Social Networking
Getting involved with the whole social networking scene. Is it good for business?
Well the answer is right above... see our most recent ad!
Yes, I thought it was high-time that I put behind me my own self indulging notions and prejudices and get on board with all this social networking activity and start practicing what we preach... building brand and leveraging relationships!
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Beyond the realm of mindless chit-chat.
Up until recently, I was very cynical about the whole social networking scene. As a parent with a “text savvy” teenage daughter who wields a Blackberry like a light saber, I dismissed social networking as just another fun fad for many young folks to have a virtual playground to share their casual quips about everyday mundane tasks like where they went today; who they visited; what their best friend’s sister’s boyfriend said; or what they just ate 5 minutes ago. Twitter this and My Space that….Perhaps I am being a little harsh?
Yes, while I had been skeptical about the social networking scene, I have now begun to notice an ever growing influx of business professionals taking interest in the Web 2.0 stratosphere beyond the realm of mindless chit-chat. In fact, many of them fully embracing the idea of social networking; how it can leverage relationships with other business professionals and how it can tie into their business model…. perhaps there’s more to this than I thought?
Advantages of Social Networking
Up until recently, I was very cynical about the whole social networking scene. As a parent with a “text savvy” teenage daughter who wields a Blackberry like a light saber, I dismissed social networking as just another fun fad for many young folks to have a virtual playground to share their casual quips about everyday mundane tasks like where they went today; who they visited; what their best friend’s sister’s boyfriend said; or what they just ate 5 minutes ago. Twitter this and My Space that….Perhaps I am being a little harsh?
Yes, while I had been skeptical about the social networking scene, I have now begun to notice an ever growing influx of business professionals taking interest in the Web 2.0 stratosphere beyond the realm of mindless chit-chat. In fact, many of them fully embracing the idea of social networking; how it can leverage relationships with other business professionals and how it can tie into their business model…. perhaps there’s more to this than I thought?
Advantages of Social Networking
Okay, here’s what we are learning….Social networking presents a number of advantages for the business professional abroad. For one, it allows you to create a profile for your business with a consistent message that can be deployed on several platforms. Moreover, social networking sites have proven themselves as practical and cost effective forms of advertising. …uhhmmm…Free??
Social networking is organic and ever-changing. It allows your business to evolve and reposition itself via general updates, occasional blogs and posts. Be as expansive as you like; speak candidly and open the door for others to communicate back.
Social networking allows businesses to connect with both customers and other associated business professionals. By linking to other businesses in the same or related fields, small businesses too can have the same opportunity to form mutually beneficial alliances and cross promote their services. It becomes viral!
Example, several small businesses from the same neighborhood can create an association by linking social networking profiles. Residents of that neighborhood can also link their personal profiles, giving the businesses access to a pool of customers and resources.
Open 24-7
We’re here all night! Remember, the internet is open 24-7 round the clock and therefore, so are you! One of the biggest advantages of social networking is it is working for you all hours of the day cross communicating your message to an ever-growing database of users and business professionals around the globe.
Social networking sites allow you to promote your business by building a network of loyal clientele; followers; fans; and other associates. Additionally, your profile allows you to keep your customers and followers apprised of ongoing projects; new developments, special events and other useful information. Similarly, being included in multiple friend’s lists and online forums and chats gives you added credibility and serves as an endorsement.
Perhaps the obvious advantage is the unlimited reach potential that social networking offers. There are many social networking platforms out there and growing. Some of the numbers are staggering. Example: (note: these statistics are subject to change)
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/ which saw record traffic in September 2008 with 11.9M unique visitors, up more than 10% from August (10.8M) and a gain of 193% since last year. This is terrific B2B platform for the business minded professional. Linkedin offers many applications to the business professional in helping them create buzz and tie directly into other like minded professionals. There is still much to learn about Linkedin and all its advantages. We’re working
Perhaps the obvious advantage is the unlimited reach potential that social networking offers. There are many social networking platforms out there and growing. Some of the numbers are staggering. Example: (note: these statistics are subject to change)
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/ which saw record traffic in September 2008 with 11.9M unique visitors, up more than 10% from August (10.8M) and a gain of 193% since last year. This is terrific B2B platform for the business minded professional. Linkedin offers many applications to the business professional in helping them create buzz and tie directly into other like minded professionals. There is still much to learn about Linkedin and all its advantages. We’re working
on it.
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ still in the top spot with approx 300 million active users of which 50% of those users logging onto Facebook in any given day; and has reported the fastest growing demographic for those 35 years old and older. So there you go, not all just youngsters; again, opening the door for the business minded professional.
Zoom Info http://www.zoominfo.com/ while not necessarily a social networking site is one of the most sophisticated automatic content generation systems in the world. This subscription service provides access to a database of over 48 million people and over 5 million companies. Customers typically search Zoom Info using a diverse range of criteria, such as job title, education, employment history, company name, location and company description. It is a great resume-platform whereby you can look up individuals and their companies. Zoom continuously searches the web and finds related articles; topics; press releases; stories; and general information related to you and your business that helps add credibility.
Here at the Design League we concur that there is without doubt a tremendous advantage to social networking for the business minded professional. We are currently working on ways to combine these social networking sites and platforms into a format that can not only tie neatly into our own brand strategy, but that of our customers.
Here at the Design League we concur that there is without doubt a tremendous advantage to social networking for the business minded professional. We are currently working on ways to combine these social networking sites and platforms into a format that can not only tie neatly into our own brand strategy, but that of our customers.
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Stay tuned.
Such a great article!
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