get connected Social media:


Do you know your Facebook from your Twitter? And does it matter to your business? In this first of a two-part series, Chris Ashworth explains why it should, and why social media is a must for any electrical contracting firm


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ow do you find someone to repair your car? Do you look in Yellow Pages? Probably not – the chances are that you either rely on a personal recommendation or use Google. What about someone looking to buy your services? They probably do exactly the same. In fact, when it comes to personal recommendation, the chances are it will not just be friends


ECA Today July 2012


and colleagues but our virtual network or ‘friends’ from Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter that we rely on. Social media is playing an increasingly important part in


the way we make business decisions. And, consequently, you need to change the way you sell your services. Life is also very busy; one outcome of the recession is that most of us have to work harder to earn less. We do not have time to read the unsolicited letters, emails or magazines we receive, and we certainly don’t have time to receive cold calls from visitors or by phone. Think of your own life, and then look at it from your customers’ perspective. This changing attitude is moving us towards what is known as ‘permission marketing’. In the past we used the shotgun approach – firing off advertising or mailshots and hoping that some would be read by people who would become our customers. Today, people are less prepared


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