What social media has done since it’s birth is provided us with more opportunities and brought some wonderful talent out of hiding. For those who embrace it by creating the right brand in front of the right audience the possibilities are endless.

I see some amazing things happening online everyday and feel privileged to be living in such times. I have started working for myself with nothing but my laptop and the support of my growing network and this is something that wouldn’t have been possible for generations before me.

I wanted to share some examples of how SM has added value to my life and the life of those around me where the windows of opportunities have been opened as a result of being visible online.

• I embrace new technologies but I have very little patience when things start to go wrong. I have a couple of laptops which I use for different things so when my Sony Vaio surprised me with the black screen of death I decided in my panic to send a tweet out to my followers with an SOS.

After getting a credible recommendation from one of my trusted followers I approached @ITGuyMark to ask for his help. Mark replied within a matter of hours and we arranged to meet over the next couple of days. Actually Mark offered to come to meet me in Ascot providing a great service for just £9.99 per month. As my PC needed a new hard drive Mark then went to the effort of sourcing one for me and also helped me to find some good rates on some Microsoft office packages. I am very grateful for Marks help and I can assure you I would not have found him had I not had an online presence.

• My good friend Lucy works for Blackberry and often travels around the world on business trips to some very exotic locations. On this occasion Lucy was in Dubai when she posted this Facebook status update..

As you can see Lucy was very clear about her ‘ask’ where she was essentially looking for someone to go out with that evening in Dubai. Amazingly she fond someone in less than 20 mins from a friend in another country (Jordon) and had friends from the UK also offer to put her in contact with people that they knew. Even though this is more social than business what it has proven to Lucy is the power and value of her network. She now has grown her group of contacts, business professionals and friends globally.

• Daniel Priestley shares some daily inspiration with his Facebook followers by taking a picture of the ‘Thought Of The Day’ board at Clapham North station (That he calls Tubespiration) and posting that visual on to his Facebook wall.

His followers love these quotes and they thank him for sharing these words of wisdom with people often commenting that was just what they needed. (http://www.facebook.com/dpriestley)

• Dynamite Hosts run some of the best parties in London and all over the world. As part of their porfolio they run a wonderful event called PARAVANA which is held between two or three times a year in some prestigious venues. What makes this event different to most nights out in London is that they promote love and peace by raising awareness of Peace One Day and encourage poeple to turn up throughout the day so they can get to know each other before the evenings entertainment kicks in.  How they promote their events to the younger audience is by using social media and having fantastic engagement with their followers and friends primarily on Facebook.  Here you will see Parris Taylor, a member of Dynamite Host, informing his friends of the next event.

With all the members of the team on Facebook they very quickly dominate the space and start to build daily excitement for the event to come. They also leverage YouTube with their very professional and fun videos of previous events to get people in the mood. For this event they have asked all attendees to bring a gift, however big or small, to give to another random person which encourages more people to spread the love. They also wear T-Shirts with the Peace One Day message on and add pictures and posters to the venue to spread the word of peace while people enjoy their Sunday surrounded by good people. They have understood their audience and the environment where their fans like to engage. (http://www.thedynamitelife.com/)

As you can see Social Media has helped people to grow their business and their network while experiencing wonderful acts of kindness. Do you have a great online story or have noticed others that have had some great outcomes?

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I am lucky enough to be involved and instrumental at the idea stage of social media strategies & campaigns for my clients. Laying the right foundation before venturing out with your brand online is crucial to your online success. By just having a Youtube, Twitter and Facebook account is not enough, they need to be used strategically as a way not only to communicate with your customers and prospects but also as a way to listen and learn from them.

Most companies nowadays have set up their social media accounts but do not seem to have much of a plan to get from A to B. When I start working with someone whether they have a social presence or not I like to take it right back to the beginning and ask these four very important questions;

1. Who is your audience?
2. Where are they?
3. What are they saying and what do you want them to say about your brand?
4. What will add value to them?

By asking these four questions it starts to make you think more strategically and wider about your social media output.

• Who is your audience?

Knowing who your audience is sounds obvious but have you honestly written it down and clearly defined who they are?

For example; Not only do I use social media as a way to connect with future clients but I also use it to stay connected, learn, collaborate, gain feedback and to also help others. So in effect I am not just tailoring my output to suit new prospects but to also start conversations to stay connected and to surround myself with people that give me good advice and feedback while producing content and giving my time to those who could learn from me. So I have a huge potential audience that I need to reach out to and touch and only then when I add value to them do they decide to join my network.

Even though most companies go online to build their brand and to drive new business they forget that their audience could also include sponsors, share holders, board members, fans and influencers. Gives you something to think about hey?

• Where are they?

Now you know who your audience is, you then need to find out where they are. You cannot always expect your customers to come to you or your website. You need to be a part of their conversation on their turf and provide them with information in the way they are willing to receive it. Once you know where people are talking and sharing you then need to build a consistent presence where people can rely on you to be there and to participate.
An analogy that I use when explaining this to people is; when you are fiends with someone you do not just pick and choose when you want to talk to them and how often and you certainty do not talk to them in corporate jargon. Its all about speaking the language that they understand while being consistent and being there for when they need you, in return you will attract loyalty and trust.

• What are they saying and what do you want them to say about your brand?

Spend sometime at first just observing from the sidelines and figure out where you can add value, help and advise. Take note of their language and what they talk about most. Listen to what they say about your brand or industry and ask yourself what would you like your customers, influencers and prospects to be saying about you?

• What will add value to them?

With knowing who your audience is, where they are, what they are saying about you and knowing what you would like your brand to be you now need to provide them with value and the tools that they need to do this.
Put yourself in every audience members shoes, If you was a customer, prospect, sponsor or fan what things would you like to hear and what would add value to you?

From there you can than decide what content you will produce and how you will communicate. You will understand the value of your audience and not see it a a channel to broadcast but as a medium to add value and listen. You can then come up with a flexible strategy that will give you the results you need to connect with your audience online that is not short lived but has longevity.

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