Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had a number of conversations with magazine editors and association managers about “social media”. The all want to write stories on the subject or bring in speakers to educate their members on what it is and why it is “essential” to use social media.
Unfortunately, the issue isn’t “social media”. The issue is more, what is the role of electronic tools (media) in reaching your customers and generating business. In other words, “how can this help you make money or will much energy be sunk into a hole?”
The tools (media) that are most frequently mentioned are Facebook, Twitter and blogs. And yes, each can have a role in promoting your business. Facebook, and its business cousin LinkedIn, are networking tools. Facebook can also be a communication device. Twitter and blogs are communications vehicles. YouTube can be a training vehicle as well as a communications device. And then there is the myriad of ebusiness functionality that can be conducted with an iPhone and the usage, and development of apps (think about a remote branch or kiosk that accepts credit cards; or storeroom management using the photo capabilities of an iPhone; or online ordering for selected or customer defined order lists; or having a customized app for an electrical calculator.
The key is developing your strategy.
To see how some distributors are using these tools, consider visiting:
- Gexpro’s Automation blog
- Graybar’s Facebook page
- Graybar’s Twitter page
- Werner Electric’s Facebook page (which also has an interesting promotion to generate fans)
- Dominion Electric has two blogs (Enlightening, which focuses on lighting, and Spot Opportunities, for energy saving and product information) as well as a Facebook page
- Platt Electric offers Phone apps for iPhones, Android and Blackberry
- State Electric’s Facebook page
- State Electric’s Twitter page
And there are many more, with some companies using blogs internally to share best practices and intra-company news.
But there are many questions that remain, such as
- Who is visiting my site? How many people are visiting? What are they looking at?
- Who do I want to attract, why, and how do I get them there?
- How much time to invest?
- What are the personnel costs?
- How often does ‘it’ need to be updated?
- What to put on it?”
- How should content differ from a corporate blog/Facebook/Twitter vs. branch specific initiatives?
- How can I monetize these efforts?
- Who should post information?
and many more.
An ebusiness initiative requires a plan. Whom do you want to attract, what do you want to accomplish, how much are you willing to spend, what is the ROI (qualitative and/or quantitative).
An ebusiness strategy that integrates electronic tools (media) for an array of customers (social) is a component of a marketing strategy. How are you addressing the issue? Are you testing or waiting for your customers to tell you?
And if you need some help … (or if you have are using Facebook, Twitter or a blog, please leave your url in the comments section … let’s create an industry list.)
My input to the associations and publications that have talked about social media presenters … don’t waste the time or money unless the presenter can talk about developing a B2B strategy for audiences comparable to distributors / manufacturers and be able to share ideas.
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Here is an excerpt from an Article I recently wrote for a major distribution magazine:
The Social Media phenomenon has spread through our lives like wild fire. Nearly everyone I talk to under the age of 60 has some kind of presence on Facebook.com, Linkedin or some other Social Media site. I believe it’s time to spend just a bit of time and energy working on developing some process around using these tools. Because I know many of you wonder about the value investing time here, let me spell out a quick scenario.
During the recession hundreds of thousands of our customer contacts (the people) found themselves on the wrong side of the downsizing pink slip. For 99% of these people, the only connection we have with them is through their old company – company phone, fax, email etc. Suddenly they disappear from your radar screen.
Let’s think about this, these are people who understand your company. They often are walking and talking experts in your product lines. And, more importantly, these contacts know the value you can provide. Almost without exception, they ultimately find new work – performing a similar job at another company. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could maintain contact with them through their crisis and on the other side once they are again in a buying position? These social networking sites provide a mechanism for keeping the contact alive and staying in tune with “cultivated contacts”. If you believe in the adage “people buy from people”, this contact equates to an investment. Keeping lines of communication open – drives good business.
Here is a link to our facebook page for EDI Electrical Distributors, Inc.
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