"Has it brought in more readers?" I haven't had any readers (unless you count clients!) since I was a columnist in college, so yes. And this, on a personal realm, is the best part. I have a good place to stretch my writing muscles and, occasionally, have a little bit of an audience for it, too.
"Has it increased your earnings? Has it generated more sales leads?" Well, social media is a big part of what I do professionally -- both tactically and in terms of our own promotional efforts -- and I'm in a better place now than I was a few years ago, so I suppose so.
"Has it simplified your life? Has it save you more time?" It's certainly simplified my constant need for information and education. That's not even remotely debatable. And, just one other example: I love using Flickr, as opposed to making prints at Walgreens.
"Has it improved your customer service rating?" Overall, I perform better and more effectively, so I believe it has improved my customer service. But I guess we'd have to ask them, eh? :)
@Mike, glad to see we share a lot of the same experiences for participating in social media and living our lives online. I truly think there is a unique place for folks who grasp the benefits of social media and run the ball down the field with it, so to speak. Oh, and I need to stop by and read that post on the Kindle... my position on eBook readers is starting to change. A little.
Brad Shorr
· 10 months ago
Rick, Good questions - I was asked several of them today in a talk I gave on blogs and social media. In my case, I have definitely gotten more readers as a result of social media. More important, social media has deepened relationships to the point where they have been fruitful in terms of collaboration and referrals. Simplified my life? I'd love to say yes, but actually, no. Right now I'm sort of bewildered by the number of networks I'm in and the apparent overlap. I'm starting to think an inch wide and a mile deep is a better than trying to maintain a presence on 50 social sites. But I'm not sure about that. What do you think?
@Brad - Sorry for the long-overdue response to your comment. I sure can relate to the number of networks and the complexity it adds to staying up to date on what's going on. I think these things will sort themselves out - and Google Friend Connect or Facebook Connect are efforts in that direction.
I too think that 'an inch wide and a mile deep' is not the best stragegy - at least for a number of us. While there is a need for Subject Matter Experts that know their industry and know it intimately, I think the folks that follow all their interests and somehow wrap them up back into their career are more valuable. Guess that's just my $.02 on the topic. ;)
Zack Steven
· 10 months ago
Rick - Twitter is the "social media" tool that has had the most business benefit so far. The ability to get links and knowledge feeds from people and sources I respect, and occasionally respond with a tweet or a comment on a relevant blog post has been valuable.
Our Twin Cities site www.buythechange.com was tweeted by @timoreilly, to 30,000 folks, and we got on his radar through twitter messages and a comment on a blog post that pertained to what we were doing. I've also had direct message communication with Mayor Rybak via Twitter, which just isn't possible through other means. We've been able to leverage the national exposure to capture some local press as well.
Facebook has had some utility for gathering fans of our "Classifieds with a Conscience", but I'm convinced now that the right tweet at the right time can make all the difference. Nothing takes the place of creating real value, but social media can certainly help spread the word.
Zack, I'm delighted to hear of your successes via Twitter. I've seen similar, if not smaller scale, results for posts, and local events. Your story is one more example of the power of social media. Cheers!
freepuke
· 10 months ago
"Has it brought in more readers?"
Yes - thousands!
"Has it increased your earnings?"
Hmm yes sleightly.
"Has it simplified your life?"
God no :-(.
"Has it generated more sales leads?"
Not many.
"Has it improved your customer service rating?"
Whus? :D
"Has it save you more time?"
Definitely ... no.
Just my little 50 cents :-). Sure it is worth the effort like you mention in your post but maybe the time would be used better somewhere else.
Rick Mahn
· 10 months ago
Thanks for you $.50 freepuke. ;) I think the question on free time was a little misleading.
All Comments
"Has it increased your earnings? Has it generated more sales leads?" Well, social media is a big part of what I do professionally -- both tactically and in terms of our own promotional efforts -- and I'm in a better place now than I was a few years ago, so I suppose so.
"Has it simplified your life? Has it save you more time?" It's certainly simplified my constant need for information and education. That's not even remotely debatable. And, just one other example: I love using Flickr, as opposed to making prints at Walgreens.
"Has it improved your customer service rating?" Overall, I perform better and more effectively, so I believe it has improved my customer service. But I guess we'd have to ask them, eh? :)
<abbr>Mike Keliher´s last blog post..My old books kick your Kindle’s ass</abbr>
<abbr>Brad Shorr´s last blog post..How Important Are Subscriptions for Business Blogs?</abbr>
I too think that 'an inch wide and a mile deep' is not the best stragegy - at least for a number of us. While there is a need for Subject Matter Experts that know their industry and know it intimately, I think the folks that follow all their interests and somehow wrap them up back into their career are more valuable. Guess that's just my $.02 on the topic. ;)
Our Twin Cities site www.buythechange.com was tweeted by @timoreilly, to 30,000 folks, and we got on his radar through twitter messages and a comment on a blog post that pertained to what we were doing. I've also had direct message communication with Mayor Rybak via Twitter, which just isn't possible through other means. We've been able to leverage the national exposure to capture some local press as well.
Facebook has had some utility for gathering fans of our "Classifieds with a Conscience", but I'm convinced now that the right tweet at the right time can make all the difference. Nothing takes the place of creating real value, but social media can certainly help spread the word.
<abbr>Zack Steven´s last blog post..zacksteven: Here's the Fox 9 segment on buythechange - classifieds with a conscience >check">http://is.gd/k0RC>>check it out!</abbr>
Yes - thousands!
"Has it increased your earnings?"
Hmm yes sleightly.
"Has it simplified your life?"
God no :-(.
"Has it generated more sales leads?"
Not many.
"Has it improved your customer service rating?"
Whus? :D
"Has it save you more time?"
Definitely ... no.
Just my little 50 cents :-). Sure it is worth the effort like you mention in your post but maybe the time would be used better somewhere else.
Cheers!