I frequent the LinkedIn.com’s Q&A section on a regular basis and last week, I found an intriguing question:
Are social networks key to improving customer relations and product development?
This prompts an interesting discussion into whether companies should use social tools to promote their business online, and if so, how exactly they should do it.
In short, I believe that yes, companies should be making use of these tools. Nearly everybody has Internet access now, and the social platforms that exist are sophisticated enough to segment user groups for targeted advertising. In effect, we’re now being fed information based on our interests which leads to less annoying adverts and higher conversions for businesses. This is social networking at its base level.
To truly harness its power, you need to delve deeper. Tools such as Twitter can be used to interact with prospects/customers, websites like Digg can be used to share information and Facebook is the place where everybody talks.
And talk people do. Your online reputation and, ultimately, your company’s reputation rests on how you use these tools. You have a platform on which to deliver information directly to your customers – great! Just make sure you don’t hit them with the hard-sell all the time; engage with the community on an almost personal level, dropping your opinion in from time to time and sharing links to informative websites and blogs. Essentially, give them a reason to listen to you.
In turn, you will receive their feedback and reviews of your business. The results will be far better than any questionnaire you could send out. Social platforms allow you to gander much more feedback than you would probably expect, because it allows you to “spy” on what people are talking about. I’d be surprised if any medium-large organisation doesn’t search its company name daily on Twitter to see what people are saying about them. They can then act on this.
I attended a talk by Julian Sambles from the Telegraph a few months back and he was tasked with boosting the online presence of the traditional newspaper. This meant a massive shift in thinking, at every level in the company, was required to be successful. He talked of how they utilised social bookmarking links, and how they explained to the readers what they were; he said how microsites have been used to promote specific offers and how article headlines differ from online to the paper publication (think SEO keywords).
This, as far as I am concerned, is proof that not only is the Internet crucial for business success, but utilizing its many social assets can help boost your growth by interacting with your customers on a more than seller/buyer basis.
This article was written by Matt Saunders, owner of Leeds web design agency Northern Web which specialises in intelligent and responsible web design and marketing solutions.
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it makes people feel like a VIP when they are networking directly with a company. just a little feedback and including the customers in posts can be extremely valuable.
Social Networks And Their Place in Business…
This prompts an interesting discussion into whether companies should use social tools to promote their business online, and if so, how exactly they should do it. In short, I believe that yes, companies should be making use of these tools. Nearly everyb…
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
[...] Social Networks And Their Place in Business [...]
Great post. I like the ideas you raise.
Social media I believe is a great tool for business and everyone should take advantage of it. But we should also be cautious in using these sites because it has a world wide reach, anything we said or display can be used against us. So if you use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other social tools for your business, it is best to maintain a positive image.
Is there a change in how customers’ concerns are addressed?
Some of the big companies are now using Twitter to make sure that the customers’ concerns are addressed: http://tinyurl.com/mbyveg
Other companies doing the same?
Best wishes/Mit besten Grüßen/Med venlig hilsen
Torben Rick
http://www.rick.dk
[...] can be found by just searching in google or clicking here to view a list of the top 15 networks. In a blog by Matt Saunders about social networks and their place in busniess, he points out that mar… Companies can gauge consumer response through other channels such as Twitter or Digg. Groups can [...]
WoW
Awesome article. Social Network really help in business process. Thanks for sharing this awesome post.
[...] Social Networks And Their Place in Business [...]
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