LinkedIn and Selling Pg.83 reading

According to nielsen.com “Social media plays an important role in how consumers discover, research, and share information about brands and products. In fact 60 percent of consumers researching products through multiple online sources learned about a specific brand or retailer through social networking sites. Active social media users are more likely to read product reviews online, and 3 out of 5 create their own reviews of products and services. Women are more likely than men to tell others about products that they like (81% of females vs. 72% of males). Overall, consumer-generated reviews and product ratings are the most preferred sources of product information among social media users.” (nielsen.com)

In this chapter we learn the importance of not only identifying a target audience,, but also the importance and selling…making the deal; which is the heart beat of a thriving business. Linkedin has zeroed in on what other social networks have not…keeping things strictly business. Linkedin is all business all the time, which means companies have a sure platform to “sell” straight from their posting gate. Utilizing the ‘groups’ feature allows companies to identify a specific consumer interested in their genre of product. While on Facebook and Twitter, a company is casting a wide net to a general public, we know that a consumer on Linkedin is in a “business” mindset, and if the consumer is in your group..you’ve identified their specific interest. This allows a narrow marketing target and a sure sale (or seed planted for a future sale).

If Charmin can make social media work using toilet paper, what’s got you all blocked up?

According to Gitomer, “REALITY: Some HUGE companies have gone all out in social media, whereas others have their heads buried in the sand or are playing ME TOO, because they woke up one morning and found their competition gaining ground through a prominent and active social media presence. Still others are claiming “regulations” are keeping them from engaging.” (J. Gitomer. 14)

Social media plays a vital role in marketing and creating relationships with customers. Small businesses are beginning to use social media as a means of marketing. Unfortunately, many small businesses struggle to use social media and have no strategy going into it. As a result, without a basic understanding of the advantages of social media and how to use it to engage customers, countless opportunities are missed. The research aims to acquire an initial understanding of how a small business recognized for using social media to grow the business, uses social media to engage customers.

Gitomer points out that companies such as IBM, Starbucks, and Burger King all connect with their customers. They realize their customers have a voice, and that voice is the key to business savvy longevity! Marketing is a crucial activity for the survival and success of a business. Businesses today have more marketing opportunities than ever  In small businesses, marketing relies heavily on word of mouth recommendations for customer acquisition Today’s economy, distinguished by relationships, technology, and networks, favors some of the characteristics of SMEs Social media enables companies to network with customers in order to build relationships and achieve a better understanding of customer needs. Businesses want their message to reach as many people as possible. To maximize this reach, a business must have a presence where customers are hanging out. Increasingly, they are hanging out on social networking sites. Social media provides multiple opportunities for small businesses to market to consumers and build closer and more profitable relationships.

Me….in search of the hollywood green light

Websites…the new form of HOLLYWOOD PITCHING! In todays market of reality TV and “Webebrities” (I made that word up) the concept of the self made star has become more and more tangible in entertainment industries. With this, the traditional agent and manager are no longer needed to get actors or screenwriters on the big screen. CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE! I am an aspiring television writer. I’ve used wix.com as an avenue to get my TV series in the hands of mainstream producers. SOCIAL MEDIA in our generation..is opening up doors!

MY TV PITCH: http://www.FledTV.com

Social Boom! A summary of pages 54-77

Keeping a intimate connection to our society has become obsolete with the influx of social media communication. THough businesses are able to reach an consumer mass, truly connecting to the consumer needs has become a thing of the past. Social Media has insured, popularity, both on a personal and business marketing level is the utmost important theme regarding “success” in the 21 century.

Communication has lost its emotional flair due to the process of computerized networking. Friends and family are able to greet each other without the connection of a hug, kiss, or simple smile. This new wave of connecting is desensitizing our generation to feeling…emotion. Though it may seem this new wave is a necessity for individuals to keep pace with technological advancements, the truth is as humans, we can not avoid person to person contact. Therefore, the more we eliminate face to face communication from our world…the more complicated traditional communication becomes when we are in fact engaged in it.

“Two studies compared college students’ interpersonal interaction online, face-to-face, and on the telephone. A communication diary assessed the relative amount of social interactions college students conducted online compared to face-to-face conversation and telephone calls. Results indicated that while the internet was integrated into college students’ social lives, face-to-face communication remained the dominant mode of interaction.” (Baym, Zhang)

We have to power to limit our interpersonal relationships. altering such behaviors can result in a imbalanced society. “The rise of social communication via the web marked a significant change in the way that technology aligned and empowered our human instincts. It is the “human” part that makes this paradigm shift different and also the key that drives our motivations.” (Gitomer, 54)

The day when businesses big and small took the time to assess their consumers needs are long gone. The goal now is becoming the most popular image in media. keeping one’s logo consistent in a Facebook, Twitter etc. news feed, will especially assure an increase in audience simply because society is plugged into social media for a majority of their day.

“Consumers are adopting increasingly active roles in co-creating marketing content with companies and their respective brands. In turn, companies and organizations are looking to online social marketing programs and campaigns in an effort to reach consumers where they ‘live’ online. However, the challenge facing many companies is that although they recognize the need to be active in social media, they do not truly understand how to do it effectively, what performance indicators they should be measuring, and how they should measure them.” (Hanna, Rohm)

“Further, as companies develop social media strategies, platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are too often treated as stand-alone elements rather than part of an integrated system.” (Hanna, Rohm) The need to balance our interpersonal communication is a high need for our generation. I fear we will soon all be brainwashed!

Works Cited: 

NK Baym, YB Zhang, MC Lin – “Social interactions across media interpersonal communication on the Internet, telephone and face-to-face”: New Media & Society, 2004 – nms.sagepub.com

J Gitomer. – “Social Boom”. Pearson Education Inc. as FT Press. 2011

R Hanna, A Rohm, “We’re all connected: The power of the social media ecosystem”: VL Crittenden – Business horizons, 2011 – Elsevier

Welcome to blogging

My reading on the topic of Social Media concludes, it is in general the sharing of thoughts, experiences, knowledge and beauty via the internet. This sharing is viewed through social media sources, such as Twitter, Facebook, Email and the topic of this particular discussion…Blogging.

“Blogging has been the greatest breakthrough in popular journalism since Tom Paine,” Arianna Huffington, HuffPo’s founder, writes in her introduction. The blogosphere, she adds, is the “most vital news source in the country.”

What at first glance seems to be a simple diary, open to the public, actually has quite the systematic structure for best results. Tricks of this trade in order to be successful (reach the masses) are pretty straight forward. By blogging consistently, you give Google and other search engines new content to index and you create opportunities to plug in those all-important keywords to increase your visibility on search engine results pages. Staying on top of your visitors by reviewing and responding to readers’ comments, you can create a rapport with your audience, build trust, and gain valuable insight into what your customers are looking for. Bloggers should establish themselves firm from the beginning. Their views (or if business) products should be clear and precise so their audience begin to rely on them as a go-to source.

It seems to be all about constant communication…through computerized networks. Hence the phrase “Social Media”.

Hello world!

This is my thoughts and reflections on my findings in social media research! I am super excited to share with the world!

Enjoy~

April