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Can social media serve as the savior for a dying business. Is it magic to revive the failed aspirations of a business? Can social media succeed where conventional marketing techniques and legacy business tactics prove to fail?

I personally believe that the world is yet to see the full potential of social media, at least when it comes to its application for businesses. Whether a flourishing business needs to expand its horizons or a dying business looking for a ray of sunshine, a well-planned social media strategy can work wonders for any type of business.

Back to the basics

Social media operates on the simple principle that ‘humans are social animals’ and it lets a business derive the best out of our social needs. Building a business is not easy and growing it is even tougher. A business can not survive if it doesn’t care about its customers. Since users/ customers are the focal point of social media, it ensures that they are in good hands.

Customer is king and social media is the kingmaker.

Improve Customer Service

I’ve come across several businesses which fail or die despite having fantastic products and spending an exorbitant sum of money, why? – Because they overlook the most important aspect of running a business successfully – good customer service.

Social media takes the customer service experience to an unprecedented high by letting businesses answer queries on leading networks such as Facebook & Twitter. Throw in the combo of blogs, wikis and forums and you have a highly interactive on-demand customer service center for your business for no extra cost.

Reputation Matters

What matters most for a business is its public reputation. Build great products, build a good brand and see your business flourishing as the word spreads. On the contrary, if customers are unhappy about your product or services, your reputation is bound to take a public beating.

Social media is a double-edged sword for businesses. It can do wonders to enhance your reputation in quick time and it can help revive a brand’s tarnished image. Likewise, if a dying business doesn’t do anything to prevent its downfall; social media can often unknowingly prove to be the last nail in its coffin.

Contacts and Networking

Social Media isn’t just effective for reaching out to customers; it works equally well for building contacts with suppliers, resellers and channel partners. A great product is of little value if it doesn’t have an effective sales channel. I’ve come across many businesses that’ve managed to overcome troubled waters by building contacts and seeking help using social media. In today’s age of globalization, we live in a unified world and a global economy. It’s fair to say that social media is a business’s gateway to globalization.

Startups and Social Media – Made for each other

Running a startup company or business is often a mountainous task – limited funds, stiff competition and high risk. However, a well-planned strategy for social media adoption can help a startup business minimize the risk of failure. Startups can’t always afford hefty marketing and advertising bills and with social media, they don’t need to.

Don’t let your business die, adopt social media and see how it revives your fortunes!

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What is a Social Media Manager Anyway?

by admin on July 23, 2010

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A social media manager simply manages the social media networking and marketing on behalf of individuals and organisations.
Social media is now the most cutting edge form of marketing and networking. Why? Because it takes us back to basics, back to real time two way communication. Done well it is about communication to and from a service or product provider and customers. It is all about finding out the needs of the customer through direct communication and following triends. This is done through various platforms like blogging and websites, networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, video and podcasting sites. customer reviews and book-marking sites. After all, you only have one reputation.
As you can imagine, that takes quite a bit of work, some technical skill, an ability to write well and the discipline to maintain it all. Many businesses do not have the time or are lacking some of the skills to do this well. Some people would argue that unless these platforms are maintained regularly and kept dynamic and fresh that it is better not to do it at all. It is also important that businesses understand web etiquette and best practice when making posts or submitting articles and videos.
A social media manager has a number of roles and can offer a wide range of services.
These can include training individuals and organisations or managing the whole thing.
Management involves:
helping people to set up a social network package,
explaining the interconnections between the various platforms,
creating a routine and schedule for posting,
helping to streamline existing routines,
making them more efficient or
partially or completely managing all of the social media and networking.
A social media manager becomes the front line of customer service and can pick up communications from existing or potential customers in real time and feed them to the appropriate person. The manager can also keep an eye out for any potentially damaging or incorrect information that is being posted by others. A good manager will gain an excellent understanding of the business and be able to spot opportunities as they arise, plant seeds and connect with the right people. He/She can deliver content, build links, network and translate digital information from the online community.
Bear in mind that if facebook were a country, it would be the third largest in the world…this is not child’s play.
A good online presence is not about just having a website or ranking well on Google anymore, you need a presence on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and You Tube. Your blog is where people will go to make sure you are current and credible but it also floats your site.
Good managers are passionate about social media are there to help you shine online!

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Brand Your Company and Improve Your Bottom Line!

July 16, 2010

Welcome to the site please check out our store  Many business owners spend much of their time, money and energy promoting their products and services instead of building their brand image. If your main emphasis is on your product offerings, then you don’t have a brand, you have a commodity. You are most likely competing [...]

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Social Media Marketing Is NOT a Free Ride

July 5, 2010

Welcome to the site please check out our store Social media is free, but marketing is not free. Marketing requires work, work demands time and, as the saying goes, time is money. Since marketing isn’t free, social media marketing can’t be free either. The corporate world recognizes the cost of social media marketing and is [...]

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Turning Twitter into an Internet Marketing Tool

June 29, 2010

Welcome to the site please check out our storeTwitter is a social networking website that is rapidly increasing in popularity. It is a great way to stay in contact with friends and family, but it is also an amazing way to market a website, blog, product, or service. If you have one of these four, [...]

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