September 2014• 5 Million Passwords Leaked
February 2013• Flames Ticket GIVEAWAY!
December 2012• Holiday Update, from the Team at Benson & Associates
October 2012• If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm talking to you, Microsoft
September 2012• Microsoft to end support of Windows XP and Office 2003
June 2012• Microsoft Unveils New tablet
April 2012• WHAT EXACTLY IS "MANAGED SERVICE"?
February 2012• Buzzwords We Hate
December 2011• Benson IT News • Backup and Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity Planning
September 2011• eScan Update • HP Notebook PC battery Pack Replacement Program - IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL
August 2011• Reclaim your privacy settings on LinkedIn
July 2011• Anti-virus Software Scam • Electronics recycling fees are being reduced
June 2011• Canada Post Strike
May 2011• The Importance of Backups
April 2011• (APRIL FOOLS) - Very Important - URGENT ACTION REQUIRED!
March 2011• The end to pharmaceutical scam emails?
February 2011• MDaemon v12 - BlackBerry Edition
November 2010• Barracuda Spam and Virus Protection • Microsoft's Streetslide takes on Google Streetview
October 2010• A Few Perspectives on OpenOffice.org • The History Of The (Fake) 'Free Public WiFi' You Always See At Airports
September 2010• We Have Moved
August 2010• Private browsing: not so private • Microsoft Releases Emergency Patch For Windows
July 2010• How to spot an e-mail hoax
June 2010• MDaemon v11 Released
May 2010• Autotask Community Live!
April 2010• Facebook Privacy Warning • Slaying Zombie Servers • Going Green • Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program
March 2010• Beginner Tips for SEO • What the heck is SEO, and does it actually work?
February 2010• Encourage Your Customers to Complain • Five Reasons to Consider Managed Service
January 2010• Social Networking Sites • Happy New Year
December 2009• iPhone Rick Roll
November 2009• Flu Season Alert • Make Your Tech Guy Sweat • Flash Player Alert
October 2009• Genie Timeline Now Available • Independent Anti-Virus Field Test
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009• Cloud Computing • Kids Up Front • Benson & Associates NEW Advertisement
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
November 2008
August 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
November 2007
June 2007
September 2005
August 2005
|
Social Networking Sites - 2010-01-21 Social networking sites are cool all over again as businesses embrace them for marketing and keeping in touch with customers and peers.
By Herman Mehling
A few years ago, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter were the coolest way for teenagers and young adults to connect with each other. Now, these sites are becoming cool all over again as businesses use them to connect with customers, employees, peers, and business organizations.
So just how did the once-alternative world of teenage networking morph into a platform for bona fide business marketing? The simple answer: Millions of people visit social networking sites every day--millions who could be in the market for, well, just about anything.
Member communities (which include social networks and blogs) are visited by more than two-thirds of the global online population, according to Global Faces and Networked Places, a recent report from the Nielsen Company. The report also noted that this community sector is growing twice as fast as any of the other four largest sectors (search, portals, PC software, and email). Nielsen also found that Facebook, the world's most popular social network, is visited monthly by three in every 10 people online.
"There are more than 300 million Facebook users and 50 million LinkedIn users, so we see tremendous opportunities to be on those sites," says Jim Locke, president of VAR AxonTech LLC in Whittier, Calif. "Some of my customers have Facebook accounts, so it is easy for me to invite them to my company blog and to stay connected with them."
He also relies on social networking to stay in touch with peers--other VARs that sell to SMBs. Locke is a founding member of the SMB Technology Network, a community of 650 IT consultants and resellers who provide technology products and services.
While Locke has not found any major new business through social networking, other VARs have. "We have gotten some significant deals from customers coming in through our employees' Facebook pages," says Richard Vaughn, vice president of I-Tech Support Inc., an Orlando, Fla.-based VAR that encourages employees to engage in social networking.
Recently, Vaughn received a timely tweet that enabled him to close a deal minutes before entering a meeting to pitch a new client. "If I hadn't been on Twitter, I would never have gotten that information," says Vaughn, who reckons his company has notched up a 500 percent ROI on its outlay in social networking.
In addition to helping I-Tech win new business, social networking enables the VAR to do more personalized marketing. "If you have a Facebook or Twitter account and your clients have one, it is easier to push people into a blog or a video," says Vaughn. "We get a better response rate from social marketing sites than traditional email marketing."
However, there is more to social networking than simply marketing. According to Rebecca Kelley, director of social marketing at 10e20, a New York-based Internet marketing company specializing in social media marketing and search engine optimization, "The real value in social networking is in making connections, building your brand, and providing good customer service."
If you have any questions about the information above or wish to obtain a no obligation quote on how to integrate Twitter or Facebook into your business market plans, please contact Benson & Associates helpdesk at 1-877-247-1664.
Originally Available at: http://www.systembuilderpro.com/article/16027/Twitter-and-Facebook-for-Business/
|