The Real Power of "Social-Business" Media- ASK Ben "Chugz" Bissman

I am not sure if anyone noticed but I came up with the term "social-business" media about a year ago when we started the MCW project. I am not sure if I heard it somewhere else before that but I definitely have seen it more since then. What's so important about that term? The distinction, we are not your Grandma's Facebook Page. One of my new friends (who I met because of MCW) says it like this,"Keep your personal stuff personal on Facebook and keep your business stuff business related and use MCW.

We at MCW work everyday trying to educate our industry about "social-business" media, and everyday I have people remind me just how crazy I am.

When you already have Facebook and Linkedin why do you need MCW? Then on top of that I have to hear about "the impact" that MCW may have on the "current structure" of the industry and how the industry receives its information. Last but not least social media it is dying off, or the novelty is wearing off! AHHHH! Just because Facebook says it is singing up less people or Linkedin has fewer daily hits does not mean anything is dying off. The answer is simple, there are more and more speciailized "social-business" media sites opening up everyday across the world. From insurance companies to food brokers to toy companies. It is happening and I am proud to say we had a hand in moving our industry into it before a lot of other industries. Usually our industry is one of the last to adopt change, so in this case maybe we will be a good example.

If you don't believe me ask Ben "Chugz" Bissman. Ben has one store, in fact Ben doesn't even have one store yet, his site is being built this summer. How does one store get the chance to ask hard questions about his soon to be business and get answers from: An Editor @ CSP, or The Director Of Gulf Oil, The Largest Food Broker for cstore's in the US without leaving his office? "Social-Business" Media!

In the past people like Ben would be lost in the shuffle and have too find there way in the dark, and unfortunately many "Ben's" fell by the wayside. Not anymore! Ben has a voice, and Ben can ask questions and get multiple opinions, and Ben gives us all a different perspective.

I have never met Ben, but I hope too one day. If I never do, I will always remember. You see, Ben helped me remember why I might not be so crazy after all. Thanks Ben and thanks to the other 90,000 Ben's out there for the inspiration!

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Comment by Ben "Chugz" Bissman on June 5, 2010 at 10:26pm: Thank you for the nice comments Wes. I have had the luxury of time on my side, and have never been one to jump before I look, so building a brand has been exciting and scary at the same time. I have been to 2 NACS shows, NACS Tech, and just returned from the National Restaurant Association convention in Chicago. I spent my first 35+ years in our family Beer Distribution business learning the other side of the equation, and observed some of the most successful independent retailers flourish and have seen several forclose. There one thing in common in both scenarios, People. Retail is a people industry and it would be a hell of a lot easier if we didn't have to have employees and customers, but since we do, I have invested heavily in my staff and customers to grow trust and loyalties that the competition could not match. We sold our beer division 5 years ago and have spent the last two years visiting my top past accounts to get their perspective on starting a new convenience chain in todays environment. I have shared my concepts, concerns and enthusiasm with more people than I probably should have and got answers all over the board. But that's exactly why I do it. I have built a network of knowledge and have been able to summarize an entire industry into a handfull of critical factors. One of the first thing we did was create a website to interact with our local community. ClickaSurvey.com We did several anonymous surveys about the local needs, favorite brands, our potential building sites etc. We had overwhelming results because we had built up a substantial Facebook friend list, we harvested emails from our survey site, and build a brand based on the results we would have never been able to do without the social media. We built a web site for our project and ask our online community what they liked and what they didn't. Same goes with our mascot Chug, our building design and our offerings. It has been like a personal focus group. I can go on and on but it all comes down to communicating. Listen-Focus-Learn. We never quit learning.....Thanks for the forum Wes,
Ben Chug Bissman http://www.Chugz.com LFL

Comment by Traci Carneal on March 6, 2010 at 9:50am: I'm currently taking an intensive social media course, and the general consensus seems to be that it's important to be present on every social media network (Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and many others) possible. Yes, it can be overwhelming to be in so many places. And you do wonder, why? Basically, the more opportunities you can create for someone to conduct a search and come up with your company or business, the better. As for Facebook being purely social, not business, the experts say otherwise although I'm not sure I completely agree. Right now I keep Facebook purely for friends and family, and use LinkedIn and MCW for business relationships. But the gurus say you can have two FB accounts, one personal and one for business. Or, you can have one FB but limit the personal information. Not many people realize that YouTube is the fastest growing search engine, only behind Google! Companies are encouraged to post video and gain exposure this way. There is so much to learn and so many avenues to pursue on the social media journey. I would appreciate any feedback on how others are managing this new venue.