Social Media 101
What is Social Media?
Some may say that social media is a “new” way of communicating and connecting with your customers, but there is nothing really “new” about it. At its core, it is an extension of what you are currently doing in your business or at your chamber every day. The difference is, social media uses technology to help you communicate with more people in a faster and (potentially) more effective way. The technology behind social media sites enables communication, relationship building, and interaction and it dramatically increases the speed and intensity of how that can be done, so much so that it is having a huge effect on the way business models are conceptualized, built, and executed. The combination of speed, accessibility, reach, and transparency of quickly evolving technologies is creating a dramatic shift, which is raising the bar for how every small business and chamber focuses on customer relationship building and experience management.
Social media and social networks are meant to be components of your overall business and marketing plans. They are tools and processes that should be an integrated part of your strategy, but they should not be your total strategy in and of themselves. They work best as part of a well-designed plan. Social media is not a cure-all for your business, but if used appropriately, can link you with new customers and help you please and keep your existing ones.
Who Should Take The Social Media Leap?
You should take the leap! The reason you are taking the time to look over these materials is probably because it is something you know you should be doing. Sooner or later, all of us will be taking the leap into social media, so why not get started now? This is a brand new tool for businesses and organizations, and it is increasingly clear that if you are not participating in the space, your competition will be.
This resource is designed for small businesses and chambers of commerce taking their first leap into social media. It is designed for individuals who may have heard about social media and know a little bit about it, but are interested in learning more. It is for those that want to start using social media but haven’t created a strategy and aren’t exactly sure which tools they should be using. Finally, it is for businesses and organizations that have begun to delve into social media, but still have many unanswered questions on issues like time management and what to do next.
Because social media is centered on communicating and sharing information, social media experts from across the country will have the ability to contribute their expertise, ideas, and experiences with the rest of us, so that we can all be more effective and proficient with these tools.
No matter where you are in the social media spectrum, this guide and its resources can be helpful to you.
Social Media Marketing and My Business
Have you noticed lately that everyone is in “a twitter” over something called social media? Do you hear your kids, friends, and most importantly, your customers talking about things like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and blogs? Do you ask yourself what this stuff is all about, how you would go about using it, and how it might help your business? These are all very common and very important questions as you develop the best ways to market your business.
Social media is still all about getting the right message to the right person at the right time, about finding good customers and developing a relationship with them, and about listening to their needs, concerns, and expectations.
Doesn’t sound much different than the traditional marketing you have been doing for years does it? What makes this different from traditional mass marketing is your ability to identify and communicate with others instantaneously and simultaneously on a 24/7/365 basis. It doesn’t require much specialized training and is relatively inexpensive to create and use. Most importantly, it enables you to target and interact with those individuals most likely to be interested in you and your chamber or small business.
Unlike mass media, social media does not fall into the “one-size fits all” category. In fact, the choices and tools can be overwhelming! You need to decide which social media tools best fit your business and your client’s needs. Which of the many social media tools will help you network with others, communicate with them, and create long term, profitable relationships? You may want to use a combination of social media tools or just one tool to create that special business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) network.