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Who had a business card scanner? Anyone still use one? Who has a smart phone? How many have you had? I call my Droid a mini computer. It is SO much more than a phone.

What do we know for sure? Social media is messy. Ok, ok, I’m not here because of my graphic design skills.  Particular tools may be fads. The online communication and collaboration taking place through those tools is a trend. Why? How we work and how we communicate is changing. Could you do your job with email? Without a mobile phone? You once did. And with both of those the fad vs trend discussion occurred.

Now we take a step beyond communicating and collaborating with our colleagues to communicating and collaborating with our customers (internal or external). Do you agree or disagree? How does scale impact your organizations’ communication with your customers?

Why are you here today? Why do you participate in ATP? Same reasons to us social networking professionally.

What is social media? Simplest definition? Sharing of info online. Web used to be place where we find info. Now we are also info providers. Do you personally or your company have a blog? Use Twitter? Do you use Facebook socially? Professionally? LinkedIn account?

What has kept you from using social media?

My job is to jump start you into social media. I understand your primary concern is how to promote your business. I strongly suggest that before you jump your business into social media, you use it personally. Sign up. And pay attention. You will quickly see things other do that you think is a good idea. And things you think are not such good ideas.

Experiment. Make mistakes. I cannot give you a specific how to guide book to social media because everyone’s situation is different. So, experiment. Make mistakes.

Social media is an opportunity to interact. It is not another venue for 1 way marketing. If you leave with nothing else today, I hope you leave thinking of social media as a means of further developing existing relationships and developing new relationships. Current clients, potential clients, partners, vendors, etc.

This goes back to what I suggested at the beginning. Use social media yourself. All of us would rather do business with real people than faceless companies. This goes back to the relationship building. When you go into a meeting do you jump right into business? What usually happens first? How’s the family? Did you see the game Saturday? Personal stuff. Social media helps us make those bonds and connections.

If your online persona is always perfect or always pushing your product, the number of those who are listening to you will decline swiftly.

Don’t use social media just to use social media. Decide why you are using it. Define a purpose.

Your social media activity should not be independent of all your other outreach and marketing plans. Integrate them.

Options for getting your business into social media. A - Create a complete strategy (with goals). Ir B - Define a specific project (with goals). Figure out the goals after you begin watching and listening. Do lots of reading – or hire someone to help.

The Ohio Farm Bureau hired a social media director. They are everywhere. And they created a social media guide for their members. They’ve pulled me in once when they were overwhelmed but for the most part, they are self-sufficient.

No staff. They opted to train their volunteers on the use of social media. We started with Facebook so as to no overwhelm. Saw immediate success in one volunteer recruiting new golfers and volunteers for a golf fundraiser.

MORPC is choosing to have outside guidance (Shinydoor) that includes training current staff. I highly recommend this strategy because nobody knows your business like you and your staff.

Your social media activity should not be independent of all your other outreach and marketing plans. Integrate them.