Journalist Neil Johnston offers some great social media tips in the post ”Canadian Motorcycle Industry and Social Media.” Johnston uses Twitter and YouTube as a “roving motorcycle journalist,” uploading videos and tweeting on the go, engaging with his fans in real time. For any company, making the time to use social media is paramount: converse with your followers, respond to @mentions, etc. “Following back” on Twitter is important, as is posting content of value. “Make sure your tweets or Facebook posts have relevance to your audience,” writes Johnston, with an example of a picture accompanying a Twitter post (using TwitPic, of course!). Transparency, or “keeping it real,” is crucial: answer questions honestly and professionally engage with your clientele on social networks. Use social media to announce “tweetups” and connect a real-world demo with its digital counterpart. Utilize the social media around you to stay in the conversation and monitor the trends.

Sam Hartman, Feb. 24, 2010

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