Stephanie Booth Rediscovers Social Media Basics

Stephanie Booth is the force behind the recent Going Solo conference (where I was a speaker; I also serve as an advisor to her company, Going Far). In the run up to the event, Stephanie ran through the entire social media promotion handbook, and rediscovered the bedrock rules that drive it. A great read for anyone attempting to harness social media:

[some snippets from 5 Lessons in Promoting Events Using Social Media (Back to Basics)]

1. The absolute best channel to promote anything is one-on-one personal conversation with somebody you already have some sort of relationship with.

[It’s called social for a reason.]

2. Blogs and Twitter are essential, but don’t neglect less sexy forms of communication: newsletter, press release, printable material.

[Make new friends, but keep the old.]

3. Don’t expect “viral” or “organic” spreading of your promotion to happen, but prepare the field so it can: the forwardable e-mail.

[E-mail can be spam, but sent to the right folks it’s a more benign bacn.]

Stephanie makes practical observations in her usual frank manner — “it’s a full-time job” — that cut through the hyperbole about social media and get to the core of what works, and how much work it is.