The other night I gave a presentation on online social networking to a local group of women business owners. I’ve wanted to do this for quite a while, but I hadn’t felt like my local market was ready for it – until now.
Now that Twitter and Facebook are in the news every day and have become more mainstream, people want to learn how to join in the party. Business owners are starting to see the value and understand that online social networking tools actually CAN help increase profits.
We had 20 people in our group. I explained the most popular social networking sites - Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Just the basics, though. The idea was to take away the fear of social networking, not to make everyone experts in one evening.
The evening went better than I expected – actually I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m more than pleased with the results. Here’s some feedback I’ve received in the past few days:
“Lisa, thanks so much for your talk the other night. I’ve been trying to connect with someone from the New York Times but have been hitting roadblocks. It occurred to me that I have a LinkedIn connection who can introduce me. I never would have done this before hearing you speak.”
“Hey Lisa, Thanks for the inspiration the other night. Making a Facebook page (for my business) has been on my list for a while and your talk pushed it to the top. I had fun making the page and am so excited by the response.”
“I now understand the value of trying networking and being comfortable. I was overwhelmed with what to try and have narrowed it down to Facebook”
I’m keeping these women anonymous to protect their privacy, but you can see how small business owners are starting to “get it” about the benefits of online social networking. Needless to say, I’m thrilled! I’ve also set up some follow-up coaching sessions for those who want some one-on-one help.
So if you’re on the fence about social networking, get off it!
Start small. Take baby steps. Pick one social networking site and join. Follow a few people, see how things work. Once you’re comfortable, wade in a little deeper. Customize your profile. Join another social networking site and get comfortable with that one. Take one step at a time.
The other thing we talked about is time management for social networking. It’s easy to spend hours on Twitter – it’s addicting! Be careful not to fall into that trap. If it helps, set a timer to help you stay on task. Whatever works for you.
I’d love to hear how YOU use social networking tools for your business. Questions? Leave them in the comments below. I’m here to help. 
{ 1 trackback }
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s great news Lisa!, and what a good idea!!.
Social networking can be tough trying to figure out how they all work, their are just so many of them!. So its great that you use your knowledge to pass on to others!. No better teacher than you!.
Keep us posted.
Thanks Elliot! It’s such a good feeling to be able to help people understand it all. Thanks for your comment!