The use of social media for business has exploded in the past year, and businesses in every industry are feeling the pressure to do "something." But what? Many business owners and managers may be familiar with Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn on the surface or in their personal lives, but how can they be helpful for your business? Are they helpful for every business? Does utilizing one make more sense than others? If you are using social media, how do you know it’s working? It's time to get some answers you can trust. 

Join Matthew Olson, President of Signalfire, for a three-part interactive workshop to learn about the concepts and the practices of social media for your business. This interactive learning environment will include discussions, hands-on practice, and strategic tips and tricks to help you assess the value of social media in a business environment. 

Each week’s class will be a continuation of the previous one. Week one will be an introduction to the basics of different social networking sites, how to develop the right mindset for social media, and things to think of when employees become involved with social media in the workplace. The second week will be very hands-on while learning good practices and methods to maximize your social media strategy. Week three will focus on honing your skills and learning to “take it up a notch” as well as tracking tools to measure effectiveness.

Each attendee will need to come with:

• A laptop computer with wireless networking (WiFi) or other connection to the web

• A web-based email account such as Yahoo, Gmail, MobileMe, or Live.com

• An electronic version of your business logo as a JPG or a photo of yourself as a JPG

Each attendee will leave with:

• A solid foundation of social media principles, best practices, and the cost-benefit of social media

• Knowledge of the different social networking platforms and which will work best for their business

• Practical hands-on experience with setting up accounts for business, how to use them effectively, and how to track their success

• An understanding of different tools and accessories for cost-effective and time-efficient social media success