Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Social Media for the audio/video Industry

In a previous life, my husband and I owned a small audio/video system integration company in the Seattle area. We established an excellent network of friends and business connections. We owned the business for over 14 years and it took us over 7 years to build up our network of clients, vendors, manufacture reps, subcontractors and other contacts that helped the business grow. Just imagine how much easier (and quicker) it might have been if we had some of today’s technology and social networking tools.

Today there is so much at our disposal to help us get ‘connected’. Linkedin is an amazing business tool – an online resume, so to speak. Then there is Facebook and Twitter for customer service issues and to stay connected with clients and manufactures. Photos of projects or some of the latest equipment could be posted on Facebook and Flickr.

And then there is Blogging. This opens up a whole new world for sharing information. New product previews, troubleshooting tips and tricks, discovering who’s who in the industry, what projects are in the works, design ideas and more could be posted on a blog. The ideas are endless.

The a/v industry is ever-evolving. Changes come and go so quickly that sometimes you feel like you can’t keep up. Today’s tools would have been a great way for us to share these changes with our ‘network’ of friends and business connections. These are tools that the industry today should be embracing and utilizing to its full potential.

Our a/v systems integration business is closed now, but we still keep ‘connected’ and current with the industry. Our specialty today is producing educational workshops. That is why we are combining our past – the a/v industry - with our present – educational workshops. Which include teaching businesses how to use today’s social networking tools to add value to their business.

I am ending this piece with a brief conversation I had with a good friend in the a/v industry. Bob Grawet, way back when, was our Da-Lite rep. Then he moved onto Smart Technologies. Bob, has become an icon in the Digital Signage world, and now Works for Eiki and Advanced Method. He’s always forward thinking and uses Linkedin to get connected.

Here are some of his views on Social Media Tools:

1. What tools in Social Media do you use to network with?

I have a limited presence on Facebook and Twitter, but my focus is 99% inside of Linkedin.com. It's my opinion (and many others) that Linkedin is the best business social media platform.

2. What results, if any have you seen?

I've had active business discussions with potential customers around the world as a result of connecting with them. I have made a couple of actual sales from them. I have really bolstered my presence and the aura around myself to the many people I already know. Just today I received emails from around 20 people who I know, who re-established our contact…. so they do not forget about me.

3. Would you recommend it?

I recommend it as 'one' of the things you do to help sell and market. I think it is imperative, and that many people now check you out on Linkedin.com if they are planning to meet you.

4. You started a Motorcycle group on Linkedin and now have quite the following - How did you build that one up?

I've started 10 groups on Linkedin.com. Some worked, some did not. Some for fun, some to establish me as more of a well-rounded human, and some for pure business marketing.

My Worldwide Motorcycle Association has petered out a bit at around 450 members. It has become a fun place to talk about riding, and I have made many new friends there. I built it up by making regular announcements 'via' the update section of the main page of Linkedin.com. I update by saying something like: Join the Worldwide Motorcycle Association group on Linkedin.com if you are a rider and want to talk bikes. Just generic stuff like that.

Everyone on linkedin.com that you are connected with will see those updates….and others will as well. It's a slow go this way, as it took a year to build up to the current 450 members.

On the other hand, my brand new group (started yesterday afternoon) called: Macworld 2010 Attendees, has 124 people signed up in less than 24 hours.
I have a paid membership, and you need that to be able to grow.
My Worldwide Digital Signage Network group is up to almost 1300 members now. I work on this constantly.

My Buddha site is never going to grow very far, but it is mostly to establish relations with people who think like me.

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