By Deborah Baska, VP Marketing Operations
Added August 26, 2009
Some of you may be tired of hearing about Social Media—Twitter, Facebook, My Space, You Tube, and so on. However, if you are thinking “social WHAT?” this blog is for you! OR, if you think Social Media is just something your kids do, think again!
A few short months ago, I fell into both of the above categories. My teenager had a Facebook page – in which I had never been invited to participate (big surprise I know!). I had also heard some of my adult friends talking about their Facebook pages, but, being a rather private person, I couldn’t imagine wanting the World Wide Web to even know I existed.
In February, having recently assumed my new role as VP Marketing Operations, I attended my first business communicators conference. Throughout the day, I kept hearing the words “social media marketing” being used very matter of factly in the conference sessions. I’m thinking, “Social WHAT?” Well, being a rather quick learner, I soon got the gist of what they were talking about; however, it took me a bit longer to connect the dots between my perception of social media (a place to post teen party pics) and the application to our business.
Why should you be using Social Media in your business? Can I be blunt? FREE ADVERTISING!! Want to get the word out about special promotions? Create a Facebook fan page or a Twitter account (for free! – you can email me deborah.baska@carterenergy.com or ask your teenager for help if you can’t figure it out). A fan page is a great way to create fans (aka loyal customers: Social Media Deepens Customer Loyalty) and get the word out about daily or weekly store specials. Yes, build it and they will come – just post “check us out on Facebook” in your store or print it on your receipts.
Social Media is also a great way to get known by people who don’t know you – aka FREE PUBLICITY or Brand Awareness. Yes, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. But let’s face it, if people want to diss your company, they may be doing it in the cyber world already. It’s better, in the long run, to know what customers are talking about and be able to responsibly participate in the conversation.
CarterEnergy has recently created our own Facebook fan page and Twitter account (http://twitter.com/carterenergy). Both provide a less formal, more real-time way for us to communicate with our fans (associates, customers, etc.). We can send out real-time tidbits about what is going on in our company versus having to wait for a quarterly newsletter or putting together an email blast.
Not convinced yet? You can read more in the article Is Social Media Right for your Business? You can also check out the Facebook Fan Pages of other businesses to see what they are doing: QuikTrip, McDonald’s, Racetrac, Southwest Airlines; or the Twitter pages of these companies: Dunkin Donuts, Kum & Go. In fact, be sure to read our story on how CarterEnergy customer, AJ’s One Stop, is using both applications, along with other tactics, to increase brand loyalty.
You can safely surmise that I, as well as CarterEnergy, am now fully onboard with the Social Media world. We’ve got our “friends” on Facebook; we’re “tweeting” on Twitter; and we’re “connected” via LinkedIn. We’re still learning and exploring, so stay tuned and won’t you be our Friend?
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