This is a very well done video by the FTA on the uses, benefits and challenges of social media.

In 7 minutes you will have a good udnerstanding of the different tools, when and how to use them.

Enjoy,

D

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I hope this helps clear up some questions about how, when and why to use social media tools to develop your business.

1. To publish and distribute information that serves customers or attract new ones. Email, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instant Messaging, Text Messaging and Podcasts are good for this. The networked nature of these mediums amplifies the reach of your communication while the opt-in nature increases your relevancy.

2. To share information that adds value to a community which builds trust. Email, Social networks, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook are good for sharing information.

3. To connect with others to find partners and customers. People that are active in social media are there because they want interaction, they want to meet new people, make new connections and do business. Searching social media platforms for active users will generally connect you with the right people and potentially with their audience. Topic specific social networks, Blogs, Twitter and Facebook are good for connecting.

4. To collaborate to get projects done better, with less cost and time. All of the social media tools account for who added to the converstaion and when, some even allow for editing of other's content. Working with online content creation and editing tools removes the hassles of schedules, travel, and having many version of a single document in multiple places. Instant messaging, Google docs and webinar style tools are perfect for engaging a large or small audience across geography and time.

It's important to keep in mind that all online activity can be timeless if you choose. This means that your work builds in amount as well as affect over time. Each act of publishing helps your search engine placement and provides an opportunity for your network to spread the word. This is of course not the case with Radio, TV, Print and event based advertising.

Please feel free to leave your comments below, thanks,

D

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We've been focusing on connecting and helping other regional marketers. This has increased our business and helped our colleagues make the transistion to the social media age.

If you'd like to meet and connect with more Capital Region marketers we recommend the American Marketing Association.

You can start getting to know these great people by becoming fans of the group on Facebook, simply click the image below.

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As I make connections with new and old friends and colleagues on Facebook, I get excited!

I wonder, is it the Face part of Facebook that makes this medium of connections so engaging?

I can email anyone of these people at any time, but seeing their faces and sharing their success in a "public community setting" is somehow captivating.

Maybe it'shuman instinct to be connectedand helpful? Maybe seeing familiar faces kicks this instinct into high gear?

As I work each day toward creating sustainable value for my network it is incredibly encouraging to see how strongly the network is connected and how easy it is to help anyone at anytime.

This feeling gives me enthusiasm and energy to be better and do more. I like it!

Is social networking (creating value with like minded people) energizing for your employees and brand or is it wasting valuable energy?

Please feel free to share your perspective on this by commenting below.

ps - imagine how much more you would like this post if it had a picture of my network, that's everyone that you are connected to through me.

You can see this of course on Facebook by clicking my badge below.

David Levesque|Create Your Badge

How to create your own badge Facebook instructions: To create a badge, just click on the "Create a Profile Badge" link at the bottom of your profile page. This will take you to your Facebook Badge page. On this page, select the "Create Badge" option. You will be walked through the creation process.

My notes: The link is actually in the left column under everything else. It is not at the bottom of your profile page as stated from the Facebook help section above.

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Social influence marketing tip of the week.

Know and plan for the communication style of each medium.

Websites, blogs, podcasts, tweets and social networks all have unique and established memes or accepted and expected behaviors.

While this may seem daunting at first it is actually very helpful when planning a social marketing strategy.

Just as you would not wear a snowsuit to prtect yourself form the hot summer sun, you would not use a blog to share a link with your network. That's what twitter, facebook and delicious are for.

Do you have unique uses for each social medium?

We invite your comments below.

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