Trivia Questions For: Liz King, NYC Event Planner & Social Media Maven

In the spirit of sharing trivia and knowledge, today I am introducing a new interview series called “Trivia Questions For…” Readers will now hear regularly from the most intriguing, experienced and compelling thought leaders in the areas of event planning, team building, human resources, management, workplace dynamics, trivia/gaming and pop culture.

I can think of no better way to kick off this new blog series than with social media expert Liz King. Liz is the owner of Liz King Events, a unique event planning company based in NYC which specializes in integrating social media into live events. An award-winning blogger who lectures nationally about social media, she was recently named a top “40 Under 40” up-and-coming meeting and event planner by Connect Meetings magazine. Her latest project involves integrating social media into the workplace.

1. You’re about to launch a new class series this fall, “The Social Savvy Series,” targeting employees of small businesses here in New York City. How did this come about?

LK – The development of social media has opened up opportunities for many small businesses to broaden their marketing efforts. Yet, many are overwhelmed by a lack of knowledge and fear. My intent is to create a casual setting where small business owners can come together to learn practical tips to get started with online social networks to make a huge impact on their business.

2. Why is it important for employees to be fluent with social media?

LK – Right now, social media is in the same place that email was in the 90s. Poll after poll shows that social media usage is rising and shows no sign of declining. While the tools themselves may change, the trend of communicating with people on a more personal level is not changing. If you don’t hop on the boat and challenge yourself to learn it now, you’re only getting farther and farther behind. There are also statistics out there saying that 80% or more of employers are looking at Google and social networks as a part of their hiring process. If you plan on looking for a new position now or in the future, you need to have longstanding activity on these networks.

3. Which specific employer/management need(s) are you attempting to address with this series?

LK – The most important need that this series addresses is the need to communicate with customers as they need and want. More and more people look for vendors, doctors, restaurants online. They voice their concerns on Facebook and Twitter. For those businesses who are turning a blind eye to social media, they are missing the critical piece of communication with their customers and target market.

4. Companies today have limited resources to spend on staff training & development. Why should social media be a priority?

LK – Involvement on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more provides huge ROI. For the cost it takes to utilize these channel (free or very little), the time it takes to learn the tools and implement a strategy is negligible. Sometimes, being silent and unapproachable becomes a bigger problem than making a mistake implementing a new tool. Every day that a company chooses to focus their resources away from these tools is another day they are behind the times. Especially for smaller companies, this is a problem we can’t afford to have.

5. What can companies large and small be doing with social media that they are not doing enough of, if at all?

LK – The one thing most companies who jump on social media are not doing is listening. They create a thousand accounts, start sending out tons of messages and promotions. This is not the way to your consumer’s heart. We’ve got to rethink our marketing strategies and leverage emotions and connection with our clients to be successful on social media. You’ve got to sit back, find the big players and listen to them before creating a strategy. Once you’ve done this, you can start engaging rather than marketing. I think what you’ll find is that more sales come from engagement than direct marketing.

6. Many companies have strict HR policies against social media use at the office. Do you feel that businesses are ultimately helped or hurt by these restrictions?

LK – There are certain situations where companies need to limit these tools for privacy reasons. However, even within these organizations, I think they would do well to have some members of their team access these tools. Even if an organization is not interested in connecting with a customer base, the learning is second to none on social networks, especially on Twitter. The world’s breaking news and information is spread virally through social networks before it’s making it onto your TV or newspaper. The same goes for breaking news in your industry. If you’ve tuned these channels out completely, you’re sure to be missing something.

7. How can social media fluency help teams/team members work together more effectively & efficiently?

 LK – Services like Twitter and Facebook have become popular for many reasons – one of them is because of the way they allow people to share massive amounts of information in limited space. There is a skill to mastering social media and it takes time to learn how to hone your messages and communicate is fewer characters. In many organizations, people are shying away from email which can be long and laborious and heading towards tools like Twitter to communicate. While I think email still has a place, communication is definitely being supplemented and improved using social networks.

Now, Liz has a trivia question to ask US:

LK –  What percentage of small businesses report having a social media presence?

To find out the answer, or to connect with Liz, visit her Website www.lizkingevents.com or follow her on Twitter @LizKingEvents.