#EdTech Companies Need to Be On Social Media, But Not the Way They Think

BRANDS ARE WASTING TIME AND MONEY ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER, REPORT SAYS

"STOP MAKING FACEBOOK THE CENTER OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP MARKETING EFFORTS," SAYS NATE ELLIOTT, VP AND PRINCIPAL ANALYST AT FORRESTER.

WRONG!

Headlines like this from Fast Company have it all wrong. Being on social media is right for companies but they need to know how to do it the right way. The right way is not having a social media presence that's all about you. It's finding your audience and interacting with them in meaningful ways. It means giving companies the opportunity to put a face behind a brand. It also means providing a useful service for clients and finding the right partners.

This works by participating in existing online communities where your clients are in helpful ways. It can also mean creating a community where your clients can find each other. This is especially important in the field of education. For example, my office recently worked with Google to create a Google Educator Group for educators in my district. It's been great. Teachers can share ideas, find out about classes, visit each other and more. They no longer feel alone and it is amazing for them that a real person at Google is there to help them online and face-to-face.  Building on such success, we've started doing this with many of the companies with which we work. SMART Board, PBS/WNET, and Edmodo to name a few.

What's working is they are building stronger relationships than ever before. They are also building a community that can support each other. Another upside is that this is great public relations for the company. Their reputation becomes that of a company that is supportive and is really there to help teachers. Because these companies are able to see what their clients are doing up close, they are now also to able to incorporate another smart practice. They are featuring these educators being awesome on their websites, newsletters, and in the press.

So, brands, stay on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google + and the rest because you are not wasting time and money if you are doing it right.