SOCIAL MEDIA

So what does it mean to dive into social media?  And will it help me connect to our users, our current customers, potential customers, and partners?

"Gotta be there!",  "You're getting left behind.", "Your brand is out there whether you like it or not.".  These messages just kept hitting me.  And my response was to freeze up on all the options and shirk from all the work.  Eventually I got some advice and help from Anne Clelland at Handshake Media.  She's helping tons of companies connect thru her Handshake 2.0 blog and service.  After some early evidence of bumps in our website traffic, that fizzled.  My fault.  I discovered that even with outside help and advice, the message ... the communication ... needs to be regular and to come from me and to be in my voice.

REAL WORK

It's very hard to stay on top of "real" work AND Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Youtube ... And the list is growing.  But those successful in online marketing tell us that social media should be at or near the top of the priority list ... And this social media work is very "real".  I should know because many of my new "friends" on Twitter are social media marketers.  I trust there's enough work out there for all of them.

But after some forays into Twitter and the organic growth of my connections, I'm convinced enough to give this some effort.  It's not the top of my list ... but we're going to begin the process and monitor results.   And I plan to blog about it.  If there's anyone out there listening, we're glad to have you along.

SO WHAT HAVE WE DONE?

First our static website has been replaced with a blog.  Our site had no significant content changes in months.  A blog gives a platform to simplify new content additions AND track the types of content that is most popular.

We already have a Twitter account, FurnishWeb, so we'll use that to mention our blog posts and to help out the industry with our experience with B2B applications.  I'm not sure how many of you out there have a Twitter account, but many designers and retailers are there daily.  Very few sales reps or manufacturers are participating.  I expect this will change over time.  And we'll be there to welcome them.

Facebook?  Well I'm not sure.  I'm not "getting" how this would be worth the effort as it is mostly visited by individuals connecting socially or businesses "selling" to consumers.  I want to reach companies and individuals discussing online B2B applications.  We'll make this a secondary priority for now but we're open to opposing viewpoints.

YouTube looks to be a great place to push out some of our message.  It seems easier to gab in front of a camera than type.  And we could use some video of how our system works and is helping real companies.  We'll look to incorporate some YouTube videos into our blog posts and spend some time improving our YouTube channel.   

FOLLOW ALONG

Come along with us. We'll write on things as we progress.  Please comment, ask questions, offer advice & insight. The trip wouldn't be the same without you.