What inquiring business minds really want to know

May 28, 2009

logoSpent the morning with a lot of great business folks at the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Business Expo in Erlanger. Thanks to Kelly Jones of the chamber and Steve Jones of Jaap-Orr in Cincinnati  for the invitation to talk about putting Linkedin and Twitter to work.

About 125 sat in with us at the Receptions conference center; most use Linkedin; fewer use Facebook and about half use Twitter, which I think is a strong showing given the older age range of this group. While they’re active on social networking and communication sites, they wanted to know more about how to connect with potential customers and how to build or expand these relationships.

That was a main topic of my presentation this morning in Erlanger, Ky., south of Cincinnati. My slides and notes are shared on my Linkedin page.

I’m also sharing this reading list of tips, techniques and helpful hints from some of the best social media and communications experts. These will further answer many of the questions raised this morning by the N. Ky. chamber members and I wanted to make them available to you, too: Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Chris Celek

Shiny new thing or old-fashioned networking?

May 9, 2009

1009935_25003389You’re thinking that turning to the latest and hotest social media and online communications tools will increase sales and get your business moving again. Nothing wrong with that idea and lots of people will tell you that’s just the thing to do.

Heck, I’m one of those people. But simply setting up on Facebook or Linkedin or Twitter without a clear purpose in mind and a commitment of your valuable business time to follow through is not going to increase anything — except for your frustration with the folks who sold you on the whole social media idea in the first place.

The purpose and how much of a commitment, of course, are up to you. You know what you want to accomplish for your business or community group. But your purpose for using social media also has to include meeting people, getting to know them and building and keeping relationships with them. It’s business development and no different from attending a chamber of commerce event, or lunching with a customer, or any of the other ways you use to say hello and stay in touch. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Chris Celek

When no time is the best time

April 24, 2009

1002525_41466855They had the same problem with this. Most members of the National School Public Relations Association Ohio chapter are one-person shops, the boss and staff rolled into one with more good ideas and good projects than time to get them done. So last month, during a breakout session at their annual conference, suggesting they add social networking to work with news media and their communities was a tough sell.

With nearly 50 school P.R. experts in the room, I could see a lot of doubt on their faces. Some were not shy about sharing how difficult it is to add one more thing to already-long to-do lists.

“How do I fit this in?” was the question of the morning.

Here’s how. Don’t make social media a major campaign. Start small. Read the rest of this entry »

Comments Off on When no time is the best time | Engagement, Networking, News media, Social Media | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Chris Celek

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