Dallas Fowler- Social Media: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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Kevin Price, Host of the Price of Business on Business Talk 1110 AM KTEK (on Bloomberg’s home in Houston) recently interviewed Dallas Fowler. Here’s that interview.

About the interviewee

Dallas Fowler is the Principal of Daltek Global Solutions, LLC–a digital and print media design firm specializing in business development and marketing. A proud Los Angeles native, Fowler is also a recent appointment to L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s cabinet as a Commissioner on the Status of Women. She holds over 10 years of experience in the Supplier Diversity & Community Affairs arena and 15+ years of project management and event planning experience. As a graduate and former Alumnae Association President for the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute (LAAAWPPI) housed at the University of Southern California.  Dallas currently serves on their faculty providing training in campaign communications. The Los Angeles Wave Newspaper honored her as their Most Influential Person Under 40 To Watch in Los Angeles in 2013.

Tell me about your firm (number of employees, location, type of companies you work with, etc.).  

Daltek Global is a boutique design & business development consulting firm with five lead consultants nationwide and hundreds of partners internationally.

What type and size of companies do you have as clients?

We work with mostly small to mid-size firms and non-profits as well as individuals in a variety of industries from construction to arts & entertainment and public service.

What comes to mind when you see this topic?

Social media is a gift to the general public. This constantly evolving media allows organizations to find commonality and generate support around a cause or agenda at lighting and sometimes immeasurable speeds.  So what’s the bad? Everyday, social media provides us with a unique cocktail of knowledge & insight that sadly can be chased with ignorance and bewilderment. I see my friends, colleagues, favorite brands and whole societies in their varying degrees of enlightenment. It can be very exciting to watch and then it can be a nightmare as well. Videos of fights and deaths go viral instantly. I myself have been horrified to find out about a friend’s death captured and put on social media. The news good, bad or ugly still now travels faster with social media.  Furthermore, while social media allows you to create your own vehicle for communicating your message, it also allows for instantaneous blunders that can take years to repair.

What are the best practices when it comes to this issue?

This can be more difficult for smaller firms but constant and consistent management and communication of your brand’s activities is the most optimal practice. Here are a few more that immediately come to mind:
– Analytics ( Track ROI, who is talking about your brand? where are they and where are you most popular? and where in social media does it make sense for your brand to build?)
-Strategy (lay out a plan for each initiative or campaign with strategic goals in mind, generating leads or awareness) recommend hiring a professional
-Crisis Management Plan (a what to do if strategy can be monumental in saving productivity or brand status)
-Content is Key (create a profile of relevant and noteworthy content to create value for your audience)
-Follow your followers (o fcourse at your own discretion but helps to expand your base)