HOW YOUR BUSINESS CAN BENEFIT FROM SOCIAL MEDIA RIGHT NOW
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Santa Barbara, California. April 12, 2010. ---- On Monday evening, April 19th at the High Point Country Club at the American Society of Furniture Designer’s Spring Market dinner, furniture industry veteran and social media strategist Leslie Carothers, President of The Kaleidoscope Partnership will help to shine some light on the mysterious world of Social Media and the various ways furniture designers are using the social media tool, Twitter, specifically, to make business connections.
A few tickets are still available for the ASFD event which begins at 6:00 p.m. with a cocktail reception sponsored by ASFD Corporate member Leggett & Platt, a full Buffet dinner followed by keynote speaker Leslie Carothers. The ticket prices are $35.00 for ASFD members and $45.00 for non members.
Please contact Christine Evans at (910) 576-1273 or e-mail info@asfd.com to reserve your seat. The deadline is Saturday, April 17th.
About Social Media
"Did you ever go to a school dance? Was it awkward for you? Were you paralyzed by the fear of having to dance with a classmate, the fear of being rejected, the fear of embarrassment?" This question was posed to Real Estate agents by Daniel Rothamel of Agent Genius Magazine. "The current Internet environment can be a lot like that sometimes. The Internet provides so many marketing opportunities that the choices can sometimes seem overwhelming. Sure, you may have your own personal website, with all the bells and whistles but you want more. In short, you want to dance, but choosing the right partner can be difficult."
To see if your business can benefit from Leslie's expertise, ASFD Vice President Katie Hatch has prepared a quiz to test your social media IQ:
1. Social Media is:
a. Something Featured on an NBC Dateline Investigation Special
b. A short term fix to a lack-luster marketing plan
c. Something teenagers do, but you're not sure exactly what.
d. A way for companies to cut their marketing budget by 50% while getting better faster and directly measurable results.
e. None of the above
2. Social Media tools include:
a. Wikis
b. Podcasts
c. Blog
d. Twitter
e. All of the Above
3. Social Media delivers
a. An easy solution to bring in new businesses
b. Directly measurable results
c. Feedback directly from consumers
d. A highly accessible and scalable publishing technique.
e. All of the above
4. Social Media
a. Is Not, the answer for poor customer service
b. Will not hide a poor product or service
c. Will not fix a poor business plan
d. Is not a short term marketing fix
e. All of the above.
(answer key: 1d, 2e, 3e,4e
How did you do? Katie Hatch notes that "the scary thing is, even with a score of 100%, most of us still know only enough about Social Networking to be dangerous" and warns, that "in fact, you can damage your brand, reputation and image by mismanaging Social Media. "
A logical response would be to just avoid the headache; why expose your business to risk, especially when you don't have the resources or the marketing budget? Katie Hatch's reply is that "because you are already being exposed through consumers sharing information, feedback, and opinions about your business or service; through social media you can listen to the conversation and be there to chime in, rather than to just let the conversations go on behind your virtual back."
The best defense... is a good offense. Katie adds "So yes, you need to tackle the Social Media monster. But, just like any other new technology, it is best to leave it to the experts and let them guide you and your business to get the best results. "
"If you are like me," Katie adds "you wonder where you can begin. Who can help. How much will it cost? Not to mention, I don't have any more marketing budget...I just cut it...hasn't anyone heard we are in a recession??".
About Leslie Carothers
Leslie counts among her former and current clients a division of the largest privately held company in the United States, a Top 100 furniture retailer, a boutique high end manufacturer and various smaller, independent retailers.
Leslie recently gave the keynote speech for High Point University 's inaugural Social Media Marketing Summit where she spoke on the benefits of using social media for search engine optimization.
Leslie has written Furniture Today's online 'Retail Ideas' blog for the past five years and has been very involved in giving back through her volunteer work on the board of Women In The Home Industries Today-WITHIT. In 2009, she was awarded their highest honor: The President's Award for her service to WITHIT and the home furnishings industry.