The document provides an overview of social media and its impact. It describes social media as the "great equalizer and great disrupter" that has changed how companies connect with customers and how customers receive information. It recommends that companies embrace social media and teach their people to operate effectively on social media platforms to gain opportunities, customers, and talent.

1. Social
Media:
The
Great
Equalizer
–
The
Great
Disrupter
An
overview
provided
by
Apogee
Social
Media
Group

2. Social
media
provides
many
windows
into
your
company—
through
employees,
groups,
&
conversations.
At
Apogee,
we
believe
that
social
media
is
the
A
DVR
allows
you
to
record
your
favorite
TV
show,
single
most
impactful
development
of
this
era.
It
is
then
watch
it
when,
where
and
how
you
want.
You
the
great
equalizer
and
the
great
disrupter.
have
the
power
to
watch
your
show
at
your
own
Companies
that
embrace
social
media
and
teach
convenience,
not
only
at
8pm
on
Thursday
nights.
their
people
to
operate
effectively
in
social
media
You
have
the
power
to
watch
your
show
on
your
will
have
unlimited
access
to
opportunities,
laptop
as
well
as
your
TV.
You
have
the
power
to
filter
customers
and
talent.
unwanted
messages
(i.e.,
commercials).
The
term
social
media
refers
to
the
use
of
web-­‐ You
control
how
you
want
to
be
engaged.
based
and
mobile
technologies
to
turn
communication
into
an
interactive
dialogue.
Now
consider
the
companies
that
advertise
during
Andreas
Kaplan
and
Michael
Haenlein
define
social
your
8pm-­‐Thursday-­‐night
show.
They
may
show
three
media
as
“a
group
of
Internet-­‐based
applications
commercials
in
a
span
of
60
minutes.
In
the
past,
if
that
build
on
the
ideological
and
technological
they
wanted
greater
exposure,
they
might
show
six
foundations
of
Web
2.0,
and
that
allows
the
commercials
in
that
same
60
minutes.
But
with
a
creation
and
exchange
of
user-­‐generated
DVR,
it
doesn’t
matter
how
many
many
commercial
content.”
spots
they
buy—you
aren’t
watching
any
of
them!
Since
you
have
control
over
what
you
tune
in
to,
Social
media
is
the
largest
and
fastest
evolution
of
companies
must
change
their
approach
so
that
you
the
internet
we
have
seen
so
far.
want
to
tune
in.
Social
media
goes
far
beyond
the
technological
Businesses
have
to
find
another
way
for
their
platforms
of
Facebook,
Twitter,
and
LinkedIn.
It’s
messages
to
reach
their
customers.
about
the
ability
for
users
to
create,
use
and
filter
content
that
aligns
to
their
interests.
To
understand
this
new
dynamic,
consider
the
DVR.
Apogee
Social
Media
Group
~
2

3. Your
customers
and
employees
are
talking
about
your
company
and
products
right
now—join
the
conversation!
Social
media
is
complex.
It
isn’t
particularly
complex
from
a
technical
perspective;
it’s
complex
from
a
human
perspective.
People
inherently
need
to
identify
or
connect—with
other
people,
with
companies,
and
even
with
products—but
the
old
world
“push”
methods
of
connecting
(e.g.,
TV
ads)
are
getting
filtered
out.
As
we
explore
this
human
need
to
connect,
we
realize
that
for
the
first
time
in
the
modern
era
we
have
a
reliable
platform
to
facilitate
the
connection—the
conversation—worldwide
and
at
lightning
speed
over
the
internet:
social
media.
Two
major
factors
influence
the
decision
to
buy:
1. A
company’s
ability
to
create
a
meaningful
connection
with
the
buyer,
and
2. What
the
buyer’s
peers
are
saying.
Conversations
are
powerful
influencers.
If
your
company
is
not
actively
and
authentically
becoming
part
of
these
conversations,
you
are
at
a
great
disadvantage
against
your
competition.
Joining
the
conversation
is
not
about
plugging
in
and
using
social
media
as
a
conduit
for
the
same
old
message
and
tactics.
That
will
fail.
It’s
about
creating
content
that
inspires
conversation.
It’s
about
contributing
to
the
collective
knowledge
of
the
group
for
the
benefit
of
the
group.
If
the
conversation
is
dull,
insufficient
or
self-­‐serving,
people
will
leave
the
conversation.
Getting
involved
in
the
conversation
is
the
way
to
make
the
connection
to
your
customers
and
their
peers.
If
successfully
connected,
your
message
and
brand
will
flourish!
Apogee
Social
Media
Group
~
3

4. How
do
I
get
started?
Social
media
is
a
journey
and,
like
all
journeys,
it
Social
Media
is
more
than
just
helps
to
know
your
starting
point,
your
desired
a
few
folks
at
headquarters
destination,
and
your
plan
to
get
there.
Tweeting
and
responding
to
Five
steps
to
get
you
on
your
way:
Facebook
posts.
1. Start
where
you
are.
Understand
that
social
In
order
to
realize
the
full
media
has
already
provided
many
windows
into
your
company
by
virtue
of
the
fact
that
your
benefit
of
this
opportunity,
employees
already
participate.
Embrace
this
teach
and
empower
the
phenomenon
and
invest
in
your
people.
Make
entire
organization
to
operate
an
honest
assessment
of
your
company’s
current
image
on
social
media,
then
educate
with
skill
and
confidence
over
your
employees
about
the
correct
way
to
social
media.
represent
themselves
and
the
company.
It
will
pay
dividends.
Plus,
your
employees
are
hungry
for
it.
2. Choose
a
destination.
Find
out
where
your
4. Choose
a
navigator.
Each
employee
can
be
a
customers
are,
and
meet
them
there.
If
your
powerful
social
media
advocate
for
your
business
is
Business-­‐to-­‐Consumer
(B2C),
company,
but
creating
a
strong
social
media
Facebook
may
be
the
best
platform.
If
you
are
presence
and
brand
is
not
a
part-­‐time
job.
Business-­‐to-­‐Business
(B2B),
LinkedIn
may
be
the
Assigning
a
focused
resource
to
manage
this
best
place
to
engage.
But
be
sure
you
know
channel
will
create
a
consistent
“face”
and
voice
what
you
are
trying
to
achieve
and
which
to
your
company
and
will
allow
you
to
quickly
platforms
offer
you
the
greatest
opportunity
to
build
your
brand.
achieve
it—and
which
platforms
you
can
and
are
willing
to
support.
Platforms
that
have
short
5. Adjust
to
the
environment.
Social
media
is
not
a
message
lifecycles,
like
Twitter,
require
daily
static
environment.
Savvy
companies
critically
monitoring
and
frequent,
prompt
assess
the
impact
of
their
efforts,
look
for
the
communication
to
keep
the
audience
engaged.
best
ideas,
evaluate
changes
in
the
marketplace,
Even
if
your
customers
are
there,
if
you
don’t
and
make
crucial
adjustments
to
their
strategy.
have
the
resources
to
participate
fully,
it
may
be
Understand
that
new
tools
and
platforms
are
a
poor
choice
for
you.
emerging
every
day
and
will
continue
to
evolve.
Listen
carefully
to
your
customers
to
understand
3. Build
a
roadmap.
Start
with
reasonable
where
they’re
headed
and
what
platforms
they
expectations.
Prioritize
what
you
can
actually
will
use
for
their
conversations.
Sometimes
a
get
done,
and
honestly
assess
your
available
road
is
closed
and
you
have
to
take
a
detour—
resources
and
constraints.
Be
realistic
about
but
that’s
all
part
of
the
adventure!
what
you
can
do
yourself
and
what
items
are
better
handled
by
the
pros.
Achieving
fewer,
Embarking
on
your
social
media
journey
can
feel
higher-­‐impact
successes
is
better
than
doing
daunting.
By
following
the
steps
outlined
above,
more
things
poorly.
Set
reasonable
milestones;
you
can
be
confident
that
your
efforts
will
position
make
sure
you
are
successful
before
increasing
your
company
to
engage
with
new
customers,
new
the
scope
or
number
of
social
platforms.
opportunities,
and
new
talent.
Apogee
Social
Media
Group
~
4

5. About
Apogee
Social
Media
Group
We
help
companies
accomplish
their
goals
by
prioritizing
and
simplifying
the
use
of
social
media
to
build
and
strengthen
their
brand,
find
new
opportunities,
and
connect
to
customers
and
talent.
After
a
comprehensive
assessment,
we
work
with
you
to
develop
a
social
media
strategy,
in
which
we
may
recommend
some
of
the
coaching
and
training
options
listed
below.
Whether
you’re
a
sales
professional,
human
resource
manager,
recruiter,
executive
leader,
or
jobseeker,
you’ll
be
able
to
apply
what
you
learn
immediately.
Social
Media
for
the
Sales
Professional
Do
you
use
“social
listening”
to
find
out
where
the
sales
opportunities
are?
Do
you
know
which
competitors
are
talking
to
your
clients?
This
dynamic
instructor-­‐led,
one-­‐day
course
is
designed
to
address
the
unique
requirements
of
the
professional
sales
organization.
Learn
to
use
the
power
of
LinkedIn
to
grow
your
sales.
Social
Media
for
the
HR
Professional
Companies
compete
for
talent.
Is
your
company
finding
and
attracting
the
right
candidates?
This
interactive
instructor-­‐led,
one-­‐day
course
is
designed
to
address
the
unique
requirements
of
the
professional
HR
organization.
Learn
to
use
LinkedIn
to
tap
into
an
almost
unlimited
talent
pool—efficiently
and
effectively.
Social
Media
for
the
Business
Professional
Every
one
of
your
staff
offers
a
window
into
your
business.
Are
you
offering
the
right
view?
This
interactive
instructor-­‐led,
one-­‐day
course
is
designed
for
all
employees.
It
has
been
carefully
constructed
to
give
users
the
knowledge
and
confidence
to
skillfully
operate
in
the
world
of
social
media
(LinkedIn)—and
present
the
company
image
you
want.
LinkMeIn
for
Executives
Executives
have
a
choice
of
one-­‐on-­‐one
LinkedIn
coaching
or
turnkey
profile
development
services.
Learn
how
to
enhance
your
personal
brand,
position
yourself
as
an
expert
in
your
industry,
or
promote
personal
causes
or
charities.
We’ll
help
you
get
up
and
running
and
develop
a
full
personal
social
media
strategy.
LinkMeIn
for
Jobseekers
In
this
2-­‐part
video
learning
series,
individuals
seeking
new
career
opportunities
learn
to
use
LinkedIn
to
develop
their
unique
online
brand,
attract
recruiters
and
hiring
managers,
and
find
the
right
connections
in
target
industries.
Having
strong
relationships
online
is
critical
to
getting
ahead
in
this
job
market—we’ll
show
you
how.
Apogee
Social
Media
Group
~
5

6. Apogee
Social
Media
Group
http://www.apogeesocialmediagroup.com/
8105
Fayetteville
Rd,
Suite
121–143
Raleigh,
NC
27603