A lengthy discourse on the business value of social media with Charlene Li, David Meerman Scott and Chris Brogan – the latter two being a couple of my favorite social media experts. But click on the image above and hear some great thoughts on social media and business!
If you do not have a social media strategy, when you are staring at the screen, consider becoming a H-E-L-P-E-R:
- Hub – drive customers to your hub for information, resource materials, FAQ’s, etc. Not necessarily (and maybe not even recommended) self-promotion stuff, but there is so much information already at your hub (website), you need to share and repurpose that content over and over
- Educate – this is by far my favorite – you will always be highly trusted and highly regarded by your fans and prospective clients if you choose to educate and bring value to your readers in opposition to simply self-promoting
- Lead – the world needs leaders, inspiration, and thought-leaders to keep us thinking outside-the-box and beyond the mundane
- Promote – within a balanced approach, your customers expect you to sell your services, pitch your wares, and pimp your products. Just don’t do it very often (do all the other things on this list 5x as much as promote – make a promotional message seem so unexpected that it actually gets attention)
- Expand your reach – go farther and wider than you ever imagined with potential customers, strategic partners and high-value networks
- Relate – believe it or not, you can have conversations, invite further dialogue and collaborate on ideas – make it personal!