Social Media

There's been a lot of discussion about what social media can do for you—for your business and in your personal life. The internet is a buzz with talk of how to use this ever-evolving tool, what it all means, and what, if any, ROI is attainable.

Strategies for Social Media included key tips from construction industry marketing professional Kimberly Kayler. You can follow Kayler on Twitter @KimberlyKayler.

The Society of Professional Journalists just issued a comprehensive Digital Media Handbook this week to assist media professionals navigating the waters.

But the question many people are asking is: What are the practical uses for social media?

Social media is more than a tool and more than another means for social connection. It's true that sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Tumblr give the ability to cast a wide net for information gathering and allow you to communicate with friends and family. But it's more than that. It's a way to build a community far richer and more broad than you could ever imagine.

The great thing about these tools is that, if you choose, they are limitless in scope. By keeping an open mind, so to speak, you invite ideas and individuals into your circle that you didn't know exist.

As concrete contractors, you may be asking, what does this have to do with my construction business? Isn't this stuff just for kids?

Well, as the past year has shown, the ability to continually evolve your business can give you the edge over the competition. These tools can help you do that.

Following your clientele, following your competition, and following the industry gives you that extra oomph in current and future projects. Learning about new techniques, products, and industry issues can make you that much quicker to respond. And you never know what else the social media door will let in.

Start by creating a social media web for information gathering. A number of industry organizations have jumped on the Web 2.0 bandwagon. The Portland Cement Association has a few Twitter accounts disseminating information: @concretethinker, @cementlackey, and @PCAeducation. Find the American Concrete Institute on Facebook and LinkedIn. World of Concrete has joined the conversation supplying conference updates through @WorldofConcrete. The list of industry organizations and professionals continues to grow each day. See the list below for more.

Also to get you started, you can follow CC @ConcreteConst and join in the discussion on LinkedIn. Whether it's to comment on a story or offer feedback on future ones, we welcome you to our online discussion.