Johannesburg, 26 Jul 2013
Social media is becoming an imperative for businesses. Whether catering to consumers, or operating in the B2B space, organisations are expected to be available on social channels and sharing thought leadership.
ITWeb is hosting its second annual Social Media Summit, to assist organisations with ensuring that social media is put to work for them.
"It's not enough to simply have a presence on a social platform like Facebook or Twitter, however," says programme director Tallulah Habib. "Ineffective use of social media can lead to an organisation falling behind competitors, disappointed customers and clients, and even legal issues."
If used effectively, however, social media is not only a great marketing tool, but can also be used to source valuable business intelligence, adds Habib.
The summit, which debuted last year to overwhelmingly positive feedback, will provide a sober, business-driven approach to implementing social media within an organisation.
Agenda highlights
In the keynote address, well-known speaker, writer, and social business strategist Ryan Hogarth will outline how businesses can bring about success through embracing social media.
At the 'Platform Smackdown' on day one, advocates for the most popular social media platforms locally - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Mxit and Google+ - will outline the ways different platforms can be utilised by business and give concrete examples of the kinds of businesses that are using them well. They will then defend their chosen platform as part of a panel discussion.
Advocates include:
* Google+ and YouTube - Jared Molko, YouTube Partnerships and Product Solutions Lead
* Twitter - Jodene Shaer, social media publicist, campaign and event strategist, owner at Lifeology
* LinkedIn - Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, CEO, Avatar
* Mxit - Vincent Maher, chief marketing officer, Mxit
* Facebook - Jordan Wallace, owner, Gorilla Creative Media
The conference will also examine the governance, HR and legal issues relating to social media, such as how to craft effective social media policy for employees. Market leaders will provide case studies of how they have used social media to create business value.
Workshop - analytics intensive
The second summit day will provide an analytics intensive. Delegates will be given insight into how to measure their social media success and will come away with a thorough understanding of the power (and limitations) of social networking.
Experts will teach those present how they might pull valuable data from social networks, analyse it and report on it. Case studies will demonstrate how such data can be used within an organisation to improve connections with customers and clients, manage an organisation's online reputation and assist with business decision-making.
For more information or to register to attend the event, click here.
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