BLOG

Social media is a topic generating a huge amount of interest and an equal amount of confusion. The hype surrounding it reminds me, in a way, of the Y2K phenomena that swept the world in the late 1990s. I spent a lot of time speaking about Y2K. My writing career started with the same topic. As hysteria concerning the potential virus mounted, the message I promoted was one of calm and rational thinking. The main points delivered by the company where I was employed, Compuware, were 1) test your applications and 2) get your quality assurance processes in place. I was glad I was on that side of the Y2K debate when the looming “time bomb” turned out to be a fizzle.

The Voice of “Practical” Experience
I’ve approached social media in the same sensible way. Not long ago, I was invited by Women are I.T., WA (WITWA) to give a presentation at one of their events. I immediately agreed and volunteered to speak on the topic of social media. My one condition was I wouldn’t be portrayed as an expert but someone with practical experience in using social media tools for business. I developed a 30-minute presentation thinking it would be a one-time event. Tomorrow, I’m giving it to a third group. It’s a popular topic, so if you’re willing to stand up in front of a crowd and speak about it; you’re going to be in demand.

The Hype Trap
This is where I really begin to see the similarities between social media and Y2K. They’ve both been viewed as “get rich quick” schemes. They both have spawned an immense amount of media coverage. They both seem to have taken on a life of their own. They tend to intimidate the uninitiated and cause fear and concern to the folks inexperienced with the topics. With that in mind, I called my presentation “From the Trenches: Practical Advice for Making Social Media Work for Your Business.” The highlights of the presentation are:

• Consumers are changing their habits. They are now educating themselves and they’re doing it online.
• Social media will not close business for you or attract a customer base if you don’t have a good product or service.
• Social media will help you:
  a. Promote your brand
  b. Generate leads
  c. Establish your authority
• It’s important to remember:
  a. Social media is about building relationships
  b. You are representing your company, so you must maintain an air of professionalism at all times
• Of all the social media tools on the market, four of them are best suited for business:
  a. LinkedIn
  b. Twitter
  c. Facebook
  d. Blog
• The majority of people using social media for business:
  a. are in the 30-50 age range
  b. are female
  c. like to look at pictures/videos
• It’s imperative you adopt a policy of transparency in your social media activity.
• Success is achieved through sharing information, not self-promotion.
• One advantage of social media activity is it improves the search engine rankings for your website.

While I was developing my presentation, I consciously made the decision not to feed into the social media propaganda. As my research advanced, it made sense to develop a special report supporting the presentation. Any of my readers interested in this report, a $75 value, is welcome to a copy. Simply email me at sarah@globalcopywriting.com requesting the From the Trenches: Practical Advice for Making Social Media Work for Your Business report and I’ll send it to you in .pdf format. I’m also happy to give the presentation – along with live demos of the recommended tools – where you work or network.

I’m using social media every day in my business. I find it an extremely useful way to support my marketing activities and to keep in touch with my customers and prospects. I recommend everyone take the plunge. In the meantime, I intend to keep providing realistic and useful advice gleaned from my own experience.