Social media offers a world of opportunity for both businesses and individuals. But for me, there are two aspects about it that I really love. They are increasing my knowledge (WHAT I know!) and making lots of great new contacts (WHO I know!).
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WHAT YOU KNOW
Knowledge is power. And knowledge is key to growing any business too. We can never know it all, and learning is so important. I can’t imagine a day when I’ll stop learning. I love picking up new ideas, thinking of new ways to do things I’m already doing, and learning about marketing my business in ways I might not previously have considered.
For me, social media is a great knowledge hub. By following lots of experts in the fields we are interested in, we have the opportunity to very quickly and easily access information that might otherwise have been difficult to find, or that we may not have been conscious of at all.
We get recommended great books to read, linked to articles that are fonts of knowledge, and given quick snippet tips that can actually have a big impact. Recent things I’ve learnt include – new ways to organise my time, apps for managing to-do lists, great books on content marketing and, how to run Facebook live from your desktop. I would say that I probably learn something new on social media every single day. Without social media, I wouldn’t have anywhere near as much opportunity to learn.
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WHO YOU KNOW
Social media has also opened the doors to me to many wonderful people who I can call both colleagues and friends. I’ve ‘met’ new people online. Many of them in the social media space too, who I hope to collaborate with on future projects. If there’s one industry that is very open rather than competitive, it’s the social media one!
I’ve also met people that I have become a customer of, and vice versa, which is of course a great opportunity for businesses. And, I’ve met people who have gone on to refer me to other people. I’ve met people that I’ve then had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face, with an already established business relationship before there’s any physical meet up.
I chat to influencers. People who have power in their industries. I’ve spoken to MDs and CEOs of large corporates. I’ve had banter, fun and chatty chats. And business-focused, more corporate chats. The opportunity to ‘meet’ people that would otherwise be difficult to meet is such a brilliant aspect of social media.
So, are you using social media to expand both what and who you know? Because when you do, the opportunities are immense!
