Lessons I’ve Learned as a Social Media Trainer

Teaching excellence

Teaching a social media crash course (social media bootcamp?) can be a rewarding experience. Here’s a tiny glimpse of how leading a social media workshops leads to good things:

  • Introduce a small business owner to a powerful new tool for growing their business
  • Teach a parent or grandparent how to stay in touch with loved ones via Facebook or Twitter
  • Hone your public speaking skills
  • Demonstrate your expertise and build credibility
  • Expand your professional and personal networks
  • Learn stuff

Rich Tucker (winner of a Shorty award for CruiseSource) and solo PR pro Lelia King, both of Charlotte, tweeted yesterday about their desire to conduct social media training (initiative FTW!). Lots of mom-and-pops (and big companies, too!) need seminars like this.

I’ve taught a few of these classes (with The Charlotte Observer, Your Community Connector, and Social Media Works, among others) and thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned:

Don’t Overestimate Your Audience

You Tweet in your sleep. You’ve got 132 third-party apps plugged into your Facebook account. You’re connected to 1,300 people on a dozen social networks.

Your audience may not know how to send a text message. Slow down. Waaaaaaaay down. As my friend Tom Martin said, it’s hard to nail down the knowledge level of your audience, let alone to create content that appeals to all of ‘em. Which leads me to…

Narrow Your Audience

The more narrowly you define your audience, the better you’ll be able to conduct relevant training. That means discussing relevant technology, showing relevant case studies, and anticipating questions.

Think of ways to segment your audience:

  • Business size
  • Vertical market
  • Rank/position in company
  • B2B vs. B2C
  • Demographics (age, gender, etc.) of attendees
  • Current knowledge level
  • And more

It’s a lot like marketing. Which leads me to…

Prepare Yourself for a Marketing Shock

Here’s a reality check: Many business owners know very little about marketing. If they don’t understand “Marketing 101,” they won’t understand social media marketing. I promise. Which leads me to…

“Strategy vs. Tactics” is for Thought Leaders

Zoned-out IppI get it: Strategy should come before tactics. We’ve all memorized Forrester’s cute little P.O.S.T. acronym. And we all sneer at big brands that launch face-first into technology (though, have you ever heard a thought leader give an example of a strategy?)

Many of the people who come to a “Social Media Crash Course” or “Social Media Boot Camp” want you to show them how it works (How do I do a Tweet? How do I send a message on Facebook? Etc., etc.). Strategy sounds nice, but it’s like teaching your teenager to drive by preaching Newton’s Laws of Motion. Which leads me to…

An Object in Motion Will Stay in Motion…

…and an object at rest will stay at rest unless…well, you know. In other words, don’t be surprised to see them abandon new media within a week. Inertia’s a bitch. Until their absence from social media deals a major blow to their bottom line (a.k.a., “an outside force”), they’ll revert to their comfort zones.

On the flip side, if you’ve got ‘em fired up, keep ‘em in motion. Follow up with consulting, continued training, and other services. Encourage them. Give ‘em an “atta boy!”

Other Lessons?

Those are five lessons I’ve learned about teaching social media. Have any to add?

  • Glenn Hansen

    These are great points, especially “Don't Overestimate Your Audience.”

    I would simply add this: It's still about Communication, not Technology. So many people who are timid around computers think social media activity requires special technical aptitude. I like to remind people that it's still just about communicating clearly. We all learned to use e-mail and cell phones fairly quickly (am I dating myself here?). We don't need to know how Twitter works, but we can certainly benefit from clear communication through Twitter and other tech tools.

  • http://mediaemerging.com Scott Hepburn

    Solid point, Glenn. It's absolutely about people — a point I try to hammer home in my classes. I wonder which part is harder for the average bear: Understanding how to relate to people, or figuring out the tech so they can use it to relate to them.

    My guess is both are hard.

    I disagree on the “we all learned to use email and cell phone fairly quickly” point. I routinely see family and friends who get frustrated trying to send text messages, or who struggle with email. It's intuitive to you and I, but my mother would much rather write me a letter. And I love that.

  • http://www.leliaking.com LeliaKingPR

    Right on target, Scott. I see the need for this type of service so often. My own background is in PR, so I agree that the first step is understanding your audience. Then you can communicate the benefits of social media marketing, and then focus on tools last.

    I'm not the smartest expert on every social media tool (they will continue to change), but I do think that if small businesses can gain a better understanding of the benefits of social media, they will be willing to use these tools to help grow their businesses. Heck, I've met so many people in Charlotte through Twitter – why shouldn't businesses meet new customers?

  • http://www.jukemfootball.com Mspelman

    I'm finding myself an “accidental” trainer of social media this past year. My main customers are independent local businesses who sell my product. They are poised to benefit from social media, if someone would just explain it in simple terms, help them get started and show them the “why” behind it. These are folks who don't have time to spend hours and hours reading every article on Mashable (or Media Emerging ;-), but they are curious enough that they want to try to use the tools – if only someone would take them by the hand and show them the nuts and bolts.

    By taking a little bit of time to share what I've learned along the way about effectively using social media, I'm bringing added value to the relationship and setting myself apart from my competitors. And guess what? These folks are selling more of my stuff in their stores!

  • http://mediaemerging.com Scott Hepburn

    Thanks for sharing your insight, Michelle! You're a bona fide marketing success story, in my eyes, and you've really embraced social media. I'm so glad to see you're teaching your retailers how to use the tools, too.

    Is anyone in your retail markets doing social media workshops or seminars? They're a great way for small businesses to learn this stuff in a small group setting (translation: lower cost!). You might consider piggy-backing on one of those classes — real world examples (like Jukem Football) are so powerful for the instructor.

  • http://www.tommartin.typepad.com Tom Martin

    Great points Scott. I'd add one more item. When I did a couple of SocMe workshops in SE Asia, the company that brought me over had each of the participants fill out a little worksheet BEFORE they came to the workshop. These were then emailed to me a few weeks before I arrived.

    This proved so very helpful in trying to build a single set of slide decks that would appeal to both groups I'd be working with even though they hailed from different countries/cities.

    But even then, I still ended up having to write about 2 hours of content over night in order to respond to the more advanced group in the 2nd city. ;-))

    I think knowing your audience as much as you can is probably the single smartest thing a trainer can commit to prior to conducting any sessions.

    @TomMartin

  • elizabethsosnow

    Hi Scott:

    Great thoughts on social media training – I really like your point re: audience segmenting. I've done a fair amount of these sessions myself, and I've found that the most valuable part of the session is when we offer folks the chance to practice on the spot.

    In order to do that, we research and identify relevant tweets, flickr photos, YouTube clips, etc. that touch on their area of interest. We also make sure to include a few “zingers” that require them to bridge to safer topics or ideas that are closer to their heart. In other words, we try to help them understand how “engagement” looks and feels in a variety of environments.

    For all the time we spend on tips, invariably folks learn the most by doing it themselves. What a shocker, hmmm? I guess the best trainer is always “yourself” in the end?

  • http://mediaemerging.com Scott Hepburn

    LOVE the pre-class worksheet idea, Tom. I've done that once or twice — I may make that more of a staple.

  • http://mediaemerging.com Scott Hepburn

    A lot of attendees like when you put their web presence up on screen. It's a chance to point out what they're doing well and areas where they could improve. Almost like a free mini consultation. Plus, it's a quick freebie promo for their business.

    “Hands-on” is definitely key. Lectures have their place, but if you can let them take the wheel, they'll learn more quickly. Good points, Elizabeth.