“More time is now spent on social networking than on e-mail…..The rapidly evolving world of social networks and blogs has officially grown up. Last year (2008), the largest increase in visitors to such ‘member communities’ came from those ages 35-49,” according to a new report from The Nielsen Co. One of the most valuable aspects of social media for business is the ability to learn more about our business partners, clients, and prospects from a “personal” perspective.  After all, social networking is all about building “relationships.”  Just as early CRM programs encouraged us to capture things like clients’ favorite sports, theatre interests, family info, etc., those personal elements are now freely available and readily broadcast.  This gives us the chance to learn more about the people we are connecting with and therefore enables us to forge closer bonds by knowing and using this information.

Which Programs Are the Most Useful for Business?

The following are the most used and important social media programs for business:

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read each other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

Why is it important?

• Communicate information about the company via a profile along with capability of using logo in each individual message (Tweet)
• Send messages instantaneously about new product development, events, and any significant news within the company
• Establish two way communication with any clients or customers or the general public in a new way

The purpose of Linkedin is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection.

What can it do?

• Set up organizational profile to establish company presence
• Create personal profile to establish identity
• Industry issues can be discussed to gain recognition and involvement of individual company represented
• Can join related groups to establish and grow relationships and find new business contacts

In Facebook, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves.  Company and organizational profiles can also be established.

Why use it?

• Increases awareness of companies and individuals
• Can create company profile to establish organizational presence
• Communicate with individuals and company at all levels
• Creates a place to become fans of the company and can get targeted messages

How Does This Really Work?

All of these social media give you the possibility to establish you as a person, your “personal” brand.  Once people are comfortable with you and how you relate, you can continue with your personal brand and infuse your company’s brand.  Once your “company” brand is established, the mix of your brand and the companies will be stronger than either one separately.  Then you’ll be able to influence your immediate social and professional network and then reach and adventure out into the broader world of social media and increase your impact in the market place.

Tags: Facebook, Linkedin, marketing, networking, Social media, Social media for busines, Soical networking

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