Generation Y workers are notorious leapfrog employees. No sooner have we started one position that we’ve got our eyes open for the next big thing. There is no period that this is truer than during the first three years on the job. Entry-level positions, though not difficult to come by, don’t offer the right enticements to over-educated, over-achiever genYs. After graduating from college or grad school, we enter the work force with a voracious appetite for success. (We’re ready to conquer the world!) We feel that we’ve ‘paid our dues’ in the summers we spent as lowly interns and now, we’re ready for the real stuff: a fancy title, a corner office and a nice fat paycheck.

But, of course, that doesn’t happen. Instead, we’re hired as assistants, coordinators, or (gasp!) somewhere outside our chosen field. We make photocopies, answer phones, edit emails, maintain databases and grumble to ourselves “I spent four years in college for this!?”

Three months in we’re thirsty for encouragement, ready for review, and anticipating promotion. Six months in, we’re quicker, better, but we’ve lost the some of the excitement that made the early days fly by. By the time we reach nine months we’re daydreaming of greener pastures and when we hit a year, we’re ready for the next step. Surely a year of solid 9-5 work experience will lock us into the job we were meant for (see paragraph one). Time to update the resume, peruse job boards and see what other companies are up to.

[Insert the doom and gloom economy of '08/'09]

Unfortunately today’s genYs (like every other age and class of job seeker) is in for a shock when they find the job market that’s waiting for them.

It’s not that no one’s hiring. Though fewer than before, there are companies that are hiring. But, what this genY is finding is that the vast majority of jobs that are open are for two classes of workers:

1. Management. PR Directors, Public Relations VPs, Senior Communications Executives.
2. Entry (entry) level positions. Paid internships, Office Admin/Communications Combos, Part-time PR Help.

And so, us non-entry-level, entry-level communications pros are left to fight for the scraps. Over qualified for the newbie roles, but not ready for management, we’re left to cross our fingers that we’ll be the one in ten thousand chosen for the rare level two positions (AAEs or AEs, 1-3+ years of experience, Specialists, etc).

Of course, industry savvy professionals will go the extra mile. We’ll explore agency websites (you know, the ones that say ‘we’re always hiring’), schedule networking interviews, and beef up our social media presence. We’ll be as polished and qualified as anyone in the field, but still, we’ll most likely find that it’s connections, timing, and a good deal of luck that will help us land that ‘right’ job.

And if we don’t make it that far, we may just have to keep on hopping and settle, at least for today, for the right-now job.

Are you in the ‘in’ crowd or the ‘everybody’s in’ crowd?

Smart marketers understand that we want what we can’t have. They use the allure of exclusivity to build their brands — at times, creating limits just so they can surpass them. It’s the simple economics of supply and demand that when executed well, can make companies thrive.

But does this work for social media?

Social media communities are structured into two main types: Open and Closed.

Open Communities ( think MySpace), invite everyone to join. By breaking down doors (or eliminating them entirely) this method creates an ease of access that encourages fast growth. The success of MySpace and other free online tools (think: hotmail, yahoo groups) can be, at least in part, attributed to the fact that signing up is quick, easy, and open to all.

Closed Communities (think early Facebook), are based on idea of extreme exclusivity. They use the allure of being a part of something private, to make the community more enticing and build membership.

The overwhelming success of Facebook, clearly shows that Closed Communities do work — at least when executed well.  Even though exclusive sites like Facebook must turn away interested members/customers in order to maintain privacy, and even though those not allowed join may create negative feedback and be reluctant to join should the doors open to everyone down the road…

Interests: “Didn’t I already do this on MySpace?”
–A profile quote from a Facebook latecomer and former MySpace user.

…easily accessibly sites like MySpace open the door for fake profiles, unwanted connections, and spam messaging. These privacy issues make some hesitant to join or unhappy once they have and even more likely to leave in the long run.

And when it comes down to it, privacy and security are deal breaker issues for many people.

And it’s the ability of exclusive communities to better control information of their memebers that contributes to their long term success. Facebook may have taken longer to gain momentum but as of April, 2008, according to TechCrunch they finally caught up to MySpace in unique visitors.

But here’s the kicker: Facebook took the crown only after they opend their doors to the public. What this shows us is that, both methods may need to be tapped into to ensure long term success. (Does long term success exist in Social Media???) By basing their community around the idea of exclusivity and (essentially) privacy, they were able to maintain control of the community as it grew. And once they platform was established, they opened the doors to the world and in doing so, came the closest to living on both sides of the tracks as a social media platform could do.

Do GenYs really ‘get it’ when it comes to Social Media Marketing?

Recently, I got into twittervation with @xylem about this exact topic. A post on his blog stated:

“Millennials don’t translate their familiarity with these tools to their advantage at work. They don’t use it to differentiate themselves from the crowd and competitive differentiator in the office.  Not the way they should be, anyway.”

And so the question is posed to me:

Why are GenYs not actively taking hold of the marketing potential of social media?

Or, taking that one step further:

Why aren’t GenYs leading the Social Media Revolution?

These are big questions to which I gave some serious thought. My generation, ‘Millennials’ are almost universally obsessed with social media. We love facebook, myspace, youtube, and flicker with a passion. We were brought up on AIM and have never known a time where information and connections have been anything less than instantaneous. We’re known as overachievers, super-learners, and technology maniacs. And so it seems only natural that, entering the work force, we would be leading the charge to incorporate these technologies into business. Though according to some, we’re lagging behind.

If this is true, I would say that our primary weakness is that we fail to see the potential professional gain of social media. True, we’re introduced to new platforms well before most of the free world, and our ‘natural inclination’ towards all things technological makes us near instant pros. But to us it’s all about fun. For over a decade we’ve been using social media to connect with friends, share pictures, and kill time. In fact, we’re so trained to view these online communities as a world away from work that many of us don’t tailor our behavior to the potential audience that might happen upon it (i.e. most millennials keep inappropriate pictures, applications, and wall posts on their profiles during the job hunt).

So why can’t we see the professional potential?

In my mind, the main reason that we’re blind to the competitive advantage of social media is because we were taught to keep online worlds separate from work and school by our parents (the Boomers) and our older siblings and teachers (GenXs). Long before we knew that facebook, myspace, and twitter were called ‘social media’ these fun web 2.0 tools were banned, limited, and monitored by our successors. There were rules and regulations at home, school, and work prohibiting their use. Years upon years of being told that these sites were just for play and we got the message – these sites are toys, not tools.

Fast forward a decade and suddenly the Boomers and GenXs are starting to get it. Our parents are friending us on Facebook and our bosses are asking us to find clients using Twitter. But at the same time, many sites remain restricted. We are encouraged to use some but told to stay away by others and as interns and coordinators in our first years on the job we’re struggling to manage the mixed signals. What’s allowed and what’s forbidden? How to separate personal from professional? Where do we draw the line between keeping track of friends and networking to build professional relationships? And so, it’s probably true that not all of us are getting it.

But please, be patient. (Remember that the oldest millennials are only 26!)

Keep in mind that we’re still young and we have a lot to learn. While we may have an inherent talent for this budding field, there’s a lot we’re still trying to figure out. So @xylem I’m asking you and all GenXs, to reach out to us. It’s great that you recognize that we just may have a few things we can teach you, but remember that, we’re still new at marketing, PR and at being professionals. Most of us simply don’t have the experience to put all the pieces together and see the big picture.

And of course, there are some that do. There are few rockstars and a handful of rockstars-in-training. But on the whole, most GenYs are still just trying to get their acts together. Realizing the tools we have on hand might actually serve a purpose (and that we can use them to get ahead!) will come, but it will take time and probably a mentor or two.

Rather than separate the generations based on what we have to offer, shouldn’t we be focusing on how we can work together to push the industry forward? The rules of PR and marketing have changed. Maybe it’s time for the traditional office structure to change too. And so, I call on Boomers and GenXs to bring us on board. Start by explaining the goals and telling us what you think we can add. Then let us run. Not everyone will take the cue, but the ones who do won’t look back.

The first day of the Boston New Marketing Summit has left my brain swimming with ideas. More than showing what media platforms are available, speakers discussed the next stage of this trend: Organized and Tracking Information. One of the great ideas covered today:

Content may be King but Conversion is Queen.

Social media marketers are well versed in the idea of reaching their audience by creating strong and insightful content. Different from traditional advertising and marketing, with social media you can’t just  ‘megaphone broadcast’ your message. You have to engage your audience and one way to do this is by creating the content that gets people to listen.  (We knew this though, right?)

What one great presenter (who’s name I unfortunately can’t recall) pointed out was that without conversion, content means nothing. In other words, if people aren’t listening, what you say means diddly. And if people don’t care enough about what you have to say to read more, to buy you product or to pass your content along to a friend, you might as well keep your mouth shut.

Because marketing is, and always has been, about using numbers to judge success. (i.e…)

R O I

A general theme of NMS08 DAY 1 was: ROI. What does it mean for social media? Can we measure it and if so, on what terms?

So why don’t we automatically assess the ROI of social media. According to today’s presentations, it’s because, when social media first came into play as a marketing tool, it was used primarily as a bonus feature: an extra/add-on to a traditional marketing plan. But as Web 2.0 platforms grew, so did the role of social media in marketing. (Fast forward to today.) Social media is everywhere. It’s totally unavoidable. For some, social media is merely inevitable. For many, it has become the dominant force of their campaign. So we have to measure it’s success, right? But how?

As many of today’s presenters pointed out, measuring ROI for new media campaigns is much easier than we seem to think. There are numbers that we can record. There are footprints that we can track. Here are a few of the ideas for measuring ROI for social media that were discussed today:

• Website hits
• CTR on an web ad or email campaign
• Comments on a blog or online article
• Digs
• Google rating for related searches
• Links to (or articles about) by bloggers, twitterers, etc.

In reality, social media creates a web of information that stretches far beyond the spot that content is first posted, and each (most?) strand of the web can be tracked. We can see who’s blogging about it, who’s tweeting it, who’s mocking it on youtube, who’s imitating it on facebook, who’s passing it on through flicker, and who’s digging it. But here’s the key: It takes a knowledge of social media – a truly invested party who’s an active part of the conversation – to follow the path. 

Which leads us back to content. A true social media player watches, listens, and actively participates in the conversation. They pay attention to where and how their content is being converted, and react to the conversion. Social media is in constant flux, and it takes a true listener not just to be a part of the conversation but to evolve with it.

So, are you listening?

______________________________

And finally, I have to give a huge thank you <THANK YOU!> to Chris Brogan. Chris, who I first connected to on Twitter, made going to NMS08 possible for me. He’s a great presenter and has organized a truly wonderful event. Thanks for letting me be a part of it, Chris.

what happens when the gen Y is told to sit down, shut up, and listen?

(confession: this is a repost)  So my old blog, which will remain nameless, had a few posts that I’d like to keep in my catalog of thoughts. This one, from Sept 07, was written when I was working as a PR Assistant to a somewhat uninvested boss. I dedicate it to the thousands of PR noobs struggling through another week of database maintenance and basic industry research.

the privileged generation

Out for coffee with a friend earlier this week, the subject of the new generation of workers came up. As we chatted about our post-college job search, grueling interviews, and the eventual offers, she pointed out that part of the difficulty that of finding a job stems from the fact that we are proud members of the “privileged generation.” Now I’ve heard this argument before: the 20-somethings of today’s world want it all and want it now. We grew up being told that we could do anything we wanted — encouraged more than criticized, we believe that with enough effort and a good education, we will rise to the top.

What our parents, teachers, mentors, and advisers forgot to tell us is that there’s quite a large gap between the time we’re told this and the time it proves true. They failed to mention all menial tasks and annoying grunt work we’d have to put up before we arrive. Their constant encouragement didn’t include speeches about ‘paying your dues’ and so, my generation, “the privileged generation’ has had to learn the hard way that that if we want to be president, CEO, or own our own business, we’re going to have to put in some hard time of answering phones, taking messages, and opening mail.

“But daddy, I want it now!”

And so we learn the lesson the hard way. By not being handed the perfect job the day we’re handed our diplomas or by spending hours upon hours on work that makes our insides scream “I spent 4 years in college for this?!”

(so here’s the moral) You may be smart and you may have great ambition, but a huge part of early years on the job is about handling the small details of the big picture. Sending out a press release? Guess who gets to manage the database of publications and reporters? Preparing a mass mailing? Guess who’ll be collecting quotes from mail houses and list rental companies? Phone calls, filing, and organizing details. These are the responsibilities of an entry-level marketing/PR professional, and it’s these tasks that this ‘privileged generation’ has such a hard time swallowing. Filling this position, however, is as necessary a part of climbing the career ladder as getting a degree.

I’ll grant you that much of this is easier said than done. It takes patience and a few self-reminders to smile though the tasks, work diligently, and stay focused on the next step. As my friend mentioned during our coffee outing, it’s in our nature to be impatient and want it all now. And perhaps, this driven, ambitious attitude will be a major driving force in our future success — determining what story we will tell when the power is (eventually) left in our hands. But first we need to get there. And right now, getting there means answering a few more phone calls and taking a few more messages.

Take a look at the other perspective: Teaching in an Age of Entitlement (From Teaching PR by Karen Miller Russell, 8/13/08).

this is me declaring my love for twitter.

Strange how it gets to you.  I didn’t really understand how it worked and need a few friends to talk me through it. But little by little, I started to understand. My tweet count grew and as it did, so did my fascination with this crazy new world.

So what’s so cool about Twitter. Well, it’s kind of hard to explain. But this is how it works for me:

In real life, I’m Megan: a newbie PR pro trying to figure out everything from how to perfect a press release to what social media really means.  In real life I’m green and sometimes it shows. I’m nervous around big-wigs but hungry to grow.

Twitter tears down all these walls. See, on Twitter, I’m still a newbie PR pro trying to figure out the ins and outs of the industry, but no one cares. Twitter is about communicating, sharing ideas, and making connections. I can share a thought with the CEO of a top firm across the globe or trade ideas with with a noob like myself. And it’s all good.

Want proof? Last week I watched the Vice Presidential debate on twitter. Over the weekend, the Communications Director of a big company sent me a blog he thought I might like. This morning, a blogger in Florida send me a word of encouragement after a rough morning at the office. All that after only a month of being an active twitterer.

I love Twitter for its simplicity. I love Twitter for its cut-to-the chase style. But mostly, I love twitter because it’s lead me to communicate in ways I never could before.

Are you on Twitter? Find me. Let’s chat. @megan_maguire

so here’s the thing about me: i don’t really know what I’m doing.

Please don’t tell anyone. I’m trying to keep it under wraps. The truth is, I’ve done this before and it didn’t really work out and for me, that’s kind of a big deal. I had a blog. I wrote. I thought. I professed. And in the end, it sucked. I hated it. If you were there, you would have hated it to. So here’s me starting over.

I’ll lay down some ground rules so that we start out right. No false perceptions. No lies. 

1. (restated for emphasis) I don’t know what I’m doing. Things may get messy and they may not always come out the way  I want them to. But I’ll try. And when I mess up, I’ll apologize (maybe) and keep going.

2. I’m no expert. Or maybe I am and I just haven’t figured it out yet. Either way, I’m not going to tell you things I don’t know. I’m just going to write about what I do, and see, and feel and love.

3. I do know some things. I read. I write. I’m an aspiring PR rockstar and a novice social media junkie. I love to travel and cook and spend time with my friends and family. And somehow while I was spending my time doing these things (being this person) some knowledge crept it’s way in. If it comes up, I’ll share.

4. This is a work in progress. I don’t know where this will end up. I will write from my heart and my brain about my passions and disgusts and all things in between. But I don’t know what those things are yet. So let’s just ride it. Maybe in a few months (years) we’ll be able to look back and figure out what this is all about.

5. This is fun. So if I get bogged down in details or if I start feeling like this is work, I’m may have to pull the emergency break. I’ll throw up a funny pic. Or write something ridiculous. Then take a deep breath and start over.

So here we go. (Are you ready?) This is me. Writing what I know.