1. Iron Fist Brewing Co.
http://ironfistbrewing.com/main.html
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Yelp
   

2. SeaWorld Parks

http://www.seaworld.com/

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blog

                  

3. Anheuser-Busch InBev

http://www.budweiser.com/en/us/

Facebook 

3 million

4. Mr Peabody's

http://www.peabodysrocks.com/

Facebook, Twitter, Google+

5. Moonlight Ampitheater

http://www.moonlightstage.com/

Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Google+

Week 2 - Communicating with businesses through Social Media

This week our professors asked us a few questions...

Have you ever experienced difficulty communicating with a business?

Yes I have. In fact I can usually communicate better with my dog than most businesses - although my dog is pretty dang smart. 

Would social media have made it easier to get noticed or get your problem solved?

Hmmm... well, yes it would if they had a social media component in their communications and if they were actually responding. For some reason the businesses I want to talk to about problems are like slabs of meat and don't seem to respond to my concerns. I figure that they are better at anti-social media.

If not, have you ever had a positive experience communicating with a business through social media? 

I wrote on the Facebook page of a local manufacturer once and complimented their product. They seemed genuinely surprised and delighted to have someone praise their wares. It was a nice exchange and it left me feeling good that there was someone on the other end listening and giving feedback.

OK... I'm a cynic when it comes to corporate type businesses. I don't think they get social media. I'm pretty sure they are using it to manipulate and spin their story. They have the power to hire communication majors to sit at keyboards and regurgitate stock answers written up in the PR department and approved by spin doctors who have focus grouped the lines and made them the most palatable responses possible. It's plastic and disingenuous. 

My gut feeling is that they see it as a new fad and want to fit in but aren't sure how. They ask to be liked on Facebook but don't have a clue what to do with the followers.

Do they care about us? Maybe. As long as we are buying more Fritos or Bud Light. I'm not sure they want to listen or have a dialogue unless they can control it. Complaints fall of deaf ears.

So it seems to me that small, local business is best positioned to use social media in a meaningful way. They can connect, respond and make it personal. There are not layers of fat to cut through to get your message out.

Personal vs Business Social Media Platforms

In the world of social media things are not always black and white. There seems to be a lot of cross over for business and personal use on many social media platforms.

For example Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, MySpace and YouTube are used by individuals to network and share personal content. I think of these as being primarily personal social networking sites, yet these same platforms are also used effectively by businesses to interact with and promote to consumers.

Sites that are aimed more at business and professional use include LinkedIn, Ning and Plaxo which are primarily business networking tools.

Template Trials

I browsed the rack and looked for a suit to fit. What to wear to class today? Everything looked so generic.

I wanted something like a t-shirt and blue jeans. Nothing to frilly or flashy. Nothing too corporate. Don't they make denim blogs?

Finally I went with the "Awesome" template... basic black and a subtle pin stripe. Looks clean and respectable. I could wear it to a funeral or a wedding. It's far from "awesome" but I'll be fixing that later on when I have time to scan some old blue jeans.