By Amanda Bala
“No, I will not join Facebook, Twitter or any of those other social sites”. Is this you? Have you said these exact words? Do you think that the new wave of social media websites are only for kids and people with too much time on their hands? If so, then you are missing a great opportunity to use these tools to help grow your business.
People have so many excuses as to why they are not using social networking. “I don’t have the time”, “I don’t understand the sites”, “This is just a fad” or “I am too set in my ways to change now”. No offense, but this is flawed thinking. None of these excuses matter. It is time to realize the massive potential that exists for any business that is willing to put the time and effort into using new technology.
The Internet has and will continue to change the way business and business relationships work. If you do not understand the new technologies or are just resistant to this change, your business is likely to suffer. You may not be taking advantage of these new avenues to reach potential clients, but your competition is, which puts you behind them. With the click of a button and a few minutes of time, they are not only reaching out and building relationships with new and existing clients, but also getting involved with them, which is a very effective way to expand business.
C. C. Chapman in the blog “Managing the Gray” sums this up perfectly in saying “Brands need to wake up to the fact that “new media” isn’t going away. In fact, I’d argue that it isn’t new anymore, but is here and at the forefront so you either wake up and pay attention or you lose business to the company that is paying attention.”
The depth of the client relationship you can create via social networking is something that could never be achieved with traditional media. It does not mean that traditional media such as television, radio and print are obsolete; it means that you need to use all of these facets together in an integrated campaign. In doing this, you can connect with your target audience and build relationships that will engage your clients and make them come back to you as well as to refer you to others.
You have a choice; sink or swim. With the revolution that is the Internet, marketing is evolving on a daily basis. You can try to fight it, but you will lose. In fact this is just the beginning. Social networking is not a fad, it is here to stay and it is just going to keep evolving and getting more and more necessary. Don’t miss the boat… amazing opportunities are waiting for you.