Attending a seminar, event or workshop in the online marketing industry can offer many levels of benefit.  I took part in the SCORE Minnesota’s Social Media Boot Camp II yesterday in Minneapolis as Spyder Trap Vice President Aaron Weiche was the keynote speaker and panelist.

Still being a newbie to Spyder Trap, I wanted to survey Aaron for the day, network, and learn from the other industry professionals who were leading various sessions.

This was a great event  (event photos) for small businesses trying to determine how to get started with online marketing and social media—moreover, it was a great reminder of how important it is to understand the basics before investing in any social or search campaign.

With changes in our industry everyday, more than ever, a basic understanding is of the utmost importance to ensuring any investment put into your marketing is advantageous to your company and of course your bottom line.

Still Trying To Decide If Social Media Can Help Your Business?

Here are some tips and best practices shared by Aaron in his keynote to help you get started:

• Social media allows you to connect with your customers for a lot less than traditional marketing; however, it should be part of your marketing strategy, not THE strategy.
• Start simple – write about what you know and be an expert in your niche – all businesses can succeed by engaging their customers and providing timely, interesting content.
• Make the goal to make connections with your customers, not just garner contacts. Real connections create lasting relationships.
• When determining your ROI, start with the end goal and set objectives; then write the strategy.
• In sum, social media is a tool for your business to help you be an expert and create lasting relationships for your customers.

Want More Social Media Tips?

There was a lot of great information shared on Twitter throughout the day and you can access it by searching hashtag #bootcampII.

You can also see a great sampling of online tools shared by the presenters that they use to help them work faster and smarter.