Who is using social media as a tactical channel to achieve business goals?
This is one of the questions I run into everyday. It no longer suffices to describe to others exactly how I use it for my consulting business. They are looking for more. More examples of all different kinds of business - B to C and B to B. They want to know:
- What worked and what didn't.
- How much time are people spending doing it?
- What tools are people using?
- What is the strategy?
- What is the return on investment?
Search for Wisconsin Businesses
Wisconsin businesses are using social media. In a survey this spring by MarketingSavant and MarketPlace Today blog for the Northeast - Green Bay area:
"Reported results overwhelmingly pointed to the fact that social media marketing is here to stay in Northeast Wisconsin. All survey respondents indicated they believe social media has a place in the business world. In addition, 87 percent of respondents claimed awareness of the social media vehicles discussed in the survey and 69 percent of companies are using some form of social media in their organization today. The adoption of social media by Northeast Wisconsin companies rivals the adoption rates reported in similar surveys of Inc. 500 companies and surpasses that of most Fortune 500 companies."
So, I have decided to search out new social media examples that we can relate to better. Even I am tired of referring to Zappos, Dell and Ford as representative social media poster children. I want to know that small businesses in my town and in my state have learned to navigate this new technology to grow their companies. I want to find urban and rural companies, retail and manufacturers, nonprofits and government. I will need to draw from a diversified market base and I want them to be from Wisconsin.
Using video and social media tools (You are on candid camera)
Now I need to find companies willing to be interviewed. Besides doing the interview I also plan on video taping
each session with my new HD Flip Video camera. Of course I heard about the new video player on a podcast just before Thanksgiving. They were talking about Cyber Monday and how many online companies, such as Amazon, were trying to battle Black Friday with a Cyber Thanksgiving day sale of their own. I got a great deal on the camera thru Amazon that day (no need for disclosure here as I bought it!). Now I have to use it.
What is my strategy
As Madison's own Social Media Examiner, I turned to social media - Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter - for help in finding interested and social engaged companies. My business goal is to have at least one video interview posted each month that covers social media strategy and selected tools for each company. My action plan is to send regular tweets to my followers (just over 2000 total), check out a few Wisconsin lists recently created to find more folks, and post a request on HARO - Help a report out. On Facebook - I am looking at several Fan pages and groups to engage. On LinkedIn, I will work with groups as well to find possible candidates. I also hope to convince Carleen Wild of Channel 15, as a well connected and engage TV media person, to help me.
I am offering to do the interview and provide all raw footage back to the client after I edit and post the video on Youtube, here on Examiner.com, wendysoucie.com blog, Networkmindshare.blogspot.com, and possible others. I will work with each client to find ways to track and measure social media ROI (unless they already are doing it) so I can come back in 6 months and provide an update on their success.
After I tweeted my need for additional companies on Twitter, several companies responded. Midwest Airlines and Cousins Subs (Corporate) are now lined up for the month of January. In February, I have Matrix Products which makes custom RFID for various applications including the Healthcare industry.
Gathering intelligence at networking events
After using Twitter I went to a face to face Madison Event on December 22, 2009 - Holidaze Happy Hour. It was a holiday benefit and meetup inspired by IMBY.info and promoted on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as well as various posted directories in and around Madison. In My Backyard (Imby.info) is an Madison Greater Metro online directory and meeting place for entrepreneurs, freelance professionals and consultants. This site, created by Preston Austin and Phillip Crawford, integrates Twitter, networking, and partner finding to a new level. One of the members and attendee at this event were Laura Devries and Wade Stewart of Cupcakes A-Go-Go - of course with samples. Cupcakes -A-Go-Go is a new company providing specialty artisanal cupcakes for corporate and private events.
I enjoyed my conversation with both Preston and Laura Devries so much at the Holidaze Happy Hour that I scheduled a video interview to talk further about their business and social media strategy. Here is my initial conversation with Laura Devries of Cupcakes-A-Go-Go.
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