This upcoming weekend, I will be out of town on business attending my annual Toastmaster’s conference for speakers. I love this organization and the stride that I’ve made in my career as a professional speaker. These conferences (hosted twice a year) give me and my fellow Toastmaster’s the chance to network and hone our speaking skills even further amongst an audience of our peers.
One of the other roles that I provide in addition to being a speaker is the office of Treasurer. That’s a lot of counting, figuring, analyzing and saying no sometimes to purchase requisitions! Yes, it is an intense position, but somebody’s got to do it, right? I spend a lot of time balancing the books, matching and verifying expenditures, disseminating reports and overall general bookkeeping. Sometimes I am still up late at night or get up early the next morning to make sure everything is in order for the next monthly reporting period. It’s all pretty detailed work in addition to preparing speeches, choosing and researching topics and perfecting my delivery time.
In many businesses, whether they’re profit or non-profit, there are people who have to multi-task in order to help the organization meet its goals. Multi-taskers bring a lot to the table because they decrease expenses for the corporation and bring much-needed skills to the company. As both a business owner and a professional speaker within an organization, I have learned the importance of strategizing and maximizing your available resources for the good of the company.
What For?
Notice how I spent the first two paragraphs talking about me and what I am doing. Is anyone really interested in that? Of course, some are and some are not. The goal of having written this was to 1) get your attention and 2) show you how to get the most out of your social media efforts.
As a part of the Toastmaster’s organization, I make mention of it within circles wherever it’s appropriate. For instance, when I attend my local business networking luncheon monthly, I make it a point to stress that I am a part of Toastmaster’s, since speaking is part of what I do for a living. So how does this tie into the social media conversation?
While social networking and linking my articles one day, someone tweeted me and asked about my speaking career…how long had I been speaking, what professional organizations was I a part of, how did I get started, etc., etc. I shared with the person all of the information that I could and felt was appropriate, the main gist of it being my experience with my speaking organization. Through this brief conversation online, this person wanted more information on how they could meet me and become a part of the Toastmaster’s organization at our next conference, you know, the one I mentioned was coming up this weekend.
Empowering the Ranks
Effective social media can work wonders for your company through those that represent your company. Give your company representatives duties, responsibilities and a reason to want to talk about your company in the socialsphere. This is what interests people and make them want to know more about your corporation…what others are saying about you. Do more than exist. Do more than just “happen”, but actively find ways to engage your target audience through those that represent you. What are some things that you can equip your representatives with to help them talk about you more?
1. Provide them with resources. Give them resources and information that outline your company’s mission and objectives. They pass this information along in the social connections that they have. Whether it’s offline or online, make sure the resources are there for them to use.
2. Talk about your representatives. If you have a company newsletter or blog, talk up your rep’s. That would include highlights about their other interests, businesses, experiences, etc. If you talk about them, they more apt to talk about you. Get it?
3. Share information. Give them information that is relevant to the company, preferably inside, non-confidential information (store openings, staff changes, etc.) that they can share with their readers. Readers like to think they have the “inside track” and enjoy getting what they think is “classified” stuff. Remember, they’ll blog about it too, thereby driving traffic to your site to double-check the information. Give them a reason to come.
What can you do to make your company stand out? How does social media fit into your company’s grand scheme?
I am a freelance writer, blogger and professional motivational speaker. I primarily focus on business content, offering my clients strategic marketing strategies for their businesses. I have been an entrepreneur for over 13 years, after having worked extensively in corporate America.
