It’s an ongoing discussion about whether social media like Twitter and Facebook have much to offer to corporate America. While many people debate it, thankfully many others (like Zappo’s and Dell) just “get it”.
No matter what you think of it all and how to measure its ROI – some companies embrace it and understand how to use it effectively.
Pondering the value of these forms of communication is as productive as discussing the in and outs of dry erase boards.
Guess what. They work. Period.
Okay, ignore the period (yes, I ramble). Social “whatevers”, like Facebook, Ning, Twitter, and so many more can be huge time sucks. But when you use it for business, you are not in the same mode as many people are with Facebook on a personal level. If I am correct, a study out last week showed the average American spending 30+ hours a month on Facebook! Wow!
For business use, a few hours a week (maybe an hour a week) can go a long way on many “social” fronts. When used to extend a more human side of your company and offer genuine value to your customers – your efforts are rewarded. Dell and its additional million in revenue in 18 months from their Twitter promos and Zappo’s with their customer service are wonderful examples.
At the end of the day, social media is simply another channel for communication, and if you offer value to your customers, you get your precious ROI.
For our efforts (as posted last week), we have received new business, both in land for Ener and projects for me. And tonight, a validation that reflects a genuine respect from our community came in the form of a few brief mentions from Torley Linden.
Why is this a big deal? We have tremendous respect for Torley in what he does and in his character. We also respect his time. Linden lab scored several people in one when they hired Torley. To have him take the time to say “nice” job on two different things is something we do not take for granted. Thank you Torley.
ps – that crazy thing called Twitter was used to let me know about this tonight. Wonder if it has any value . . . =p