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Another learning opportunity from Minnesota
June 28th, 2010 by Mike Knutson
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across the Southwest Initiative Foundation’s Blog. I was familiar with the SWIF’s good work via their website as well as other sources. But this was the first time I’d connected with their blog. I was excited to see it because it gives me a reason to check back on their efforts more often.
Of particular note, I discovered one blog post titled “Social Marketing for Business 101“ featuring Neil Linscheid, Minnesota Extension Educator extraordinaire (you may also remember Neil from my blog post referencing “the stare”). Neil had partnered with the SWIF to deliver “Social Media 101″ training to thiry-three Luverne, MN business owners.
We’ve been advocating for quite some time that rural community development leaders figure out how to help local businesses engage in more effective social media strategies, so it’s great to hear about these efforts in rural Minnesota.
After reading the post, I fired off an e-mail to Neil, asking for further details. He responded with great information, including an invitation to a second round of training in Ortonville, MN. There’s a long shot that I will buzz over to the sessions tonight. If I do, I will report back on the details.
In case I don’t, however, I’d like to pass along a few thoughts for anyone looking to develop similar training in rural communities.
1. Make sure you extend a personal invitation to businesses owners. Neil offices out of Marshall, MN. I’m sure he’s got a great network across the region, but nothing can replace the power of a personal invitation from a friend. In the case of the Luverne training, Neil credits “Tammy” the owner of the Coffey Haus, for the great turnout. (I think thirty-seven attendees in a community of 4500 is outstanding.)
2. Develop a system for ongoing support. One of the pit falls of many training programs is that they often involve a one-night session. These sessions are great at building excitement. But excitement wears away quickly when people don’t have any place to go for ongoing support. Neil is currently developing some “coaches” who will fulfill that role.
3. Highlight examples of how local businesses are effectively using social media. Before jumping into anything new like social media, people have to see themselves being able to use the technology. That’s difficult if the only examples of businesses using social media effectively are the size of the Ford Motor company. Neil explained that Tammy, from the Coffey Haus, served that role as well. Leading up to the training, they worked together to develop the Coffey Huas’ plan. (check out the Coffey Haus’ Facebook page.) I’m sure many of the attendees thought, “If Tammy can do it, so can I.” When I shared this with Neil he responded, “It’s the truth. Before we can make lasting changes we need to believe it’s something we can accomplish.”
Neil hinted at further training opportunities, but I’m not sure if any have been officially planned yet. If you are interested in training like this coming to your community, I’d encourage you to contact Neil.
Tags: Minnesota, Minnesota Extension, social media
Posted in Community Engagement, Rural, Training and Events | Comments (
1 )
June 28th, 2010 at 11:55 am
One additional comment that I like to share with people is that it’s never been easier to look good online. Gone are the days of coding and ugly pages. Millions of dollars go into making things like FB, Twitter, etc user friendly. So, if this is something you think your business needs and can benefit from…no more excuses. I’m a believer that if I can show small businesses owners the basics, the benefits and the concerns, they’ll get through the rest. I can’t teach you how to get good at this stuff, just how it all works. It’s still comes down dedicating time to use it and give a good try. I encourage people to develop some benchmarks and goals to know how well it’s working. If it doesn’t meet your needs get rid of because time is still money. The biggest thing I hear is a worry about doing things wrong. My response is usually, the rules are still being written, so don’t let the perfect get in the way of the done.