This week I saw Mark Lee do a talk titled “How Accountants Can Use And Abuse Social Media”. But the talk could easily have been for anyone in business.
He looked at three leading US-based worldwide systems (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter) plus Ecademy based in the UK. He made a number of excellent observations from a business standpoint:
1. Understand where existing and potential customers, clients and partners “hang out”
- Forums
- LinkedIn etc
2. Social Media is about building relationships, over time
- Firstly know,
- Then like (preferably),
- Then trust,
- Only then do business
3. So social media is unlikely to provide a quick business return, but can do sooner or later if used well. It’s easy to expect too much and give up too soon.
4. Social media is a “con”
- CONversation
- CONtent
- CONsistency
- CONnecting
- CONsideration
- CONgratulating
5. To that end:
- Enlighten,
- Educate
- Entertain
- Ask questions
- Answer questions on forums
- Reply to what you are sent
6. Bear in mind that people:
- “Use” LinkedIn for professional purposes
- “Play on” Facebook principally for friendship and fun, so more suitable for marketing B2C than B2B
- “Tweet on” Twitter for personal or business through separate accounts (though some people are successful doing both on one account)
- “Belong to” eCademy, typically if they are small businesses or solopreneurs
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