Where are you with your social media activity?

In an effort to take a break from the pure informational nature of this blog, I’d like to start a discussion about where you are with your social media plan?  My hope is to get some lively, group-style exchanges going so that we can all learn from each other.  Newbie, expert, casual user, or business user…tell me what you’re up to on sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flikr, or any of the free blog sites.

If you’re an avid user, feel free to plug your site or your service, too.

Committing to Social Media is Key

Now that I’m in full swing, I’m seeing some fantastic things in the way of response to my project. Over 150 people have visited my blog since I moved to WordPress and some 150 more have viewed my pages on Tumblr. Sure, some are duplicates, but the fact remains that anything you write can and will have an audience. If I was selling a product, I might have over 300 potential customers and maybe a nice boost in business.

But, for the last few days views and visits are down to just about zero per day. I have not posted any new content since last week. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you’re not posting new and interesting content, then people aren’t going to pay attention to you. On that we can agree.

But, I’m discovering a very important lesson here, and I know for a fact that some companies out there are ignoring it.  The lesson is:  If you aren’t 100% committed to a strong social media campaign, then you’re not going to get the return you seek. I don’t care if you’re a for-profit, a non-profit, or an informational blog – you can’t dabble in social media when you feel like it and expect results.  Common sense, right?  Sure it is.  But, when you’re a small business or a non-profit, social media may shake to the bottom of your priorities list.  Your blog, your Facebook fan page, your Twitter feed, and your LinkedIn activity can lose momentum fast if you’re not staying on the radar of your audience.

The current conversation the communications and marketing team at my company is having is all about allocating resources.  Who can we commit to social media and how best will the bet used.  This is a big part of the strategy that smaller for- and non-profits must have and must get right, or a great deal of time and potential could get lost in the shuffle.

The Making of a Social Media Expert

Welcome to my blog.  My name is John Stone and I am The Communications and Marketing Guy.  For the last decade, I have cut my teeth in the communications and marketing field while working for one of the largest non-profit providers of human services in the United States.

The last two years have proven to be monumental in the fields of communications and marketing.  Social Media is the wave of the now, and companies across the globe are scrambling to adapt the way they market.  Non-profits like the organization I work for have not been as quick to recognize and harness the potential of social media, for reasons like lack of resources, lack of time, and fears of negative feedback that would undermine their mission (among others.)  I plan on changing that attitude at my non-profit, and hopefully everywhere else that needs it.  And, I want to take you all along for the ride.

Over the next 18-24 months, I plan on turning myself from a successful Marketing 1.0 professional to a “Marketing 2.0 Expert To Be Reckoned With,” while convincing my company to embrace and utilize social media.  I’ll do the research, I’ll build the case, I’ll devise the strategy, and I’ll assemble the team to make it a success.  You can learn right along with me and become an expert, too.