Over the next few days I'm posting an article that I wrote and was published in the January issue of CBA Retailers & Resources
Like many
people you’ve probably ventured into the social networking waters of Facebook
or MySpace. Maybe you have jumped into the Twittosphere even though you don’t
quite “get it” yet. If you are a frequent reader of CBA’s R&R then you no
doubt have learned and gained some great insight on using these tools to
connect with your customer’s from one of my friends, Gunnar Simonsen – http://gunnarsimonsen.wordpress.com/. Social networking websites are not only a great tool for connecting with your
customers but they can be a powerful platform to connect with suppliers and
service providers.
In today’s
competitive marketplace professionals are looking to one another – online – to
gain feedback and insight on brands, products and vendor experiences. If you
want the low down, social network sites are the place to discover what you are
looking for in quick and efficient way. As more and more professionals are
charged with cutting costs during a tough economy social media rises as a
viable and extremely valid method for marketing Web 2.0
tools are some of the most cost-effective set of marketing media.
While
connecting through the Web may be free, social media does require an investment
of time and money. But when you stack up the dollars you spend in traditional
media channels vs. online social media the savings are substantial.
In
a recent MarketingProfs – www.marketingprofs.com
– article, writer Christina “CK” Kerley continues to make the case for business
leaders to engage with social media. Christina says, “The B2B purchasing
behavior of performing extensive up-front analysis to limit risk has not
changed, but the way that professionals now conduct their research, and who
influences their purchasing decisions, has undergone dramatic transformation.”