Having been in the international sales and marketing business for over 30 years I am beginning to feel like a bit of dinsosaur when it comes to all this social networking, especially as its use is now having considerbale commercial ramifications.
I can remember avoiding using and reply to SMS messages for as long as I could before finally caving in - dinosaur behaviour again. I guess I have avoided social networking for as long as a can.
And yet I was a very early adopter of email, I can remember when our email addresses were a compuserve number. I was using email in 1983 and when I showed it to one customer he said - great solution where's the problem?
Its not that I am technophobe - I love technology but social networking, facebook, myspace, blogging has me scratching my head. I dont know what I dont know, how do I get started, how do I make sure I dont get left behind. I know I have to network for business but now it seems I have to social network for business - where will I find the time to do the business!
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6 comments:
Social networking is on an exponential rise and the next generation of kids are so familiar with this concept that the Government is desperately trying to close the gap between home use of ICT i.e. social networks, facebook, Bebo, My space, Rafi.ki and school use. Just has to be factored in as part of modern business sales and marketing strategy. Ian is a serial social networker so he can open your eyes to the business opportunities out there using simple social networking strategies.
Ian which social networks are being used to get people connected with the right people. In this new relationship economy it's definitely who you know and doors just don't open until you're networked!
Agree - it's time to leave the communications cocoon & be a social butterfly... but I am keen to keep my social networks distinct. I've had a few Facebook requests, for example, from purely commercial contacts over the past months and am reluctant to expose my business colleagues to the network in which my kids and their pals post utter tosh & trivia onto their communal 'walls'. Am I hopelessly naive to believe that I can build and sustain a virtual Chinese wall in this new social networking era?
Yes, proceed with caution in terms of social networking. Only this week in the headlines was an article about employers banning employees from using social networks as they're becoming addicted. It makes sense to seek expert advice on how to use social network sites in a way that doesn't end up costing more than the ROI.
As with all content, it has to be relevant to the audience. Are my work colleagues and contacts really interested in the fact I went to cinema on Saturday night to see the latest movie? Do my real friends and family want tips on how to close a large sale or negotiate a complex deal? Keep them separate and don't add work contacts to your network of friends, it will only tarnish the professional aura you have taken years to cultivate!
I am a relcutant social networker. I am using Facebook, if I am honest to post messages about my blog and to find old contacts. I put the minimum I can on Facebook, BUT an old client has found me! I may get some business, I may not but without Facebook we may not have linked up.
Perhaps you keep your Faceboook profile to a minimum, only post business stuff?
Is twitter going the same way? All afternoon yesterday Simon Mayo on five live was on about twitter http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/programmes/mayo.shtml
I am also blogging at http://www.customerflypaper.com/category/the-best-damn-sales-blog
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