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Free social media surgery for Manchester businesses
Manchester firms are being offered “£5k worth” of digital help through a Social Media Surgery to help them understand how to harness networking tools like Twitter and Facebook.
The free, monthly networking event is linked to the Manchester Social Media Cafe and it’s organised by Real Fresh TV’s Chi-Chi Ekweozor.
“The problem many businesses face is that they fail to interact with the technology due to a lack of understanding. Hopefully through the Surgery we can educate businesses of all kinds on the benefits and possibilities that social media offers,” said Ekweozor.
The surgery takes place on the second Tuesday of every month at Innospace - Manchester Metropolitan University’s business incubator - between 5pm and 7.30pm.
The £5k figure is totted up from the the experience of the panel, which on April 13th includes Simon Wharton of PushON, Adrian Slatcher from Manchester Digital Development Agency (MDDA), freelance journalist Louise Bolotin and Bruce Thomas from social media agency Modern English. The evening will be chaired by Jon Clements from Staniforth.
The topic for debate is: Is Twitter any good for marketing?
To attend, you can register online at www.socialmediamanchester.ning.com/events.
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Not sure the '£5k worth' is necessarily the best way of presenting the Social Media Surgery but that shouldn't detract from the fact that it's quality Social Media Marketing input from people who know their stuff.
It's free, and as Jordan Wilson said, tackles real world business issues.
No pitch from what I could see. Just considered guidance.
All good stuff.
To @not convinced:
As @Dope demand points out, the Social Media Surgery events were started after a discussion at Social Media Cafe indicated that people would find such an event helpful.
They are not directly aimed at ‘clients’ but mainly for small businesses who want to learn about social media but feel put off by going to ‘enthusiast-level’ events like Social Media Cafe.
It’s free, you can sign up to be a panellist and there’s even free food! What’s not to like?
Attendees to past Social Media Surgery events range from Prospects, the UK’s official graduate website, Chetham’s School of Music and small businesses and non profits like Heaven-Spa.co.uk and artistic network Sustainable Theatre.
@Jordan Wilson: Thanks so much for your kind comment and your input at the Surgeries. Glad it’s been of help.
The original idea behind the Social Media Surgery was that Social Media Cafe Manchester was great, but often preaching to the converted and not sharing the combined knowledge with a wider Manchester audience.
The people involved with Social Media Surgery give their time voluntarily and the format is very much an exchange of ideas and certainly not a selling scenario.
Without wanting to sound worthy, the aim was to "give something back" to Manchester based on many months of Social Media Cafe discussion and experience.
It's easy to be cynical about it, but I'd refer "not convinced" to comments about Social Media Surgery on the Social Media Cafe ning site, which suggest that the people it's aimed at are glad it's there
I've visited Social Media Surgery numerous times and found it useful. Rather than the speakers just talking at the audience, the topics are actually problems brought up by audience members. This gives a personal approach that would usually incur a hefty fee... hence the title.
Also [to 'not convinved'], I have never been in a position where I am was being sold to at SMS.
Bizarrely enough readers it was a quick chat at the social media cafe that made this happen - it's an offshoot of that group. But then I guess you would need to be regular to know that.
Why not be less miserable and put yourself forward to offer some advice eh?
If their combined expertise relating to social media equates to £5k of advice then this is £1k worth of comment. You can however have it free of charge!
I guess you get what you pay for hey? OK, so it's a nice idea but what client is going to go to this thinking that it is nothing more than a lion's den of new fangled "experts" teaching them a load of common sense.
A quick chat with anyone at the social media cafe would provide the same kind of information as these lot would give without thinking that they are being lured into a trap of sell, sell, sell.