People ask me all the time if Social Media is effective or how it works. I try to explain but usually I blow it because I get all passionate about it and it comes out all confusing.
But I caught two things just a few minutes ago that reminded me how simple it really is. Here’s one of them – From Mitch Joel of Twist Image (love his podcasts on iTunes) via Mashable article. (It’s around the bottom of the page)
“True story: the CEO of a major organization and I are having breakfast and he’s asking me about the implications of Social Media from a B2B perspective. As I go through how important those natural voices and conversations are [to] the decision makers, he starts laughing and cuts me off. Here’s why: about a month prior to our meeting, his CTO came to him with a fairly advanced technical upgrade that needed to take place along with the pricing and deliverables. Without having much knowledge of the potential new supplier, the CEO found himself doing some online searches for what others have thought. Beyond the jargony-corporate website, the CEO was much more taken by the Podcasts, YouTube testimonials, Blog posts and Twitter chatter about the product.
Without realizing it, the CEO was entirely reliant on Social Media for their final decision. While it’s easy to think that this is an isolated incident, do [your] own online search for “social media b2b” and you’ll quickly realize that Social Media is probably easier to link to true ROI in the B2B space than it is for B2C.”
I think this is a great example but then I realized how I found the article. Via Brain Solis’ twitter account who was also mentioned in the article.
This is one of my favorite ways to get people to read your blog. Write about them – not you.
So Tamar Weinberg (who writes puts together some amazing lists of great end-of-the-year posts and marketing ideas) get 13 of the best online marketers and puts them together in one blog.
I’m sure right after she wrote it, she contacted all the people in the post and told them about it. Then they go and read it and they pass it along to their followers/fans like Brian did.
I’m one of their followers (actually I follow most of them) so I got it and I got a great nugget from Mitch that I can use in my various meetings about marketing.
Thanks, Social Media, I like how you are helping me do my job.
Now maybe you think that your business doesn’t use social media or blogs but I’ll bet you are wrong.
I google everything under the sun if I don’t know anything about it. And I’m sure you do to. Google your business interests. Go search Facebook. Try out twazzup or search.twitter.com. You’ll find them. You just haven’t found them yet.
When you actually do sit down and get the research done (it doesn’t take as long as you think), you can use your social media presence to interact with theirs. Be friends via Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter. Debate issues. Have fun. Then when you need them to help you, reach out and ask. I’ll be completely surprised if they don’t.
What’s your best “explaining social media” story?
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