B2B (Business to Business), B2C (Business to Consumer), Business Blogging, Resources, Social Media for Business

Interacting and Engaging with Customers Online: Benchmark Report & Practical Tips

The Rules of Engagement: NZ Website Study Finds Plenty of Room for Improvement

46% of major websites in NZ do not have a Blog on their website, despite the majority of them using them Facebook and Twitter as a marketing tool.

Only 42% of major companies allowed other people to share content with only 12% allowing interaction in the form of rating or tagging content.

Yesterday I had just finished a phone call with a colleague discussing the differences of the NZ pysche compared to the US with regards to active online engagement, when this report: The Engaged Web in New Zealand landed on my desk (or rather in my email inbox).  What great timing and an opportunity to put pen-to-paper (or rather finger to keyboard) and update my own blog!

This report studied 50 most popular/highly trafficked NZ websites (nb. these are large-sized businesses) across a range of industry sectors to see how kiwi businesses engaged and interacted with their customers online.  The findings are interesting.  Conclusions are, unsurprisingly – “plenty of room for improvement”…. Read More

B2B (Business to Business), Facebook, LinkedIn, Resources, Social Media for Business, Twitter, YouTube

Researching your Competitors using Social Media

I have just read a very good article in the Social Media Examiner called How to Gain Competitive Insight with Social Media.

.

This is a very interesting topic which not only highlights  a) how you can research your competitors online, beyond Google, but also, b)  gives some insight into what you can be doing online yourself, in order to be one step ahead of your competitors.

.

The further advantage is that you can research what people in your industry are doing in other territories of the world – this can also give you a competitive edge for your local business ahead of others.  Great stuff !

.

The article gives some good tips of researching competitors – have a read of the article to find out how to do the following indepth research.  There are also references and links to some good online tools you can use:… Read More

B2B (Business to Business), LinkedIn, Resources, Social Media for Business

The Power of LinkedIn for Business Professionals

Top Tips for Utilising LinkedIn – Why and How to use LinkedIn as a business professional.

Are you on Linkedin?

Why wouldn’t you be?

Everyone in business – especially consultants and sales people – can benefit from using Linkedin.

Here are some Facts to introduce the Power of LinkedIn:

1.  There are 80 million users worldwide!

2.  Over 50% of these users are at senior management level

3.  Their average household income is US$107k

4.  Approximately 20% of the total users are small business people

In summary,

“there is no other social networking site where you have a greater chance of being able to interact with an influential decision maker”, Neil Schaffer of Windmill Networking

LinkedIn is like a Virtual Trade-Show, operating 24/7

If you are a business professional, particularly one who relies on networks, it is essential that you are on LinkedIn.

And done properly, it will support your other marketing activity.

There is more to utilizing LinkedIn than just setting up a Profile and accepting connection requests.  As more and more people use Linkedin as a networking tool, those with incomplete or out-of-date Profiles are missing out and, worse still, negatively portrayed.

What is your Social Media Goal for the LinkedIn Platform? For example:  Do you want to advance your career, raise your personal profile, market your brand, meet new contacts, grow your business into a new area, develop and strengthen business relationships etc etc.

Perhaps it’s all of the above.  These are all possible on LinkedIn.

.

Later in this Article, I will introduce you to 5 easy ways to effectively utilise this professional social media tool to promote yourself and grow your business.

.

Firstly, the Key Reasons to be on Linkedin are:

…. Read More