Social Networking - An Old Head On New Shoulders

May 6, 2010 - PRLog -- The computer age has really hurried along business over the last 20 years. From the days when only a few businesses used a computer and indeed all those years ago I am remembered of a client who called computers “a fad”, to now where essentially computers are regarded by some as just important as an air supply.

Business in that time really has not changed, we still prefer do business and network face to face wherever possible but client loyalty is less regarded as there are more and more outlets for businesses to grab clients, to move their heads and ultimately to steal them away from you. It is indeed a difficult job to get a client and even harder to keep one. One thing is for certain, the business world has shrunk but the amount of businesses vying for position in this shrunken world has grown.

Far from changing the business world, the internet revolution has changed the way businesses can promote and market themselves to the population. There seems to be a million and one internet companies all offering the same products with “unbeatable” value or indeed giving their opinion on something. Trawling through the internet dustbin of companies can take what seems like a lifetime when really all the client has is an hour or so during their lunch break to get the information they are looking for.

So what advantages do businesses have and what tools can be used to retain clients, to buy their loyalty and importantly to keep your business in front of the client? Well, it seems that old principle of simple Networking but on a new footing seems to be the order of the day. The last four or five years has seen consumers spending more time online and consequently building up an online life into what is now commonly known as social networking. Social networking is easy as all your friends, family, business contacts etc are all there in a nice folder. Social networking is convenient as you can quickly hop on the PC and instant message, update your status or tweet. Social networking will also let everyone know, in an instant, if something is good or bad.

The last one is very important for businesses as it means that a good review from your product or service can wing it’s way around numerous Twitter, Facebook, My Space, Digg, Blog etc. You name is, within the space of an hour Social Networking news can do more than the time it took for the first letter in an old fashioned mail shot to be printed, let alone delivered. What is better way for a business to grow than through old fashioned referrals and social networking is exactly that but faster. Mail shots by letter or indeed email shots to a list of unknown people on a database is very ineffective and indeed the chances of your email shot being read by the recipient is very slim and probably has the same chance as that being sent by some Nigerian company offering you $7.5m for a safe and legal investment.

Social network marketing is giving businesses the opportunity to market to clients by numerous different angles and all at the client’s leisure without the client feeling hassled at the amount of correspondence that you are sending them. It is human nature to want to be part of a group and by offering consumers to be part of your online Facebook business group or asking them to follow your Tweets on Twitter or to read your blog businesses can now ask client’s to buy their brand for free. Businesses can now get their product and company updates out there to their prospective clients in an instant, direct the client to their website and brochure, the client choose the product and be delivered the following day.

So who is using social networking? Well the short answer is the smart business. The question is really, who should be using social networking? And the answer is any business that has a customer.

Far from being a passing fad, the internet and social networking phenomenon is here to stay and will only get faster, higher and stronger.

Advanced Training Group are providing social networking workshops around Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket, Thailand. They will also implement your company’s business in the social networking area.

Advanced Training Group are International Communication Specialists. We offer business corporations and SME’s business consulting services, marketing services, employee workshops and seminar speaking and presentations. We have centres in UK, Asia and Australia.

For more information on how Advanced Training Group can work with you, call Ken Thorkildsen on (0066) 860 57 11 56 or email: kt@ atgroup.org.

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A T Group operations started 1984. Since then restructuring has taken place throughout the Group due to the continuous growth of the organization to where the current practice now operates from four regional offices, UK, Australia, Thailand & Malaysia