presented by Katherine M. Swartz, CAEGreater Columbia Chamber of CommerceNavigating from Good to Great FoundationCOR | Columbia Opportunity Resource

Presentation OverviewPresentation Overview

WHAT is Social Media? WHO is using WHAT tools HOW do I get started? WHY should I “go social?” WHAT is the

Chamber/COR doing? WHERE can I find

additional resources?

The Rules. . . The Rules. . .

Browsing the Internet on these sites, commenting and tweeting is strictly preferred!

m.facebook.com (search for Columbia Chamber or COR)

linkedin.com (search for Columbia Chamber or COR)

m.twitter.com/colascchamber m.twitter.com/impactcolumbia

Become a Follower Give us a shout out: @colascchamber Hashtag Comment : #COR #Give11

Socialnomics.com VideoSocialnomics.com Video

Online connectivityOnline connectivity

Social media is an umbrella term that defines various activities that integrate technology, social interaction and the construction of words, pictures, video and audio.

Social media is

people having

conversations

and developing

relationships

online.

Types of social mediaTypes of social media

Blogs Online chat and

Listservs RSS (Really Simple

Syndication) Widgets Wikis

Social Networks Social Bookmarks Message Boards Podcasts &

Videocasts Video & Photo

Sharing Sites Virtual Worlds

It’s all about relationships!It’s all about relationships!

Social networking is about relationships, not technology.

Just like CCEC and civic involvement, speaking engagements and published articles are important tools to develop relationships and build networks, social networking adds a powerful additional way to increase visibility, build personal and professional brands, while generating leads and future business.

Intro to Social Networking Intro to Social Networking VideoVideo

FacebookFacebook

• More than 500 million active users worldwide; 100 million users in nine months;

• Fastest member group is women ages 55-65

• 30 billions million pieces of content posted each month (1 billion a day!)

• Valued at more than $50 billion

• Create a profile page and develop online links with friends and acquaintances

• Businesses and organizations create groups to stay connected with members, clients, constituents and donors.

• Social applications, “apps,” are available

Facebook is giving

people the power

to share and

make the world

more open and

connected.

Sample Facebook Profile PageSample Facebook Profile Page

SCACPA Group Page on SCACPA Group Page on FacebookFacebook

Join Group OR Like & Fan?Join Group OR Like & Fan?

Group Page (Join) The ability to make them “invite only” or limited to specific networks. Groups are “for members of groups to connect, share and even collaborate on a given topic or idea.” Focused on organizing around topics or ideas

Fan Pages (Like) Engage fans and

customers allow entities such as

public figures and organizations to broadcast information to their fans

Better for companies and organizations

More info: http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-groups-pages-2010-02

LinkedInLinkedIn

• 90 million+ members in 150 countries

• Valued at more than $3 billion

• World’s largest online professional networking forum

• Added functions like resume and job postings, client referrals and recommendations, and apps like book clubs and online mentoring

LinkedIn connects

you to your

trusted contacts

and helps you

exchange

knowledge, ideas,

and opportunities

with a broader

network of

professionals.

The World’s Largest Audience The World’s Largest Audience of of Affluent, Influential Affluent, Influential ProfessionalsProfessionals

LinkedIn Profile PageLinkedIn Profile Page

LinkedIn Group FeaturesLinkedIn Group Features Quickly discover the most popular discussions in

your professional groups. Have an active part in determining the top

discussions by liking and commenting. Follow the most influential people in your groups

by checking the Top Influencers board or clicking their profile image to see all their group activity.

See both member-generated discussions and news in one setting.

Easily browse previews of the last three comments in a discussion.

Find interesting discussions by seeing who liked a discussion and how many people commented.

three degrees away!three degrees away!

SCACPA Group on LinkedInSCACPA Group on LinkedIn

Linked In for GradsLinked In for Grads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnx9t8IwLzI

Step 1: Own a profile that Step 1: Own a profile that truly represents you.truly represents you. List your current and past positions

and education along with your tenure. This helps the right people and opportunities find you.

Add a profile photo – people never forget a face!

Add a summary paragraph. Think of it as your professional elevator pitch.

Step 2: Ensure your Step 2: Ensure your connections represent connections represent your “real-world” your “real-world” network.network.

Use Web mail import to see, in seconds, all the people you know who are already on LinkedIn. You can then select who you wish to invite to join your trusted network.

Upload a contacts file from Outlook, Palm, ACT!, or Mac Address

View our list of your colleagues and classmates that are already on LinkedIn.

Step 3: Leverage the Step 3: Leverage the power of your LinkedIn power of your LinkedIn network!network! Post a question in the LinkedIn “Answers”

area and tap into the experts you’re connected to and the entire LinkedIn network.

Look up someone’s profile before you meet with them. Learn their background and see who you know in common to get off to a fast start.

Search for Service Providers and select based on trusted recommendations from people in your network. Anonymous web searches to find providers are a thing of the past.

Step 4: Learn More at Free Step 4: Learn More at Free WebinarsWebinars LinkedIn 101: The basics of LinkedIn:

Your Profile, Joining Groups, Settings, Search and moreWhen: Wednesdays at 1 pm CST

LinkedIn Pro: Get the Most Out of Your Premium AccountWhen: Tuesdays at 1 pm CST

Twitter…Tweet…Hashtag…Twitter…Tweet…Hashtag…WHAT?WHAT?• 8 million+ users

• Fastest-growing member community in 2009

• Investor funding has exceeded more than 490 million for the past three years

• Users post messages (“tweets”) of 140 characters or less.

• Other users “follow” you, which means they subscribe to your updates

• Users can comments on others’ tweets, fostering a dialogue

Blogging meets

instant

messaging!

www.twitter.com/

colascchamber

@colascchamber

@impactcolumbia

@leadershipcola

#COR #Give11

Twitter Terminology PrimerTwitter Terminology PrimerHashtag: used to create groupings on Twitter. Example uses:

•Events or conferences, e.g.: “Central Carolinas #Entrepreneur Club meeting today!” 

•Disasters: "#sandiegofire A shelter has opened up downtown for fire refugees." 

•Context: "I can't believe anyone would design software like this! #microsoftoffice" 

•Recall: "Buy some toilet paper. #todo"

•Quote: "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt  #quote

@reply: precedes messages sent from one person to another that are public.

Direct Message: private tweet from one user to another (your recipient must be a follower of yours)

Retweet - or RT - is when you share the tweet of one user with all of your Twitter followers. Best practice: preface with "RT @username."

Follow Friday: A popular hashtag is #FollowFriday. You'll see every Friday posts from different “tweople” suggesting who they think you should follow.

Get Started with TwitterGet Started with Twitter Search for people and businesses that are tweeting

about things related to your business. Add comments to what they’re saying (like small

talk with people you’ve met today!) Update constantly (even while you’re in class)

about where you are and what you’re doing...increases chances of gaining followers.

Post about industry news (what you’re working on) and the mundane (walking your dog). The goal = let them get to know the person behind the feed.

Don’t pitch too many products and services…it will alienate (and annoy) followers.

Ask questions to draw in followers and net actionable data!

Even the IRS Is Going Even the IRS Is Going Social. . . Social. . .

According to The Wall Street Journal and The Kiplinger Report, agents are using Facebook and MySpace to find tax evaders

The IRS is on YouTube too, offering instructional “tip” videos for the public in multiple languageshttp://www.youtube.com/user/irsvideos

“Big” and regional firms are using social media for staff alumni connections

General Tips for Using Social General Tips for Using Social MediaMedia Personal Branding. Be a

social personality that is connected and approachable.  

Get (and Give!) Feedback. Need an alternative perspective on how a website looks or the right course of action to take? Blast out a message asking for advice and you’ll receive replies from other users. This collective intelligence can be used as fodder for articles or projects.

Hire People. Need a good logo designer or programmer? Send out a message asking for recommendations. This is a very quick and easy way to hire freelancers or even companies based on familiar recommendations.

Direct traffic. Get traffic to your Web sites or the sites of friends. If you ask your friends to message/tweet about it, the message will spread faster and further as other active users pick it up. There is a viral nature to all types of news.

More General Tips. . . More General Tips. . .

Read News. Find links to useful sites or articles and sources of scoops and alternative news. You can also subscribe to feeds for specific Web sites/conferences, which allows you to receive and view content quickly. This is very useful for active social news participants.

Take Notes. Record important ideas or concepts you want to explore further. Include links relevant to ideas you want to explore. Note taking can also be done offline via mobile applications.

Make New Friends. Connect with people outside of your usual circle. Make an effort to add active users you find interesting. A social media acquaintance can be developed into a long lasting friendship.

Network for benefits. Interact with other like-minded people, especially those in the same industry. It can be used to establish consistent and deeper relationships for future benefits such as testimonials or peer recommendations.

More General Tips. . . More General Tips. . .

Business Management. Consider use as a company intranet that connects employees to one another. Workers can liaise with each other when working on group projects. Particularly useful when certain workers go out often in the field. Updates could be set to private for security reasons.

Set Up Meetings. Organize impromptu meetups. It’s an informal and casual way of arranging a meeting.

Use it as a To Do list. Use Twitter to record down what you need to do while you are away from the computer. Mark the tweet as a favorite to file it for referencing. Another alternative is to use an Online task management service that is synced with Twitter. One example is Remember The Milk.

Last General TipsLast General Tips

Provide Live coverage. Provide real-time commentary which may help to spark further discussion or interest on the event as other users spread the message. Very useful for citizen journalism.

Acquire Votes. Send a link to your stories you’ve submitted/written. Sometimes your followers will vote up the stories because they agree with it. This allows you to acquire more support for your efforts on other social media Web sites.

Time Management and Analysis. Keep a detailed record of what you are doing every daily.

Notify Your Customers. Set up a Twitter feed for the specific purpose of notifying customers when new products come in. Customers can subscribe via mobile or RSS for instant notification. Twitter can also be used to provide mini-updates for one-on-one clients.

Bonus Tip: Fight the Bonus Tip: Fight the AddictionAddiction Constant connectivity can be addictive! Networking and network building is entertaining, if

not fun. Access to real-time information is valuable, if not

amazing. Time spent on social networking must be

integrated and balanced. Have a plan and be consistent.

Mobile and automated applications should help you maximize your time investment.

Profiles and accounts should provide you efficient access to contacts, resources, referrals and job opportunities.

It’s all about you, me and us!It’s all about you, me and us!

“If you don’t brand yourself, Google will brand you.” Sherry Beck Paprocki, co-author , “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Branding Yourself”

Social networking is about our relationships and what we want to say.

Four Steps to Building a Four Steps to Building a Personal BrandPersonal Brand Discover, create, communicate and maintain. Discover your passion and put it together with

your expertise; Create a “personal branding tool kit” (résumé,

online profile, blog and portfolio of your work) that consistently reflects your brand;

Communicate by pitching your brand online and offline;

Maintain, update and monitor any conversations about your brand.

Dan Schawbel, author of “Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success”

Social networking is Social networking is fundamental.fundamental. Social networking isn’t the latest

advertising, marketing, or public relations gimmick that you can ignore. Social networking is life, and it demands that you care.

Every day, social networks are becoming more relevant and useful to the people with whom you’d like to communicate.

Top Five Benefits for You and Top Five Benefits for You and Your CompanyYour Company1. Listen first, speak later2. Find unexpected collaborators, and

maybe even colleagues3. Build a global business from scratch:

Think of social networking as your virtual rolodex, with the ability to obliterate geographic boundaries and connect from every point on the globe.

4. Find talent in the trenches5. Viral marketing on the cheap (and on the

fly!)

Value of Social Media Value of Social Media According to US Executives, According to US Executives, July 2009 (% of respondents)July 2009 (% of respondents)

Reasons that US Executives Reasons that US Executives Use Social Media, July 2009 (% Use Social Media, July 2009 (% of respondents)of respondents)

Reasons that US Executives Do Reasons that US Executives Do Not Use Social Media, July 2009Not Use Social Media, July 2009

You already understand the You already understand the importance of relationships importance of relationships and referrals. . .and referrals. . .“The same rules apply when using social media. Social media empowers us to build our networking around the clock, get feedback instantly, and be aware of the customer’s state of mind. Don’t think of social media as a technology, but instead as a new way to do what we’ve all done: network.”Chris Jenkins, CAE, CISSP, CCNA, MCSE, Chief Technology Strategist, Ohio Society of CPAs

Old-School Marketing vs. Neo Old-School Marketing vs. Neo MarketingMarketing

Old-school marketing Neo MarketingMarketers/advertisers do it Everyone does it

Focused on how the company “rocks”

Focused on how the user rocks

Marketers have the power Users have the power

Advertising Evangelizing

Branding and tightly controlled “brand message”

Focus on passionate users and brand “hijacked” by users

One-way broadcast or monologue A >>> B

Two-way conversation or dialogueA <<< >>> B

Company-created content User-created content

He who outspends, wins He who outteaches, wins

Mass markets Selective, focused users

One size fits all Personalized, custom-tailored

Deception Transparency and authenticity

30-second spots are king Word of mouth is king

Focus groups User feedback and contributions

Simply put. . .Simply put. . .

It’s cheap It’s sticky It’s viral It’s highly visible It’s global It changes rapidly

ResourcesResources

Social Media Club Columbia (www.smccolumbia.com) – FREE!

www.mashable.com:  social media news blog covering cool new websites and social networks

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/socialmediaforbusiness.pdf

Local Experts: Keely Saye & Mandi Engram Go social with your feedback and

questions.

Let’s reconnect…socially!Let’s reconnect…socially!

Katherine Swartz, CAE kswartz@columbiachamber.com 803.733.1123 www.columbiachamber.com www.ourcor.org www.twitter.com/katswartz

Last Thought. . .Last Thought. . .

“Think of (social media) as the world’s largest 24/7 networking event. Admission is free, and the event is guaranteed to be packed wall-to wall. You’ll have the opportunity to meet new contacts and catch-up with old ones, all while sitting comfortably in your own home or office. You have the benefits of networking without awkwardly balancing cocktail napkins and messy appetizers.”

- Chris Jenkins, Ohio Society of CPAs