According to the Chartered Institute of Marketing Social Media Benchmark study 1 in 5 marketers said their business was “fundamentally ill-equipped to take advantage of social media” and only a quarter of those questioned had established any solutions for this lack of competency.
I’m surprised it is only 1 in 5. Many more than that express their confusions when I meet them at events and conferences. They’re experiencing a profound feeling of being overwhelmed by all the new ideas and tools they have to learn to use in social media and digital PR. But then perhaps these are the ones who know they need to learn new skills and are looking for ways to improve.
The main thing to remember is that the media has been changing for the last 100 years. And it will continue to do so. The old way is not dead; it has just developed and mutated into something that can make a marketing, PR or sales person jump about with glee once they understand the true benefit and value of digital PR and social media.
Filling that prospect pipeline means you have to contact lots of people. We all know it’s a numbers game. And we know that word of mouth and personal recommendation is the best and most trusted way to get new business. Sales are driven by recommendations and connections. As a marketing professional once told me, marketing pales in comparison to a friend telling you that this “thing” is amazing.
Social Media is a key to the new model of business. People are online searching for help and solutions to their problems. It’s a basic human truth that they will turn to friends or “people like them” for answers. They regard them as reliable sources for recommendations. This has been the case since the beginning of commerce. One caveman asked around as to who made the best clubs and then bartered for the one most recommended.
I know that is how it happened because I saw it on YouTube.
by Cokey Falkow
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