Social Media Networking Social Marketing Channel’s Steve Brossman interviews Lance Scoular
If you want to know about Social Media Networking, then look no further than Pam and Steve Brossman of Profitable Social Marketing and the Social Marketing Channel.
Steve and Pam are at the forefront of an emerging group of Australian Social Marketing experts who are training with some of Americas leading Social Media trainers. Steve Brossman recently interviewed Lance for the Social media Channel and B2BNetworking.com.au. Here’s the video and below is the transcript.
VIDEO for Social Media Networking
TRANSCRIPT for Social Media Networking
Steve:
Hi there, Steve Brossman from the Social Marketing Channel and I’m pretty excited this morning to have a gentleman that I met via social media so I guess that’s a fantastic intro as to who we are and what we’re doing today. Lance Scoular the Savvy Navigator, welcome.
Lance:
Lance: Thanks very much Steve.
Steve:
Can I just give them a background as to how we met? I was looking through or going through our Twitter and I actually found a business networking site, B2B, so if ever you want to connect with other businesses B2B is a fantastic thing. Found that there was a networking business the next day only five kilometres from my house, booked in and within 24 hours here I am with you hosting a breakfast and doing a talk on social media and we’ve stayed in touch since.
Lance:
Yeah, because we’re both, to some extent Luddites to some degree or other, and we’re dragged into this stuff saying No! No! No! And now we’re passionate about it because of the possibilities it has, not only for ourselves, but for the people we want to help.
Steve:
Yeah, you had an importing exporting business and been coaching and training people, but it was your students who kept on bugging you “Come on, you’ve got to get into this, you’ve got to get into this.” And for me I think many people out there will know the story, it was my wife, that almost dragged me kicking and screaming into social media. But now, the last 12 months I’ve grown and I just love it with a passion.
Lance:
Amazing!
Steve:
And it is the future of business and that’s’ what excites me, more than just connecting but it is the future that business people have to learn. And you actually run some workshops.
Lance:
Yeah, I’ve got some coming up and to be quite honest, we’ve had to put on extra ones, it’s so popular, because people are starting to realise that this is the new thing this is the new wave. And if you don’t catch the wave you’re going to be left behind.
Steve:
And we’ve found and we’re doing a lot of our training from America, and Australia has seen to be a little behind. But the latest statistics are that there’s 8 million people already on Facebook. In Australia.
Yeah, it’s amazing, amazing.
Steve:
And a lot of people are using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as major marketing tools. Now tell us, how are you using social media to promote your business, and I know that you’re working with B2B and BBX with their business as well?
Lance:
Yeah, well, how I got into it was, I was testing it, because I thought I’m not going to go out and do stuff if it doesn’t work. So I started testing it, and within a few days, particularly with the Twitter, I’d set up Facebook and LinkedIn, from previous students, and I realised that I could build networks in Facebook and LinkedIn from people I met on Twitter. So I’d send them a message say send me an invitation, I’m not knocking on their door, their knocking on mine, so “yeah, no problem.”
So I’ve built up quite a substantial network on Facebook and LinkedIn, so if Twitter happened to fall over because at the moment it still doesn’t have a business model, I’ve still got these other networks that I’ve built from Twitter. But then I realised that I could contact people globally, build up networks globally, which would help me, but, more importantly I guess, my former students or clients in the import export area, because I’m looking globally. But it could also work effectively, because I’ve been working with Chris Pet, from B2B Networking, where it’s local its Sydney based and we’re finding people, like you, that come to our breakfasts, because of that. Si I’ve been working with Chris, to develop a strategy of how he can build his B2B Networking business to reach out to small business and say hey we can help you grow your business by networking, both face to face and online.
Steve:
Can I just pick up a couple of points there that many of the people may not realise is that used properly social networking and social marketing you can actually drill it down into local areas.
Lance:
Oh definitely,
Steve:
It’s not just out there for the masses, but you can search and do business in local areas as well as get it out to a global market even if you are just almost like a backyard person running a global company. But the other interesting thing that I picked up on there with you is to be successful is actually to be able link your social networks together, and that’s where you’ve been quite successful at doing and being able to have each of your networks talk to each other.
Lance:
That’s right
Steve:
Do you agree with that?
Lance:
Yeah, definitely and that’s, I guess the simple word is leverage. By combining the forces of the individual ones, ‘because they all have their plusses and minuses, if you like.
Steve:
Sure!
Lance:
But by putting them together, you get that leverage of creating an n exponential growth, not just in numbers, but more importantly, in the reach and the connectivity with the people you want to connect with.
So, it’s not just customers, it’s suppliers its partners that might be involved with your business and your building relationships with them, through the networking with them, both online but it gives you the capability if it’s local to connect with tem face to face but also online offline and there’s that relationship building which builds... you know people like to buy of people they feel comfortable with, that’s’ what it boils down to.
Steve:
So, if I hear you correctly, Social Media’s not a fad?
Lance:
I don’t believe so. I think it’s just beginning.
Steve:
I thought I knew the answer and where do you actually see the future of it in the next 6 or 12 months, do you see a lot of the local Australian businesses getting on board or having to get on board?
Lance:
I think so because now it’s become mainstream on American TV, so you’ve got your Oprah's, you’re David Letterman, you’re Ellen’s all promoting their programs through Twitter n particular, so their promoting “Follow me on Twitter.”
Local radio stations and TV stations are starting to do it and the press and now a lot of businesses are saying, “Hey! There must be something in this.”
So their all of a sudden saying, “Hey, we’d better get onto this, because if we don’t our competition will, and we’ll be left behind.
Steve:
That’s a very key point, because, everybody, it’s a communication method that people are using now and I heard a fantastic one.
“Your clients are socialising, no matter where they are. They're socialising somewhere. This is one place they are socialising and that’s where you need to be.
Lance:
Exactly.
Steve:
Fantastic. Look I’m very happy that I went to that breakfast, I’m happy that we’ve connected and staying connected and thank you so much for coming onto our channel today, and I’m sure we’ll be doing some more interviews. So Steve and Lance from the Social Marketing Channel, we’ll see you again real soon. Cheers.
Lance:
Thanks Steve
Want to know more about Social Media Networking and Marketing? Just send me a message or give me a call. Email: LanceScoular.com
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