Unlock (Some) Social Media Myths – Don’t Worry, We’re Here to Help

By Vivian Friess, Marketing Manager of NASFT

On a sunny Friday afternoon, as I was browsing through the many exciting conversations on Twitter about the upcoming Summer Fancy Food Show, I got a phone call from a lovely woman named Kerry Fairlie at Pineland Farms (@PineLandFarms).

A member of NASFT, Pineland Farms is a 3,000 acre working farm located in the rolling hills of New Gloucester and consists of a business campus and an education and entertainment venue. Kerry, who newly joined the Farm, is the front person behind the organization’s social media efforts and is charged with building an online community on Twitter and Facebook. She called with some familiar questions that I usually get from our members:

1. “Vivian, what do I do to get more followers on Twitter?”
2. “What is a hashtag and how do I use it?”
3. “We’re looking to create a Facebook fan page, what do you suggest that we do?”

We had a long conversation and a special #FollowFriday practice. But at the end, I wasn’t satisfied; I truly wished that I was capable of telling her all that I know. It bothered me that I didn’t have a list of resources on social media that I can readily share with her and others.

So I started thinking about developing a social media information kit with resources, tools and ideas that I have found effective, applicable and relevant to our members. Here is the first edition, and I promise to continue growing the kit and keeping you informed.

Enjoy!
P.S. Kerry, thank you for inspiring me to start the kit. Hope you found the resources below useful.

Vivian

Mashable – More than Just Daily Updates on What’s Happening in the Socialsphere Many of us rely on Mashable for its timely updates on what’s happening in the social media world. From the latest iPhone application to new ways of tracking Twitter mentions, Mashable keeps you in the loop of what’s new and what’s hot. But there’s much more than that. How-tos, tips and tools are also featured on the site. For example, for those of you who are thinking about starting a Facebook fan page, we found the following articles on Mashable very useful. Take a look!

• How to Set Up a Winning Facebook Fan Page
• How to Market Your Business With Facebook

Check out the Social Media section of the Mashable site, you’ll be surprised of how much information you can get from a single source. But too much information with too little guidance could be a potential problem too and we certainly don’t want to overwhelm you. So check back on every Thursday, we’ll feature what we think are most important.

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet – How, When and What to Tweet?

Once upon a time, or about four years ago, a little blue bird was born. Over the years this fascinating little bird evolved into one of the biggest and most popular social sites. Its name is Twitter, its citizens are called “tweeples” and the conversations (billions of them a day) among tweeples are marked as tweets. Nowadays, you just can’t pass it by. And with more and more businesses incorporating Twitter into traditional marketing and promotion, you wonder just exactly how, when and what to tweet that will help achieve your business objectives. Well, here are some best practices to share with you: •

• 10 Best Twitter Practices for Brands
• 20 Ways Businesses Use Twitter
• 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business
• Marketing Small Businesses with Twitter. Mentions many of the benefits and uses that Twitter offers through real examples

This is it for now. Check back next Thursday and get excited to meet some social savvy NASFT members, plus a new research report on how exhibit executives are utilizing social media. And don’t forget to connect with us on Twitter and Facebook!

You can also purchase our webinar here. Members, the cost is $59 with discount code, which you can get by emailing Laura Lozada at llozada@nasft.org; all Non-Members, the fee for an NASFT webinar is $85.