Etana Powered poweRED events Hit the button – use social media to grow your business! 24 August 2012 Getting into the practical application of social media Insurance industry members got to grips with the intricacies of social media at Villa Arcadia in Parktown on 16 August 2012 at the inaugural Cover Social Media Conference poweRED by Etana and Genasys Technologies. The conference was aimed at developing a firmer understanding of social media by exploring the different ways in which it can be used as a tool to build and grow the insurance industry. Gianluca Tucci of Etana’s brand team outlined the ways in which Etana is developing its online presence and emphasised the complimentary nature social media plays in terms of building a company’s brand and culture. “It is key to leverage and balance what a business does from day to day from its actual operations, and to use employees, sponsorships and other activities as connectors in the online space,” he explained, citing an example of Etana’s support of Rowing South Africa (ROWSA). From wishing the team off at the airport to sharing updates as they enjoyed the games and gathering in numbers to watch the “oarsum foursome” take gold, Etana used its website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr platforms to share the news. Delegates discuss online presence This single event portrayed the mechanisms of social media at work and how they allow people to engage in experiences, build relationships and share in the everyday lives of families, friends and employees – creating a sense of community in the process. Owner and editor of Cover magazine, Tony van Niekerk, described the increasing information we are exposed to daily, what we do with it, and the online channels where we can share it. Mike Stopforth, CEO of Cerebra Communications, looked at why social media is a more honest channel of communication and how customers become like partners, while Kevin Collins of Flow Communications demonstrated how to access Facebook and Twitter to initiate an online presence. Delegate Greg Scott described the conference as “fantastic!” “It got me questioning the ‘hunter’ logic of most sales-driven companies. This is because social media is not about advertising or hunting down your next sales target,” said delegate Greg Scott. “My perception now is that social media is about ‘farming’. Cultivating relationships and giving something back to your connectors for free, adapting to their interests and getting to know them. “Social media is not about you selling your product; it’s about adapting your product so that it can sell itself.” For more information and useful links on social media: Check out articles, comments and questions about the conference on Twitter, by searching for the following hashtag: #socialmediaconferene Listen to a TED Talk by Sherry Turkle to gain a perspective about when to switch on and when to switch off: youtube/watch?v=t7Xr3AsBEK4 Check out pictures from the day on Etana’s Flickr gallery: flickr/EtanaInsurance Connect via Twitter with Cover (@covertony), Etana (@EtanaInsurance) and Genasys (@GenasysTech) and post any questions or thoughts you may have on the subject.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 06:24:21 +0000