Al Black

Social Media For Business – Get Into It!!!

Posted on 17. Oct, 2009 by Al Black in Social Media

What you will find below is an email I sent to my client base after a number of them had asked me how they could use social media to improve their marketing. Hope you find it of interest 

Hi everyone,

As some of you may know I am very passionate about the concept of social media and its role in the effective marketing of a business. For those of you who are unaware of what social media actually means, it is a variety of software applications / platforms covering areas of multimedia, communication, collaboration, entertainment, reviews and more. Even the most technically-challenged of you would have heard of Facebook. Facebook falls under the communication banner and is part of a group known as social networks. Another well known member of this group is Myspace. Other applications from the other areas of social media include YouTube, Twitter, Digg, Flickr, Wikipedia, LinkedIn and WordPress.

It is becoming increasingly important to have an effective social media strategy as part of your overall marketing mix. Using social media you can build a community of people who may have an interest in your product or service. These people may be current customers, potential customers or people who like what you do and then tell their family, friends and colleagues. The viral nature of this burgeoning blend of technologies encourages the rapid dissemination of your marketing message and, executed correctly, this can have a very positive impact on the way the world views your business. Unfortunately it can also have a negative effect on your business. How, may you ask? You know the old adage that if someone has a good experience with your company they tell a couple of people, but if they have a bad experience they tell many more. Well the same rule applies to social media, except the effect can be multiplied due to the exponential nature of this medium. By gaining a better understanding of social media you can not only promote your business more effectively, you will also be better placed to arrest any detrimental comments that may be taking place, justified or otherwise.

As part of my passion for this space I host a weekly radio show on Melbourne radio station Kiss FM (www.kissfm.com.au). From 7.30am – 9am each Tuesday we look at how these and other technologies such as Google and Yahoo! can be harnessed for your benefit and also some fun stuff as well. I have recently posted my first blog on digital marketing which can be found here www.alblack.com.au  To promote this blog I have created a Facebook fan page which can be found here www.facebook.com/blackmarketingandsocialmedia and a Twitter account @alblack

As my clients I am more than happy to give you direction on how to best begin the social media journey. One client in particular has already begun their journey and is doing an amazing job! Caroline Serviced Apartments has properties in Brighton and South Yarra and these locations are managed by Alison Vosbergen and Mei-Li Holmes respectively. Just a few months ago (and I’m sure they would have no problem in me saying so), these guys had a very limited idea about the social media tools that were available for business. Since February however they have taken very active roles in learning and applying the basic strategies of this medium and from the feedback they’ve given me they’ve had a great time doing so! To find out more about how they are using these tools check out the following links:

http://www.carolineservicedapartments.com.au

http://www.facebook.com/CarolineServicedApartments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkkWB4MT0xY

And for those of you on Twitter, you can follow the guys @CarolineApts

Alison has very kindly offered to take calls from any of you who may want to chat to her about her experiences over these past few months. You can reach her during business hours on 03 8591 3333.

Check out the 4 min video below. It’s a great eye opener to the world of social media and at the very least I’m sure you will find at least some of what it contains of interest.

http://www.sammutimer.com/2009/09/16/social-media-you-cant-ignore-it

And here is a great article that gives further insight into the use of social media for business http://mashable.com/2009/09/22/social-media-business

There is also a free, monthly, social media event known as TweetUpMellers which I help to run. The next one is on Thurs 29 Oct at The Social, 116 Chapel St, Windsor. This is a great opportunity for you to meet others who may also be taking those first tentative steps, as well as those who could be considered at the top of their game. More info can be found here http://tweetupmellers.info/about-2

And the best thing about social media? Getting the basics up and running costs absolutely nothing! At certain stages of the process, as well as some basic pointers from me, you may want to get some professional advice. However, it is you and your staff that will be the driving force behind this new marketing tool.

I would encourage all of you to visit these links and start thinking of how an effective social media strategy could benefit your business and I look forward to being swamped by those of you eager to take this next step in the future direction of your business. Unfortunately due to time constraints I am not in a position to contact you individually about this, so if the aforementioned sounds like something you think may be of benefit to you, I would ask that you contact me at your earliest convenience. 

Cheers,

Al

Tags: black marketing and social media, Marketing Mix, ReachLocal, Social Media