Why run a social media cafe?
Why run a social media cafe?
25 September 2014
In two weeks time I will have been running a social media cafe for local business and community organisations for a year. As part of national social media week it seemed a good point to reflect on this.
So why do I do it? Social media has a huge potential for businesses to engage their customers and community organisations to reach the public. But so many small traders or charities in these austerity times are just struggling to keep the themselves afloat. They have no budgets to pay for PR advice.
That’s where the social media cafe comes in. An informal monthly event hosted by a local venue and run by myself and a team of fellow PR, marketing and digital experts. We provide a friendly drop in surgery where we talk people through which social media options which are suitable for them, how to set up accounts and top tips and hints. All the experts give their time for free and the venue makes no charge although we encourage those attending to buy a coffee or a beer.
So what do I get out of it? As a consultant and a trainer I love solving people’s problems and learning about other sectors. Each month something has changed on a channel so hosting the cafe keeps me on my toes to new functionality. The questions I get asked make me explore and learn all the time. And best of all running the event allows me to engage with my local community and give something back.
In between meetings I run a Facebook page where I can post articles people may find of interest and can ask questions www.facebook.com/TandDSMcafe
I’m also hugely grateful to the team at Torbay Social Media cafe for providing a great model for what we do in Teignmouth and Dawlish, helping out at events, cross- publicising cafes and being great fun to be with.
And here is an audioboo I did with Alison Hernandez from the Torbay Social Media Cafe http://audioboom.com/boos/2501054-seashell-comms-cafes
If you want to find out more about the social media cafe give me a call.
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