Maximising Social Media

Social media is no longer ‘new’ – it’s becoming (and has become) the ‘norm’ in many organisations. However, there is also still a lot of ignorance, suspicion, even fear about it in many others.

We’re in a world where many organisations are benefiting tremendously from social media and others ‘getting left behind! The result is that the ‘gaps’ are getting bigger and bigger.

This Exchange session will help you explore what social media can do for your organisation, both internally and externally. We’ll highlight what forward thinking businesses are doing in this area, and crucially, the benefits that they are getting from doing so.

It’s a great opportunity to explore the possibilities, establish how you measure up, and identify what steps you and your organisation can take to maximise it.

Our regular Exchange facilitator Andy Hanselman will be joined by Kari Owers of OPR. They are local experts who have built a strong reputation for helping organisations integrate and maximise social media as part of their competitive strategy. As well as exposing many of the common myths of social media being just a marketing tool, Kari will be sharing how successful organisations are making it work and will provide you with food for thought on the new ways social media might impact your business.

We will also be joined by organisations who are ‘making social media work’ for them. These include Catherine Adamson of Gateshead College on using it to engage with students and staff and Bobby Paterson of Happiest who have worked hard at engaging customers via online communities.

Our Exchange programme is all about exchanging experiences, ideas and learning, and as ever, we will be hearing about and learning from participants’ real issues when it comes to maximising social media – what’s working and what’s not.

This session will help you ....

Explode the myths! ‘It’s not ‘just for kids’, it’s not just about ‘advertising’ and it’s definitely not ‘a fad’

Learn from real examples of organisations that are using it effectively (internally and externally)

Understand the implications, positively and negatively, of what social media can do for (and to!) your organisation

Identify what you are going to / what you need to do to maximise social media in your organisation

Our hosts

Andy Hanselman is a motivational speaker renowned for his no-nonsense, interactive approach. His experience in how ‘remarkable’ businesses compete in this fast moving world of crowded market places, rising customer expectations and inter connectedness will be invaluable in this session.

Kari Owers is chief executive of OPR, the award-winning Newcastle-based public relations and communications agency she launched in 2005. She has been a PR consultant in the North of England for nearly 20 years, creating and implementing a wide range of high profile campaigns for regional, national and global clients, in the private and public sector. O Digital was launched in 2012 to provide social media and digital strategy, content production and campaigns to organisations including the Entrepreneurs' Forum.

Ticket Price: £65 + VAT Entrepreneurs’ Forum members & guests (for each individual session)

                  £95 + VAT non-members (for each individual session)