If you're still trying to decide if social media is working for you - then you might be missing incredible opportunities to grow your business, expand your peer/partner relationships and best of all get the journalists to come to you through these tools!
What if you were able to directly have journalists or traditional media contacting you about your business and your insight?
Web 2.0 tools are not just a passing fancy and you need to be using them so people who can benefit from your insight can find it on the Web.
Let's take a look at the statistics. The latest report on social media tool usage boasts LinkedIn (70 million users), Facebook (~500 million), and Twitter (106 million). Over 50% of the Fortune 500 companies say they source and hire people through Linkedin.com .
These tools help you build your community and expand it to others who might not otherwise know about it.
These tools give your thought leadership an edge over others who are not on the Web and not successfully utilizing Web 2.0.
Imagine a journalist writing for Business Week posting her queries for expert sources for stories out on Linkedin.com and Twitter? It happens daily.
What if you never had to attend another cold pancake networking breakfast again but were able to connect to thousands of new clients and customers just using strategic content on your blog.
What if your Linkedin.com profile was at 100% so you can be indexed through organic searches on Google, Linkedin and other leading search sites?
What if you were able to create a dynamic supportive strategy through effectively linking to others on your blog and have them link to you as well?
All of us are searching for more ways to be authentic and connect from the heart, these tools help you do that. They provide you networking opportunities, new potential customer engagement and new ways to find like-minded people in your vertical, all within the simple click on a keyboard.
Below are some helpful things to keep in mind when it comes to social media.
1. It takes time to grow your social media presence, it doesn't happen overnight.
2. Make certain your expectations are in line with what is really happening in social media. Don't expect 10,000 friends on Facebook the first month out.
3. Twitter count - quality is more important than quantity.
4. Establish a regular editorial calendar for all your social media content and assign one or two people on your team to make sure it gets done.
5. Bloggers are much easier to connect with if you actually read their blogs instead of just asking them to do something for YOU.
6. Don't make your social media circle exclusive - always make room for more people to join in and participate.
7. Be engaging, tell stories and be honest.
Connect with your heart and use social media to support you. Now, go out and be social!
About Nettie Hartsock, The Hartsock Agency - Web 2.0 Strategist and Online Consultant
Nettie is a widely respected online strategist helping authors, entrepreneurs, musicians and comedians create and empower their Web 2.0 outreach efforts. Her Twitter ID is @nettiehartsock and she has an active blog at www.nettiehartsock.com . The Hartsock Agency offers top digital strategy consultation, as well as brand development expertise, and 2.0 visibility.
Nettie's clients have seen millions in YouTube views, features on DailyKos, Daily Candy, NYTimes, MSNBC.com, Entreprenuer.com, Pink Magazine, Inc.com, Allbusiness.com, Huffington Post, Wall St. Journal, BlogCriticsand other leading online blogs, podcasts and websites.
Nettie serves on the Cincom Expert Access Panel along with PR luminaries including David Meerman Scott, Al and Laura Ries and others. She is an active speaker and has presented at the IBPA Publishing University, National Federation of Press Women, Texas Governors Conference for Women, Grassroots Coalition Network, and the Erma Bombeck Conference.
Nettie is currently completing her book "Fire Your Publicist." She is a graduate of Goddard College. She lives in the Texas Hill Country with her two children and husband Andrew. Contact her on the web at nettie@nettiehartsock.com
