Recently I presented a social media workshop to a group of marketing directors and executive leaders representing the various business units of one of my corporate clients. They were very aware of the importance of social media and ready to begin exploring the ways they can leverage this communication shift to add value and amplify their current marketing efforts in their own B2B worlds.
After the presentation while saying our goodbyes, one of the gentlemen asked, “Laura, when I go home at night I don’t have time to do all of this extra reading. How do you find the time to read it all?”
My answer is that you don’t have to read it all. Engaging with communities through social media channels is really about having a presence and being part of ongoing conversations, coming in and going out as you have the time. And when you want to find specific content, there are tools that allow you to filter and search.
Apart from that ability to find what you want when you want it, committing to routine engagement through social media is much like that figurative cocktail party I mentioned in a previous post – you have a presence and are part of many conversations, but you don’t have to listen to everything everyone says and be part of every exchange. You’re there and that’s what’s most important – adding value and being a good listener, hearing the best of what’s being said, giving and receiving. The resulting connections can be gratifying and equate to much more than the time invested.
When you find a way to incorporate social media into your workday routine (and perhaps here and there on weekends and evenings, too), you begin to see the value of the connections you make, the increase in your own brand awareness among those in your communities of interest, and the appreciation others have for the substance and authenticity you bring to the table. You realize that, even if you only have half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon, your participation adds up to something quite valuable that you can’t really afford not to be a part of — new relationships, stronger communities, and valuable presence.
