FOCUS ON: MARKETING
Standing out from the pack
Research shows that companies that maintain their marketing activities during the downturn are far better placed to succeed when the economy picks up. The trick is to choose the best ways of promoting your business and how to make the most of modern social networking tools.
That’s the challenge social networking is currently posing to people in business. There is no doubt it is the current buzzword, but is it value for money, does it bring in new clients and will they be contributing to your business? High growth coach Dev Chakraborty believes it would be a mistake to turn your back on the new opportunities, but he also advises caution about going too far, too fast. In his view, it’s all about balance.
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magine that you are an artist who has painted for years using just red and blue, when one day someone invents yellow. Do you ignore it completely as a short-term fad or do you go to the other extreme and use it in everything you do?
get to, it would be inconceivable that you would not use that route for getting your messages over.
On the other hand, whilst Facebook is now the third most populated “place” on the planet, behind only China and India, with 734 million unique visitors every month, it may almost be too broad an audience for a focused message.
‘If business to business contact is your priority then it’s hard to beat LinkedIn’
“The first thing to recognise is that social networking tools are not a magic bullet. In fact they all have their own strengths and weaknesses, so my approach is to suggest that people work out which one is best suited to their business and to use it well. There is a temptation to get involved with every kind of social networking, but that can lead to confusion – a bit like trying to learn two languages at the same time. Concentrate on the system that best meets your needs.”
“If you want to improve your connections to consumers then Facebook is probably the way to go. On the other hand if business to business contact is your priority then it’s hard to beat LinkedIn,” said Dev. Evidence to support his opinion comes from HubSpot, which says that no fewer than 92% of business journalists have a LinkedIn account. Therefore if they were one of the audiences you wanted to
Business West Update JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012
Dev explained: “The main benefit that comes from LinkedIn is that it allows you to track down the people you really want to meet. You can join industry sector groups or forums which are geographically based, so they are much more likely to be relevant to you. “Another really important method of making new contacts is through connections you already have. You can ask an existing contact if they would be willing to pass on a message on your behalf to someone else. That means it’s much more likely that they will read it and take notice of what you have to say because it is coming from a known source.”
In some ways, this is a modern take on the old Chamber of Commerce system of being introduced to new people at a mixer by someone they know and whose opinion they value. It gives you a flying start in the conversation and could lead to a long-term business relationship. If things go well, the fact that you have made the introduction will enhance your reputation, but of course there is always the risk that things go badly and that could harm your own credibility. So it is always worth checking up to establish there was a satisfactory outcome.
To tweet or not to tweet?
Whilst LinkedIn has gained widespread respectability as being an effective way for businesses to make new contacts, there is more scepticism when it comes to Twitter, which some people view as no more than a glorified fan club to allow celebrities to boost their egos.
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