Connection-the Essence of Effective Social Networking (Part 1)
Social networking venues abound and they can be an extremely effective method for accomplishing various business goals.
The question, is what “What social network will help us accomplish X goal?”
For instance, when Barack Obama launched his presidential campaign, he relied heavily on social networking. He and his strategists had very specific goals in mind as they tapped each network.
In his November 9, 2008 New York Times article, David Carr relates how Obama asked the advice of Marc Andreessen (Netscape founder & Facebook board member) on how he might integrate the growing social networking trend into his political campaign.
“He wondered if social networking, with its tremendous communication capabilities and aggressive database development, might help him beat the overwhelming odds facing him,” wrote Carr.
Andreessen had an insightful answer: Yes. He also went on to counsel Obama on the wisdom of tapping into several. Obama and his team tapped into more than 200. (Umm, we are NOT recommending that unless you have a full-time staff dedicated to keeping up all venues up-to-date, all the time). Quite the opposite–be selective.
Here are some examples of the venue they selected and what they accomplished there:
(File-sharing sites)
One of the 1,800+ videos placed by the Obama team, some with a few thousand views, others with millions. From seconds long to this 30 minute video with over 2 million views to date. Instant, accessible access to Barak and hearing messages directly from him.
A place where original documents can be shared with anyone you choose. It was here that Obama’s team placed his 64 page “Blueprint for Change” allowing the masses access to public policy papers and material. Users were able to obtain written material in PDF or plain text formats and forward it to whomever they wished.
Pictures culled from Barak Obama’s website could be posted online and commented on. You know the saying, “a picture is worth a 1,000 words” - people love visuals and imagery.
And just one more for good measure:
Available for instant, free download, interested users could hear endorsements, speeches or podcasts on a variety of topics. For those in love with their iPod, no venue could have been appropriate for download.
How can businesses use these venues and why? Here are a few take-aways to complete part one of this blog:
Videos: Posting virtual tours of your product, personal recommendations from satisfied customers, improving customer relations, launching a new noteworthy campaign, or employee recruitment.
Documents: Posting e-brochures, checklists (value comparisons) and e-magazines (with helpful, “how-to” content)
Photos: Posting before and after photos, “get to know” us team pics, as well as photos from any corporate social responsibility events or going green efforts that are in fact making a difference.
Podcasts: Involved in launching or rebranding? Podcasts are a great place to share a more in-depth look at what you are doing or about.
Using the right venue to connect with the right community audience is the essence of effective social networking.
More next time . . .
