Abby Ferri

I presented this topic last week at the ASSP Safety 2018 conference and it went over really well. This post contains a wrap-up of the conference session. If you attended the session or were registered for the conference and couldn’t attend, the recording will be included with the conference proceedings when available.

My 2018 ASSP Elevate handout is at the link and via the ASSP conference app. If you weren’t there, you’ll need the following info for it to make sense!

Many people attended my session because they have an interest in using social media. They are not digital natives and do not have a comfort zone established with platforms outside of Facebook or LinkedIn. The main concern expressed by attendees was security. I addressed that and other tips related to multiple popular social media platforms:

Facebook

• Use a photo that you wouldn’t mind seeing in your company newsletter or an industry publication. It doesn’t have to be a professional headshot, but it should be professional looking, or at the very least not offensive and actually you!
• If you use Facebook groups related to industry, do a security checkup of your profile. Facebook has features that enable you to see what your profile looks like to a specific person. Pick a person you wouldn’t want to see any of your profile and view your profile as them using Facebook’s feature. Change settings as necessary.
• I started using Facebook for business pretty recently. I decided I should use it since I’d be speaking on using social media for safety pros! It became a great tool because I can schedule posts, receive notification the post is live, and then repurpose that post on Twitter and LinkedIn. Facebook supports long form posts and live streaming, which tend to have really good engagement – social media isn’t all about short attention spans.

LinkedIn

• This platform most definitely requires a professional photo, again, it does not need to be a professionally-taken headshot.
• There can be a lot of noise on LinkedIn, I’ve learned to block or unfollow people, and move on with my day. People are free to post what they want as you are free to not follow them! This doesn’t mean you cannot have fun on LinkedIn, just keep it related to your personal brand and story. For example, I’ll post short videos from my Snapchat in which I’ve put a filter effect on my face while talking about something related to my work. 99% of the feedback is positive.
• If you have written journal-quality content about a technical industry topic, consider using LinkedIn’s publishing platform. It’s a great way to get more eyes on your content, and more engagement with the topic for your further knowledge in the subject. I was one of the original LinkedIn profiles invited to use their publishing platform, I noticed a huge gain in engagement with my content. I don’t write many long-form blogs any longer, but when I do, I copy them from my website and paste them into LinkedIn for more visibility.
• I’ve been able to gain new business from LinkedIn when future clients have sent me direct messages through the platform. I don’t send many cold messages myself and prefer to use my content as my business card on LinkedIn.
• I’ve chosen to be a LION (LinkedIn Open Networker) and accept nearly every request for connection I receive as long as the person is in the safety industry or related to an industry I serve (construction, insurance, manufacturing, etc).

Twitter

• Twitter is my favorite social media platform. To me, it has just the right amount of business and personal mixed in. I feel that my twitter posts and engagement with others is the closest to my in-real-life (IRL) self.
• I have had business connections through Twitter’s direct messaging feature (sliding into the DMs), and it’s an easy way to reach people with a big platform on very nichey topics.
• A twitter feed can become overwhelming, so I unfollow people when the content no longer is interesting to me. I maintain two Twitter profiles – one for business and one for personal. They sometimes mix, and that’s OK. The two profiles are for me to organize and curate who I follow.

YouTube

• I maintain a YouTube channel to follow content providers for updated safety training videos. Last year during Safety 2017, I started posting my own content. I don’t get a lot of views or subscribers, but it’s a fun way for me to practice public speaking.
• In my experimentation with YouTube, I created some custom content for clients by recording myself speaking over PowerPoint slides. This was a great way to create quick  and custom training content for clients exclusive use. The videos would not make sense if used by other companies. Through posting “unlisted” videos and providing clients the direct link, the videos are kept off of YouTube’s general search visibility.
• I keep it simple with YouTube and just use my phone on selfie-video mode. I have had people ask me if I read from a script or use any special equipment, and the answer to both is no. I did recently buy a small tripod and may use that because I do like to talk with my hands!

Snapchat

• I have blogged about using Snapchat geofilters for marketing at conferences, and I did it again at Safety 2018. Other entities caught on this year, and I had some competition as people swiped left and right on their Snapchat apps!
• I am still exploring fun ways to use Snapchat for safety and will continue to use it in my personal life because I think it is fun!

Instagram

• I poo-poo’d instagram at Safety 2018 and showed a picture of my dog and cat from my personal Instagram.
• On the last day of Safety 2018, I met two young women who had attended my session and encouraged me to start an Instagram for business. They mentioned that I could receive analytic information and sell products direct through the platform. When I returned home, I took their advice and started @safetyabby on Instagram. I posted my Safety 2018 photos and will keep posting safety and industry related content. So far, the engagement is good and I will start perusing the #safetyselfie and other safety and work related hashtags to engage with others. You’ll have to stay tuned to find out how it works for me!

Make sure to view my slides for who I follow for social media advice and coaching, some general social media advice, and an action plan for speaking at Safety 2019 or other events.