Kevin Woodward advises against trying too hard to impress online

The North Devon Business Alliance promotes the use of internet based networking as a way of maintaining contact with our members in between monthly face-to-face lunches.

It is important to maintain contact, because that is how we get to know one another, and why we start to recommend each other's services.

Networking online
I have been using the internet to make contact with new people, to maintain contact with both old and new friends and network with business colleagues.

I have been using twitter for two years now, changing my allegiance from another business networking web site. Yes, I have it linked to facebook and to LinkedIn among others, and enjoy the interaction and banter that those web sites provide, but spend most of my online networking time on twitter.

Interacting with the outside world from a home business
Like many businesses in North Devon, I work from home and often alone, and need the interaction with the outside world as a break from the intensity of what I do. I find that break is similar to the meeting at the coffee machine or photocopier that used to happen when I worked in the big corporate world on the Slough Trading Estate, nearly eight years ago now.

I have gradually built up a following of well over 2,500 and follow some 1,700 back. Not everyone who follows me is followed back, and I have my reasons as to why not, but they're welcome to follow my tweets.

This brings me to Stephen Fry - a well-known 'British Actor, Writer, Lord of Dance, Prince of Swimwear and Blogger' - he's followed by over 1.8 million and follows back just over 50,000 people, and I'm honoured to say that I am one of those that he follows back, but doubt very much whether he sees any of my tweets.

However, a local blogger and writer wrote a very interesting blog back in August entitled The Day I Dumped @StephenFry and Kept @LlamaKevin.

Yes, @llamakevin is my twitter name and I find myself the subject of a blog along with the said Stephen Fry. It's well worth a read, but it made me think why I had made that headline and not anyone else. I believe it's because I remember to be myself.

A sociable business
I am on twitter to engage socially, to spread the word about myself and my business, what I do and to increase my business income. Yes, I have done that. I have had several QuickBooks training sessions booked, I have let out my holiday cottage at least three times through the use of twitter, I have had people come look at my llamas and goats, but in the main I am myself. I talk business, I talk politics (nothing contentious), I talk sport, I talk gardening, I talk North Devon, I talk about the weather and, obviously, I talk llamas, but throughout I remember to be me.

There are many people around who try to be something they are not. Some try to be the product that they try to sell, some are full of wonderful quotes, others are constantly telling you where their web site is, but the people who get it the most are those who are just being themselves.

Just be yourself

So, if you are about to embark on twitter, facebook, LinkedIn or any of the other 100s of networking sites, remember to be yourself, because in the end that is important.

BUSINESS ACTION
> Be sociable.
> Don’t try to be something you are not.
> Don’t try to sell too hard.
> Just be yourself.

Kevin Woodward
t: 01237 451848
e: kevin@kvassociates.co.uk
w: kvassociates.co.uk
twitter: @llamakevin

Social media is the latest buzz word, but many businesses are using it as an effective communications and marketing tool.

This interactive North Devon Business Alliance taster session demonstrates how to get started on twitter and facebook to:

• tap into the growing North Devon online community.
• increase your business presence.
• boost traffic to your web site.
• sell your products and services online.

The session will be run by Kevin Woodward (@llamakevin) and Robert Zarywacz (@robertz), two of the most experienced online networkers and social media users in North Devon.

To get the best value, you will be invited to register twitter and facebook accounts in advance. You are welcome to bring your wireless laptop along to participate live in online discussion (although not essential).

LEARN HOW TO

• Use twitter and facebook.
• Exploit the power of searches.
• Create online profiles.
• Join the North Devon online community.

Participant numbers will be limited to 12. Cost is £5 for NDBA members, £10 for non-members.

Book your place now

Please call 0333 044 2038 or email info@ndba.org.uk

Download Introduction to Social Media flyer.

The session will be hosted by Graham Lofthouse (@glofthouse) at Devonshire Asset Management, 16 Silver Street, Barnstaple, EX32 8HR.

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Visit ndba.org.uk

Follow northdevon on twitter and NDevonbusiness on facebook

North Devon’s geography is at once a blessing and a challenge. It must rank as one of the most beautiful places in the world – no exaggeration – in which to live and work, but remote towns separated by long distances cause difficulties. 

Everyone knows this and the members of the North Devon Business Alliance were not the first to discuss this at our end-of-month Friday lunches. It’s also the reason why no all-embracing North Devon business organisation existed previously.

The logistics of getting people from Bideford to Lynton and from South Molton to Ilfracombe together in one place mean that few events attract representation from across the area.

Building a cohesive community

Yet North Devon needs a cohesive business community to work together, to share aims, to debate and resolve problems and to build a bigger, stronger and resilient economy that is the greater sum of its individual parts.

That’s why we decided to take action to build this community.

Using social media

Several NDBA members have been networking online for seven or more years and now use ‘social media’ extensively to find new contacts, promote their businesses and attract new enquiries.

You may think that twitter and facebook are merely for gossip or sharing holiday photos, but their owners have introduced features to make them valuable business users. In fact, facebook deliberately targeted business users to start making money. LinkedIn, originally an online CV repository, has also developed into a networking and discussion service.

NDBA is active on all these services and now aims to draw together the hundreds of existing users and encourage all North Devon businesses to use these tools to get to know each other better and to promote their businesses and the area locally, nationwide and internationally.

We need face-to-face meetings

Online networking cannot replace face-to-face meetings and NDBA sees the two complementing each other.

We will continue our monthly lunches at the Chichester Arms, Bishop’s Tawton and will be hosting other events across North Devon.

Current plans include an informal ‘TweetUp’ in Barnstaple on 10 June, introductory social media sessions to help everyone start networking online and even a conference event.

Championing North Devon

Of course, as a community, we want to provide what members want.

We aim to represent the interests of all businesses in the area and, through supporting existing businesses and encouraging start-ups, to develop the full potential of the local economy.

We’re in business in North Devon, championing business in North Devon.

We welcome every size of business, from every sector, from across the area.

If this inspires you, please join us today. Call us on 0333 044 2038 or message us on twitter at @northdevon.

We look forward to welcoming you.