I am often asked for real life success stories of how other businesses are using Social Media. Clearly, I can offer my own stories – but I may come across as somewhat biased! So, I have decided to start a series of blog entries in which I interview other small business owners to see how they use Social Media, what their success stories are and ask them to share their top tip. I plan to publish an interview every Friday.
I’m thankful to Dave Griffin from The Social Media Café / Dave Griffin Consultancy Ltd / Griffin Property Business for being my guinea pig on this venture!
Who are you and what do you do?
I was in the RAF for 18 years and then did some Business Coaching and Property development. In the recent past I have suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome but still work with businesses in the roles of Business coach and Social Media mentor and coach. I am also a guest lecturer in Social Media at Oxford University.
How do you use Social Media?
I use Social Media from a practical viewpoint. I believe it all comes down to the online identity of a business or individual. The business or individual needs to be found. I know that offline marketing is still important, but with the right online profiles you can get the most exposure. LinkedIn and Facebook are my two favourite tools. I have had great results with LinkedIn. It is so important to be found by people on LinkedIn – anybody can get found if they optimize their profile.
Can you share a Personal Success Story?
Yes, of course. An agency working for Facebook looked for business coaches on LinkedIn. They found my profile and could see that I had 70+ recommendations. They already liked me before even contacting me. As a result I did some work with the Facebook UK management team.
Can you give our readers a top tip?
My top tip would be to focus on your LinkedIn headline. This is prime real estate for getting your profile found. Your headline needs to say ‘what you do’ not ‘who you are’. Include the words people are searching for.
Contact Information
You can contact Dave on LinkedIn, Twitter, The Social Media Café
During the next few weeks, I hope to interview Lucinda Hart, Jody Fletcher, Kath Bonner Durham and a few others I haven’t asked yet! Let me know if you would be interested in featuring.