Making social media work for you is the title of my session tomorrow at the High Point Market in High Point, North Carolina. In case you don’t follow the furniture industry, let me tell you, this event is HUGE. Actually, it’s more than that.
The High Point Market is the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, bringing more than 85,000 people to High Point every six months. According to the website, “serious retail home furnishings buyers can be found in High Point twice a year because if you can’t find it in High Point it probably doesn’t exist.” Okay, so you now get that I’ll be talking to a lot of people in the furniture industry.
I held a session last year on a very similar topic but tweaked it this year based on the feedback I’ve received from attendees at all of my other speaking engagements since then.
So, I really think this audience will hear a good message from me tomorrow, that has been honed by the questions and concerns of others, some who found social media overwhelming. Last year I spoke specifically about online communities. Tomorrow I am talking about choices.
My message is this: Identify your goals and plan your social media strategies based on those goals. Anything else is a waste of time. You need a mission and a plan so you can do what works for you.
Because at the end of the day, what works for others may not be a raging success for you. Social media is NOT one-size fits all, and it’s time to tell it like it is.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
5 comments
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April 28, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Martin Reed
Sounds like an awesome opportunity – good luck! Any tips on presenting you’d care to pass along? I am due to give three presentations and run a community building workshop in Finland next week!
- Martin
April 28, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Angela Connor
Martin, the best thing you can do is provide examples. Share your insights and knowledge from a practical standpoint. I found that real life examples of how the people in the audience can reach their goals is key. And take questions throughout.
Make your presentation brief with talking points that will prompt the stories and examples you want to provide. Talk to people, not at them via PowerPoint presentation.
April 28, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Martin Reed
Yup, I am forcing myself to justify every Powerpoint slide I create and there is minimal copy on each slide – so I’ll be talking to the audience rather than the slides.
I am excited as I will be telling people how to build an online community – particularly in the 2 hour workshop I’ll be running. I find many presenters talk about community but few tell you how to build one!
Thanks for the advice.
April 28, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Angela Connor
Martin: I would love to see that workshop in action! Let’s talk more. I want to know what you’re teaching them. Are you recording or doing any live streaming at all? I agree with you that not many people tell the audience how to build community.
May 5, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Presentation: Making social media work for you « Online Community Strategist
[...] 5, 2009 in PowerPoint, Seminars I just realized that while I shared some details from my session at the High Point Market in High Point, North Carolina last week, I never made the [...]