Local companies using social media

[Chuck]

Hi folks. I'm the tech reporter for Crain's, and I'm hoping some of you might be able to help me out. I'm trying to figure out what Northeast Ohio companies are using social media to boost business and was wondering if any of you knew of some. I'd be interested in hearing about non-tech companies that are using it creatively - those doing more than simply creating a myspace or facebook profile. I saw an interesting item in the PD about lawyers using Twitter, but I figure there's still more to explore.
Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Chuck Soder

[Dominic J. Litten]

Thanks for joining Chuck.

I've posed the question on Twitter and hopefully the crowd will respond quickly in true social media form. There are some great organizations getting more involved everyday, but I would rather you hear it from them.

Let's hope they respond.

[Phil Dennison]

Hi, Chuck --

Jo-Ann Stores in Hudson uses their blog as well as their customer forums, Facebook and other outlets to engage their own consumers and to build relationships with crafters. My wife, who's got a profile here, is their blogger and handles a lot of their social media outreach. She can probably give you some insight.

[Barry McBride]

I run the Orange and Brown Report, an independent Cleveland Browns publication. This started as a protest site against the Browns move in 1995 and has turned into a subscription-based website and magazine, which is getting involved in radio and TV as well.

We've been on Twitter, Myspace, and Facebook for quite some time and found it instrumental for finding Browns fans and letting them know about our offerings while keeping them up-to-date with breaking news.

[Stephanie A. Jansky]

Chuck -

As an avid Twitter user, there are many organizations and individuals who represent organizations using Twitter to encourage conversation, communicate with current and potentially new customers and spread awareness of their brand. A few of them (non technology based) that I am aware of include:

Cleveland Plus - @ClevelandPlus
Great Lakes Brewing - @GLBC_Cleveland
Positively Cleveland - @PositivelyCleve
Cleveland International Film Festival - @CIFF
Phoenix Coffee - @LeeRdPhoenix and swjbarista (owner Sarah Wilson Jones)
MedCity News - @medcitynews
Hands on Northeast Ohio - @HandsOnNEO

In addition, there are individuals with Twitter accounts who tweet about their organization, among other things:
@ThomasMulready - Cool Cleveland
@SAJansky - MedWish International
@JasonTherrien - thunder::tech
@danyoungdxy - DXY Solutions
@mlfudge - Rep. Marcia Fudge
@techczar - FIT Technologies


I think in talking with these individuals/companies would provide enormous insight into how this specific social media platform is enhancing their business or nonprofit. I believe Twitter (and other social media platforms as well) offers organizations an incredibly opportunity to engage in meaningful, two-way conversation with their customers and supporters which, if executed authentically and honestly, can result in increased sales, business contacts, happy customers/supporters, etc. In this uncertain economy, if an organization is willing and able to sacrifice a bit of control over their messaging, Twitter and other social media platforms can help them succeed.

Good luck with your research! Let me know if there is any way I can help.
Stephanie
@SAJansky

[Steve Cadwell]

Hey Chuck,

Welcome to the SMC-C. Good luck with your story on local businesses using Social Media. You might check with Sergio Abramof, restaurateur (Sertio's and Sarava). He promoted a New Year's Eve event and a Salsa party (on Jan. 31) on Facebook. I know half a dozen friends who went to each and wouldn't have known about it without the FB promo. I don't think Sergio is Twittering. Yet. Point is, he's feeling his way around and, I think, already seeing positive and early results.

Steve

[Susie Sharp]

Hi Chuck - at last week's annual Leadership Summit conducted at the Union Club, Bob Bostwick of Bostwick Architects in downtown Cleveland said they were launching at LinkedIn this week. Robert Maschke Architects is on FaceBook as is architect Joe Hanna. Konstructr has bunches of contractors, many of whom are ecologically sensitive. Many non-marcom organizations are now putting "groups" or "fan clubs" on FaceBook. Sergio Abramoff of Sergio's and Sarava restaurants uses FB to promote events. Brad Kleinman seems to be a big CLE mover and shaker in encouraging businesses to utilize social media - and from what I can see, he does a great interview! You will find him in my friends on FB or on Twitter. I got interested in this stuff by my friend Michael DeAloia - Cleveland's former 'tech czar'. And while I am a newbie on social media, I am determined not to be a dinosaur at Age 54 so I am going to learn before Digital Life passes me by - exponentially! Oh - and I am moving my friend Dewey Forward, who owns Dewey's Coffee at Shaker Square and the Popcorn Shop in Chagrin Falls, towards social media for business promotion. BTW Crain's CLE Business just rocks and its the first thing I look for every morning and last thing in the afternoon in my email box. I manage a small commercial architectural firm in Westlake and miss downtown terribly. There are great things in the works for Cleveland and I want to be part of it! BTW, I got the message to respond to this via Twitter... [e-mail] (personal email)

[Kevin Lockett]

Hey Chuck,

I created a Social Media campaign for Lock 3 Park in Akron, where I used blogger, myspace, flickr, Youtube and Twitter.

You can reach me @ [e-mail] or [e-mail]

Kevin Lockett
Lockett Media
http://lock3live.blogspot.com/

[Ann VerWiebe]

Patrick Shepherd (@PatrickShepherd) from the Cleveland International Film Festival is on Twitter, as is the Akron Art Museum (@AkronArtMuseum) - plus there are lots of media companies (WKSU, WKYC, WEWS all have Facebook and Twitter accounts)

[Joel Libava]

Hi Chuck,
My franchise consulting and marketing firm is creating the category of Franchise Social Media Marketing.
I am trying to find franchise companies that would like to get into this space, earlier rather than later.
http://animoto.com/play/1pnKwU37W464hOL0lJkVDA

http://www.FranchiseSocialMarketing.com

The Franchise King
Joel Libava

[KarenMW]

Hi Chuck! Well-written tweets from the Cleveland Museum of Art have lured me to their site several times.

[Libbye A. Morris]

Chuck,

I'm curious to know how the attorneys are using Twitter. Thanks!

libbye morris

[Brad Davis]

I work at the learned owl in Hudson and we have a Twitter and a facebook page. I don't know how creative we are being but we have been posting some blog posts, videos from YouTube and some videos we have recorded in the store. We are trying to build up a quality list of followers/friends.
Facebook.com/learnedowl
Twitter.com/learnedowl