Scott Griffith sells chicken — on Facebook.

The president and general manager of FRFC, Inc., parent company of the area’s seven Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken restaurants, took the plunge more than a year ago, incorporating social media into his business plan.

Griffith runs three Springfield Lee’s locations, a store and corporate office in New Carlisle and stores in Sidney, Piqua and Bellefontaine.

Social media like blogs, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, provide new ways of communicating. They offer two-way conversations, according to a local expert.

“Traditional advertising messages are one-way — they shout messages to customers in a target market, but social media allows for a more two-way experience. Clients and customers can have a say,” said Billy Fischer, a business development and social media expert with Oxiem Marketing Technology.

For Griffith, social media can engage customers, facilitate discussion and allow customers to talk about and share their likes and dislikes. It also gives him the ability to respond.

Recently, Lee’s unveiled a test product — fried pickles — at some of its restaurants nationwide, including Springfield.

Griffith promoted the item on Twitter and Facebook and even though he can’t tie the success of his pickle sales to social media, he believes it’s making a difference.

“We’re selling twice as much as other locations. ... What we’re all striving for is word-of-mouth advertising and social media can bring that to us. It can give us those influencers we need,” he said.

His catering business also has grown. He has taken orders directly from his Facebook page and answered many questions about menu items and catering options.

“My take on social media is that it’s another useful marketing and networking tool,” Griffith said.

Best practices

While social media can be a helpful tool, the initial step should be learning to use the platforms, according to local experts.

Participating in social media is free, but it will costs time, said Julie Albaugh, owner of Clicks To Site, a local Internet marketing firm.

“If you can’t commit the time, don’t start. You’ll develop a following, but lose it quickly if you fade out,” she said.

Albaugh and Fischer offer consulting to help business owners get the hang of things. In Albaugh’s experience, businesses should use the platforms from two to three hours a day to start.

That time can be whittled down to about an hour once users become more familiar, she said.

The social media space functions differently than the traditional advertising space, so business owners need to be aware of how users view their role.

Many of them see social media as personal first, business second and Internet users are becoming accustomed to the ability to comment, provide feedback and offer opinions.

“The lines are blurring — personal and business lives are melding and the grey areas are getting greyer. In a way though, it’s really not that different from traditional networking in that people want to do business with people they trust, which is gained by establishing a relationship,” Fischer said. Once businesses make connections and build that trust, they can use social media to build their brands.

David Zak, vice president of economic development for the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, is working to find ways to use social media to enhance the Chamber’s brand — the community.

He blogs, regularly posts on Twitter, established the SpringfieldEdge page on Facebook, has a LinkedIn account, created a Chamber members group on LinkedIn and posts photos and videos.

Zak started using Twitter in May and now has more than 2,000 followers. Through his daily posts and subsequent conversations, he has been able to connect local businesses with sources of funding for projects and employee training.

Although he said it is still early in his social media experience, he has been receiving several different kinds of positive feedback.

He has made new business contacts, received comments and suggestions and increased awareness about services and activities available in Springfield.

“I tweeted once about the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and someone responded that they didn’t know there was one. ...Overall, it’s enhancing our branding — particularly the SpringfieldEdge economic development brand — and disseminating positive information about Springfield,” he said.

The virtual reality

The increased use of social media is going to happen whether businesses are there or not, Fischer said, so it will serve companies to join the conversation instead of ignore it.

The challenging question for many employers is about giving employees a voice.

While some national companies have come out against any employee interaction via social media, major corporations like Ford and Coca-Cola have hired staff to directly address customer comments and concerns.

“Some big, traditional companies have gotten the hang of it,” Fischer said.

Company guidelines can help owners and employees coexist in the social media space with less concerns about the image presented to the public.

Clear communication of policies and regular monitoring are necessary for success, according to Albaugh and Fischer.

Fischer has his own litmus test for online appropriateness — he regularly asks himself if his content is something he would put in plain sight on his desk.

“People need to treat the entire social media space as they would any other public space,” he said.

Those already using various social media platforms are already looking to the future, speculating on what’s next.

Griffith is working to streamline and maximize his use of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

“In our area, social media is still in a tremendous growth stage and we’re riding the wave. It’s a good time to be in,” he said.

Zak is working to include more of his co-workers to increase the Chamber’s overall organizational use of social media as he awaits new technology.

“It will be interesting to see what comes down the pike next,” he said.