Tech Image Graduates from HubSpot's Inbound Marketing University
I love group projects. I always have. Ever since I was a little kid in school, I’ve loved working with others on projects. I feel that two heads are better than one, three are better than two, and, well you get the picture. That’s why I loved when our staff here at Tech Image decided to take on the Hubspot Inbound Marketing University. It was a great chance for us to learn as much as we could about inbound marketing, while at the same time working together to learn new concepts and develop new ideas for both ourselves and our clients.
While the classes took us through a variety of topics, including internet marketing and email marketing, one of the earliest classes made an impact on me: discussing social media and building online communities.
Within Tech Image, we have a lot of social media knowledge floating around and we make it a point to be a part of the social media community, whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, NetworkedBlogs, you name it. That’s why internet marketer Chris Brogan’s discussion about how to build an online community and strengthen social media really stood out to me.
During his online class, Brogan went through an entire list of ways that a social media platform can be built into an online community, but for the purpose of time and space, I’ll break it down to what I thought were the three most important and unexpected.
1. Be thankful and encourage your social media users
They became a fan of yours! They’re customers! Don’t treat them like they’re static beings. Let the conversation flow so the page turns into that online community and social media conversation. They are appreciated! They’re who you serve and that social media conversation is a great way to communicate how important they are to both your business and your social media outreach.
2. Be humble about your business
This goes a bit with number one, but it’s important for anyone to keep in mind. You’re offering what you may think is the best product out there, but that doesn’t put you above your clients. Make sure that your social media message expresses how you’re there to listen and help them, whether through your products or by responding to their questions and concerns. Social media is a conversation. A strong social media outreach is a strong, worthwhile, and must-join conversation.
3. If you don’t spend time building relationships or building communities, it doesn’t matter where you are
This is big in the world of social media because everyone is looking for that next platform. While Facebook and Twitter are the kings for right now, one can’t forget that MySpace was the social media frontrunner for a long time. So where do you get involved? The answer here is you go where your clients are and serve them. Right now that’s Facebook and Twitter, but like anyone in marketing and communications, you need to be ready to change. Social media is about the conversation, wherever that conversation may be.
In short: make it about them, not you. That’s the key takeaway from this Inbound Marketing University lesson and what we should be applying to our social media efforts. Social media is a conversation and a way to connect with clients by answering their questions and building an online community. It’s a valuable tool, but it needs to be practiced accordingly. Thanks to the Hubspot Inbound Marketing University, I’m excited to say that the Tech Image staff, as a team, is ready to do just that.
Do you engage your audience on social media? If so, what tips can you offer?
