Leveraging Social Media

Leveraging Social Media for Virtual Connections

Presented at Social Media Jungle

March 18th, 2009

By Marshall Sponder & Leticia E. Colon - Insights Digital

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Background

What is Social Media? Social media includes: search engines, social networks, blogs, micro-blogging; vlogs, message boards, podcasts, interactive websites, webcasts,e-mail; instant messaging; SMS; and other online venues that allows for community interaction.

The public’s use of social media has become a mainstream norm.

New trends and development in social technology will increase the

options and ways people communicate and keep in touch.


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More On Social Media

Social media facilitates continuing that dialogue and communication with your intended audience. It is also a way to :

1. Exchange ideas

2. Keep in touch

3. Create connections

4. Maintain connections

5. Extend your circle


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An Example of Social MediaBlogs

There are many blogs written by companies, associations, and patients. These sites have a 1:many engagement in that information is posted by one blogger.

Though many viewers may read the information and constantly go to the site, only a few viewers may actually contribute with a comment.

Blogs have a smaller reach than message boards but some blogs are very highly trafficked, like the Johnson & Johnson blog.

Blogs serve to offer both an informational and emotional need of the information seeker.


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Leveraging Social Media in Multiple Dimensions

Dimension Professional Political Personal

Professional Website, Virtual Green Book listings; blog

Candidates running for office or holding office (ie: Obama/Biden)

Twitter; FB page; Myspace; blog

Political Website; E-mail list; Governmental Sites (change.gov, Recovery.org)

Facebook; Twitter; Myspace

Personal Linked In; slideshare; whitepapers; blog; articles on professional sites; message board

Join a Group, membership, message board, volunteer on group; website; online news

Facebook Page; Video; Pictures; blog; vlog; updates on twitter and facebook, SMS; message/bulletin board


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Type of Social Media Political Professional Personal

Alerts - Search Engine Yes YesAPI Maybe YesAvatar MaybeBlogs Yes Yes YesChat Yes YesEmail List Yes YesEvent Notification Yes YesFacebook Group Yes YesFacebook Page Yes YesFeedback/Comment YesFriends/Contacts Yes Yes YesInstant Messaging Yes YesiPhone Apps Yes YesLinks Yes Yes YesLivecasting Yes YesMessage Board Yes YesMicroblogging, ie Twitter Yes Yes YesMusicSharing YesMyspace Yes Yes YesOnline community Yes YesOpinion Networks Yes YesPhotosharing YesPodcast Yes YesProfile Yes Yes YesRSS Yes Yes YesSMS YesSocial Bookmark Yes YesSocial Network Aggregators Yes YesSocial Networking Yes YesSocial News Yes Yes YesSubscription Yes YesTags YesThird Party Community YesVideo Yes YesVideosharing Yes YesVirtual World Maybe YesVlogs Maybe YesWebsite Yes Yes YesWidget YesWikis Yes Yes

Red - Engage & ListenYellow - Builds Identiy & AwarenessGreen - ListenBlue - IdentityCollaboration


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Social Media Etiquette Social Media is a Two Way Street.

Politeness in communication works best.

Be Transparent – people are really smart and can see more than you think.

There’s a good amount of altruistic behavior in Social Media, businesses need to adapt.

You need to be Authentic in order to gain respect and trust.

Virtual friends can be leveraged and even turned into close friendships; the first time you meet physically, best to assume nothing, treat the meeting like an interview.


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Best Practices

Add Value – if your interaction doesn’t add value, what’s the point of it?

Learn to leverage various forms of social media to strengthen virtual connections

Remember virtual connections are a form of strengthen real life connections – life is a condominium

**Remember Social Media is here to stay!”


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Lessons & Advice Choose topics and contribute to discussions you're

passionate about. Combine multiple interactive and traditional outreach

tactics to create, strengthen, and maintain connections (social media, email, in-person networking, etc).

Evangelism from a convert is much more effective than evangelism from the founder.

Quick, personal follow-up is essential. The half-life of a new connection is very short.

There is a “fine line” between harassing and connecting.

Case Studies

Examples of Leveraging Social Media for Virtual Connections


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Case Study: Career Explorer turned into Job Seeker Holly Hester-Reilly, MS in Engineering Goal: To Explore New Career. Upshot: Found a job using Facebook Social Media Used:

Facebook Update; Twitter

Outcome: 1. Explored about new career with old classmate who was in that industry. 2. Kept in touch. 3. When a job opened up, the classmate contacted Heather and she got the job. 4. Use Twitter to connect with Key Opinion Leaders.

Contact: http://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyhesterreilly


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Understanding the “Voice of the Fibromyalgia Patient”

Patients share their experience in many ways:•Blogs – Technorati.com reports: 2,113 results for Fibromyalgia and 640 blogs dedicated to Fibromyalgia.•Message Boards – like ChronicBabe.com, Neurologychannel.com, HealthBoards.com, Fibromyalgiasupport.com•Online Groups – Facebook.com has 283 groups on Fibromyalgia. •Videos – YouTube reported 1,850 videos in its results on Fibromyalgia.

What are patients saying?

Patients are:• Desiring to Increase Awareness of Fibromyalgia.• Their experience of living with Fibromyalgia - changes in their lifestyles • Fibromyalgia is a real invisible condition – It is not in their heads! • They will not allow Fibromyalgia to take over their lives.

Social Media can be used to share information in a much quicker wayThat allows peer to peer interaction in real time


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Get Me A Job TodayHttps://getmeajobtoday.pbwiki.com

Goal: Wiki for job seekers in transition to share advice, stories, and motivate each other for success in these times.

Upshot: It is a Karma wiki project to provide advice to laid off job seekers.

Social Media Used: 1. First, it was a Yahoo Group founded in 2003. 2. Now, it is a wiki on PbWiki; 3. Twitter

Twitter - Follow @GetMeAJobToday and search the #GetMeAJobToday for work opportunities or people in need of their own JobAngel


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Job Angels www.JobAngels.org

Goal: Help others find a job using the hashtag #jobangels. Upshot: It started with a tweet on Jan. 29th by Founder and

Head Angel, Mark Stelzner. It quickly gained traction among his marketing, advertising, and public relations colleagues.

Within 30 day, Jobangels has a site, strong twitter following with over 4,500 members

Social Media Used: Twitter and now website Outcome: 1. Connect “angels” with job seekers to find jobs. Twitter - Follow @Jobangels and search the #Jobangels for

work opportunities or people in need of their own JobAngel Facebook - JobAngels on Facebook LinkedIn - JobAngels Group


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Silver Starr Art Studiowww.ssasarts.com

Goal: Their primary mission is to promote artists' work and provide artists with greater control over their artistic career.

Silver Starr began in 1999 with no website. In 2002, Siver Starr had a static website. Now, it has a dynamic website with constant updates. It found it necessary to evolve to be in touch with artists.

Social Media Used: Website; Images; Email for Events; Facebook Update; Twitter

Contact: http://www.silverstarrartstudios.com/


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Ultra Light Startup http://ultralightstartups.com/newyork/

Goal: Graham Lawlor’s vision was to Create a Collaborative & Supportive Community and Monthly Events for Entrepreneurs who are bootstrapping their startups.

Upshot: 1. In less than one year and 10 meetings after, the group now has over 1,200 members.

Social Media Used: email, Meetup, LinkedIn, and Facebook

Outcome: 1. Brought entrepreneurs together; 2. Gained National Exposure.

Contact: Twitter: #ULShttp://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13368068135


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Acknowlegdement

Charee - CMO - JobAngels.org Graham Lawlor - Founder - Ultra Light

Startup Holly Hester-Reilly April Tabor, Esq. - Silver Starr Art Studio


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About Insights Digital

Insights Digital specializes in finding "hidden gems" for you through research and digital data mining.

Insights Digital is an independent research and strategy firm specializing in: behavioral based consumer insights; digital intelligence; and interactive strategy.

Each and every project is spearheaded by a Social Scientist and Expert Technology Leader.


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Contact Us

Insights Digital, Inc.

www.InsightsDigital.com

917-570-5683

Leveraging Social Media

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