BusinessTN

Much has been written about President Barack Obama's use of new media--Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, etc.--in galvanizing millions of Americans to lift him to the presidency last year. That virtual army was back on display in more recent times when the Obama administration used those same established channels to frame the conversation about the president's announcement of federal appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his first Supreme Court nominee.

It's a cultural and political phenomenon that Murfreesboro entrepreneur David Bullock understands well.

Bullock, an engineer schooled in Mobil Oil fashion, is prospering thanks to the 1.4 billion Internet users worldwide. Founder of the Murfreesboro-based White Bullock Group and author of the recently published field manual to social media, Barack 2.0, Bullock has become a nationally recognized speaker, trainer and consultant to businesses spanning the globe.

A self-proclaimed engineer, turned salesman, turned entrepreneur, turned social media expert, Bullock's knowledge of the social media realm--which is today a burgeoning revolution rather than a mere casual expression—is inimitable.

"Back when I was a salesman in the late '90s, I discovered that I could use e-mail to process transactions and complete sales with my clients instead of physically visiting them in person," Bullock recalls.

That experience, combined with his engineering background, led to Bullock's leap from Corporate America to the Internet, where he began to cash in on his understanding of the tools needed to maximize sales and efficiency online.

"The week after I left corporate America, I made $12,000. What I did was purchase used robots, marketed my inventory on a Web site I created, www.robo1.com, which is still in existence, advertised on eBay, and sold everything I had in stock," says Bullock.

Seems simple enough.

Not so much. According to social media strategist Jay Deragon, Bullock's success can be attributed to his knowledge of how the Web functions. "He was able to track the technology very effectively given his background as an engineer," Deragon says.

Fast forward to 2007, when Bullock began to apply his insight to track who was being effective and productive within the social media field, and the concept behind Barack 2.0 was born.

"When I started using Facebook as another online sales tool before it was what it is today, I observed Obama's use of that site, along with MySpace, Twitter, etc. to help promote his campaign," Bullock says. "I really got into social media at that point. I thought 'if Obama is starting a blueprint that could alter communication entirely, I want that blueprint.'"

Barack 2.0 is the offspring of such curiosity. What began as a blog that explored how Barack Obama used social media to communicate, raise money and market himself as the next President of the United States, is today a 120-page case study that identifies the lessons Obama's social media use offers for business people.

Authored along with Brent Leary, an old University of Delaware college friend and co-founder of CRM Essentials LLC, Barack 2.0 is a timely study in today's business environment and economy.

"People are finding a heck of a lot of value engaging in social media today because they don't have the money to spend on traditional media," says Deragon.

And given that social media is so much less costly than traditional marketing, Barack 2.0 offers valuable lessons to the small business owner. Perhaps one of the most important is the insight that social media is merely a conversation. But rather than talking at an audience, it's key to turn that communication into a meaningful exchange. That’s when social media really works.

So, if you're not on social media, or not willing to at least start learning how to use social media, "you're woefully behind," Bullock says. "Social media is here, and it's here to stay."

And it's far too important to overlook.