Nodding heads are normally a good sign when you’re speaking in public and there were quite a few at the Online Information Show yesterday when I was talking about how Microsoft uses social media to communicate with advertisers and gather feedback.
Kicking off with the Cost Per Monk story and the latest E-Consultancy research seemed to resonate with an audience keen to understand how online can enhance relationships with niche audiences.
One question that was raised was around the seriousness of Facebook as a business tool. One guy compared it unfavourably to LinkedIn, suggesting it a less professional channel to promote and chat to customers than the more corporate predecessor.
My response was that of my 500-odd Facebook friends only a fraction are personal chums that I might use the tool to organise a night out with. Most are industry contacts that I’ve built up over the last few years and who occasionally might contact me for work reasons if they don’t have my email or business card to hand. You won’t find too many personal pics of me up there either, just ones taken at conferences around the world where I may have been speaking or being interviewed.
I honestly use Facebook to post links to and create awareness about articles I’ve written and, more recently, to promote Microsoft adCenter Community via a Facebook Page.
Just because many people don’t use it for work doesn’t mean they’ll be less interested when they log in and see that you’ve written a new piece or want to tell the world about a new product or service.
That’s the holistic beauty of the beast!
The other question I got was from a student from Sheffield University was about using it as an educational tool. She said she just used it for uploading photos and snooping on her friends but I explained it has good “group” functionality and was being used by education and businesses to create awareness and connect like-minded individuals.
If you’re still in two minds, try and see past the negative headlines about time-wasting at work and get with the program because it’s here to stay!
