The eighth of our weekly interviews in which we discover how real businesses are making Social Media work for them. Please meet Chris Roberts from the Fairford and Lechlade business club.
Who are you and what do you do?
Chris Roberts MBE. I am a town councillor, run the Fairford and Lechlade business club and I run the Fairford and Lechlade food and drink festivals. I also write for local newspapers and magazines about local issues. For example, I write for the Ripples magazine. I am also keen to help with fundraising initiatives.
How do you use Social Media?
I have created a Facebook page for the Fairford and Lechlade business club and I also have a personal Facebook account. I have two Twitter accounts, 1 for the Business Club and a personal account. I have a LinkedIn personal profile.
I’m not a big fan of LinkedIn as I haven’t seen much work from it but I do like Twitter as a professional communication tool and Facebook as a personal communication tool.
Can you share a Personal Success Story?
A couple of examples.
First a personal example. I had been having problems with a financial company, let’s call them ABC, for about 2 years. They had lost my money and couldn’t find it and they had taken money out of an ISA account without asking me so I lost my ISA allowance for the year. I was getting nowhere with letters, calls and contacting the Financial Ombudsman. Something else happened with company ABC, so I tweeted ‘Just when I thought ABC couldn’t annoy me any more, they’ve managed to mess up my account even more.’ Immediately a representative of ABC tweeted me asking me to phone a number. This was the number of the head of customer service. Within 3 weeks the whole issue was sorted out and I received a letter of apology from the MD and a case of wine! The power of Social Media!
Secondly, I find Twitter really useful to promote the Fairford & Lechlade food & drink festivals. I have found people who are interested in booking stalls and made the public aware of the festivals. It is a great way of promoting local businesses who have sponsored the food festival.
I have found both Facebook and Twitter really useful as a way of spreading information about the business club and promoting businesses in the club.
Can you give our readers a top tip?
My top tip is to use Social Media to promote yourself and your business, but be careful what you say as the whole world is watching.
Contact Information
You can contact Chris on LinkedIn, Twitter – Personal Account, Twitter – Fairford & Lechlade Buiness Club, Facebook – Fairford and LEchlade Business Club, Fairford and Lechlade Food Festival, Fairford and Lechlade Business Club