There is no wrong way to use social media. Just like there is no wrong way to wear a tattoo. The question is, do you know who your audience is? For example, don't get this tattoo unless your wife's name is Leslie.

Image by leslie adams on Flickr

Companies must use the right tools for the right audience

“There seems to be an extreme trend among youth toward many forms of social media. Even people who are older than most would consider inside the tech savvy generation are falling in love with facebook & twitter. Using these forms of media allow you to capture all demographics.” @sitesketch101

Companies must connect with real people

One of the challenges companies face though is how to build real relationships with people. Most have no practice since social media hasn’t been around in the past, and the only way for companies to build relationships was face-to-face.

“I mentioned the In-N-Out restaurant chain in a tweet, and they found me and replied. That’s making it personal.” @meanttolive

Likewise, I mentioned that @OneRiot always responds to me when I give them a free plug. They followed up later, offering me some freebies because I mention them so often in my Twitter stream!

“A dedicated person involved in SM can definetely represent a company & engage followers,thus building brand loyalty.” @franklogic

Personally, I like when one specific person runs the social media for a company. It’s easier for companies to have real conversations with real people when there is a person representing the company. Ultimately, people connect with people on social media, not companies.

Companies must be part of a conversation.

@norcross asks, “But are the businesses willing to actually be part of the conversation? What motivates those businesses to participate?”

“Most are not ‘in a conversation’ they just make promotional announcements, they miss the point, it’s just more spam”@GSWoodward

“I completely agree about the spam statement. They do that because it works for some people. But it’s lousy to most.” @sitesketch101

I agree – It seems too many businesses still do SM half-heartedly. It doesn’t work – social media takes effort, strategy, and long-term investment to get benefits. Too many companies dabble in social media because people tell them they should, and they just do it without putting any strategy or goals behind it. Dabbling is ultimately bad; it’s all or nothing, and doing social media half-heartedly hurts the company brand.

Companies must talk about something other than themselves.

I ask, How?

“By interacting personally like I’m doing with you right now. Questions. Answers. Conversation. Provide their users with resources, quotes, questions & information. I think too often people load their tweets with personal links. I do this too much. Getting real with people is vital!” @sitesketch101

“Write how their own personal customer services had helped their clients. People read these & start building trust.” @franklogic

Companies must capture their contact list and follow-up

The way to capture who your company is interacting with on social media depends on which tools your company is using. For example, you could ask the customer for an email address so you can provide feedback. On Twitter, you can find the person’s real name and learn more about them in a professional way by responding to their tweets. On Facebook, there is a messaging system to interact with customers.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the conversation tonight! The next conversation is on July 22, 2009 from 8pm-9pm CST.