Social media is interactive and spontanous!
Here is a cool example of what this might look like:
I am on twitter, follow a bunch of people, like Jenny Hogan, traffic advisor for Kiro 7. She has 13,000 some followers. Jenny tweeted out last week some advice on where to park during the Thanksgiving weekend, if you’re heading to the malls. I took that opportunity to alert her of the new parking lot on State Ave in Downtown Olympia, that the City provided for free during the Holidays. She in return, retweeted it and send out another tweet inviting people to come downtown for the Holidays and make use of the free parking and shop local. Now, the parking lot is not overflowing with cars as a direct result to those couple of tweets, but it didn’t take any time or cost anything to connect people and resources and information. More people know of the free parking, my store and downtown Olympia as a holiday shopping destination.
It’s so easy, people. Just be respectful use some charm and persistence.
Don’t ask people to retweet you just for retweeting’s sake. There a much better ways of alerting people of your cause. Connect with them, listen and interact.
More to come…
… for everytime someone comes into my shop trying to sell me marketing services and ends up leaving schooled on how marketing 2.0 works. I appreciate the legwork those people put in. Walking from store to store trying to sell their services, but if people don’t understand the medium and platforms where today’s market is happening you can’t impress anyone. Or perhaps some people, but not me. Get a twitter account, then come back and talk to me!
Just sayin….
Seriously people… it’s just like driving. Being able to use the internet that is.
And I mean USE to its fullest potenial, is just like driving. You can’t really live without.
So many people I meet are tired of “learning all that new stuff”. Sure, don’t then. But don’t complain if the train leaves the station. You certainly can get around without a car, and I am not promoting excessive car travel here either. But there is a reality that our world is built around the car and you need one for work, for leisure and for getting things done.
The internet is the same way. Sure you can get around without a facebook account. Don’t need to twitter, but learning those tools will help you get an understanding on how the internet works. Don’t be afraid of sign-up forms, learn to navigate account setting and deal with the fact that websites are code and need to be programmed. We might be driving every day and get around but we don’t dare to look under the hood. Alright? Find someone you can trust to set you up and don’t freak out when you have to change a tire. Those things are basic requirements. Resetting a password, uploading a picture, participating in an online conversation. Be there!
Blogging is the next level and will also become a neccesity for anyone in the workforce, anyone owning their own business… anyone who can write. Deal with. Start now, learn the basics, don’t be afraid to change your tune, fail and get back up. All of those learning experiences will give you a deeper understanding how the world works. And will give you an amazing advantage when applying for a job. It’s not just about having your resume online, but it’s showcasing steadfastness, committment and the ability to function publicly without humiliationg yourself and others. So important these days.
So, ask if you have questions! There are many geeks out there who can fix your car, get you on the road and can get you setup for this new venture.
I’m one of them!
