an effective means to battle crime.
The Not so Distant Past
Back in my Undergraduate days (The year was 2005) there was an incident that occurred outside the lecture theater in which one of the bikes padlocked outside the entrance to the building was in the process of being lifted by two hooded thugs. One brandishing a knife to anyone who dared make eye contact , the other trying to force through the bikes locks and all in broad daylight.
At the time no one dared even try and step in as the first auto response for most of us humans is self preservation, so most walked briskly passed in shock some of us reported it straight to the guys on reception but by the time they came to the rescue the deed was already done.
The Present Digital Age
Fast forward to 2012 and new school social media is now officially 7 years old and the smart phone is like a compass for our daily routines. Now put me or anyone in that same situation again and I know instantly that I would intsantly instagram or take a picture of both culprits from a safe distance or even film them for Youtube and tweet my Oscar worthy video and flicks to @GMpolice (Greater Manchester police for those who aren't ''Twitterfied' yet) who could have every ounce of eveidence possibly fathomable for a slam dunk case and a happy cyclists to get his bike back.
Some of the Costs and ROIs of Fighting Crime with Social Media
Cost to the economy would be my 5seconds of battery life depleted and possibly the police listening to my John Motson styled running commentary benefit to the economy on the other hand would be hopefully more significant than the costs.
Touching on the Cyber Bullying Issue
Similarly the rising issue of Cyber Bullying in schools and around communities is another one which I would as the Police and Crime Commissioner want to tackle head on this is because the times we are living in cyber crime is as just as serious and isn't only limited anymore to Fraud. Trolls are using the internet to intimidate and harm adults and children, however to understand how to use the power of social media to fight this enemy will require someone who has grown up with the 7 year old Social Media or understands it well enough to legislate and adjudicate.
The Allied Social Forces
The positive from this is that finding these people to help the legislative and judiciary are readily available and as the Police and Crime Commissioner I would very quickly take advantage of this.
Surely I would have at least by 10% done my bit in representing and engaging with all those who live and work in the communities as well as set a precedence in place to using an new ally to fighting crime and Anti Social Behaviour.
Finally if you ever do find your self in such a situation as this one below be a lamb and do please let us know.
Teaching Social Media to Over 30 Businesses in Manchester.
Oyetola Oyewumi CEO of Chief Online Business and solutions Group aka C.O.B.S Group is Social Media and Online Reputation Management Expert and in this video he teaches over 30 businesses in Manchester how to use Social Media for their businesses in simple English and non technical terms.
He explains how to understand the individual strengths of the big 4 Social Media Platforms ie Linked in Twitter Facebook and Youtube.
He also explains how to position yourself as the authority on these social channels within your niche and actually make some money with social media.