Seize the social media experience

If you’ve been charged with helping to run your company’s social media activity, or want to make better use of it for your own networking purposes, you may want to turn to Twitter guru Deborah Lee.

Deborah refers to herself as a ‘social media mentor’. She won’t take over a Twitter or Facebook account on your company’s behalf, but has instead made an occupation out of reinvigorating corporate social media presences so that their profiles actively promote their goals.

Having previously worked in business-to-business sales in central London, she says that she became attuned to corporate success and how people’s minds work. After moving to the Lincolnshire countryside, she used Twitter exclusively to build her consultant-style business.

Companies that approach her often use their social media like a bulletin board of on-going updates instead of looking for new clients or opportunities. Most commonly, she explains, people don’t know how to use social media to benefit their business.

Deborah compares Twitter to walking into a room full of people all talking about the same thing at once; you need to “stand up and bang your glass” to get noticed. To be truly successful, she continues, you also have to make the move from having followers to having fans who actively choose to read what you have to say.

Here are her three top tips for using social media:

• Know why you are using it. Don’t go blindly into it; sit down and plan your goals, whether it is to attract new customers or build on existing relationships.
• Determine your USP. There are thousands of businesses doing something similar to your company – identify what makes it unique and worth being noticed and listened to. Your shared information must be high quality and consistent. Give the perception that you are a leader in your field, no matter what you do.
• Be proactive. Don’t be reserved, abandon your ‘Britishness’ and make the first move to connect with someone. People will always appreciate a friendly gesture or helping hand.