Although social media has been around for a while now, I am still coming across people who don’t really understand what the hype is about. This could be due to a lack of understanding surrounding the concept or due to an earlier encounter with someone in the industry who spoke at 100km an hour about corporate profiles, networking, tweeting
http://www.gofishclientcatchers.com/blog/Social-Media-Blog/Twitter , Facebook fan pages, reputation management and a host of other things which you kind of know something about but are still trying to wrap your brain around. So this post is going to explain in non-geek terms, what social media is.
I equate Social Media to real life all the time because in my mind that is all it is, creating relationships online, similar to those relationships you should be creating in real life. When you start a new job what is the first thing you do? I for one first get the lay of the land (office), see who hangs out with whom, who everyone dislikes and why, what the culture is. After a few days I start getting to know people and they start getting to know me, I start spotting those people who I find value in and who have something in common with me. After a few weeks I’m having lunch with people and seeing others for drinks after work, I start feeling at home and like I belong which in turn manifests itself into loyalty not just to my friends at work but also to the company in which I work.
This is a very simple analogy (and I’ m sure not all jobs start off as successfully) but the same principles apply with social media. You want to connect with your target market, hear what they want, give them what they need or at least bridge the gap between what they want and what you offer. You want to open channels of communication so that you can get feedback on what is working and of course what isn’t. This is the only way you can guarantee loyalty (friends) and in a world where your competition is either just a step ahead or behind you, you need to know your clients more intimately than just on paper.
Instead of looking at Social Media as a mess of profiles scattered around the web all of which are horribly time consuming, try and see it as your marketing and PR tool which will get you interacting with the people you need to be interacting with. You don’t need to have a profile on every network known to man, choose those which you are familiar with and easy to use. Start with one and when you are comfortable with that move on – before you know it your clients will be seeking you out and interacting with you. Social Media isn’t something to be afraid of but to embrace whole heartedly as something which can benefit your business.
If you still feel like you are in the dark then give us a call http://www.gofishclientcatchers.com/ so that we can shed some light on the matter!
