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whwytriright 36 Social Networking Party
campaigns and consequently adjust them. are best unless you’re going for a humorous amateur look,
which can easily backfi re. In much the same way that TV ads
Twitter
are generally considered to be more eff ective than newspaper
ads in today’s climate, online videos are thought by many
As with Facebook, users of San Francisco based Twitt er have
to be more eff ective than simply relying on the verbiage on
a personal site where they can receive and send informa-
your homepage.
tion. On Twitt er, information is sent in short 140-character
YouTube videos show up on Google and other search
blog posts called “tweets” to the author’s subscribers who
engines, including YouTube’s own search function. A good
are known as “followers.” Such information can be sent in a
title, including an evocative description, can actually boost a
number of ways, including email, text messages and instant
YouTube clip’s rankings higher than the website itself. In addi-
messages. Business applications are readily apparent. Quick,
tion, you can include a link to your YouTube video on your
short tweets to business associates about improvements on
homepage and your Facebook page to increase the likelihood
products, or to customers on specials and sales, have proven
of customers seeing it, as well as tweet about it. As thousands
eff ective, as have customer service initiatives that can include
of aging fans of “Where’s the beef?” can att est, a pithy or
customer feedback. Again, the 140 character limit gets the
clever image or saying can last in customers’ consciousness
message across quickly and (one hopes) clearly.
for a very long time.
Tw itt er can be an eff ective tool in creating brand aware-
ness and building customer trust, allowing companies to build
its own set of followers. Computer maker Dell has generated LinkedIn
more than $2 million in sales through alerts posted to Twit- As of July, this business–oriented, Mountain View, CA based
ter, while a September 28 report in the Los Angeles Times site had more than 43 million registered users, spanning
said that local food carts have been att racting business by 170 industries. Unlike the others listed above, LinkedIn is
tweeting their locations. In addition, the site’s Twitt er Search driven primarily by sharing one’s business, rather than per-
application has become a much talked about feature, allow- sonal, activities. As such, it’s a much more focused way of
ing users to discover which keywords are being used, in the connecting with colleagues and other professionals in your
site’s words, “right now,” ranking results in real time, rather line. Members can poll other members, either in a selective
than reporting what was popular a few hours or days ago. or LinkedIn-wide fashion about business matt ers large and
Customer service is, again, a potentially major component of a small, and its member database is easily searchable by person’s
company’s Twitt er presence, as surveys of existing customers name, company name or industry. In addition, users can start
are relatively easy to conduct, and responding to customers’ their own groups or join existing groups to discuss business
inquiries (quickly) can impress. Several airlines regularly related topics, and can interlink their LinkedIn profi les with
tweet fl ight information and updates. their Twitt er, Facebook and other social media profi les.
YouTube
With all of these facets, it’s important to remember that the
purpose of social networking sites is at the very least a two-
While primarily a video viewing site, famous for oddball clips
way street. Straight advertising should be conducted through
posted by users and possibly copyright infringing scenes from
other avenues. Instead, Facebook, Twitt er and the like can
TV shows and movies, San Bruno, CA based YouTube can
be used as a way of engaging with existing and potential
also be an important business tool. Again, the bott om line is
customers in a number of ways. Of course, racking up those
gett ing the message out about your company. Local online
frequent fl ier miles can have its pluses too.
search services,
Yelp.com and
CitySearch.com, both maintain
that having a YouTube video on their listing for a company
doubles the likelihood that a visitor to that listing will take
some kind of action. Professionally shot and produced videos
Find This Story and More News and Information at:
www.wholesalecentral.com/Wholesale–News
38 November 2009
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