Gary Sheynkman dot com

I would like point out some interesting personal encounters of direct value of using 2 way communication channels for brand building. Remember, “social media” is just a buzzword. All media is inherently social (we want to share it!), and the tools that are labeled as “social media” tools are just the current methods of enabling 2 way communications between users and brands.

Lets get a few things out of the way first: this is not snake oil; it is an additional channel for brands to connect with consumers. It is unique because it allows personal connections. It is NOT, however, a replacement for your entire marketing strategy… sorry folks, that’s not how it works.

Here are some great examples that have resulted in spending money on services or a creation of brand evangelism:

1. I was looking for an agency to do web development for our firm in Dubai. I was new in town and was on the lookout of a local team I could work closely with to finish a project in a tight deadline. I facebooked, tweeted, and googled. I contacted many agencies but found Baher from Cloud Appers to be really helpful in the process. He was also really helpful when I asked the Dubai twitter community about the local living situation before I moved. Result? 5 figure USD contract + continuing service.
2. I needed to print roll-up stands for a conference. This was a rush jobs and I did not have the time to shop around all the local printers (Google wasn’t helpful in this region for easily locating a vendor).  I got a reference from twitter and based on that evangelism for the brand on behalf of other users, it resulted in a 4 figure USD order.
3. MIPTV, a content conference in Cannes in April, is an important part of our company’s lead generation. I needed to quickly book apartments for our team. Based on previous successes with using Twitter and Facebook, I updated my statuses on both services. The response was overwhelming. I was contacted by email, facebook, and twitter messages. The vendor that took the extra step to go on my personal site, look up my email, and get in touch got a 4 figure USD booking.
4. I am in charge of our global sales pipeline and the analytics that go with it. I create the reports that our President and CMO use to determine the performance of our sales team. When I was researching the best system to use, Pipeline Deals contacted me directly to set up a product demo and a phone call to address my needs.  Unfortunately we came to the conclusion that their system, at this stage of their development, was not the best fit. However, I am now very familiar with their offering and recommend the service wholeheartedly to those who need an easy to use web-based sales tracking system. I am sure that I will be a customer at some point in time. I love their team’s dedication to personalized service, the only kind that matters.
5. I was reading Lenovo’s Design Matters blog. The post was about a design study device that was of particular interest to me. Unfortunately the team used Flickr to host the pictures. Flickr is blocked in the UAE. I commented on the blog voicing my frustration. A representative went on my personal site from my comment link, found my Twitter ID, and replied to me on Twitter asking me if he could send me the pictures by email. I was pleasantly surprised! Next time I need a rugged windows based computer to take to conferences with me, which brand has caught my attention and made themselves worthy of my 2-3K USD? (hint: rhetorical question).

I will not mention the countless advice I got for venues, directions, and general pointers on a multitude of subjects.

So…. Is social media worth the investment? You tell me… engaging me directly has netted companies who utilized social media over 50K USD and a loyal fan and evangelist for their products and services.
If you would like some “pay it forward” advice on how you can engage your customers using this new communication channel, drop me a note. I would love to talk to you about it.