Despite the best of my intentions, I got side-tracked from my Blog in January 2010. The year started very different from what I anticipated. Five new opportunities/prospects came my way for which I am very excited as my business is growing again but I also got sidetracked from my strict regime of networking and blogging.
As well, when VA Classroom announced they were offering a new and updated Social Media 2010 program at the beginning of February, I debated for 0nly one day about whether or not to sign-up. But I realized that although I received excellent training from their first Social Media Marketing course in 2009, things have changed significantly since that time and it is difficult to keep abreast of all the new and innovative ways to use this media to it’s full potential.
A week into the course, and I do not regret signing up.
When I first provided Social Media services to my clients, it was easy to strategize for those clients that had far reaching “ideal clients” internationally or nationally. But it was more difficult to find and refine helping “local” clients – those that had a focus on clients in a specific region such as – a plumber, a flower store, a nutritionist, a trainer/coach, etc.
Those who also identified the needs of local businesses came up with all sorts of software, sites and tools to help local businesses optimize their strategies.
And on the other end of the spectrum, Corporations and Organizations also recognized that ignoring the Social Media realm as a fad would be a huge mistake. And so they started dreaming up new ways of making Social Media work for them.
- One great example is Best Buy. Their people developed Twelpforce for Twitter. Many of their best salespeople, technicians and customer service people work through Twelpforce to assist customers on-line, and in their stores.
- I also recently discovered another great new resource specifically focused on customer service called Get Satisfaction. Facebook uses it and so does Ping.fm. I specifically had a problem within Ping.fm and within 3 hours, using Get Satisfaction, I was communicating with one of their customer service people who resolved my problem effortlessly. I was very grateful for their efforts in getting my issue resolved to my complete sastisfaction in record time.
Those two examples of how Social Media has spawned new ways for businesses to interact more effectively with their prospects, present customers and referrals with a fresh approach is only the beginning of many new dynamic trends in how this medium will develop in 2010.
Please feel free to share new methods you have discovered in Social Media.
Diane Coville
ALTERNATIVE OFFICE ASSISTANCE
www.alternativeofficeassistance.com
I am wondering if social media will evolve into primarily a tool for consumers and businesses to communicate. Do you think it will or it wont?
In answer to your question, it is already a very significant and measureable tool that is connecting businesses and consumers. I have many clients who were dubious about the results they would experience when they decided to add Social Media to their marketing plan. Their results met and, in fact exceeded, their expectations. Despite one client’s limited efforts to “test the waters” came back to me with the comment that “I am very pleased with at least 3 to 4 “unsolicited” sales per month….wow! Let’s implement more strategies!”