I sign up for many ezines, blogs, rss feeds and newsletters. After a time, you find that some of them no longer provide you the info you need or want. Maybe you don’t have the time to read the mountains of information you thought you could and sometimes you decide you just want to opt out.
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In light of the response that I have received from some of my Linkedin Group members about the posts that I have shared—regarding social media—there is still a discomfort in moving ahead for many companies and business people. There are many others that are diving in and can see that this is now the best way to get leverage with their customers in this new soft economy—preparing for the robust but different future. We know that if you create the right strategy to begin with (know what your goals are before you start) you can and will be successful. Better yet, focus on the target market that has the spending and decision making power. Yes…I’m talking about women. They use social media and spend a significant time online. They love to share information and they want to engage with the companies that will fulfill their needs and address their challenges (because they understand). And the end benefit is that your company will gain a brand evangelist and a repeat customer that spreads the word to others like wild fire!
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I think one of the most important things we tell our customers is that the online initiatives that everyone must now participate in, must be integrated with offline and in-store marketing channels where applicable. Integrated is the key here.

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There is another great article going around the twitter world. I also saw it on a couple of blogs from Marketing Profs. Jason Baer wrote the article and I will give you the link here to read it. http://twitpwr.com/aDf/ What he says is exactly what we advise our clients, both current and potential,  when they tell us they want to implement social media. “It’s fantastic that interest in social media is so high, but I’m alarmed at the number of brands and agencies that are ready to jump into social media to take “advantage” of audience concentration in Facebook, Twitter, and other fast-growth outposts. What’s lacking in most social media programs is an actual strategy. If you don’t know precisely why you’re in social media, with whom you want to engage, and how you’re going to measure success, you’re not ready to start.”
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Social media now has the attention of many companies these days. Everyone is trying to figure out how to leverage and court the customers they want while providing them with the fuel and fire to become brand evangelists. Most companies forget that understanding the innovators, influencers, critics, spectators and those who choose not to participate at all should become a part of the concepts and format they need to develop in order to engage their target audience.
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