If you aren”™t a fan of Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and just dabble in LinkedIn, it”™s time to get into the loop so you can get the scoop.
Mike Oates, president and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp., is an avowed Apple fan who doesn”™t go anywhere without his iPad or iPhone. Neither is essential for social media, but the trick, he says, is to learn how to connect and stay there.
“I”™ve personally been involved in it for a few years, but in February 2010, we basically made a concerted effort to get involved,” Oates said. “Just like anything else, you have to be aggressive. If you look at other economic development agencies around the state, we have more ”˜fans”™ following HVEDC than all the agencies combined. And you can”™t beat the price: free.”
While Oates does not think emails will disappear as a means of direct contact, when leads come into the HVEDC office he”™s seen an “explosion of people reaching us as a direct result of social media. I believe that over the next ten years, this will be the dominant way people will get information. They want it in short bites. If they want more information, they can hit the link and retrieve it. All the technology we have ”“ and what”™s to come ”“ makes that information available instantly.”
For HVEDC, “word of mouth” becomes “fans” of its Facebook page, Oates said. “Once their friends and associates see it, they want to see what”™s going on, and once they come into it, we pretty much give them a variety of interesting information.”
HVEDC even has Facebook”™s popular symbol on its business cards, which has grown to nearly 5,000 fans who follow it on a daily basis.
“In reducing paperwork, it”™s an environmentally friendly approach to marketing. There are some people who do an outstanding job. One of them is Paul Feiner, the town of Greenburgh supervisor, who gets a variety of issues out to the public, has job listings and keeps people informed about potential opportunities for business.”
Aureon Biosciences in Yonkers is a company that has embraced the effectiveness of social media, Oates said. “Dr. Charles DiComo, its corporate compliance officer, is on our HVEDC board. As a biotech company, it is a way that it can attract a high-tech workforce.”
HVEDC has its own channel on You Tube where it posts video clips to market the Hudson Valley, including special events such as the launching of NY BioHud Valley and a meeting with SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher. It uses it to highlight properties for brokers and site selectors; Watson Pharmaceutical”™s site in Putnam is one example. “It”™s a very cost-effective and unique platform to disseminate information to the market,” Oates said. HVEDC also works with partners in the Hudson Valley, including the Hudson Valley Film Commission, to induce them to consider sites in the region.
Social media has engaged a young, vibrant workforce, Oates said.
“It”™s a critical component if you want to portray yourself as hip and cutting edge. What we have right now is just the tip of the iceberg. We haven”™t even scratched the surface of what we can do with social networking. You have to get into the pool and doing this type of marketing to get your message out to the 24/7 media world; we update our sites several times a day. We enjoy doing it and it allows people to be as creative as they want. Since it”™s an interactive media, you can get instant feedback from fans or group members about what”™s important to them. You can”™t get that from a postcard or mailing piece; and you can adjust what you”™re doing according to the feedback you”™re getting.”
