When I signed up to organize Michiana’s Social Media Day celebration, I had one goal in mind… getting business leaders in Michiana to finally gather on the subject of Social Media. The only real way to do this was to make Social Media Day a community-driven event. Due to the help of Pinnacle, LaSalle Grill, Don Schindler, Elizabeth Cecconi from South Bend Airport, Kem Meyer and Dave Woodson, not only was Social Media Day a well-attended and classy event, but it also provided a lot of value to everyone who attended.
Where do we go from here? We will be having another Social Media gathering in another month or so. The goal will be to provide the same basic program with networking and a main speaker, followed by a panel discussion. Again, providing value and together learning some of the key topics in social media.
For another look at our main speaker and key panel members from Michiana’s Social Media Day celebration, check out Social Media Day Speakers and Panelists.
Key nuggets and take-aways from Social Media Day in Michiana:
Don Schindler spoke about how to sell Social Media to your boss. Don wrote a follow-up blog article to his talk in which he highlights all of his main points. You can get a full roll-up of his talk here, “Selling in Social Media – Social Media Day Talk – Things I Wish I Had Said.” It’s a great article that walks through his entire speech, with some added nuggets of information.
Basic key take-aways from Don’s talk are:
- Start by measuring your ROI.
- Get a strategy plan written out.
- Start listening first.
- Get a plan together and build out your profiles.
Key quote from Don Schindler:
“When you start interacting, remember to do good and don’t expect anything back. If you are always expecting to be served, you will not be. But if you serve others, offer assistance when you can and start building that kind of a reputation for yourself and for your company, it will work out.”
Social Media panel (in 140 characters or less):
How do we tie SM strategy to web and business strategy?
‘I talk about my kids, my family. I don’t have a strategy with social media. I am who I am & that IS my strategy.’ Via @orderedlist #mashsbm
‘I do social media as a public service. It allows SBPD to connect to public in a real way. It’s inspired.’ Via @edwardlife #mashsbm
Social media is a vehicle to help us be connected to others. Talk about what you’re passionate about. Be authentic! Via @kemmeyer #mashsbm
Future of social media will be open-source. It won’t just be Facebook anymore. Via @oaknd1 #mashsbm
Businesses struggle with the question of content. Is it possible for a business to have an outside company handle their content and SM needs, blog, etc…?
Absolutely. They have to. They do it for so many other things. Find someone who really cares about what you’re doing. Via @orderedlist
How do we share what’s already there? If the content doesn’t exist, answer the questions people have. Via @kemmeyer #smday
“Tap the people you have inside. Empower them. Let them generate content and then use their expertise.” via @orderedlist #smday
“If you don’t do content, find someone who does, because content is what builds your brand. Commit to it & do it consistently.” via @oaknd1
“Knowledge sharing builds relationships and builds trust. It’s about being a good resource & trying to help people.” via @orderedlist #smday
Via @kemmeyer “Give back without expecting in return. If you expect in return, it may backfire.”
Other nuggets and take-aways:
Don Schindler: “Get like-minded people together and start talking” “Think customer service over promotion first…” “88% of 18-35 year olds are using Social Media.”
Steve Smith: “Be good at what you do”- uh, imagine that…. (Because if you are, you can be authentic in your Social Media chatter and your business can’t help but to grow and expand)
Elizabeth Cecconi: Elizabeth asked the crowd who they would rather hear from on Twitter. Her, or the South Bend Airport. The answer was practically unanimous. They wanted that personal interaction by connecting with the person, not the company.
Elizabeth Cecconi: People love being noticed, 4Square (and others) now give a business the opportunity to interact with their customers and know they’re “present” at their location
Dave Woodson: “Look for opportunities to help people and answer questions with no strings attached…”
Dave Woodson: “Make sure you’ve locked up all your URL’s for your business- you’ll want to have them available for your SM strategy and to safeguard from critics taking on a site.”
In 2011 we saw more taming of the Wild West that is internet and every before. Google and Bing updates that really pushed web developers and copy writers and marketers to reevaluate how they showcase their content on the Internet. Gone are the days of trying to trick the search engines to rank you higher than others, and in are the days of quality content reigning supremely. Blogs are no different so here are 10 new best practices for 2012 to help you frame how you write your blog posts to get the search engines’ attention. Continue reading 
Steve Smith
Kem Meyer
Elizabeth Cecconi
Tim O’Connor
Edward Koczan
Dave Woodson