Monday, August 2, 2010

Social Media is not a Date but a Marriage

Often times when new technology is introduced we all want to touch it, demo it, date it, fall in love, then use it. However social media is not just some new fad or gadget, it's the new way to conduct business and connect with vendors, customers and clients. Today you can't casually "date" social media you must "commit" to its daily use so that it becomes second nature to you. Social media can help you find your voice in your industry, it can become a friend who watches out for their customer and works to establish and deepen relationships.

When you date someone you can hide certain areas from them, but not when you're married. When you connect to the social media your company must be ready to become transparent, warts and all. Whether you're thinking of a blog, a page on Linkedin, or jumping head-on into the mysterious world of Twitter, people will read about your company, they'll comment, refer, or deter others from using your product or service. At this point in your marriage you can't mess around.

Make sure you know what you're getting into with social media. A seminar or public relations consultant will help get you up to speed without the usual learning curve and perhaps save the company some embarrassment that could damage the company brand. Remember once it's on the internet it's hard to pull it back in. Like the minister says "for better or worse, in good times or bad" make sure you have a great marriage because with social media there is no option for divorce.

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