Forbes.com recently hosted a list of the Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers of 2013. These influencers are not the powerhouses behind the world’s biggest brands or most popular celebrities. They are self-starters, motivational leaders and accessible social media experts with genuine influence over their active following. According to Peek Analytics, their individual pull, or influence, over their massive social followings ranges anywhere from 1000-3000 times greater than the average social media user.
Many of this year’s power influencers have either made social media their business, or are helping make social media your business. We connected with some of the Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers of 2013, to highlight how they’re using social media. Read “Part 3: What Does it Take to Be One of the Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers?” in this 4-part mini series.
Jessica Miller-Merrell ~ Leader in the HR Community & Social Entrepreneur
Name: Jessica Miller-Merrell
No.27 Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers of 2013
Twitter: @blogging4jobs
Bio: HR, Tech & Workplace Futurist Digital Strategist. Founder of Blogging4Jobs, President and CEO of Xceptional HR, author of Tweet This! Twitter for Business, 2nd most influential recruiter online according to the HR Examiner and the 7th most powerful woman on Twitter. She is a columnist for both SmartBrief and Huffington Post. Let’s just say that she’s found her social media mullet… (yes, mullet. read on for an explanation).
Meet Jessica Miller-Merrell – a former corporate human resources professional and recruiter turned entrepreneur. Specializing in workplace communication and technology, Jessica uses social media as a tool and resource for recruiting and employee communication. With over 12 years of industry experience, Jessica is widely considered a leader in the HR community. “I love blogging and internet channels. To me, it’s a game where companies can use creative messaging and tactics to teach, train and entertain new audiences online.”
“Social media is part of every aspect of my life, sometimes even to a fault – like sharing very personal aspects of my life. I use social to share resources and work with clients on how to leverage social technology and communication tools more effectively, both externally and internally. My favorite current tool is Archive.ly. Currently in beta, it’s a people research tool that can be used a number of different ways. Full disclosure though, I love this product so much that I’m an investor.”
“I love the mobile HootSuite aspect and am an advocate of a mix of real time engagement combined with scheduled messages at peak times to reach the best audience. It’s important to be unique on social media because the competition is fierce. I recommend that companies and individuals find their social media mullet focusing on business in the front and party in the back. The party is what makes your business or brand unique. All aspects of the business from marketing to recruiters to individuals need to play to their online strengths.”
Viveka von Rosen ~ LinkedIn Expert & Social Media Powerhouse
No.41 Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers of 2013
Twitter: @LinkedInExpert
Bio: LinkedIn expert, CEO of Linked Into Business, author of the book “LinkedIn Marketing: Hour a Day,” international keynote speaker and Forbes Top 20 Women in Social Media (2011, 2012, 2013), among other things.
Meet internationally renowned LinkedIn expert, Viveka von Rosen. She’s the CEO of Linked into Business, LLC, author of “LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day” and creator and moderator of the #LinkedInchat. Viveka is constantly learning about the different benefits and strategies of social marketing, and she shares her knowledge with other business owners, corporations, Legal Firms, peers and association on her social channels.
“How am I using social media? How am I not using social media? While Facebook is a great way for me to keep in touch with my friends and family, I really focus more on LinkedIn and Twitter for business. Which is why HootSuite is such a great tool. The fact that I can post to my LinkedIn personal profile, company page and groups from the same place is a huge timesaver!
“I also do a lot of blog and radio interviews, and so when the moderator shares the links to my interviews with me, I send them right to my virtual assistant who does a great job of posting and scheduling them across my different social networks via HootSuite. Before, I would share links and messages haphazardly as they came in and then would likely lose track of them. What a waste of excellent PR material! We also have several clients overseas and the drastic time differences make it nearly impossible for us to post live. I’ve tried many schedulers over the years, but HootSuite is by far the most comprehensive, easiest to use and least expensive. I’m a fan!”
Thank you Jessica Miller-Merrell and Viveka von Rosen for participating!
Want to try out these power influencers’ tool of choice? Try HootSuite now for free.