1. Social Media:
The Great Equalizer –
The Great Disrupter
An overview provided by Apogee Social Media Group

2. Social media provides many windows into your company—
through employees, groups, & conversations.
At Apogee, we believe that social media is the A DVR allows you to record your favorite TV show,
single most impactful development of this era. It is then watch it when, where and how you want. You
the great equalizer and the great disrupter. have the power to watch your show at your own
Companies that embrace social media and teach convenience, not only at 8pm on Thursday nights.
their people to operate effectively in social media You have the power to watch your show on your
will have unlimited access to opportunities, laptop as well as your TV. You have the power to filter
customers and talent. unwanted messages (i.e., commercials).
The term social media refers to the use of web- You control how you want to be engaged.
based and mobile technologies to turn
communication into an interactive dialogue. Now consider the companies that advertise during
Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social your 8pm-Thursday-night show. They may show three
media as “a group of Internet-based applications commercials in a span of 60 minutes. In the past, if
that build on the ideological and technological they wanted greater exposure, they might show six
foundations of Web 2.0, and that allows the commercials in that same 60 minutes. But with a
creation and exchange of user-generated DVR, it doesn’t matter how many many commercial
content.” spots they buy—you aren’t watching any of them!
Since you have control over what you tune in to,
Social media is the largest and fastest evolution of companies must change their approach so that you
the internet we have seen so far. want to tune in.
Social media goes far beyond the technological Businesses have to find another way for their
platforms of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It’s messages to reach their customers.
about the ability for users to create, use and filter
content that aligns to their interests. To
understand this new dynamic, consider the DVR.
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3. Your customers and employees are talking about your
company and products right now—join the conversation!
Social media is complex. It isn’t particularly complex from a technical perspective;
it’s complex from a human perspective. People inherently need to identify or
connect—with other people, with companies, and even with products—but the old
world “push” methods of connecting (e.g., TV ads) are getting filtered out.
As we explore this human need to connect, we realize that for the first time in the
modern era we have a reliable platform to facilitate the connection—the
conversation—worldwide and at lightning speed over the internet: social media.
Two major factors influence the decision to buy:
1. A company’s ability to create a meaningful connection with the buyer, and
2. What the buyer’s peers are saying.
Conversations are powerful influencers. If your company is not actively and
authentically becoming part of these conversations, you are at a great
disadvantage against your competition.
Joining the conversation is not about plugging in and using social media as a
conduit for the same old message and tactics. That will fail.
It’s about creating content that inspires conversation. It’s about contributing to the
collective knowledge of the group for the benefit of the group. If the conversation
is dull, insufficient or self-serving, people will leave the conversation.
Getting involved in the conversation is the way to make the connection to your
customers and their peers. If successfully connected, your message and brand will
flourish!
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4. How do I get started?
Social media is a journey and, like all journeys, it
Social Media is more than just
helps to know your starting point, your desired a few folks at headquarters
destination, and your plan to get there. Tweeting and responding to
Five steps to get you on your way:
Facebook posts.
1. Start where you are. Understand that social In order to realize the full
media has already provided many windows into
your company by virtue of the fact that your
benefit of this opportunity,
employees already participate. Embrace this teach and empower the
phenomenon and invest in your people. Make entire organization to operate
an honest assessment of your company’s
current image on social media, then educate
with skill and confidence over
your employees about the correct way to social media.
represent themselves and the company. It will
pay dividends. Plus, your employees are hungry
for it.
2. Choose a destination. Find out where your 4. Choose a navigator. Each employee can be a
customers are, and meet them there. If your powerful social media advocate for your
business is Business-to-Consumer (B2C), company, but creating a strong social media
Facebook may be the best platform. If you are presence and brand is not a part-time job.
Business-to-Business (B2B), LinkedIn may be the Assigning a focused resource to manage this
best place to engage. But be sure you know channel will create a consistent “face” and voice
what you are trying to achieve and which to your company and will allow you to quickly
platforms offer you the greatest opportunity to build your brand.
achieve it—and which platforms you can and
are willing to support. Platforms that have short 5. Adjust to the environment. Social media is not a
message lifecycles, like Twitter, require daily static environment. Savvy companies critically
monitoring and frequent, prompt assess the impact of their efforts, look for the
communication to keep the audience engaged. best ideas, evaluate changes in the marketplace,
Even if your customers are there, if you don’t and make crucial adjustments to their strategy.
have the resources to participate fully, it may be Understand that new tools and platforms are
a poor choice for you. emerging every day and will continue to evolve.
Listen carefully to your customers to understand
3. Build a roadmap. Start with reasonable where they’re headed and what platforms they
expectations. Prioritize what you can actually will use for their conversations. Sometimes a
get done, and honestly assess your available road is closed and you have to take a detour—
resources and constraints. Be realistic about but that’s all part of the adventure!
what you can do yourself and what items are
better handled by the pros. Achieving fewer, Embarking on your social media journey can feel
higher-impact successes is better than doing daunting. By following the steps outlined above,
more things poorly. Set reasonable milestones; you can be confident that your efforts will position
make sure you are successful before increasing your company to engage with new customers, new
the scope or number of social platforms. opportunities, and new talent.
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5. About Apogee Social Media Group
We help companies accomplish their goals by prioritizing and simplifying the use of social
media to build and strengthen their brand, find new opportunities, and connect to customers
and talent. After a comprehensive assessment, we work with you to develop a social media
strategy, in which we may recommend some of the coaching and training options listed below.
Whether you’re a sales professional, human resource manager, recruiter, executive leader, or
jobseeker, you’ll be able to apply what you learn immediately.
Social Media for the Sales Professional
Do you use “social listening” to find out where the sales opportunities
are? Do you know which competitors are talking to your clients? This
dynamic instructor-led, one-day course is designed to address the
unique requirements of the professional sales organization. Learn to
use the power of LinkedIn to grow your sales.
Social Media for the HR Professional
Companies compete for talent. Is your company finding and attracting
the right candidates? This interactive instructor-led, one-day course is
designed to address the unique requirements of the professional HR
organization. Learn to use LinkedIn to tap into an almost unlimited
talent pool—efficiently and effectively.
Social Media for the Business Professional
Every one of your staff offers a window into your business. Are you
offering the right view? This interactive instructor-led, one-day course
is designed for all employees. It has been carefully constructed to give
users the knowledge and confidence to skillfully operate in the world
of social media (LinkedIn)—and present the company image you want.
LinkMeIn for Executives
Executives have a choice of one-on-one LinkedIn coaching or turnkey
profile development services. Learn how to enhance your personal
brand, position yourself as an expert in your industry, or promote
personal causes or charities. We’ll help you get up and running and
develop a full personal social media strategy.
LinkMeIn for Jobseekers
In this 2-part video learning series, individuals seeking new career
opportunities learn to use LinkedIn to develop their unique online
brand, attract recruiters and hiring managers, and find the right
connections in target industries. Having strong relationships online is
critical to getting ahead in this job market—we’ll show you how.
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6. Apogee Social Media Group
http://www.apogeesocialmediagroup.com
8105 Fayetteville Rd, Suite 121–143
Raleigh, NC 27603