Flickr user anomalous4
Start a blog. Check.
Create a Twitter account. Check.
Create a Facebook Page. Check.
Join Linkedin. Check.
Broadcast on Ustream. Check.
Upload pictures to Flickr. Check.
Teach myself juggling. Check.
Well done. But that’s not enough.
If your brand or company truly wishes to immerse itself in the world of social media you are going to have to do something more than just check off the items on a laundry list. You have to walk the talk and then some more.
At this point, you are probably overwhelmed by all the derivatives of social media. But there are more challenges. You have to keep up, grow bigger ears and not just push out content and demand feedback. You have to actually participate online and – here’s the catch – offline as well, which is easier than you might think.
One of the great things about social media is that it allows groups to self-generate. People with similar interests, professions, hobbies and needs have found each other via social media. And that’s where you come in.
Building a community is as simple as facilitating its formation. Know who your group is, know its needs, and know what challenges it faces. And know that social media is the one resource you need to help your community succeed.
Organize a tweetup, find out if your city has a social media club and / or a social media breakfast and attend the monthly meetings (if there isn’t one start one!), attend and lead sessions at a PodCamp, FreeLanceCamp, TweetCamp.
Just this week, we will be participating in two San Antonio events that we have helped organize along with members of other groups. These have self-generated in the search for a social media education.
The San Antonio Media Alliance chapter of American Women in Radio and Television is having a luncheon tomorrow to talk about the phenomenon that is social media and how to harness and incorporate their power into marketing strategies.
The second San Antonio Media / Public Relations / Business tweetup (SAMPRB) will take place Thursday at noon at Paloma Blanca. This month the theme is personal branding but the beauty of the group is that it lets discussion take its own course.
That’s what we are doing this week. We are live streaming the luncheon as well as the tweetup. Join us online but remember that it doesn’t end there.
