Social Networking A great resource or simply a waste of time
Social Networking A great resource or simply a waste of time
Although some online methods are incredibly powerful, effective and necessary, others can be a complete waste of time and fall into the category of yet “just another passing fad.”
Something that has been around for a while, but as of late is getting much more “water cooler” attention is social networking. The term social networking was first coined by JA Barnes in 1954 to describe formations of various communities and organizations. In the early fifties the term had nothing to do with the Internet, but rather communities of people who would benefit from knowing one another.
The term is now most frequently connected to online communities of people who connect by way of places such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Ryze, StartUp.Biz, Twitter, and other such names.
The early adopters of social networks as we know them today were college students and young people who grew up on technology. Many professionals still view social networks as communities that have nothing to do with them. The fact is, more every day small, midsize and large corporations are finding value in utilizing the power and profit that comes from this powerhouse method of marketing.
Although corporations and smaller businesses haven't embraced online business networks with nearly the same enthusiasm as teens and college students who have using social networks for years, more companies are steadily overcoming reservations and using them to build potentially powerful relationships and business tools.
The fact is, when used correctly social networks can actually lower the cost of doing business. When you tap into the right social network for your goals and objectives you are able to more quickly reach your target market.
Other benefits include using social networks as a great tool for building credibility and trust with your current and potential clients and customers.
We are moving from a predominantly technology driven age to the age of recommendation. What this means is that more and more business is built based on referrals and recommendations.
Consider this. Each person you are able to connect with has a market reach of their own, often in the thousands, tens of thousands and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of people who likely have similar interests and needs. This is like networking on steroids; one person has the capability of introducing your products and services to thousands of people with the press of a button.
By the same token, they have the power to tell their network about things they don’t like about a company with the press of a button.
This is why now, more than ever, ethical business practices are so essential to a businesses ability to thrive.
Many large corporations are only just discovering that social networks are actually an excellent avenue to do targeted marketing and sales. The reason being is there are social networks for just about any interest group.
One of the greatest, yet most underutilized aspects of social networking is the ability to feed the postings that are done on one platform into another. For example, many smart marketers are using blogging as a part of their overall online position. When a new post is added to your blog, you can literally feed that post into other locations such as the social networks you belong to.
As powerful as social networks can be, it is easy to get carried away with all the excitement around them. What could be a very effective tool in your overall marketing can quickly turn into a technology nightmare and complete waste of time.
For micro and small companies it is recommended to limit the amount of time you spend posting on social networks. For larger companies consider having a department that handles this aspect of your marketing and public relations. Have measures in place in order to know if you are getting a good ROI from the time, money and effort used in this arena.
The fact remains; millions of web users, both in the B2C and B2B arena are using social networks. Additionally, many journalists are using social networks to gather information for timely stories. If it’s good enough for them, don’t you think it at least warrants some investigation as to what the benefits to your company are?
Social Networking A great resource or simply a waste of time - To learn more about this author, visit Kathleen Gage's Website.
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It seems at every turn we are hearing about the “latest and greatest” place to network and build market reach on the Internet. Regardless of the size of your business, there are likely things you could be doing to increase your market reach, but knowing which is the best for your particular needs can be a daunting task.
Although some online methods are incredibly powerful, effective and necessary, others can be a complete waste of time and fall into the category of yet “just another passing fad.”
Something that has been around for a while, but as of late is getting much more “water cooler” attention is social networking. The term social networking was first coined by JA Barnes in 1954 to describe formations of various communities and organizations. In the early fifties the term had nothing to do with the Internet, but rather communities of people who would benefit from knowing one another.
The term is now most frequently connected to online communities of people who connect by way of places such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Ryze, StartUp.Biz, Twitter, and other such names.
The early adopters of social networks as we know them today were college students and young people who grew up on technology. Many professionals still view social networks as communities that have nothing to do with them. The fact is, more every day small, midsize and large corporations are finding value in utilizing the power and profit that comes from this powerhouse method of marketing.
Although corporations and smaller businesses haven't embraced online business networks with nearly the same enthusiasm as teens and college students who have using social networks for years, more companies are steadily overcoming reservations and using them to build potentially powerful relationships and business tools.
The fact is, when used correctly social networks can actually lower the cost of doing business. When you tap into the right social network for your goals and objectives you are able to more quickly reach your target market.
Other benefits include using social networks as a great tool for building credibility and trust with your current and potential clients and customers.
We are moving from a predominantly technology driven age to the age of recommendation. What this means is that more and more business is built based on referrals and recommendations.
Consider this. Each person you are able to connect with has a market reach of their own, often in the thousands, tens of thousands and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of people who likely have similar interests and needs. This is like networking on steroids; one person has the capability of introducing your products and services to thousands of people with the press of a button.
By the same token, they have the power to tell their network about things they don’t like about a company with the press of a button.
This is why now, more than ever, ethical business practices are so essential to a businesses ability to thrive.
Many large corporations are only just discovering that social networks are actually an excellent avenue to do targeted marketing and sales. The reason being is there are social networks for just about any interest group.
One of the greatest, yet most underutilized aspects of social networking is the ability to feed the postings that are done on one platform into another. For example, many smart marketers are using blogging as a part of their overall online position. When a new post is added to your blog, you can literally feed that post into other locations such as the social networks you belong to.
As powerful as social networks can be, it is easy to get carried away with all the excitement around them. What could be a very effective tool in your overall marketing can quickly turn into a technology nightmare and complete waste of time.
For micro and small companies it is recommended to limit the amount of time you spend posting on social networks. For larger companies consider having a department that handles this aspect of your marketing and public relations. Have measures in place in order to know if you are getting a good ROI from the time, money and effort used in this arena.
The fact remains; millions of web users, both in the B2C and B2B arena are using social networks. Additionally, many journalists are using social networks to gather information for timely stories. If it’s good enough for them, don’t you think it at least warrants some investigation as to what the benefits to your company are?
Social Networking A great resource or simply a waste of time - To learn more about this author, visit Kathleen Gage's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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