Is your industry socializing without you?
Social Media, love it, hate it or love to hate it, if you have an internet connection, it’s probably part of your life… and let’s face it, most of us love it. It’s addictive, compelling and shamefully fun. I mean can I accidentally spend 2 hours watching hilarious cat videos on YouTube? The honest answer is yes. But at the end of the day, what social media sites really do, whether we’re talking about the industry heavy weights like Facebook and Twitter, or any of the thousands of niche networks, they create strong communities not limited by physical location. And in my opinion, no matter how you frame it, that is something pretty spectacular.
Sharing your thoughts with your 2000 friends on Facebook has become as easy and as comfortable as talking to your bestie over a glass of wine in the privacy of your own home. Whether it’s through pictures, videos, blogs or a series of hashtags, social media has given us a whole new way to express ourselves and stay connected.
Marketers have of course taken notice and really they would be pretty dumb not to. We’re pretty much inviting them into our homes and telling them exactly what we want and how to communicate with us. But companies and professionals alike are not just using social media to connect with consumers anymore, they are using it to reach out to each other. New industry specific platforms are popping up all the time and are quickly gaining popularity. It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable you are in your particular field, it’s hard to beat the collective knowledge shared on such platforms.
What are some of the industry specific networking platforms out there today?
The oil industry, hell yeah they have their own social network. Oilpro offers oil and gas professionals a place where they can find and post jobs, explore new business opportunities and stay up to date on what’s happening in the industry.
Travel is the most talked about topic on social media, but where do the travel industry professionals go to meet, discuss business, share insight and broaden their network? The answer: 3BaysOver, the new B2B networking platform for the global tourism industry.
Doximity is the network for medical professionals. Over 500,000 members connect and share industry specific knowledge in this secure environment.
If real estate is your thing, checkout ActiveRain. This platform brings together nearly 300,000 agents, brokers, home stagers, inspectors and lenders on one dynamic platform.
We do not live or work in a vacuum. What happens in our industry affects us. Social media is not just about funny cat videos and playing candy crush anymore (although these are completely valid uses of your time if you ask me), it’s giving us a new way to stay connected. Why would we rely solely on one-to-one communications when we have access to these multifaceted platforms? It’s not about eliminating other types of communication but rather about complimenting them. So do yourself a favor, find your industry specific social platform today and start networking. Your industry has already started socializing without you, don’t be left in the dark.
