At the same time, if companies are taking to social media they need to follow certain rules. They have to be upfront, and truthful, relevant, tactful, polite, guarded so as protect confidential information and not get themselves in legal hot water and comply with all regulations, laws and rules.
Social media has become the way of the future for business. But it does create management challenges. For resellers, it’s a great opportunity to get closer to clients, tap into more prospects, recruit talented staff and develop new ideas by generating conversations with customers. In a crowded market space, that would be a competitive advantage.
Talking, and listening, to the customer
It’s an acquired skill that places demands on an organisation, but the rewards of using social media are cost-effective marketing
Service provider Brennan IT has taken to social media to get into conversations with its customers. In June, the firm repackaged its web site to include blogs and links to its accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Brennan’s marketing campaigns manager Robin Marchant sees it as a way of creating deeper connections with the customer and drawing in new prospects.
“We are creating something that’s a lot more engaging and conversational,’’ Marchant says. “We are engaging through communication and conversation.”
Customers and prospects are invited to post comments on the company blog, or post a comment on YouTube when Brennan runs a video. Marchant says it’s not about selling, it’s about getting the customer to think about how they could do things differently.
The blogs and YouTube presentations, for example, might look at matters like tax tips, how to improve the bottom line by saving money across the business, how to create a consistent set of costs instead of something that fluctuates wildly, where to find smart iPhone apps that make the business more efficient or how to create business efficiencies through Green IT. It’s not a hard sell, it’s just raising issues.
“As opposed to saying you get all these benefits with this product we are selling you, we are instead saying have you thought about it from this point of view?” Marchant says.
“These days we are bombarded with messages left, right and centre so this is a way of creating a platform where we can get a thought leadership approach and a bit more dialogue with our customers.
“We are not just a blank face between four walls, there are people within the organisation you can connect to. It’s something that’s transparent but equally tangible as well. If you are offering products and services, it’s important to turn the intangible into something that is tangible. We are trying to open people’s eyes to a different way of thinking potentially.