October 10, 2008

It's A Jungle Out There!

As the worldwide markets continue to slide, we are all nervous. Most are more cautious, less creative, and frankly unsure how far this will go.

Jeff Pulver has reached out to the community for a helping hand. He is calling it "The Social Media Jungle: Leveraging Social Media for You And Your Business." Click here for more.

Companies are looking for ways to better tell their story. The best way to do that is to reflect life and not wedge their product in somewhere out of context. When you walk in to a grocery store and the first thing you notice is not the Coke on sale for $2.99 but rather the delicious smell coming from the bakery section. You will buy a pie and spend more time and money in the space.

Blogs, podcasts, and social media profiles allow others to see our creations being created instead of being force fed our logos and company slogans.

The key word is "social". We aren't selling drills; we are providing a way for people to put a hole in their wall to hang that picture.

In order to embrace the power of social networking, companies need at least one corporate champion in the space. This is not to market company attributes, but rather to offer more insight into the people involved.

I don't know about you, but I will buy-in to a person long before I buy-in to another empty sales' pitch.

The corporate champion must commit to the social network and be sincere. Many feel it won't lead to making money. If you put money before community, few will buy into you.

And the most important element is that we must admit we need to solve this together. No one person has the answer and we are all feeling the pinch.

Good luck with the event, Jeff!

km

 
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