Communication Skills

I've been reading and listening to lots of advice recently about how important it is to use social media to promote and market your business.  As someone who is fairly new to using social media websites, I have found most of the tips and advice extremely useful and can totally see how using these sites can be beneficial for my business. However, there is something crucial missing for me as nobody talks about how to actually use social media sites!

I went to a Business Link seminar a few months ago to learn about Twitter. There were lots of people at the event, and from the comments in the room, I believe that most people were new or newish to using social media. Whilst the speaker was very engaging and encouraged us all to go away and start using Twitter, which I did, I didn't really understand what I was doing. I signed up for Twitter and half-heartedly attempted to use it, but I can't say it really grabbed me as I didn't know what I was doing.

I continued hearing about the great benefits to be had from using social media but this didn't mirror my experiences, so I must admit I wasn't convinced by the whole social media 'thing'. This seems to be the case for a lot of SMEs according to a recent report carried out by a UK non-profit organisation for SMEs. Apparently, more than 50% of SMEs in the UK are unsure of the benefits they can get from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, so are not committed to using them to promote their business.

I am convinced that this is down to not understanding how to use these social media sites and not understanding what benefits they can bring to your business. This is understandable - I was in the same position a few months ago. I then decided to invest in some training, which was money well spent.
I now understand how to use social media sites, what I need to be doing and how often. As with everything in life, there is always more to be learnt, but I least I no longer feel as though I'm stumbling around in the dark

My advice to anyone about to start using Twitter, Facebook, Linked In etc is don't waste time - find out how to use them properly from the start!

Is your company taking advantage of social media to promote your business?



You can’t avoid hearing and reading about how important it is to use social media to promote and market your business. Even if you haven’t got involved with social media yet, you will probably be aware that everyone is talking about it, so maybe you should start looking into it.


But where do you start? Look on the Internet and you’ll find lots of information, tips and advice, but do you really understand what you can get out of using Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In etc? Which of these sites are going to reach the right customer base for your product or service?


If you are going to spend time using social media sites as a marketing tool, you need to invest in some training to find out how to use them effectively. Take a look at our top tips below to get you thinking about what you need to find out before you get started.


5 Top Tips
1) Find out which social media sites are out there

2) Look into which ones will work best for your business

3) Decide how much time you are going to invest in building up your profile on these sites

4) Decide who is going to be responsible for managing your social media sites/profile

5) Remember these sites are about building up relationships with existing, and potential, customers and clients, so you need to engage



My advice to anyone about to start using Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In etc is to find out how to use them properly at the start - it will be money well spent and save you a lot of wasted time!

I feel as if I’m still getting to grips with twitter. I love the opportunity to learn new things.  Yesterday I did some research on the Swedish voting system thanks to my friend Anders Sporring. Anders had tweeted that he was going off to vote that day and I was intrigued that the Swedes were voting on a Sunday – not something that we do in the UK

I also learnt a new word “pandiculation” – from Gary Day-Ellison, who I was chatting to for the first time.When he said that he was pandiculating I tried to find the word in an online dictionary to no avail and thought that perhaps it was a made up word.  However, Gary kindly sent me a link to the Quality Health website and the word certainly does exist.  For anyone who hasn't come across it before - it is a medical term for stretching and yawning at the same time – something I am more aware of my dog doing than of doing myself.

Of course I learnt lots of other things as I dipped in and out of twitter throughout the day (and half the night). At nearly midnight GMT I read a tweet from SmartaHQ that asked if there were any insomniacs out there who needed some business advice.  As I was still up I sent a request and was delighted to be sent some information on cold calling.

I’m not sure that I contributed very much beyond general chit chat about food, moving house, music, exercise – all topics raised by people in different parts of the world.  I chose to block a couple of people whose tweets were full of swearing because I think it's unnecessary.

I don’t express political or religious views, not because I don’t have them – simply because I don’t know who’s reading what I write and I can’t really be bothered to get into an argument.  Nor do I make negative comments about well known figures even though at times I’m sorely tempted to. I deplore the practice of both the famous and not so famous carrying out their private arguments in public. And why am I so cautious? Despite a natural tendency to outspokeness,  I've always been aware that once you've said something it can't be undone. That's especially true when something you've written is floating around cyberspace somewhere.

Some people still appear to think that it doesn't matter.  But that's being naive.  If in doubt readSusan P George's blog “Increasing demand for social networking in the job market.”  The blog asks whether social networking is a waste of time. It  makes the case that it isn’t,  citing the sharp rise in the importance of social networking in the job market. Whether you're looking for a job now or in the future or forming relationships to do business, there is an ever growing possibility that potential employers or business associates will look for information about you.  And it's not just being savy about your privacy settings, remember friends can also post information, photographs and forward your blogs and tweets.  Donna Svei makes a similar point in "How to Avoid the Top 10 Faux Pas Seen in Twitter Profiles" having investigated some of the words that people write in biographies and provides an excellent list of timely reminders of things that is unwise to include.

Of course it's up to each of us what information we share and the method we chose to do it.  No one can remain ignorant.  There is a lot of good advice out there.  I only have one suggestion


Tip: Look to the future, pause for a moment and proceed with care.

Thanks to the following people for providing me with the inspiration for this blog.
@AndersSporring
@GarryDayEllison
@JobHuntOrg
@AvidCareerist
@SmartaHQ

I've been reading and listening to lots of advice recently about how important it is to use social media to promote and market your business.  As someone who is fairly new to using social media websites, I have found most of the tips and advice extremely useful and can totally see how using these sites can be beneficial for my business. However, there is something crucial missing for me as nobody talks about how to actually use social media sites!

I went to a Business Link seminar a few months ago to learn about Twitter. There were lots of people at the event, and from the comments in the room, I believe that most people were new or newish to using social media. Whilst the speaker was very engaging and encouraged us all to go away and start using Twitter, which I did, I didn't really understand what I was doing. I signed up for Twitter and half-heartedly attempted to use it, but I can't say it really grabbed me as I didn't know what I was doing.

I continued hearing about the great benefits to be had from using social media but this didn't mirror my experiences, so I must admit I wasn't convinced by the whole social media 'thing'. I then got talking to a social media trainer at a networking event and decided to invest in some training, which was money well spent. I now understand how to use social media sites, what I need to be doing and how often. Admittedly I'm still learning but I now feel confident that I'm on the right track.

My advice to anyone about to start using Twitter, Facebook, Linked In etc is to find out how to use them properly at the start - it will save you a lot of wasted time!