Social Media is simply media specialized for “social interaction.”  During my time in Broadcasting (one-to-many media), I came to appreciate the power the internet provided to add interactive elements to marketing.  If your customers are using it, than the media has value.

Recently a Siemens survey found 70% of consumers indicated they want access to company experts and support through social media channels, yet only 65% of them are happy with those transactions.  The problem may lie in the fact that only about 1/3 of the companies dabbling in Social Media have any sort of policy or strategy. Social Media is just a tool. In traditional media we used to hear, “I tried radio, it didn’t work.” and yet radio (or any media) works fine. Success is determined by the strategy, or the lack of one.

When media choices were limited to reading the newspaper, listening to the radio, and watching TV, that’s where marketing went. Today the trend is moving online and Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are a big part of that trend.  As we debate which media tools are legitimate, let’s be sure that the focus is on developing strategies – where ever the customers are.

1. You will have a magic Rolodex. Does anyone still still use a Rolodex?  How quickly is that information outdated?  When you connect on LinkedIn, it doesn’t matter if you change emails, change careers or move to another state.  You only need to update your information in one place and everyone can still find you. And you can find them.

2. You will read your friend’s minds: After you’ve LinkedIn with your coworkers, clients and business associates you’ll know who knows who. LinkedIn connects the dots. You’ll be amazed at the connections within your own social circle.

3. You will read stranger’s minds: When you meet someone new, or want to meet someone new, if they are on LinkedIn, you can find out who they know, that you know. A nice icebreaker.

4. You will have access from anywhere in the universe: Because your contacts are based in “the cloud” (not on your computer), you can still access your network if your hard drive crashes, you no longer have access to your work computer, or your computer is at home and you’re not.

5. You will see through walls: Actually, you can see what your business connections are doing and they can keep up with you.  Like Facebook, only business oriented, you can see who the people you know are meeting, what they are reading, or what industry groups they are participating in.

6. You can join groups without ever leaving the office: If time is an issue, LinkedIn will allow you to listen, learn and lead conversations about topics specific to your industry.

7. Two degrees of separation: While it still may take six degrees of separation to connect with everyone on the planet, a mere 350 connections on LinkedIn puts you one connection away from 60,000 people. Not 60,000 random strangers, but 60,000 people who know someone you know.

If you’re still waiting for Social Media to go mainstream, wait no more. Our social circles are having more influence on us, and have supplemented and replaced traditional media sources. While Facebook is the leader with a half billion people, LinkedIn is micro-targeted to business. At 75 million and growing it truly is a magic Rolodex .

Guest speaker Paul Barron, publisher of Fast Casual Magazine, warned the social media crowd that he could find a ten year old to set up a website and a Facebook page, what businesses need are storytellers.  It’s not about the tools; it’s about the content.  The new social business is about engaged content.

Most businesses struggle with finding a story to tell.  They look for it on their menu, in comparison to their competitors, and in being “locally owned and operated.”  They look so hard at what they think the story is, they miss what the story could be.