From my end, social marketing is becoming an important part of my marketing arsenal. I see it as a valueable part of the sales cycle (reminds me, I have to update a graphic on my website). In the marketing toolkit this ads a whole new dimension - the ability to connect directly with your audience. Let me know how important social media is to your plans and how you plan to incorporate it.
B2B Social Media Spending
In this age of technology and instant communications, this article really hits to the point. We cannot forget that all important handshake or personal relationship.
Take a read... Conversation Agent
Good quick read and every marketer should read. Last point which I completely agree with: social networking and access to information and ideas has had a huge
impact in the adoption of sustainability globally, and leveraging this
powerful tool will be critical to the success of a comprehensive
sustainability strategy.
Social Media: Component for Sustainable Comm Strategy
By guest writer Nicole Huston
Social Media is all the rage in the
business community, why? Many
people do not understand the concept and believe it silly to post current
happenings within your community and business, as well as, advice, topics, and
concerns that you may have.
However, the business world is evolving and nowadays it is vital to
become a part of the virtual world if you want to succeed and stand out in your
field. Coming from a 4th
year student at a university, my peers have to face the facts and embrace
social media, get involved, and post regularly with relevant information.
Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, the “big three” in social
media today, are preferred sites to become involved in. These sites are visited the most
frequently and have the biggest following. However, why is it so essential to become a part of this new
trend? First, it is FREE
advertising for you and your business, or community, whichever applies. Word spreads on the internet fast. If you haven’t read “The Tipping Point”
by Malcolm Gladwell, then you should.
The book gives great examples of how fast word of mouth spreads under
the right circumstances. Second,
it shows competitors, peers, future employers, that you are relevant in the
community and business arena. If
you post advice, topics, or current events, and you have people listen to you –
it shows to everyone else that you provide a resource, and are valuable. Third it is a great way to network,
find new business, and spread the word about you. People that you just met at an event may want to be your
friend on Facebook, connect to you on LinkedIn, or follow you on Twitter, who
cares, let them. Individuals that
you have never met may want to listen to what you have to say, let them too.
These sites are here for you to
connect to people in a different way to share ideas, advice, and maybe new
business opportunities. Embrace
this new trend, because I believe it is here to stay for awhile. If you are shaky and uncomfortable in
this type of stuff, outsource it.
I recommend reading up on the sites and finding what fits best for you
and your company, and be sure to give Twitter a chance. Twitter is highly scrutinized; I myself
did not get it at first. There is
a ton of reading material for you to become comfortable with these sites, and
some are listed here, in other blog postings. Accept it, embrace it and enjoy!
A friend of mine had an interesting post that I think is worth sharing. For me, jury's still out on both of these. Each have their benefits. Your thoughts?
Twitter or Facebook?
Both have strong advocates (and addicts - I'm one of them, guilty), but
which of them has more value when it comes to the time we spend
religiously updating these and following the hundreds of others posting
their micro happenings during their day too?
Here's the original link/post with some comments:
LinkedIn Q&A