Social networking and business

As promised – Number 8 takes on something of a hot topic. Let’s be clear here, what I’m presenting is my current opinion.  At time of going to press you can call me a sceptic but I’ll be attending another of Business Link’s seminars on the subject this week and I have a stack of reading to get through. I’ll certainly be better informed by this time next week, but will it change my mind?

As I see it, the fundamentals of marketing don’t change. The customer is the priority and the brand is precious. What has changed is the way customers communicate with each other. But customers are still people Version 1.0 and Maslow is still in his heaven.

Here’s the problem. That first fundamental rule seems to sit comfortably enough. The customer is the priority and you’re only going to succeed if you place your offering in a position where your customers are going to see it – could be a market stall, could be a website. Up to this point, the prospect of finding groups of your customers on a social networking platform seems to be ticking all the boxes.

Sorry, there’s a ‘but’.

But, how do you protect your brand? Using social networking for marketing means losing control of the message. Rather than broadcasting your message (under control), you’re starting a dialogue (without control). But surely, dialogue isn’t a bad thing, is it? Nope, not at all. But do you have the time? And what’s to be gained? Do you have the tone right – to suit both the media and your brand?

Yes, I’m a sceptic. To me, it seems like a lot of effort for little return. Maybe all that will change in the week to come. I guess if it does, you’ll be amongst the first to know.

More soon.   

The Gap

Over the weekend a friend told me about a ‘pep’ talk given to her sales team. They were told to ‘pick up the ball and run’. Was that wise?

Well, if you snatch a wayward pass from a fly half, and you have the gas, there is a fair chance that the power and the glory will be yours. So, yes, there is something to be said for the analogy.

But these opportunities are rare – especially in a tight game. If an opportunity does come your way, rather than the chance to sprint the length of the pitch, you’re more likely to be looking into The Gap.

The Gap offers an opportunity to take things forward – the play breaks enough for you to see a chance to make some ground. If you see it, you need to use it because it won’t be there for long. What you gain from it is very much dependant on how well your team mates read what you’re doing and just how quickly they can form the supportive framework around you. How quickly can you turn an opportunist strike into a training ground phase where everybody knows their role?

So, yes, encourage your team to pick up the ball and run – but only if you’re sure you have the management and resources in place to support them. It may well be that they can make ground, but might not be able to cross the line themselves. Fail to support them and you could find yourself defending ferociously very quickly.

Okay, training done for the day. Ice baths all round. Next up I want to go back to the subject of the Business Link seminar I mentioned and talk about social networking and business, and then I have a rant planned on this amorphous thing we call ‘content’.

More soon.

Save Business Link

Very interesting Business Link seminar yesterday on market trends and technology. I'm going to take a look at some of the issues raised in the next few posts.

While the seminar gave delegates much in the way of food for thought regarding where their customers are online and what they're doing, it didn't answer any of the questions that have been floating around about the future of Business Link itself.

The rumour is that the Business Link service is threatened with cuts - maybe more than that. Personally, as a new kid on the block, I've found the resources and advice offered by Business Link to be massively useful and encouraging and I think it would be a tragedy to lose it.

Because, when you think about it, at a time when the economy is slowly getting up from its knees, if you can somehow group together people with ideas and skills they want to try out for themselves, and then empower them with an agency that points them in the right directions you might just be on to something. Something big. Something like ... a Big Society. No? Too cheesy? Fair enough.

So, Mr C. You might want to get back to us when you've had a chance to think this through. OK?

The plan ...

... is very simple.

Number 8 Web Management is a new small business, based in Bath, with the aim of working alongside other small businesses to improve their websites.

So, I'm going to be using this space to reflect on (in no real order)

• being a small business
• being in the west country
• the web

As you may have guessed, there is a rugby connection here too. So, at times I might be waxing lyrical about that elusive dancing oval ball ...

More soon.