Cincinnati Social Media Workshop Series with Michelle Beckham
Announcing: LinkedIn Basics Lab Class on Wednesday, 4/18/12 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Warren County Career Center in Lebanon, Ohio. LinkedIn is a professional networking site with over 140 million members around the world.
This lab workshop is for those who are new to LinkedIn or who have not been active with the platform. During the workshop participants will learn:
`Overview of LinkedIn & Role in Social Networking
`How to Set Up an Account Correctly
`Personal Branding Exercise
`How to Create a Winning Summary Statement
`How to Optimize Your Profile for Search Engines
`How to Find Contacts
`The Correct way to Send Introduction
`The Importance of the Status Update
`How to Find Key Groups
`How to Actively Participate in Groups
`How to Get Recommendations and Why This is Important
`How to Search Key Company Info for Contacts, Corporate Data, Hiring Managers, Jobs
`How to Promote yourself and your business
Understanding Premium Accounts and knowing when to use them
Each participant receives a Training Guide with Key Steps
The Warren County Career Center is located at:
3525 North State Route 48 Lebanon, Ohio 45036
About Program Facilitator Michelle Beckham-Corbin:
Michelle Beckham-Corbin, President & Chief Digital Marketing Strategist of C3: Creating Connections Consulting, LLC has over 20 years experience in the Corporate, Non-profit and Small Business sectors. Michelle is a former Sales & Marketing Manager for Procter & Gamble and holds an MBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Michelle specializes in Social Media Marketing Strategy and Brand Development. She is a Board Trustee for the non-profit group Authentic Leadership Cincinnati and is the Social Media for Business Curriculum Creator and Instructor at the Warren County Career Center, a University System of Ohio Provider. She is a member of the Steering Committee for the digital networking group, New Media Cincinnati and is an active member of the Cincinnati Social Media (CincySM) Group. Michelle is a frequent speaker, lecturer and trainer. Additionally, she is a published writer, co-author of Social Media book, Age of Conversation 3 (Channel V Books, New York, 2010), frequent commentator and Blogger. She brings great energy and passion as well as a keen ability to deeply connect with people in order to create business building social media opportunities for her clients. (http://creatingconnectionsconsulting.com/)
Even if your business or organization has a Facebook Page, are you truly leveraging Facebook Marketing capabilities to create a dynamic Fan base that drives customers/clients to action? Are you on top of the many changes Facebook has made over the past few weeks that could affect your Page?
Announcing the Facebook Page Marketing for Businesses and Organizations Workshop, a hands-on computer lab class that will allow you to work with YOUR Facebook Page to learn how to fully optimize settings, create content and foster engagement as we discuss strategies that are unique for your business.
Facebook Marketing has exploded and is being used by corporate brands, small businesses and non-profits all over the world to connect with and engage their clients and customers. Gain the competitive edge by learning how to leverage this important social networking tool. Don’t just have a Page in name, have a Page that builds community and becomes a destination point for your fans!
The workshop covers the following topics:
Page Settings Optimization
Custom Landing Pages/Tabs
Building a Strategic Fan Base
Creating Winning Engagement Strategies
Content Creation & Management
Cross-Marketing via Tagging
Marketing the Page outside of Facebook
Using Facebook Ads
Understanding how to monitor & measure using analytics
October 2011 changes (Timeline, ‘People Are Talking About This’, News feed & algorithm changes)
Laptops will be provided for the workshop and participants will receive a training manual. Group discussion surrounding strategy for each participant’s industry is also included and has been cited by previous participants as a very helpful component of the workshop.
This workshop sells out every time! Register here to grab your seat.
Giving Keynote talk on Importance of Social Media Strategy at Berry Seminar ~photo via Berry
I recently gave a Keynote Address on the Importance of Social Media Strategy to 250 small businesses from the Cincinnati Region at Xavier University’s Cintas Center on behalf of The Berry Company. I wanted to share the gist of my talk here on the Blog. The presentation was taped, and once receive a copy from Berry, I will post that as well. It includes a Q & A session.
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“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it“.
This quote from Socialnomics author and digital media expert Erik Qualman is even more telling today than when originally published in 2009. Today, Businesses realize that they need to have an online presence. Like it or not, we are living in an online world with current and future customers and clients who have grown up with this technology and for whom interacting with brands on Twitter and Facebook is just second nature.
With the advent of Social media, Small businesses are seeing a leveled playing field, where they have the ability to the same platforms as the big companies and brands. The R(e)volution has begun and the time is now for your organization to get on board with reaching your target audience where they reside: ONLINE
Social Media Platforms ~ photo via Mashable
For those of you who currently maintain a social media presence for your company, you can attest to the fact that it can seem overwhelming. There are many digital media and social networking choices for a company to use. The key is in understanding what the tools are, how they work, and how to maximize them for your business.
Stratgey This is all part of setting a distinct strategy for your online marketing efforts.
Having spent 15 years with consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble in sales and marketing roles, I can tell you that having a Branding Strategy is absolutely critical in your marketing efforts. I’d like to share an exercise that I use with my clients to ensure consistency and clarity around their brand or business’s online marketing efforts.
C3 Branding Strategy Exercise
After these questions are answered, the results are formulated into a summary statement that describes the brand. This statement becomes fodder for all Social/Digital platforms that are used ensuring a constant message and image is being shared across all channels no matter where a potential customer may find you online.
Having a social media presence goes well beyond just setting up the various platforms. Social Media is much, much more. It includes the following critical elements:
Key Tenets to Social Media Success by Michelle Beckham of C3
Creating Signature Experiences- providing an online experience that is memorable, fitting to your brand, and brings the customer back to you
Creating Needed Content- we are no longer living in a Broadcast state, nor one with static information- instead a successful brand will provide content that is Needed by consumers. Don’t know what that is? Just ask them!
Conversations- It’s all about the dialogue and sharing of information between the brand and the consumer. We are no longer living in a Word of Mouth society, but are permanent residents in the new World of Mouth universe.
Engagement- Consists of providing content that sparks some touch. Whether it’s a comment, a Like, a Re-Tweet, or a +1 on Google Plus. When the consumer takes action, that touch has a ripple affect seeping into their own social graph and spreading news of your brand throughout their network.
Relationships- This is what is achieved by implementing focused content and engagement strategies and being fully present on the platform. The worst thing any business can do is, set up the Open Sign and be permanently out to lunch.
When we take a look at how some national and local businesses are winning in the market place in these key areas, we find a variety of tools that you can implement as well. They include examples from (see video to hear about the specifics for each example):
Red Bull,Ford Mustang, Dunkin Donuts, Coco-Cola, Chick-Fil-A- Western Hills, It’s Working Out Suspension Training, Cincinnati, Ben & Jerry’s, P&G’s Old Spice Brand, Shane Gibson, owner of a Canadian Social Media Agency and author of Guerilla Social Media Marketing.
The key to an effective social media strategy is crafting a plan that integrates best practices with a mission and vision for each platform.
The first step on this journey is to become educated on Social Media, even if someone else in your organization will be ultimately responsible for managing your online real estate. Social Media is a constantly changing landscape and it pays off to stay informed.
Know your audience and where they reside, this will help you to determine the best platform(s) to reach your consumers. Knowing the correct number of platforms to be engaged in can seem overwhelming, having a strategist assist you in the process can be well worth the expense. I love social media marketing executive and author Brian Solis’s response to the perennial question: How many social media profiles should a brand have?”:
“The answer is as simple as it is revealing. Create the number of channels that meaningfully extend the focus of your business… and relevant stories to the dedicated audience they’re designed to serve. Additionally, only create the number of channels that strengthen the brand rather than dilute it and also possess the capacity to ensure its ongoing relevance.”
Here is a plan I have put together for the Small Business Sector:
Create a Plan that integrates with your off-line marketing and advertising programs
Determine In-house or Agency management based on skill base, time and/or budget
Set Goals & Objectives
Create Content Plan for each Platform- Be mindful of language and timing (day/part)
Create Engagement Strategies for each Platform
Connect all Platforms & Cross Market
Monitor the Platforms – Be an Active Listener & Be Responsive
Use Analytics to Measure & Make Changes
Lafley Quote Slide via Dave Knox- HardKnoxLife.com
~ A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble
Letting go includes the art of listening. Brands need to create a reputation management program to stay on top of the conversations that are occurring about them; whether they happen on brand-sponsored sites or on someone’s personal blog. Addressing any unpleasant information directly and in a customer-service focused way will show that you are active and responsive to feedback. Remember the old adage: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? Well, what happens in Vegas now stays on Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn and Blogs and….. you get the point. We are truly living in a ‘World of Mouth’ universe.
In Conclusion here are 6 Steps to Social Media For Business Success:
Be Consistent
Be Authentic- speak in a voice true to the brand
Be Consumer-focused
Be BOLD- this is an evolving playground- jump in and try some things!
Measure, Measure, Measure- if you don’t have an indication of where you have come from, how can you move forward?
Reputation Management: Be on top of your Brand.
We have certainly have come a long way from simply creating a social media presence. Winning in today’s market place involves real interaction with the consumer in a dynamic back and forth conversation that brings value to both parties. Metrics are key and measuring results vs. objectives should be an inherent part of the plan. We must remember however, that success is not in sheer numbers of Fans , Followers or Friends; success should be measured in terms of influence and the number of brand evangelists that have emerged in support of your efforts. Better to have 500 followers singing your praises then 5000 who don’t interact with your brand in any way.
I wish you all good luck. Enter the Digital Space Boldly!
Over 90 million people can’t be wrong about the #1 professional social networking site: LinkedIn. If you are not there, then you are truly missing out on an opportunity to affect your business and your future. LinkedIn is far more than a repository for your static resume. It is a living, breathing social platform that fosters connections that lead to real results.
No time to take a public group training class? Need an instructor to gently guide you in discovering the many utilities and capabilities LinkedIn has for its Members? How about taking a private virtual training class in the comfort of your office or home at a published day/time or one of your choosing that is mutually available?
Check out the video for class information. Discounts are given for published dates and times with early registration or you can contact me to schedule a date and time that works for you at the regular rate. Call me at 513-445-2180 or send a message HERE.
Yes, you heard that right. For some odd inter-galactic reason, I have been off my stride which is horribly uncharacteristic of me. Reflection is showing me that this must have been the universe trying to put some stability back into the Tsunami that swallowed up my world recently.
2010 started off with a bang with a lot of new business, new opportunities and new people entering my virtual and real lives. February and March flew by so fast that the weeks were sheer memories. In fact, my hair salon called one day to remind me of an appointment and I was flabbergasted, thinking they had it wrong. I truly felt I had just been there a week or so ago for a haircut. Well folks, calendars don’t lie- it had been six freaking weeks!! This was all great stuff from a business perspective and the bottom line, especially for a business less than a year old; but not so good from a personal perspective.
As they say, you can only juggle so many balls effectively until something drops and shatters into a myriad of sharp splinters on the floor. I am not Wonder Woman, Wonder Mom or Wonder Social Media Strategist/Business Coach. I have come to the realization that I need to do one of two things to bring balance back to my universe:
Scale back operations
Hire some additional employees and/or take on a partner
I have hit the proverbial growth point where key decisions have to be made. If I have been fully transparent or if you happen to know me from another life, then you can guess which option I will choose. Till then, happy trails and beware of the tsunamis that may strike your life in the night! Call me, text me, tweet me and I’ll help you through the rain…….
Hmmmnn, it’s January 1st, 2010, I should be sharing some of my resolutions here in this space. I actually did the non-social media thing and wrote them down in my journal by hand with an actual pen earlier today. I don’t really like to refer to my lists as resolutions, because those sound like things people resolve to do for a few months to satisfy their GUILT feelings and then they drop off from their behavior patterns. I like to use the end of a calendar year to take stock in what worked and what didn’t and to re-tool my focus for the next year. My year has never been focused on the calendar year anyway. Spent 15 years living life in terms of P&G’s fiscal year of July-June and then later when I had kids who were of school age, I started tracking the year as a September-May deal- love those summer “vacations”!
2009 was a fantastic year for me personally and I find myself poised on the cusp of a new year with even greater opportunities. I am incredibly thankful for the wonderful journey that began last January that put me on a path with the most incredible people I have met in a very long while. I look forward to continued relationships with all of them and I see some great partnerships emerging in my work world.
Sometimes there is a feeling of loss and uncertainty when we raise our glass to toast the new year; afraid to let go of the one that is ending. I can tell you that I raised my glass with a smile and the knowledge that I am going to kick butt in 2010, won’t you join me?
Pondering the question that Daniel Johnson Jr., founder of New Media Cincinnati (NMC), posed to the group at the recent Second Saturday Event on 11/14/09. The question was: “How Have We Changed In 2009?” At first blush, this seems like a vague and all-encompassing question, but what Dan was really trying to get at was the level of impact Social Media and participation in NMC had to play on our personal evolution for the year.
In response to the question we discovered that many in the group had begun Twitter accounts; started a Blog; created a Facebook Fan page and/or had started a business that involved the use of Social Media in 2009. There were about a baker’s dozen of the 60 in attendance who had parlayed their knowledge of social media into speaking gigs across the Tri-State and several who had begun Social/Digital Media businesses or were hired this year as Social Media Directors for another company.
Check out the Live Stream of the event HERE and listen in as people share the impact that being part of this group has made on their personal and professional lives.
My personal take on the question is that 2009 brought huge evolutionary changes to my life. I had been dabbling in social media on a personal level since 2005, the year that I began my novel Dreamscape which deals with the use of MMORPGs; addiction to the internet; the use of hidden identities; and the impact of on-line predators. I did a lot of research on the social media tools that teens and young adults were heavily into and received a good education on the virtual landscape. It wasn’t until late 2008/early 2009 that I began to incorporate digital & social media tools into the marketing work that I was doing and April of 2009 when I launched my own Consulting Firm: C3: Creating Connections Consulting. Throughout the launch, I had the pleasure and privilege of having some of Cincinnati’s brightest and best to be my mentors. I have found this group to be a wonderful community that believes in sharing, cooperation and most importantly: friendship. While many people embody all of these characteristics, I have to say that Daniel Johnson Jr. stands out as a person who selflessly gives of his knowledge and expertise over and over to everyone. As organizer of NMC, he has created the proverbial water cooler experience that brings people from different walks of life together to learn, share and grow from their experiences with one another. It is truly a beautiful space to gather in whether we are doing so virtually through the NMC hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn Group, Facebook Group Page or live on U-Stream at the Pub. (Side note: with roughly 45-60 members in attendance each month, the marketing folks among us should nudge the Pub to bring on the drink/app specials. Power in numbers people!!)
Second Saturday Event at the Pub
If you have a story that you would like to share about Daniel assisting you in any way in the Social Media realm or having an impact upon you due to the content that he puts out on his many sites (blogs, podcasts, notes, etc.), then please drop me a comment. Would love to see the picture that all of your responses paint of the man behind the cityscape of New Media Cincinnati.
Finally got thewebsiteto show up in IE. How, you ask? By starting all over again; although really it was quite painless once I determined the right theme. It’s working for now, but I will be looking for someone who really knows what they are doing to work their Web development magic and make some key changes. Cruise on over HERE and let me know what you think. Not sure I want to keep the Flickr connection that I have there. The pics are not the greatest and are certainly not organized in true über-anal fashion that is a hallmark of whatever I work on. That is the key- I haven’t done anything over there but upload pictures from social media events. Sounds like another thing to add to the proverbial “to-do” list.
The sun is up, time to fly away on the social media highway. Catch ya around the next bend…..
Why is it that at times other than this- (this meaning: scheduled sit-in-front-of-the-computer and erase this white space with enticing, memorable and deliciously flowing words), I can make those words flow like water from melting snow without even pausing to take a breath? Give me a deadline or a scheduled time to have to produce and my mind goes blank. So how do I overcome this classic writer’s block? I usually begin to list topics that I would love to write about and in the process of doing this, somehow some enticing, memorable and delicious writing magically appears. So, here goes (repeat in the sing song chant of “How I spent my summer vacation….”)
Random Thoughts Dancing Thru My Brain…..
H1N1:
Overheard conversation between mothers lamenting the fact that there was not enough H1N1 flu vaccine to go around for children. One woman stated that she had read that prisoners and death row inmates would have access to the vaccine. This started a very heated conversation in which the women felt that this was an abomination, and that this particular part of the population should not have the privilege of receiving the vaccine. In fact one woman stated that they (the prisoners) should “bite each other” and spread the germs. Did I mention that this was overheard on the spectator side for a youth girls’ sports team game??
Networking:
The beauty of connections and the relationship that time management has with making the right choices.
Intuition:
Using that “something” extra to help navigate through the B.S.
Wondering if this new application is sending us back to Junior High as we publicly share who we like and admire. No issue with sharing this, but the grouping and naming is what reminds me of the whole Jr. High scene: cool kids, nerds, freaks, goody-goodies, etc. Just saying…..
High School Decisions:
This is a tough one, I can only imagine what parents must go through with the whole college decision today. Good news: lots of great HS choices in Cincinnati. Burning question- why does everyone want to know where MY kid is planning on going?????
Hmmn very eclectic group of topics running through my brain. Guess we will just have to see which one moves the proverbial pen to paper. Honestly….my bet is that I will take the easy way out and write some poetry. Carpe Diem!!
Michelle Beckham's Blog 