Last month, Pierponters Sarah Zomper, Sylvester Palacios and I attended the
Austin American-Statesman's third-annual
Texas Social Media Awards (TSMA), held at ACL Live at the Moody Theatre. I was eager to check out the event – an awards program hosted by “old media” to honor “new media” and where virtual gurus mingle together face-to-face was intriguing to say the least.
Luckily, I was able to speak with several social media pros at the event and ask them, “What do you think makes successful social media?” What I learned was inspiring:
YOU can be a thought leader in your industry. Over half of the award winners at the TSMA were individuals – not organizations! Using social media to discuss a passion, cause or profession, these individuals started online dialogues that made them thought leaders in their communities or industries. Kendi Sheen, author of "
Kendi Everyday", was inspired to start a fashion blog after moving to a small Texas town with her husband. Two years later, Kendi has been invited to style events and conferences for her fashion expertise and her 30x30 challenge (read more about it
here) has been taken on by over 800 fashion bloggers.
Seize the opportunity. When Shanna Smith Snyder – a new employee at the
Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau – saw the Bureau was not using social media to promote itself, she jumped at the opportunity to use new media to engage its citizens. Today, Shanna’s efforts have successfully connected the Bureau with Abilene’s diverse community, well above anyone’s expectations. Shanna and her colleagues also believe that their social media efforts have brought new and better exhibitions to Abilene’s many museums and art galleries.
Use it to supplement – or start – your business. Kristy Owen, a Texas Realtor, created the blog “
365ThingsAustin” to help clients new to Austin learn about fun things to do around town. In just over a year’s time, more than 150,000 people look to Kristy for what’s going on in Austin. Even better, 365ThingsAustin has evolved into a business of its own with a
Groupon-like coupon site offering discounts for every business featured in her posts.
Don’t just engage your community get to know them. This is why
Whole Foods Market took home the night’s overall prize. Michael Bepko, the grocer’s social media specialist, told me how each store was given its own social media account to better connect with the local communities. Each account is used to offer deals, update customers on new products, respond to reviews, offer cooking tips and more. Even better, Whole Foods proactively searches and responds to Whole Foods mentions on social media, maintaining a constant dialogue with its customers. (And I mean constant – a tweet I sent last year about a great experience at a nearby store was re-tweeted by
@WholeFoodsATX within an hour of my sending it!)
Opportunities with social media are endless regardless of your industry or pastime. Even the band that evening –
Quiet Company – used social media by offering a free download of their album via direct message on Twitter for all attendees that followed them. Know of any other ways to show your social media expertise? Share them by commenting below!