NARMS Spring Conference Engaging Social Media

It’s without question that social media networks are in the mainstream. For almost two years, NARMS has been engaging with field personnel seeking employment. The NARMS Facebook group has 3,631 members as of this morning and over 4,000 following on Twitter. The next step in the evolution is to engage a professional audience such as customers, members, potential members, other trade groups and trade media. NARMS Spring Conference is doing just that by employing social media to communicate and network before, during and after the event.

Let’s start with Facebook. Go to www.facebook.com and become a fan of the NARMS – International Association of Retail Marketing Services fan page. You will immediately receive notices about Spring Conference features, thought leadership, upcoming events, webinars, research and all of the other value added services offered by NARMS. Perhaps just as important, network with your friends and associates and encourage them to join the group.

LinkedIn is also fast becoming a must for professionals. Because of the business focus, there are a few more barriers to gain access to your contacts. However, you’ll find an extensive list of people and organizations that you already know. From your profile on www.linkedin.com, find NARMS International Conference Updates and join the group . In short order, you will be approved and will get all the latest news, updates and speaker insights for our showcase event being held this year at the Saddelbrook Resort in the Tampa area.

No social media conversation is complete without Twitter. It’s perhaps the hottest social medium on the planet and is especially useful for mobile users. Go to http://twitter.com/narms2010 and follow the stream. You will get tweets featuring updates and news for Spring Conference. You can help spread the word by retweeting to your contacts and encouraging them to follow the stream. At conference, we will tweet notices just prior to workshops, sessions and speakers so you won’t miss a thing. You can also tweet your thoughts, impressions and feedback live during conference session by using the Twitter hash tags located in the agenda on the www.narms.com conference page.

Consider this article as your NARMS social media boot camp. Follow these steps, and you are sure to get maximum value out of your membership, broaden your contact network, add valuable insight and further the value proposition of the at-retail movement. Help us build the network today.