I had so much fun at the Kravet Social Media Seminar yesterday. Jennifer Powell, Kravet's social media coordinator, is such a sweetheart and made us all feel at home talking about a subject not a lot of people know about. The other two panelists,
Melissa Shapiro Allen and
Pam Durkin, were great. All of us brought our strengths to the table in order to make a well-rounded panel.
Social media is still scary territory for so many but it is the future of business. It boggles my mind that someone would miss out on all the great opportunities just because they don't want to devote a few hours a week to grow their business! Yes, it can be time consuming; yes, it can be confusing at times, but the payoff is so worth it! I truly believe in the power of social media and I hope that I was able to bring that energy to the panel and the attendees.
The biggest point I tried to stress in the discussion was "You get what you give". If you aren't putting 100% into your blog, it will be obvious. If you aren't taking the time to get to know your readers and cultivate relationships, you won't succeed. You also can't solely start a blog, Twitter account, or Facebook page and expect readers, followers, or fans to come pouring in. There is an investment of time that is required-- you will never be able to put a dollar amount on the time you have spent or a direct dollar amount on the amount of business you have received from these outlets. The other point I tried to stress is that if you aren't out there making yourself known, someone else is and they are going to take your potential business. Clients are much more savvy these days and go to places like Twitter and Facebook to find potential designers.
I was so honored to be a part of this and I hope I was able to help others understand it all! I know I learned from yesterday! Kravet's next stop is Atlanta (today!) with panelists Erika from BluLabel Bungalow and Claire Watkins from High Gloss Blue.
