B2G Social Media, Easy As 1-2-3
The other day I got an email from Pam O’Neal (my Vice President of Marketing, for those of you new to our adventures here) telling me to check out an article in Washington Technology on using social media to connect to the top contractors, agencies and influential companies in the government space. Not only was Pam pointing out the article as a resource for us at BreakingPoint, but also how the author used LinkedIn at the end of his article.
Mark Amtower, the author, is a B2G marketing consultant and his resolution for 2010 was to be connected to at least one person, preferably three, at each of the top companies listed by Washington Technology by the end of March. Aggressive, most certainly. But Mark is a smart man obviously because he understands how to harness the interconnectedness of social media. Just head to the end of the article and presto, a hyperlink to Mark’s LinkedIn profile.
Nothing amazing at this point though, right? The magic actually didn’t happen until I connected with Mark on LinkedIn, that is when the addition of resourceful content, as usual, made it’s mark.
Within minutes of connecting with Mark there was a personalized response to me in my inbox. How do I know it was personal and not a really great form response? Pam had connected with Mark about an hour before and the emails were completely different. Nice touch. But here comes the move that I found to be brilliant; two invites to join groups that Mark had set up on LinkedIn, both extremely focused and full of resources.
Mark had gone from a random contact to a source of information in minutes and someone I was really looking forward to talking with and probably talking with about his services. Ultimately that was his goal through his resolution and he is making it happen by using some of the social media principles we have discussed here on the blog. But let’s rehash:
- Be Accessible–Include links to where people can find you.
- Integrate Social Media–Make sure you are integrating social into your byline articles, events, emails, etc.
- Be Personable–There is a strong connection built quickly with personal communication.
- Provide Resources, Not Promotions–Mark didn’t push me to a website that touted his skills, he introduced me to groups that can help me with my job.
Content is king and social media is the way to spread the word. Let’s all use Mark’s example as a social media best practice, whether for B2C, B2B or B2G.
Oh, and you can connect with me on LinkedIn too.
January 14th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Personal interactions on social networks stand out. (Doesn’t that sound weird? Somehow I feel you’ll know what I mean by that statement.) You can definitely sift through all the automated clutter.
My wish for 2010 is to be useful like Mark was in your case. We can all stand to learn from each other. May all have the ephiphany to be “helpful” this year.
BTW, my 4YO son took the last Patriots hat from the store “Lids” the other day. Thought of you, will send pic.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Kyle – thnx for the kind words. A couple points, if I may. I always try to personalize my messages because I appreciate when others do it for me. The response to each connection also doesn’t usually happen that fast (lucky for me this time!) as I am not on LinkedIn 24/7 – though some seem to think I am. I also manage several groups on LinkedIn & try to match my new contacts with those that are most germane to what they do. Finally – Pam rocks! Thank her for hooking us up!
January 26th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Thanks for the comment Mark. Glad we’ve hooked up with you in this space.