Administrative Assistant's Update

3 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Free vs. Premium Which level of account on LinkedIn is right for me? By Leslie Hughes I hear from quite a few people that they LOVE having a LinkedIn pre- mium account. There are a few different levels in- cluding Job Seeker, Recruiter, Business and Sales Navigator. Each level has its own unique advantages, and different costs are as- sociated with each level. From a general standpoint, the ben- efits of having a paid account include: • Sending InMails (you can send a direct mail without making a con- nection request) • Access to see more people who have viewed your profile • A "deeper dive" for searching people and saving your searches on LinkedIn I have a basic (unpaid) account, but I have tried the FREE month to see if I would benefit from a premium (paid) account. Looking at the cost for each account ($30.99 per month for Job Seeker, $60.99 per month for Business Plus, $89.99 per month for Sales Navigator and $119.95 per month for Recruiter Lite), you'll want to ensure you are get - ting the best return for your investment. Will investing in a premium ac- count help you to convert a minimum of $____ (insert your level here) per month. If the answer is "YES, it will help me convert more business" then it's worthwhile. You have to be ACTIVELY using it to produce results. Check it out for yourself. You can try LinkedIn's premium account for a month for free (just be sure to down- grade before the renewal date!). The next issue of Administrative Assistant's Update will discuss: The EASIEST ways to get a testimonial for your LinkedIn profile. Leslie Hughes was called a "Social Media Guru" by CBC Radio and has been working in digital marketing since 1997. She is a LinkedIn optimization specialist, professor of social media, corporate trainer and principal of PUNCH!media. PUNCH!media clients include The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America and TVO. www.punchmedia.ca (sign up for weekly newsletter) leslie@punchmedia.ca Leslie Hughes STRATEGIES Credit: Evan Lorne/Shutterstock Employers need to support social media training In a recent post on LinkedIn Pulse, Ryan Holmes, CEO at Hootsuite, contends that the contemporary workforce is poorly equipped to un- lock the potential value of social me- dia. Hootsuite, based in Vancouver, offers a social media management system in the form of a dashboard that integrates Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media. While some organizations em- ploy or contract with specialists to handle their social media presence, many more companies depend upon current staff, including administra- tive professionals, to manage their social media exposure. "Social media duties have been radically democratized and decen- tralized," says Holmes. "Employees have been asked to use social media in ever more numerous and unfamiliar ways. The standard marketing functions are just the tip of the iceberg. Social tools are being used to stream- line customer service, drive sales, improve HR processes and build em- ployee brand advocacy programs." How to provide training for em- ployees? Colleges and universities are increasingly offering courses. But the right training solutions need to be "on demand and mobile friendly," says Holmes, and he notes that many of the best options are coming from companies "immersed in the social and digital media space, offering real lessons from the front lines." Hootsuite's Podium online course, for example, is free and has 50,000 users.

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