|
The social network
[Thu 21/07/2011 10:16:04]
 If you haven’t got your head around how social media could benefit your business you are not alone, for while there are millions of people using social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr, applying this new media for business gain is another story.
Why bother even thinking about social media?
One of the most exciting developments in human history is happening right in front of our eyes. The world really has changed forever.
In May 2008 the Sichuan Provence in China experienced a devastating earthquake. It was 8.0 on the Richter scale, killed 69,000 people and 18,000 people went missing.
The earthquake was reported by the citizens of China as it happened—in real time. People were capturing the moving buildings, the rumble, as it occurred via text messages, Twitter, uploading video and images to the internet.
As the rest of the world was waking up, the enormous Chinese community watched and acted. In the first hour after the earthquake the top nine out of 10 topics on Twitter were related to the quake.
In fact, the BBC discovered the earthquake via Twitter before the US Geometrical Survey website had even reported it. Within half a day after the quake stopped, numerous sites had been set up and money was pouring in from people—the live audience watchers—from all over the world.
The last time China had a quake of that magnitude it took them three months to admit it had happened. They had no choice this time; their own citizens beat them to it.
For me, social media isn’t just about Facebook or Twitter, it is a revolution in human communication.
Social media is not a fad
Social media is a major step forward in the history of human communication. The development of the printing press was the first time we could replicate a message over and over for a mass audience. With the advent of the telex and telephone we could have one-to-one conversations with someone not in the same room. With the invention of photography and cinema we could again talk to the masses.
With radio, the masses could all listen at the same time and the addition of television in our lives changed forever the way we socialised, what we talked about and how we all received the news. Families gathered around the television watching Neil Armstrong land on the moon—a symbol of how far we’d come.
Now with social media we can have two-way conversations with large groups of people at the same time. We can all gather around to talk about a piece of information (in the virtual space) and for the first time, the layman on the street, the individual, the business, have all become the creators of content.
So how do you best take this new technology and make it work for your business?
There are a few major communications objectives social media can help you with:
1. Build relationships with your online audiences
2. Raise your profile generally or within an industry
3. Manage your reputation and what you want to be known for
4. Become a thought leader, provide content and advice
5. Follow trends
6. Distribute information
7. Be a conduit or aggregator of knowledge
8. Promote your victories
9. Espouse your company culture and the way you do things in your business
Important points to consider
• Social media is a new medium to add to your communications mix. It is to be integrated into your communications as were email marketing, your website and PDF documents of your brochures.
• Social media needs to be an extension of what you are trying to achieve with your business and should be closely aligned with your business goals.
• Some of the new rules of engagement with social media are about sharing what you know. Being generous with your ideas, thoughts, skills and knowledge online is a sure way to develop a profile, bring people to your site and gain ‘thought leadership’ status.
• Being frank, honest and consistent in your messaging and branding are more important than ever. Opening yourself up to scrutiny and publically posted comments and feedback is a sure way to develop credibility and trust in you and your brand.
 Business communications strategy vital to success
To ensure your company is a credible and approachable business to engage with, and one that connects with the right type of client, it must exist in the target markets’ world—in the physical world, online and in social media.
To engage your potential clients and get them to seriously consider choosing your business requires the building of a multi-layered and multi-faceted experience.
An integrated marketing and communications strategy for a business in the office and shop fitting industry could contain the following:
Website: your cornerstone. This is where you will drive all your online traffic, providing information about your company, your history, your team, your capabilities, galleries of your work and link to your partners. This will be where your media releases will sit, updates or your news, your contact details and even copies of your newsletter.
From here you could add your traditional marketing tools: sales and marketing collateral such as proposal documents, reports, brochures, case studies, newsletters and testimonial sheets. Other forms include your business cards, signage and uniforms.
Consider your public relations: events such as staff and client VIP nights as well as association membership and involvement in industry events are also important. Your media relations, writing articles and sponsorship programs are all functions of PR.
Then add advertising: targeted key message about your businesses with strong calls to action placed in magazines that your clients and prospects read.
Next add online marketing: this will consist of your email signature tags, e-newsletters and the development of an e-book.
Now social media:
Facebook: The backstage pass to your business. This is where you can post updates on your projects, share images, achievements, thoughts and information. The Facebook page will link back to the website, e-newsletter, signature tags, etc.
YouTube: You can create a designated channel that will house the videos taken of the developments of your jobs (perhaps a time lapse), product videos of the materials you choose to use, interviews with your leaders, conferences you attend, etc.
Blog: If you ever wanted to tell the story behind your business, your ideas about the industry or the system behind your successful project management processes, a blog is a great way to have the capacity to communicate and record your experience, insights and opinions.
LinkedIn: This channel is a great way to develop your online professional reputation. Develop a profile and keep your contacts up to date with what you are doing, provide recommendations and join discussion groups.
Twitter: This could dove-tail into a second phase of the campaign. Begin to evolve into Twitter as you develop a following on Facebook. Getting an engaged social media audience first will then be used as leverage for entering Twitter.
Integration with partners online: This is where you share pages, information and events from your clients, colleagues, industry and partners.
|
