Be interesting. Be real.  And make it a habit.

Those were some of the themes echoed during 7 roundtable sessions on how to use social media as a marketing tool. Seventy-one people attended the popular event hosted by AMA Rochester.  Attendees picked 3 out of 7 topics that covered ways to integrate Instagram, LinkedIn, Yelp, Facebook and Twitter into their marketing strategies.

The roundtable discussions were lead by social media experts from Going to the Sun Marketing, RIT, Roberts Communication, Yelp, 5LINX, Kodak Alaris, and Dixon Schwabl. Here’s a sampling of their smart advice:

• It’s an opt-in world. Make your content interesting or followers will quickly opt-out.
• Use analytics to see spikes in page views and revisit topics that generated interest.
• It’s nice to be ‘liked’, but better to have action. Include calls to action like ‘read more’, ‘click here’, or ‘subscribe’.
• Social media is not a sales tool; it supports branding.
• Pictures and infographics get more attention than words alone.
• It’s possible to produce awesome video content on a reasonable budget.
• Getting good content takes persistence and planning. Pester your clients and colleagues for content. Schedule regular meetings to learn what the company is doing, and create a content plan.
• Encourage your employees to repost content about the company on their social media channels.
• Post and monitor regularly and frequently; but don’t sacrifice quality for quantity.
• Adoption of LinkedIn has been slower than other channels, but it is growing and is especially important for B2B marketing.
• Filter your content from the audience’s perspective. Would you find it useful? Is the tone friendly? Would anyone take offense?

Thank you to all the presenters who helped Rochester marketers amp up their social media presence.

Katie is a versatile and well-rounded marketing professional who enjoys collaborating with others, developing compelling content, and executing a variety of marketing tactics to advance business goals.