Tonight, I spent three amazingly productive hours with three other people. Four of us, including our facilitator Nazli Nomanbhoy, rolled up our sleeves in the Hands-On Web and Social Media Marketing Lab at Colorado Free University on the east side of Denver.
This lab is one of the required courses for the Social Media Manager Certificate that I am pursuing through CFU, and in many ways, it was the best course so far.
What I especially loved about our time together was the way we each got to have a chance to share what our immediate needs were regarding the social media presence of our company, or that of our clients. Then together we came up with ideas for each of us to put into place right away.
For example, one class member got some help in getting his client’s logo to fit better into the profile photo of their Facebook page. In addition, he was delighted to see how Pinterest could be used to help market the products his client’s company produces.
Another class member got some great tips for her endeavor’s Facebook page and use of Twitter. By the end of the night, she really got into a stride as far as feeling more confident in her use of both these tools.
It really helped me to have some honest feedback on my company’s Facebook page, especially the cover photo. One of the best suggestions was for me to spend time looking at other company pages for services related to mine and see what kind of cover photos they use. They pointed out to me I should find photos that made an effective use of color, as there is a lot of white in my cover photo.
Yes, I know all this sounds pretty basic, yet you have to start somewhere to create an effective social media presence. What I especially liked about tonight was the sense of team spirit that our facilitator helped to create among three people who came together as perfect strangers and left as friends.
I plan to stay in touch with my instructor as well as my two classmates. In fact, I could see taking this lab every 6 months or so just to get new ideas for my social media activities.
When you need honest and open feedback on your Facebook page, Twitter account, Pinterest boards, or LinkedIn profile, where do you turn?
I suggest that you consider finding a handful of others using social media and form a one-time or perhaps ongoing “rump” group to provide feedback and encouragement to one another.
Just as my writing steadily improved when I participated in a writing critique group, I can see my social media expertise can grow using a similar approach.
To find out more about the social media classes at Colorado Free University, just click on this link: http://ow.ly/epP3m
Joyce Feustel, Founder of Boomers’ Social Media Tutor, helps people relatively new to social media to become more effective and comfortable in their use of this medium. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com
It’s so hard to see your social media presence as others see it. You’re absolutely right about putting together a group of people you can trust – to give each other honest feedback – Great idea!
Glad the idea of a critique group resonates with you, Marty.
[…] and writes about her experience on her blog, Boomers Social Media Tutor. It’s fun to read on Joyce’s blog how the students worked together in the Hands-on Web and Social Media Lab, which is a required part […]
Thanks so much for your comment.