Original Post: Social Media Marketing and Real World Results
By Jim Connolly | June 11, 2012

Social media marketing allows us to network on a local, national or global scale. It allows us to build targeted networks of great contacts, based on our specific area of commercial interest. The cost is extremely low and there’s no cost barrier to building as big and successful a network as you can. For those of us who add blogging to our social media marketing mix, we can also showcase our expertise and knowledge to these amazing people, so they can get a real handle on who we are and the value we bring.

My Quick Take:
Social media isn’t merely a helpful marketing tool, but is becoming an increasingly necessary tool. Personally, when I’m using a product and feel the need to comment on it (either positively or negatively), my first instinct is to look on the packaging or website for a Twitter handle. I expect it to be there, and when it isn’t, I automatically assume the company is out-of-touch. Consumers in America aren’t only using social media – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. – for personal reasons, but are expecting that companies will have a presence on those sites. Are we, as business leaders, going to meet their expectations?