Making social media work for your business

Ever wondered how to make money off social media? Or what about hiring someone to handle social media for your business?

With clients such as Dunkin Donuts and Staples, Jackie Guzman of Tilson PR can give you all the tips.

She will be speaking at the upcoming social media summit being hosted by the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce and the Bermuda Sun.

‘Making Social Media Work for Your Business’ will be held on October 17 and 18 at Bermuda Chamber of Commerce and HSBC Harbourview.

Audience into revenue

Ms Guzman will be speaking on how to turn your social media audience into revenue. She will also discuss whether or not to employ staff to handle social media for your company and the best tools in social media.

“I’ll be talking about everything there is to know about turning those fans into followers, into customers whether it’s increasing traffic or sales.

“I’ll be talking about Facebook and ads. For a small investment, there is a lot of good stuff to get out of it.”

Want to increase revenue?

Asked why people should come to hear her speak, Ms Guzman said: “If you want to find a way to increase revenue, come out and hear what I’ve got to say.”

Ms Guzman has been at Tilson PR for 11 years and in addition to Staples and Dunkin Donuts, she also counts BJ’s Wholesale and Bonefish Grill as clients.

She also handles Hispanic media.

“Social media is definitely one of the areas that I focus on. Eleven years ago, social media didn’t exist.

“We really got engaged with it.”

Speaking on deciding to hiring someone to handle your businesses social media, Ms Guzman said: “Definitely, it’s based on the budget and the size of the business.

“First time small business owners may not have the budget to have someone do their social media. If you do have a budget, it makes sense to hire someone else.

“You already have so much on your plate. If you have a dedicated person on social media, to me that’s the best approach to take.”

Paying attention

Ms Guzman said you have to put your time into social media if you want it to be successful.

“Find content that makes sense. I think it’s okay to push your product or services to an extent.

“If you really pay attention to your audience on what they’re talking about and what they’re engaging in, use those tools to really weave in your key message.”

The summit will take place at the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce and HSBC Harbourview. 

Register online at the Chamber of Commerce website: www.bermudachamber.bm

Two-day social media summit: agenda, workshops, presenters and panelists

Agenda

Thursday, October 17

Venue: Chamber of Commerce

2pm: SoMe Case Studies: What Works? And What Doesn’t?

Learn lessons from people winning at the social media game in the Bermuda market. Plus Q & A. 1 3/4  hours.

Panelists

• Karolina De Costa; Rowe Spurling Paint

• Emma Horton; A.S. Cooper & Sons

• Karriem Sharrieff; Bermemes

• Clifton Webb; Go Social

Moderator: Glenn Jones; MediaHouse

4pm: Workshop: Social Media Contests

How to make social media contests work for your business. 

Hosted by Bermuda Sun.
45 minutes

5pm: Cocktail & Networking Reception

Meet the presenters, panelists and attendees. Cash bar at Happy Hour prices.

Venue: Muse

Friday, October 18

Venue: All Friday morning sessions at HSBC Harbourview

8:30am: Official Opening

9:00am: Keynote: Followers into Dollars

Lessons on turning your social media audience into revenue.  Should I do it myself, employ staff to do it, hire a vendor? What tools are most useful?  What will it cost me? Plus Q & A. 2 1/4 hours

Presenter: Jackie Guzman; Tilson Public Relations

11:30am: Workshop: Sharpen Your Social Media Skills

Hosted by CellOne. 45 minutes

Break

Venue: All Friday afternoon sessions at Chamber of Commerce

1:15pm: Travel & Leisure on Social Media

Promoting tourism products and services using social media and getting your customers to organically share their experiences with their followers. Plus Q & A. 1 1/2 hours.

Presenters 

• Joseph Romanelli, Romanelli Communications

• Sophie Dier, Elbow Beach, Bermuda 

3pm: SoMe Reputation Management

How do I manage my presence and grow my followers, while staying loyal to my brand?  What do my followers want to know about me and my business? Plus Q & A. 1 ours

Panelists

• Jeremy Deacon, Deep Blue Communications

• Nikki Fagan, AAC Saatchi & Saatchi

• Debra Narraway, Bermuda Cancer & Health

• Schereene Outerbridge, CellOne

Moderator: Coral Wells; Chamber of Commerce, B-Tech Division

4:45pm: Social Media Engagement for Live Events 

Turner Sports and PGA.com present tips for engaging a live audience and will explain how a company cam measure the effectiveness of social media efforts. The presenters of this session will join the summit via video teleconference. Plus Q & A. 45 minutes.

Presenters

• Morgan Dewan, Turner Sports

• John Kim, PGA.com

Moderator: Mikaela Ian Pearman, Bermuda Sun

Turn Your Social Media Followers into Dollars @BDASun | #SOMEBDA