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TCA Dives Into Online Social Media: Come Join Us!

By: Stephanie Brown

In recent months, you have probably heard or read about online social media. Social networking is the leading phenomena in modern society. These tools are the new way of networking. Simply, online social media is about dialogue, two-way discussions that bring people together in order t discover and share information. In fact, according to compete.com, there are now over 150 million Facebook users, 54 million Twitter users, 42 million LinkedIn users, and 142 million YouTube users.

Whether or not you personally participate in social media, it is likely that others at you company do. Maybe more important, it is likely that you customers or potential customers also participate in social media.

The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) has worked alongside our social media experts, Constructive Communication, to devise a plan and strategy for success with online social media. In addition to initiatives (like LinkedIn that we discussed in the last magazine), TCA has several other social media projects in the works. We encourage you to join us in the forum that best suits you and your needs to get the word out about Tilt-Up and further promote your business.

Twitter:

Jim Baty, Technical Director for the TCA, has created a Twitter account – http://twitter.com/jbatyTCA – where he is disseminating information about our industry and answering questions about the industry. Also, – http://twitter.com/TiltWerks or http://twitter.com/SAI_Engineers – are good examples of firms in our industry on Twitter. You could become active on Twitter by creating your own account, using Jim, Steinbicker and Associates, and TiltWerks as examples. Twitter is not simply for product suppliers, but for all professionals in our industry including architects, engineers, and contractors. If you decide that Twitter is a medium that you want to use, consider the following tips and suggestions:

Tips and Suggestions for Twitter:

  • Twitter is the concept of micro-blogging. Simply, you have 140 characters to answer the question, “what are you doing?”
  • Before you start tweeting, come up with a strategy and goals, then fill in your name, location, URL, and bio.
  • Keep in mind that you have the option to customize the background to match your company look and feel.
  • Due to the fact that you only have 140 characters, use TinyUrl.com to shorten long URLs.
  • Use search.twitter.com to follow new people, monitor your company, as well as see what your target audience is talking about. Another way to follow new people is to see who your followers are following.
  • RT or re-tweet is a method of copying what someone else has said on twitter and giving them the credit. The reason retweeting is a compliment is because the original person’s message will now reach your followers in addition to theirs. To re-tweet, use RT @username, then copy and paste what the original user said. Remember, on Twitter, a RT is a compliment! By following this process, you give proper credit where credit is due.
  • @reply is when someone asks you a question. Use @username and then answer the question. Since your followers might not know what the original question was, rephrase it and then answer it.
  • Tweet often about exciting new, how to pieces, FAQs, products, events and share articles of interest.
  • Hashtags are # followed by a keyword that is used t discuss specific topics and facilitate better searches within search.twitter.com. Some hashtags that members could use are #concrete and #construction.

LinkedIn:

TCA has an active LinkedIn group, titled Tilt-Up Concrete  — http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1778736&trk=anetsrch name&goback=%2Egdr_1250102286838_1 — with 125 active members. Additionally, there is a members-only sub-group that was created. Also it is recommended that members of the TCA join the sub-group. Discussions, news articles and job postings are shared within this group. It is recommended that most professionals have a LinkedIn profile where they create an online resume, connect with people and actively contribute to the group and answer sections.

This group was created as a resource for you to communicate and interact with fellow association members and to receive updates and information from TCA. Please join the group and share articles, ideas, concepts and answer questions. Also, if you are a part of other relevant groups, please post an invitation within those groups to join the TCA LinkedIn group.

To join relevant groups, start by going to the top right, click the drop-down and go to search groups. Start typing in industry keywords such as “concrete” and “Tilt-Up” and then join the relevant groups. To answer questions, log in, then at the top left, click Answers. Then go to Search Answers on the drop-down and type in a keyword. When the results appear, be sure to click Open Questions. Keep in mind that people go online to find the answers to their questions, so if you can be seen as the expert, then there might be potential for that person to be a client.

YouTube:

TCA has also created a YouTube account.   http://www.youtube.com/TCAEducation   You are invited to subscribe to these videos or to create your own channel to match your company’s strategy and goals. Also, as a member, if you have videos that you would like updated to our account, please contact Jim and he will do this for you.

Join Us!

The TCA has made efforts to dive into this new medium as it is not going away. It is crucial that we educate others in order to gain optimal positive exposure for our industry and the companies that represent it. We invite you to join us on LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. The future holds further expansion of our involvement as staff time permits it and as we see the benefits of this new online media presence. We will hopefully be starting a blog site in the coming months and entertaining further representation in other media forms. See you online!

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TILT-UP TODAY, a publication of the Tilt-Up Concrete Association, is THE source for Tilt-Up industry news, market intelligence, business strategies, technical solutions, product information, and other resources for professionals in the Tilt-Up industry. A subscription to TILT-UP TODAY is included in a TCA membership. Subscriptions for potential TCA members are also available. If you would like to receive a complimentary subscription to the publication, please contact the TCA.