StlRecruiting

Selling Products Using Social Media

If you're a small business planning on using social media to sell products online, you might think about picking up this training DVD before doing so.  Yes, the DVD was produced and created by Durbin Media, but it's really a good primer for anyone planning on selling online.

It's good for online stores, retailers looking for a social media presence, and marketers who need to understand what their competition is up to.  If you've never heard of Stylehive or Shopzilla, and if you think Craigslist is only used by people to cheap to advertise in the Thrifty Nickel, this DVD will open your eyes. It's part of the Brandstorming store, our small business marketing venture, and it's packed with tips from my personal experience in marketing to small business.

You know you want it.  You're already dropping thousands of dollars a year on directories and yellow pages, and most of you started that PPC campaign with $2000 with no results.  Before you tap your cash flow, take a look at what you should be doing, and you'll pick up tips to make your current marketing more exciting and more web friendly.

And while you're at it, read the brandstorming small business marketing blog, and  if you want to connect on Twitter, check out http://twitter.com/brandstorming for more tips.  If you're a small business in St Louis, follow me and I'll follow you back.

Between Jobs Lab At Windsor

I'm going to try to make it to Windsor Crossing to try and help out in the Between Jobs Lab tonight at 7:30.  A lot of recruiters are pitching in trying to share information about getting a job, and I'd like to share my expertise.

The problem is always one of time.  Maybe in a larger group, people won't expect that I can actually find them a job, and instead will listen on how they can go about getting their own.

I'm reviewing a book by Rose Jonas, the Job Doctor, and I can tell you it's exactly what people need. I've found that encouragement and support are often more important than jobseeking tips and tricks.  I'll have a full review later, once the cloning process is complete, but i'll try to take some notes and twitter tonight.

by the way, if you're following along - my Twitter ID's are @smheadhunter, for social media headhunting and recruiting, and @brandstorming for small business marketing.

Brandstorming Store For Small Business Is Live

For those curious as to why this blog is strangely, inactive, I'd like to introduce you to my latest project, a social media training DVD store for small business. The lessons are different than the HR Training store at SMH, as the subject matter is focused almost entirely on small and microbusinesses.

While I've been active in online employment in St Louis and beyond, my firm, Durbin Media has also been engaged in interactive marketing projects for clients. Tapping into my background selling small business marketing, we added the training store to address the lack of relevant information on using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other tools for generating sales.

Social media is a killer app for the small business, but it takes time to learn.  Like my Blogging Boot Camp, the DVD's work as accelerators to that learning curve. 

Take a look, and please consider linking, sharing, or retweeting the store to your audiences.  StlRecruiting now returns to its regular scheduled programming.

The State Of St Louis Staffing

I've been talking to quite a few staffing firms, and business is steady in St Louis.  It's down, no doubt, but there are still jobs to be had.  The problem, as always, seems to be the easy money has dried up, and recruiters have to work harder to pay the bills.

Clients are more cautious about hiring, but that's a trend that has been accelerating for some time.  Job Descriptions still fail to adequately explain what is needed, and far too often the skillset requested is a compilation of older requirements.  Companies big and small post boring descriptions that don't mean anything, and then wonder why they can't get jobseekers to read the position before applying.

In a world where social media is touted as a cure-all, it's shocking that hiring information is still at a premium.  Jobseekers flood to LinkedIn and Facebook and job boards, but I'm not hearing much about it benefitting them.  LinkedIn is a part of the puzzle, but too many people are replacing, "I clicked Apply Now" with "I have a LinkedIn profile." 

Not to blame jobseekers - recruiters spoiled by lots of jobs and posting are realizing that the phone, that accursed tool for talking with people, is still a requirement in staffing.  Email and IM and Twitter are good for communicating process - setting appointments, adding value - but no one is persuading a candidate to take a job through text.  And as for new requirements - being interesting and connected are requirements for getting heard.  Hiring managers are getting more calls, but worse calls.  That's a shame - as making connections when they don't have an open position is the backbone of your long-term financial worth.

Here's where I sound like John Sumser. We're learning that the old ways still work. Personal connections, industry experience, and the recognition that activity drives results on both sides of the equation are back in vogue.  There is business and there are jobs to be had.  Listening to recruiters, I sometimes long for the simple days of having no responsibilites but smiling and dialing.  I'd make a killing in this market.

   

Social Media Headhunter In March Madness Contest

A contest is going on over at Fistful of Talent, matching up recruiter blogs in a March Madness contest.

I'm in the first bracket, and could use the votes.   It's not StlRecruiting, it's Social Media Headhunter.

It's the quiz down at the bottom.  Click Here to Vote.  And if you're looking for a bunch of good recruiter blogs, this contest has them.