Kerry Pianoforte, Ink World Associate Editor02.02.12
The Metropolitan New York Coatings Association (MNYCA) recently held a workshop on “Social Media and the Coatings industry.” The workshop provided a forum for professionals involved with the coatings industry to learn the benefits of using social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, as well as tools for optimizing a company’s website and search engine results.
According to MNYCA, in 2009, 59% of the network users in the U.S. had created a social network profile. Facebook alone had 750 million members as of August 2011. This presents a huge opportunity for companies to get their message out.
The workshop featured three speakers well versed in the ins and outs of developing a social media platform to best suit a business.
Andrew Dell’Aglio, regional sales manager of Yellowbook360, began the workshop with a presentation focused on the changes and advancements that the Internet brings to local business owners. He outlined the various New Media products that are available for local business owners.
Matt Koenig, a regional manager of Yellowbook360, gave a presentation on print and interactive online marketing. The primary focus of his presentation was on how small- and medium-sized businesses can attract the most potential customers. Koenig offered his expertise on effective web design and the role of search engine optimization principles to allow businesses to reach the first page of Google and other search engines for their desired target audience.
The workshop ended with a presentation from Mike Walker, CEO of WalkerTek Interactive Marketing. Walker’s presentation mainly focused on the ways to make Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube and other social media work for a business. During his talk, he focused on developing a social media program for a company and explained why social media content makes a difference. He also offered suggestions on choosing the right social media platforms and how to tie different platforms together to form a comprehensive social media platform.
“I think an important concept to keep in mind is that your customers can do social media without you, so at a minimum, you need to keep an eye on what is being said, either about you, or your industry in general,” explained Walker. “For companies that are actively involved in social media, it is important to add value to the community, and not just be self-serving.”
According to MNYCA, in 2009, 59% of the network users in the U.S. had created a social network profile. Facebook alone had 750 million members as of August 2011. This presents a huge opportunity for companies to get their message out.
The workshop featured three speakers well versed in the ins and outs of developing a social media platform to best suit a business.
Andrew Dell’Aglio, regional sales manager of Yellowbook360, began the workshop with a presentation focused on the changes and advancements that the Internet brings to local business owners. He outlined the various New Media products that are available for local business owners.
Matt Koenig, a regional manager of Yellowbook360, gave a presentation on print and interactive online marketing. The primary focus of his presentation was on how small- and medium-sized businesses can attract the most potential customers. Koenig offered his expertise on effective web design and the role of search engine optimization principles to allow businesses to reach the first page of Google and other search engines for their desired target audience.
The workshop ended with a presentation from Mike Walker, CEO of WalkerTek Interactive Marketing. Walker’s presentation mainly focused on the ways to make Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube and other social media work for a business. During his talk, he focused on developing a social media program for a company and explained why social media content makes a difference. He also offered suggestions on choosing the right social media platforms and how to tie different platforms together to form a comprehensive social media platform.
“I think an important concept to keep in mind is that your customers can do social media without you, so at a minimum, you need to keep an eye on what is being said, either about you, or your industry in general,” explained Walker. “For companies that are actively involved in social media, it is important to add value to the community, and not just be self-serving.”