Review: Real-time Tracking with Keyhole

Posted on by aurorameyer

Keyhole.co is a real-time hashtag tracker for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It’s a visual dashboard that tracks keywords, hashtags and URLs. Using Keyhole.co you can measure and amplify conversations around your brand and campaigns.

For a reasonable price compared to other tracking services, you can also identify prospective clients and influencers who are talking about (or looking for) your services, products or organization.

Keyhole.co goes deeper than standard impressions and reach by giving you more insight into demographics and where your potential customers, clients or members are sharing the conversation.

On the dashboard (in this case for #TeamUSA), you can see the conversation, the numbers around tweets, users, reach and impressions. You can see who had the most top posts by retweets, Klout score or most recent tweets for the topic.

 

The Top Sites section allows you to see what domains were mentioned using that hashtag, and what tweets sent traffic there.

KeyholePost_html_23226ba3

Share of posts shows the breakdown of original posts, RTs and Replies. Most Influential give you details about who had the most retweets or who has the biggest Klout score, which tells you who talks about the brand or keyword the most. Recent users will show you who tweeted with the topic or hashtag in chronological order.

To read the rest, you’ll have to go check out PRBreakfastClub, where I wrote this as a guest piece.

p.s. there is still time to enter the contest to win a free 30-day trial for one PRBC reader. Just Tweet why you deserve to win tagging @keyholeco with the hashtag #PRBCKeyhole Winner will be announced on March 18, 2014.

ProTips

Posted on by aurorameyer
Image from: aphasia.org
Image from: aphasia.org

While nearly all of these can be summed up with two words: kindness and consideration, sometimes it takes more than 140 characters to share words of wisdom. These are the long versions of some of the #ProTips I shared on Twitter yesterday.

1) Don’t ask for easily accessible information. This also means don’t ask for something you’ve already asked for recently. For example: email addresses. Before you contact a colleague or professional contact for an email address, try Googling or at least searching your own past messages. Email addresses aren’t hard to find. (See this post on finding an email address.)

2) Don’t be unrealistic in your requests. If you want help, make sure it will take the person you are asking for help from less than 10 minutes. Whether it’s a presentation review or resume edits also make sure that the person you are asking for help from:

  • has the time 
  • doesn’t have a conflict of interest
  • isn’t something they have clients for

3) Don’t ask for something for free if the person you are requesting help from usually gets paid for the same service. Instead of asking for free help, think about what you can offer in return. Maybe it’s just a cup of coffee. That’s ok. But at least acknowledge the hard work the person has done to build their client base and be honest. Telling the person you are needing help from, “I can’t afford your usual rate, can we work something out?” is better than assuming the person wants to help you for free and having the advisor bristle at your request. Knowing whether or not the advisor typically charges for the service means doing a little research.

4) Do be considerate, asking for helps from 20 people makes you look desperate and as if you didn’t do your research. Your ask should be specifically targeted to the specific person, not a blanket request. Make sure to include as many details as possible about what you need help with and why. It’s better to err on the side of over information that not enough.

5) Do understand the person you are asking for help from will research you. That means you should make sure your LinkedIn and Facebook work history are as up to date as your resume.

6) Do be gracious if the answer is no. Don’t burn the bridge, you never know when that might come back to bite you. Most importantly, burning the bridge you asked to be on is not the wisest idea, especially if you ignored advice #4 and did a mass request and then were indignent when the person researched you, asked questions and gave an honest answer. In this specific case, all 20 people you originally asked for help from will see you burning the bridge and probably start to question if they want to help you at all.

7) Don’t ask for someone to teach you what took them years to learn. You should not expect to become an expert html coder in time for an interview. For example, you should not expect to become an expert in public relations or analytics in just a few days. If you follow no other piece of advice, this is the most important. If you don’t, your request comes across as insulting.

8) Don’t ask for help in fooling an interviewer. Know that when and if the person helps you, he or she is putting his or her name and reputation on the line and that might mean telling you, this isn’t a good use of your talents. A hint that this might not be a good fit, is if you are trying to learn several new skill sets just for an interview. (See advice #7)

Am I missing anything else that needs to be on this list?

Resume Mistakes

Posted on by aurorameyer

misstake

If you aren’t already following Undercover Recruiter on Twitter and checking out the website, you’re missing an excellent resource. The no-nonsense style and advice is perfect for anyone in the job market.

Take for example, the recent post 7 Things You Can’t Hide in your Resume by Karalyn Brown (on Twitter @InterviewIQ), all seven are critical errors that you might not have previously considered.

1. You are not a native English speaker. This advice goes both ways. If your main language is English and you’re applying for a job abroad (even in the UK!) make sure you have a local native read your resume and cover letter. Hint: if they laugh, chuckle or grimace  you’ve missed something.

2. Inflating your experience and skills. This is a giant red flag. Granted, you might not get caught until after you’re hired, but the second your employer finds out you can’t edit an entire broadcast story on tape to tape in under 10 minutes, as you stated on your resume, you should expect to be shown the door. In today’s digital age, it is easy to catch liars.

3. You’re not very confident. Just like overselling yourself is a red flag, underselling yourself is just as detrimental. Be proud of the skills you have and your work experience. Don’t be afraid to state what makes you uniquely qualified for the postion you are applying for.

4. You want to keep your age to yourself. Most new graduates and seasoned employees are afraid to put dates on their resumes. This might hurt you more than help you. If a college degree is required, the potential employer might want to verify you received the degree from your stated university (see No. 2 above), that can be hard to do without a graduation date. Work experience and skills can usually give a potential employer a ballpark figure on your age, don’t make them work too hard.

5. You lack marketing skills. Your job is to sell yourself! You are marketing a product you know super well, you! Just don’t be smarmy.

6. You aren’t really that bothered about this job. Why this job? Why should the hiring manager consider you above all other candidates?

7. You do not write very often, or well. Be concise and clear. Read your cover letter and resume out loud to yourself. Vary how you start and end your sentences.

What other erros might make your resume end up in the circular file (trash)?

It’s ok to be quiet in a tragedy

Posted on by aurorameyer

I’d like to clarify in more than 140 characters a Tweet I sent earlier today. The Tweet was: “Every business social account does not need to share “thoughts and prayers are with #Newtown.” If you can’t add to the conversation, don’t.”

The context came from both my Facebook newsfeed and my Twitter feed. In both, businesses and organizations were simply posting some variation of: “We’re deeply saddened by the news of the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. We send our thoughts and prayers to all affected.”

It was overwhelming and distracting. Those kinds of statements don’t add to the conversation. Coffee places, non-profits, businesses and the like, didn’t need to say anything. At best it comes across as trite, at worst, like this Tweet from KMart, which Matt LaCasse posted to Facebook after seeing it elsewhere, comes across as very insensitive.

KMart tragedy Tweet

In a 24/7 news world, it is crucial for brands and business to follow news and revamp on the fly.

As digital marketer, Lauren Fernandez, (cubanalaf) points out, there are times when it is appropriate to say something. She replied to my tweet with, “We did so when canceling our contest today, and felt it was appropriate. I still do.”

Fernandez also adds, “It’s appropriate for brands to do so if product, company values or brand location ties into it.”

I agree with her on both points. Her first comment is the right way to acknowledge that plans changed and events and people take prescience over promotion.

Do you manage a social account for a brand or business and agree or disagree?