Question: Why is it important for businesses to have a social media presence?
Answer: For any business, the importance of having a social media presence is taking advantage of the now-more-than-ever cluttered Internet landscape. Information on the Internet is uploaded at an alarming rate, filling up the World Wide Web, causing those surfing the Internet to be distracted. Having a social media presence ensures that any business claims their Internet real estate, increases their online visibility and equity and allows them to get in front of their prospective customers or clients in as many ways as possible.
Q: What is the best way to get started?
A: Take the time necessary to be familiar with the tools and social media platforms. Social media is a public vehicle, and people watching a company that is not savvy with either the terminology or "best practices" may misrepresent themselves. Once information is published it is public, therefore seek advice from experts to shorten the learning curve.
Q: What is the best way to build your social media network and brand?
A: Be genuine. Especially when using a business social media account. Be professional. Interact and engage with your audience. It is important to continually refer back to a social media plan and a company’s vision and values.
This helps to keep the messages published consistent, having people know what to expect from social media networks. If you have a promotion, do regular promotions. If you are a source for news, publish pertinent information about news.
In addition, it is important to be active with your social networks and update on a consistent basis. No one likes to go to any site online where information is out of date.
Q: What are the best social media sites?
A: In my personal opinion, Facebook is still one of the front-runners with over 700 million active users. Twitter is quickly trailing. There are others that are quickly coming out of the woodwork such as Foursquare, Google+, Path, Instagram, Tumblr and more. Social media is ever evolving, and keeping in the know can only help your business.
Q: How do you engage your social media network while remaining productive on the job?
A: Although many do not like to be tied to their technology, I am a person that enjoys updating my social networks via my phone. Company or personal. I believe that everything is OK to do as long as it is done in moderation.
If one social network is taking up too much of my time, I take a step back and ensure that I don’t veer away from the intent of why I am doing social media for my business or other businesses.
Q: How can you become a social media influencer?
A: We all have access to our own circle of influences. So in that respect, we all have the opportunity to become social media influencers in the topics and interests that are important to us. If you continually educate yourself within your industry and look to share insights and experiences from a professional standpoint with the world, there is always an opportunity to become a social media influencer.
Q: How can you make your professional profile stand out on sites such as LinkedIn?
A: Keep information up to date. LinkedIn can be compared to an online resume with work history, job skills and testimonials from people you’ve worked with or worked for. Since LinkedIn is a professional network, those viewing your profile may be customers, clients or even businesses that may be interested in you. Having a social media presence that is up to date and active will earn higher brownie points than seeing a public post from a friend, customer or client, unanswered.
Q: How can you navigate geosocial networking including Foursquare, Yelp and Facebook?
A: I highly recommend coming to our Hawaii Social Media Seminar at Dave and Buster’s April 11. It is an all-day event that will cover geosocial networking by one of the nation’s leading experts. Tickets are available at hawaiiseminar.eventbrite. com. It is a worthwhile investment, and one can take away actionable tips to get started with a geosocial campaign. It’s great for businesses that are restaurants, retailers or a brick-and-mortar location.
Interviewed by Kristen Consillio. "Akamai Money" seeks out local experts to answer questions about business in Hawaii. If you have an issue you would like us to tackle, please email it to business@staradvertiser.com and put "Akamai Money" in the subject line.
