SKILLS

1) CUSTOMER SERVICE – This should really be the number one thing that you are looking for. Social networks are a two way, real time interactive communication medium that should be used to predict, address and manage issues that your customers have. You can’t have somebody who forgets that the “likers”, “followers”, “friends” and “fans” are generally the people/customers who are paying their bills. If somebody has a grievance or a problem that goes unresolved or wasn’t addressed at least…well you just got a person who is telling all their friends about how bad your service was. You have a person who always posts on your page and raves about your service, you should probably reward them with something so they feel appreciated.

2) SALES – Unless you’re in some magical business whose goal isn’t to make money, you want to find somebody who has some sales experience and understands that social networks do you no good unless it results in increasing/maintaining sales. What good are 1,000 likes if none of those people are buying your products or services?

3) RESEARCH/ANALYSIS – You want somebody who can find the appropriate tools to measure the effectiveness of what you are doing. Your expert should be able to look at the numbers and analytics from many of the social networks to be able to see what effects happen when certain things are done? What time are your followers interacting with your social networks? What days? What banners, images, videos, content are they clicking on? What are people sharing? Who is sharing?

4) PROMOTIONS – Just a digital presence alone is not going to cut it these days. Your specialist should be able to engage people both on and offline by creating special promotions that result in your customers having something they can take with them and experience. They should be able to create special contests or events online that make people wait until their next chance to win.

5) BRANDING – The social networks are extensions of the brand and things done online should mirror, compliment and be consistent with the overall brand. You can’t have somebody who doesn’t understand the core values, mission, goals image and brand of the business. Choose somebody who understands what your business does and hopefully has some experience in the field.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

1) OUTGOING – Choose a candidate who is just as energetic and engaging in person as they are online. You want somebody who likes people and likes interacting and networking.

2) ADAPTABLE – If your expert isn’t constantly seeking out the newest tools, apps technologies and information and adapting to integrate them into your plan…Houston, we have a problem. The social media space is constantly evolving and you must be evolving at the same pace if not quicker.

3) PROBLEM SOLVER – The expert has to figure things out and be able to make decisions quickly on the fly.

4) PROFESSIONAL – People think a lot of the social media experts are either hippies or introverted IT geeks. Not so much. The social media expert should be able to able to work in a business setting and uphold the company image. This does not mean they have to wear a suit to work everyday, but they should know when to.

5) TEAM PLAYER – The social media professional has to be able to work with other departments and should have an understanding of what the roles and responsibilities are from CEO’s to the people in the field or the front lines. By having an understanding of what they do, it will help all parties involved understand how they work together as a unit.

6) BIG PICTURE VIEW – There is no I in team and the social media professional should know that he or she is merely a piece of the puzzle, not the completed work of art. They should be able to see how all the pieces fit together in the grand scheme of things. If they only know about social networks, beware. They should already be knowledgeable about mobile and traditional forms of media as well and make them all work together.

7) FUTURIST/DREAMER – This may sound contrary to what most corporate people want in their organization because most businesses want somebody who fits into a box. You want/need somebody who sees only the limits of their imagination (budget and time too) because those are the people who will keep you innovative and cutting edge.

” COOL” MULTITASKER- Not Snoop Doggy Dogg cool, but cool as in they can manage and juggle multiple things going on at that same time without having a nervous breakdown.

9) KNOWLEDGE HOUND - Your expert should know a lot, but should know that they don’t know everything. The social media expert who doesn’t know that they need to continue their education and learn more about the field is a disaster in the making. With the evolution of the social networking space moving so rapidly, you need somebody whose skills are not going to be dated in the next 6 months.

10) COMMUNICATOR – This is a no brainer, but is often not a skill that is look at in a holistic view. Your social media expert needs to have a high verbal and written communication prowess and needs to be able to communicate to internal and external stakeholders.

KNOWLEDGE BASE

1) HTML – Your social media expert should have a working knowledge of html, This will allow them to make your social networks more integrated and cohesive with each other and will increase the creative aspects of your presentation.

2) CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (CMS) – Having knowledge of CMS will make everybody’s job a lot easier. Rather than having to have a million logins and updating your website in traditional html, knowing how to use CMS like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Mambo, etc. will allow your social media expert to create articles and blogs and content that will show your expertise or special aspects of your business outside of the brochure/static aspects of your web presence.

3) BLOGGING – Knowing what and when to blog is crucial. Blogging is a part of marketing often overlooked. Creating articles relevant to your business and highlighting some of the things that are going on in your business gives your customers and users a running update of what is going on in your business. Blogs need to be more conversational in nature and rather than overtly straight selling your products. With that being said, the blogs should have a call to action that leads ultimately to a conversion/sale.

4) CONTENT CREATION – Check writing samples of your social media expert and make sure their writing is representative of the type of image you need to uphold. They need to have good grammar, spelling and have a good writing style. Being knowledgeable of your industry is definitely a plus, but not necessarily a requirement.

5) PROJECT MANAGEMENT – Being able to prioritize projects and coordinate launches and deadlines with other departments is a huge skill. Every project or addition to the social networking mix has effects on the other pieces of the puzzle. You need to have somebody who knows when something needs to start, end, when things need to be adjusted and when they need to be scrapped.

6) SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO) – Search engine optimization is going to have your articles and your business showing up in the search engines when people search for your topic or business. This is important to make your business and various social networks rank higher when people use Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. There needs to be tags, keywords and certain phrases that these search engines pick up on that keep attracting new users to your cloud.

7) ANALYTICS/MEASUREMENT – Any social media expert that doesn’t look at measure your campaigns effectiveness through data is NOT an expert. There are so many tools like Google Analytics, Radian 6, Facebook Insights and more that translate what you’re doing into data and numbers that give you major insider info and will help you respond to what your customers and supporters are liking and learn how to engage them more effectively.

MOBILE PLATFORMS – Social media experts need to be thinking about users ultimately. As the numbers of people accessing and using social networks on mobile devices grow exponentially, your expert needs to be extremely well versed in mobile platforms and technologies. They need to be able to build for mobile starting… now. Any agency or business that doesn’t have a mobile website already is behind the times. Knowing how and where to use QR codes, text platforms and applications are going to keep your business relevant.

9) BEST PRACTICES – There is a certain code of ethics and practices that social media experts should be aware of when writing, posting and interacting with your customers and counterparts. The Golden Rule always applies, but there is more to to social networks when it comes to marketing online. One rule that they should always follow is the NO SPAM Rule. People want relevant, timely messaging and interactions , but don’t have the time or patience to be bombarded with your business. Know when to say what, how to say it and where to say it. This may fall into a legal conversation depending on what business industry you are in, so your expert needs to be aware of what will get your organization into trouble.

10) APPLICATIONS – Applications will help your social media expert manage all the moving parts of your communications more effectively. Your expert should have used and tested multiple applications to see which ones work for them the best and make them the most efficient. Dealing with all the different audiences requires being able to manage the various networks.

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People have access to all the information in the world at their fingertips via the internet and social networks even on the go via mobile phones and tablets. With people being very conscious of their time and money, they don’t want to waste it by going to a place that they don’t feel will give them what they are looking for, so they do research (aka “search”).

You must have a professional-looking site if you want to be taken seriously. Since many consumers now search for information online prior to making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store, your site may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a potential buyer. If your site looks like it was designed by a barrel of colorblind monkeys, your chance at making a good first impression will be lost.

Tim Knox on Entrepreneur.com in a similar article states “The point to be made here is that you should at the very least have a presence on the web so that customers, potential employees, business partners and perhaps even investors can quickly and easily find out more about your business and the products or services you have to offer.”

Kentucky Lake Productions LLC has a solid list of 8 reasons why you need a website with some compelling stats:

• Websites Never Sleep. Many people surf the web in the evening when most businesses are closed –  which is fine because websites never sleep! A website will allow your business or organization to be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Having a website is the equivalent of having an employee working around the clock — even weekends and holidays!

• Your Top Competitor Has A Website. If you are in direct competition with another business that has a website, they have a clear advantage –  especially if they are adequately marketing their website. A website is a great way to level the playing field.

• “Just Google It”. More than ever before, people are turning away from traditional means of finding information and looking online. Your business should be at their fingertips.

• Websites Improve Customer Confidence & Corporate Image. With a professional website, you will improve you overall impression to the public and, in turn, your customers will develop a greater sense of confidence in your organization.

• Small Businesses Have Higher Revenue. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses that have websites are averaging $1.07 million more per year in sales than small businesses not online. That equates to 39% higher revenue.

• Do You Know 266 Million People? That is the number of North Americans that regularly use the Internet. Worldwide Internet usage is well over one billion.

• Websites Help Establish More Customers. According to the Small Business Administration, 50% of Internet sales are from new customers. Having a website significantly improves your customer reach no matter what services or products you offer.

• Websites Are Not Just Local – They Are Global. Most small businesses are only able to market to their town and surrounding communities. With a website, you can take your goods and services across America and around the world, if you so choose.

Related Article: Avoid these Web Design Sins

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With video, one has the ability to paint pictures with words, sound and pictures.  Video allows a business to SHOW something rather describe it. It gives the viewer a sense of interacting with the person, place, product or service.  It has a way of making things more real.

With so many options of choosing businesses that do exactly the same thing, video is a perfect way to separate yourself from the competition and to give potential customers the human element.

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With so many “Social Media Experts” running around out there, its amazing that business owners don’t know how Facebook actually works. If they did, they would know that Facebook, although it has a large number of users and everybody is on it, that a “Like” is more of an ego thing at this point than anything. The perception is reality though for too many businesses and we hate to burst your bubble, but Facebook isn’t really doing as much for you as you believe it is.  Here’s why.

Think about Facebook as a magazine.  Sure there are plenty of articles that you COULD look at, but chances are you don’t have the time and frankly the interest to read every article. You read the ones you like and the rest might as well have never been written as far as you’re concerned. What Facebook does to enhance user experience is they look at what people, pages and things you and your friends do look at and interact with and uses an algorithm called Edgerank  (http://m.techcrunch.com/2010/04/22/facebook-edgerank/) to determine what shows up in your feed.  This makes it so only relevant stories and posts show up in your feed, so you don’t get bombarded with all 1000 of your friends status updates, which would get pretty overwhelming.

In plain English, if I don’t go to your page with relative frequency or my friends don’t go to or interact with your page, what you are posting doesn’t show up in my feed.

So what does this mean? Lose your ego and the assumption that people are seeing every post or status update that you put out because they are not. Stats show that brands are not getting as much out of Facebook as your “social media expert” is having you believe. (http://www.marketsentinel.com/blog/2011/08/can-facebook-work-for-brands/) Facebook is not the new television or radio and should not be thought of as a mass marketing medium. Rather, it should be used as a way to engage your loyal, smaller group of fans and followers and should be used for customer service.

Conclusion: Diversify your digital presence by having a blog and multiple social networking channels if you want the most effective way to ensure that your messages are really being read and implement an SMS/text marketing campaign.

Example:

1) Potential buyer goes up to property and wants info for 1234 Jefferson

2) They text the address (Ex. 1234JEFF) to 90210

3) They get an auto-response message about the home and Realtor (3BR, 2BA, FULL BASEMENT, Enclosed patio, 2000sq ft. Call Mike 313-333-3333 for more info). You can even put in a link to a mobile page with pictures and a video.

4) The leasing/real agent gets a notification via email or text (or both) that a potential buyer requested info for that particular property with the mobile number of the requestor so they can contact them right away.

Seem really simple? Well it is. Watch the video.

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Most Facebook users are using Facebook and Twitter primarily to interact with their FRIENDS or follow celebrities or get news, NOT to interact with businesses.  Why?  The same reasons why people change the station when commercials come on…  they already get bombarded by marketing messages everywhere else they go.  The thing with Facebook you probably don’t know is that in order to enhance the user experience, they have an algorithm in place that makes it so pages (friends & businesses alike) that they don’t visit or interact with frequently don’t show up on their news feed.

People have already stopped looking at event invites and messages in their inbox from businesses because businesses, promoters and even some friends have spammed them to death.  Read “Quality vs. Quantity: Social Media Spam” for some tips on how not to do this.

Should you do away with your Facebook and Twitter page?  Absolutely not!  They are good tools for creating a community, branding, and for interacting with your loyal customers.  Run contests and special promotions that keep people engaged and wanting to come back to your page.  Don’t just send out the daily special because if you do that everyday, to be frank, it’s just not that special.  Find out the people who are interacting the most and focus on them.  Read 5 Simple Facebook Tips for Businesses.

WANT HELP WITH YOUR BUSINESSES FACEBOOK PAGE AND HOW TO ENGAGE CUSTOMERS? CLICK HERE

1. Local restaurants/Local shops can deliver timely promotional offers via text. I read about how one local coffee increased their business during the week but sales still slow on the weekend. They initiated a text campaign & offered one dollar off a large gourmet coffee. They used various advertisements such as newspaper ads, a coupon magazine, etc. By the end of their campaign they had 300 new customers in their data base with increased in their sales by 26%!

2. McDonald’s Italy promoted a holiday campaign to send Santa Clause using SMS. The company advertised unique codes they printed on cups for consumers to text in the restaurant. Every code was a winner of course. Gifts arranged from mobile content such as: personal calls from Santa, sending postcards to friends, and Personal photos with Santa to attracted physical prizes like prepaid credit cards, 150 mobile phones and free airtime. Overall the campaign was a huge success & received a 25% response rate. Participants were in the millions!

3. Fast food chain Wendy’s International rolled out a mobile coupon campaign, in partnership with Options Media Group Holdings. In the end results: “We found from past campaigns that text messaging-based incentives work very well. Consumers tend to look at text messages quicker than e-mail, so it’s an instant result for [the brand],” said Frohman. “And it’s something that’s very beneficial to the consumer.”

4. Crowded Food Courts in malls with are using SMS to let customers know their food is ready while they are shopping.

5. DMG World Media is an international exhibition and publishing company that produces more than 300 market-leading trade exhibitions, consumer raises the bar for communication with Expo attendees and exhibitors. DMG used text messaging solution, created an effective, cost-efficient text program to offer their 16,000+ attendees and 1,000 exhibitors.

6. Colleges and universities and high schools in America and some countries are embracing text-messaging services for notification of weather-related cancellations and emergency alerts. Messages can be sent to an entire student body with warnings and updates immediately.

7. LSI Corporation employees set up a text-messaging alert system to ensure that residents of Greenburg, Kansas could get urgent information quickly because popularity tornadoes in that state. They also achieved a second goal by letting them know there were people working to make things better. This not only provided assurance but comfort as well.

8. TAO is one of Las Vegas’ premier nightclubs. Traditional implemented a text messaging marketing strategy to promote their weekly parties & their big DJ nights. In two weeks, TAO had a database of 2,000 customers who opted in to regular texts from the club. Attendance increased & sales exponentially.

9. Did you know students in the UK are using text messaging to stop bullies? They are using a new service that allows the students to send a text message if they are being threatened by bullies. Harassing messages are forwarded to school & follow up by school authorities.

10. Movie Theatre: Moviegoers text to receive mobile rewards coupons, including coupons redeemable for concession discounts. Users can then scan and redeem their coupon at an interactive touch screen kiosk located in participating theaters, which read the barcode on the phone’s screen.

11. Financial Services: Many financial companies send regular text messages to its customers who opt in to get information regarding recent balances, alerts notices on transactions & balances.

12. In Kenya, mobile subscribers to Safaricom can send cash to other mobile phone users with text. With majority the population excluded from formal banking, the system is expected to change how customers do their banking significantly.

13. St Christopher’s Fellowship, a child care charity and housing association, SMS) from Avanquest to facilitate a private and confidential method of communication between staff and their service users. St Christopher’s is a registered charity providing care and accommodation for homeless and vulnerable children and young people in London. Messages were sent instantly and clients then have the ability to reply right away which speed the communications process and giving organizations a competitive edge.

14. The new Crime Stoppers tip line enables Boston residents to anonymously provide information about crimes that may help police make their communities safer. Citizens simply text the word “tip” to the short code C-R-I-M-E.

15. For healthcare providers, “no shows” mean lost revenue. Doctors are now using SMS to remind patients of their upcoming appointments. A two-way text service allows patients to either confirm or cancel. Doctors are also sending texts to parents reminding them of upcoming inoculations for their kids.”

16. Dry cleaners are getting more clothes in thanks to text messages. Clients can text messages letting clients know when their clothes are ready for pickups or/and delivery. Dry Cleaners can also send out discounts & coupons.

17. Britain’s National Health Service did a national awareness campaign across the North East of England with a radio network using text messaging to target youth market. Concerned listeners who about sexually transmitted infections could discretely text to a mobile short code in order to receive home testing kits.

18. Auto industries are using text messaging service customers join auto clubs; receive news, updates, & maintaince. Example, one Auto Company sent text for free oil changes and added on they have been entered in a New Car Give away Sweepstakes! Another example, a text was sent to come in for a test drive and win theater or football tickets or dinner. Customers can text in to enter or join.

19. In addition to promotions, newspapers and magazines are offering mobile classifieds; mobile dating services are sending news alerts. The New York Times launched a text messaging service to distribute news, and columns from its newspaper and magazine. Readers were able to text NYTNYT (698-698) and choose their favorite sections to get the latest news & updates

20. Doggie Day Care facilities are sending vital vaccine texts for the pennies and avoid postal costs.

21. USA Today sends targeted ads via text messages that readers can request on their cell phones, in addition to updated information on sports, stocks, weather and other news.

22. Philadelphia Style Magazine decided it was time to build a stronger relationship with their customers by incorporating text messaging. They reached their target to better reach their target 25 – 45 year-old readers and offered the first 50 text subscribers gift certificates.

23. Game stores are texting a special heads up for long awaited games, top ten games, discounts, & memberships.

24. Real Estate Agents: For instant property listings in, house hunters can text in a unique code that can be customized according to their criteria. For-sale signs, prospective buyers can learn more about a great real estate listing by texting a specific ID number on the sign to a short code, allowing the buyer to receive instant information on that property instantly.

25. Comedy Clubs are texting out the lineup and filling seats faster while building loyalty.

26. Elevate, is a youth-focused, community-driven organization with outreach efforts that extend beyond the confines of the church. Because most community members are on the go, Elevate decided that a text messaging solution would allow them to quickly, effectively reach their members. Elevate promotes its special events, church campaigns and church services through several texts per week.

27. Through texting, City Year Corps, a nonprofit, the organization notifies new applicants of deadlines and information; current students receive real-time announcements about cancellations or changes to their meetings and events.

28. The Forest Law, Argentina’s first federal forest protection act passed in 2007, Greenpeace collected some 350,000 mobile phone numbers via a petition signed by supporters. They used the mobile marketing to send urgent alerts and the latest news on the legislation. The campaign played serious part in saving Argentinean forests.

29. One of the largest fundraising events for AIDS, (AIDS Walk Los Angeles), brought attention to the widen epidemic of AIDS occurring globally. Busses, posters, table tents and more include instruction to text into a short code for registration information.

30. In Spain Election Day in 2004, demonstrations were banned 24 hours prior to an election. Instead, protesters rallied via text messaging, utilizing the country’s 94% mobile phone penetration rate in Spain.

31. Gannett Co.’s local TV station in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul market, KARE/Channel 11, has initiated several mobile campaigns on behalf of its clients. Hoiggard’s, a retailer in the Twin Cities area, (outdoor sports and camping equipment). Commercials was ran for two days with a text message at the end, encouraging people to text “tent” to get a discount coupon coinciding with the retailer’s weekend tent sale, This was an easy incentive for their customers to shop their two-day sale because they knew customers are very active and busy .

32. Grocery store chains spent thousands of dollars each month in newspaper advertising and can reduce expense without losing sales. A text campaign sent customers including exclusive weekly grocery specials can increase sales & gather new customers.

33. Great communication tool for the deaf and hard of hearing .Fifty deaf students in Toronto’s public schools are using two-way pagers to send text messages to teachers, family and friends. Participants say that text messaging helped them to become more independence and improved their social skills. One student said “I used to stay home a lot. I was bored. Now, I can contact my friends through the pager and go out.”

34. Since I live in Minnesota, I was surprised to discover a full-service gas station; center located near St. Paul, Mn went beyond the call of duty in customer service. They used text messaging: alerting customers when gas prices are scheduled to increase. Customers simply text GAS to 25827.

35. Competitive sport events like Horse racing and other sports are using SMS marketing to send daily tips on horses/race cars to subscribers. Customers are sent thousands of text messages a week about the sports and can use the text messages in evaluating where to place their bets.

36. College & High school sports recruiting take advantage of texting by providing instant access to prospects with SMS. Coaches realize their potential recruits are between ages 18-25 and most likely carry a cell phone and will respond to text messages.

37. Fitness Centers & Gyms everywhere are using mobile marketing to generate leads. They can text out new membership promotions and offer current data on new classes, schedules and class cancellations.

38. Religious, Social and Advocacy Groups: Mike O’Brien, 44, said his 13-year-old daughter and his wife have texted questions to the church’s pastors. “It beats walking out of there with a question burning in your head and not having it answered,” he said. Schreiner said after just three weeks of taking text-message questions, he can feel a difference in his preaching. “It gives me a little more of a teaching role,” he said. “It gets back to Jesus Christ and the Sermon on the Mount where I picture Jesus having a conversation with the people. With texting, it becomes much more of a dialogue.”

39. Several professional sports teams are using text for special promotions, available tickets, and advertising. Local leagues & coaches are using text messaging to alert parents about sudden schedule changes, weather updates. Some are even sending a report on how their child did after the games.

40. The company VeriSign uses text messaging as a powerful internal communications tool for their employees in corporate meetings, SMS powers text-to-vote polls which will allow for current & real time charts/ graphs. The company is able to gather the opinions of it’s’ employees.

41. Nonprofit Group Text Messaging Campaigns on the rise” Text messages can also be used to drive traffic to an organization’s mobile website and to ask people to Text-to give. Many nonprofits have launched text messaging. For example, a nonprofit group, DO something, is using text alerts to inform individuals about volunteer opportunities in their area. Others that have joined them are: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, World Wildlife Fund and Special Olympics are just a few that are launching text campaigns

42. Anti-virus company Symantec Alert Service. They will send out alert via SMS helping customers aware of computer viruses & outbreaks on the Internet.

43. Political Parties/Elections in Canada, young children used their cell phones to discuss Canada’s political parties during the federal election. Text messages were sent to various politicians asking them questions about important issues kids expressed.

44. Blue Shield of California provided expectant mothers prenatal tips via text they have a program called Blue text4baby as part of its Prenatal Education program which gives amazing information about prenatal and postpartum care. Text4baby is a free text messaging service that gives quick advice on variety topics such as nutrition & immunizations.

45. UPS and Postal services send alerts to customers via text messaging regarding delivery updates on their packages.

46. British Airways developed a real time communication channel for alerting passengers, logistics firms and staff of last minute flight update information. Passengers are invited to sign up to the service via the British Airways website. The service was also promoted in trade publications and via direct communication with British Airway agents.

47. Airlines & Travel agents are using SMS to send updates on special deals and current promotions. Text messages can help keep you passengers abreast of schedule changes, flight delays and cancelations, and other important news. Many airlines are changing or cutting back their schedules to save money in the face of high fuel prices. It’s not uncommon to find out that your direct flight you booked two months ago has been changed to a connecting flight that departs much earlier or later…

48. US Airways printed an ad with a short code on its cocktail napkins that allowed passengers to sign up with their names and email addresses. The Mega Airline was able to a follow-up with offers that email included a digital membership card, program information, and the ability to sign up for a full text messaging program.

49. Hotels are providing top customer service levels by sending “Thank You” texts to customers just after checking out. They can also be notified if they may have left items such as wallets, purses or other luggage items in their rooms. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority launched a several text messaging contests & campaigns to their database. They included a “text-to-win” campaign featuring a free trip to Las Vegas. This launch filled a lot of hotel rooms!

50. Family Reunions: Family Reunion organizers can send text reminders about the schedule changes & updates and get the word out about the back-up plan if it rains. Often family members traveling from afar may need directions to event. Simply text address or person of contact.

• SEE MORE ARTICLES ON TEXT/MOBILE MARKETING

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Everybody asks what is and what are the uses of social media and social networking?  Everybody has their own definition of what social media is and as the space and medium evolves, so will the definitions.  Depending on how you use social networking it can be really what you want it to be. Facebook, Twitter, The New Radar, LinkedIn, Myspace and all of the social networks ideally have one thing in common…to connect people. The videos focus mainly on the business side of social media and the core principles of social networking, but it’s a pretty interesting analogy and perspective.

There are a lot of social media “experts” that will tell you the same thing in different ways, but it’s all about communication. Social networks allow communication to travel faster and rather than having to go person to person, a message can go viral within hours sometimes. Use social media wisely and be sure you are aware of the messages you put out because one it is out there, it is out there and cannot be taken back!

See “Social Networking in Plain English” Video

See “Social Media In Plain English” Video
So now that you’ve seen these two perspectives, how would you define social media?