Transport pros urged to get (social) media savvy

Fact #1: Facebook, the social networking phenomenon, reaches more than 1.92 million U.S. transportation professionals. That's about two-thirds of the total number who are considered regular Internet users.

Fact #2: Those transport professionals spend, on average, 187 minutes on Facebook each month.

To David Tuttle, director of digital strategy for TMP Worldwide, a New York-based advertising and communications firm, those numbers spell tremendous opportunities for companies that understand social media and commit adequate resources—notably an employee or group of employees dedicated to social networking—to leverage its power.

With 23 percent of online advertising market share, Facebook has become the dominant site for social media, Tuttle told the SMC³ annual winter meeting in Atlanta Wednesday. Just as important—though perhaps unnoticed by all but the savviest observers—is that Facebook has improved the functionality and user-friendliness of the site to draw more businesses.

It's a lot easier to have a branded professional presence on Facebook than it has been in the past, he said.

Tuttle advised business users to focus on four principles: Make a Facebook page social in nature; keep it simple; optimize it for speed; and emphasize interaction with Facebook lingo for loyal followers of either a personal or professional brand.

Tuttle also stressed the importance of having a person or group devoted to monitoring the page to ensure a rapid response to any visitors questions, concerns, or feedback. You will need to respond quickly, otherwise [erstwhile] friends will drop you like that, he said.