Lately we have been inundated with a wave of new words…Web 2.0, Social Media, Communities, social Networking, Influencers, Marketing 2.0……Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, or any number of other social networks, it is clear that social media is the latest trend and is here to stay.
Social media is content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies. At its most basic sense, social media is a shift in how people discover, read and share news, information and content. It’s a fusion of sociology and technology, transforming monologues (one to many) into dialogues (many to many) and is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers. Social media has become extremely popular because it allows people to connect in the online world to form relationships for personal and business purposes[Wikipedia]. (More @ The Top 10 Social Media ppt)
In addition to generating endless fresh ideas and engaging people from diverse fields and interests, social media allow people to reach beyond traditional barriers. They connect people to opinion about products; suggest new solutions to old problems forming an unprecedented source of customer feedback and innovation at the same time.
Companies are leveraging the Business by the power of social networks, not only as a source for innovation but also as a new channel for leads and opportunities. The adequate mix of social media enables companies to create an innovative personalized sales channel to potential customers. Remarkable is this sales channel as it is changing the traditional sales from a push to a pull perspective. Make sure your business is in the recommendation chain.
Social Media is the new input channel to CRM software and will empower companies to maximize their business.
Benefits of Social Media:
- Generate revenue by referrals
- Generate inbound links
- Build trust with Customers – People do business with PEOPLE
- Extend your events, seminars, webcast, conventions participation
- Inexpensive
As I am leading the Social Media Strategy, from organizations such as Rotary Berlin International, Oracle Consulting Western Europe, I would like to share 3 key points to have in mind when setting up your own for your business:
- Plan: Understand WHY? are you starting with Social Media
- Focus: Understand HOW? Try different tools but then prioritize
- ROI: Understand WHAT? Measure what values your time/investment
Mario Paladini /xeesm.com/mariopaladini
