Interested in a Sales/Marketing Position? You’d Better Start Tweeting

Traditionally, companies promote sales by initiating one-way, and often persuasive messages to influence buyers’ purchasing decisions, but social media has destroyed the “one-to-many-communication” model. And because of that, if one wants to work in the field of sales and marketing, s/he must know how to communicate effectively on social media.

Well, many people have already been active on Facebook and Instagram. Isn’t it enough? Probably, at least they know how to “talk” as a customer. The challenge is B2C (business-to-consumer) communications are very different from C2B (consumer-to-business) and C2C (consumer-to-consumer) communications because everything posted on a company’s Facebook page or Instagram profile must reflect a brand’s or a company’s core value. Do you notice any differences between the Facebook messages posted on McDonald’s page and the ones on Chick-fil-A’s page?

A good sales/marketing manager must also know how to measure and document the ROI (return on investment) of a company’s effort on social media marketing. Very likely, most internet users do not even pay attention to how many friends they actually engage on social networking sites. If that’s the case, can they determine if a B2C communication strategy is working or not based on measurable outcomes?

Additionally, a good sales/marketing manager must go beyond Facebook and Instagram. At a minimum, s/he must also be active on LinkedIn and Twitter. According to the Wall Street Journal, Twitter now has over 230 million monthly active users. Some companies have already gained great success in promoting sales on Twitter. For a hotel, Twitter can be an “easy and inexpensive way to get in touch with its audience and to form community bonds.”  

If you still feel doubt about Twitter, let’s hope the following Bloomberg video will add some weight to my argument. In your opinions, what are the important skills that a sales/marketing manager should possess in the social media era? What can a candidate do to better prepare himself/herself for the challenges facing sales/marketing managers these days?


References:
The picture was downloaded from Guladigital.com.

Microblogging: Learning about Tumblr

Microblogging: Learning about Tumblr

Today, microblogging is a popular social media tool to get your opinions and thoughts out into the world. Microblogging allows you to let your friends or followers know what you are up to, using up to using a limited number of characters.  Friends use microblogging to keep in touch, businesses use it to coordinate meetings and/or expand their brand, and celebrities’ blog about concert dates, tour schedules, etc.

Tumblr is a free microblogging platform and social media-networking site.  Tumblr is very easy for new users and is a great way for users to promote photos, designs, thoughts, etc.  It is a popular site and has a young crowd, but today, companies such as Newsweek and GQ are using it to connect with customers and expand their brand.

Even though I have heard about Tumblr, I have never used it...so I decided to create and account for this course.  Here are a few things that I have learned from it:

While using Tumblr, users can “follow” other users’ blogs, can re-post their comments and give them credit, and can #hashtag keywords and URLs to connect to other similar posts.  By Tumblr having these features, it is easy to spread your blog to get followers.  When you first sign up, you immediately start to build your own microblog by clicking on which #hashtags you are most interested in. Tumblr expands your SEO because even though the URLs are long, there are keywords from the title to make it easier and cleaner.

Tumblr is a great microblogging tool because it allows users to post pictures, links, text, audio and chat.  Compared to twitter, Tumblr lets the user have more freedom on designing their website and choosing the way they want their dashboard to look.  They have pre-picked themes that are available to users including premium themes, free themes, single columns, two columns, three columns, vintage, hi-res, grid, etc.  Many of these themes do have a price, which I think is ridiculous-- why would someone pay $49 to have a specific theme?  But, by having all of these options, it gives the user the freedom to make their platform look as original as possible and make it their own.

Tumblr connects to Facebook and Gmail and users can use these other social media networks to find friends to “follow”.  Tumblr has a page on “People you can follow” and “People you may know”, which is a great way to find other bloggers with related interests.  There is also a page where a user can search the popular #hashtags to see if they want to follow or re-post the blog called the “Explore Page”. Also, taken from Twitter, Tumblr has “status updates/blog” for downtime and/or technology issues. A status blog allows the users to express their thoughts in a short sentence or two, while not worrying about having to post pictures or videos.

Now that you know more about Tumblr and its uses, here are a couple of questions I would like you to answer:

1.     If you use Tumblr, do you recommend this site over other microblogging site? If yes, why? If you do not use Tumblr, do you think that you ever will?

2.     Do you think that Tumblr will connect with more social media sites, other than Facebook? Do you think that they should?

References:

http://searchengineland.com/5-microblogging-sites-that-arent-twitter-23481

www.gurugrounds.com/marketing/social-media-marketing/top-10-microblogging-sites/

http://www.businessinsider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-tumblr-2012-8?op=1#ixzz2L4ZjSDeL

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2195458,00.asp

Beyond a Profile Page: A Continuous Discussion of “Seeking Jobs on Social Media”

It is no longer a secret that companies use social media to recruit and select managerial candidates. As a result, if a job seeker wants to catch an employer’s attention, s/he must be visible online as an expert.

Last year, I published an article about social-media job-search tactics in HOSTEUR™, in which I shared some career advice with hospitality and tourism students. A year later, I was invited to write an article of the same topic for the HealthyYou Magazine, but this time my target audience is the students majoring in nutrition science and public health. I actually offered similar advice to both groups (even though with different wordings). The truth is it doesn't matter in which area(s) a person wants to advance his/her career. The basic tactics of using social media in job search remain the same. Here are some examples,

• A job seeker must understand the characteristics and qualifications that his/her ideal employer is looking for in order to design/develop an appropriate personal brand that fits into this employer’s expectations as well as his/her own career goal.
• Having a presence on major social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter is good, but not enough. A job seeker also needs to actively participate in online forums and discussion. The more useful information this person shares, the better. The more this person helps other in a specific area, the more likely this person will be known as an expertise in a particular domain.
• It is nice to connect with the industry experts, professionals, co-workers, clients, and people who share the same interests, but these connections may not mean much if we never interact with them. A trustful relationship is built over time through continuous interactions.
• Being negative and critical is fine because it shows a person’s professional knowledge (at least it indicates that this person is capable of identifying an issue), but it can be better if this person is able to offer constructive feedback, suggestions, and alternative solutions to help solve the issue.
• In order to leverage the power of social media, professionals and students must be willing to share their knowledge and some personal information online. A person can have the most brilliant idea in the world, but such wonderful idea might never be discovered or searchable by a potential employer if this person keeps everything private.

What do you think? Will those tactics work in other disciplines besides hospitality and tourism, nutrition science, and public health? What other useful suggestions will you make to those job seekers who plan to use social media in job search?

Relevant discussions:
Tactics of Seeking Jobs on Social Media

Privacy vs. Efficacy: Which One Would You Choose? (Using Facebook in Job Search)

One Has No Choice But to Manage His/Her Online Image
Background Check on Social Media: Now Is a Serious Business
Using Facebook for Background Check
Social Media and Job Search I
Social Media and Job Search II

Social Media and Job Search III

Personal Brand and Social Media
Managing Your Online Reputation
Ways to Clean Up a Person’s Negative Online Reputation

References:

Kwok, Linchi (2012). Beyond a profile page: Using social media to build a personal brand and impress potential employers. HealthyYou Magazine, 12(1), 14 – 15. (Available in print but not online yet).  

How Restaurateurs Can Use Blogging and Social Media to Promote their Restaurants (by Kate Manning)

Ten years ago social media was a business novelty, and today it is a corporate standard. This is particularly true of the restaurant industry, as the majority of cafes and eateries currently use online networking platforms to promote their business and reach out to potential customers. As a result, it is more important than ever for restaurateurs to learn how to utilize these tools in order to remain competitive. Luckily there are a number of ways to do so, such as enrolling in distance learning programs like the ones found on this site for online MBA schools or taking classes at a local university. No matter what option restaurateurs pursue they will quickly discover that social media is the best and most effective way to market their business.

In a March 2011 article for Huffington Post Business, columnist Wiley Cerilli referred to the Internet as “the great equalizer,” since all restaurants, from franchise chains to singular establishments, are given unlimited ad space and airtime. The key to successfully promoting a restaurant online, he writes, is following the proper procedures. “It’s one thing to have a social media presence,” Cerilli noted,” but it’s another to manage it correctly.”

Cerilli’s article lists five restaurants that effectively market themselves with social media, and he claims a key component of their success is user-friendliness. One restaurant allows customers to make online reservations and read up-to-date menus on its Facebook page. Another uses Foursquare to provide discounts for customers who use the site to “check-in.” Some restaurants market themselves using alternative platforms, such as San Francisco’s Nombe. This Japanese Eatery reaches out to clientele with Foodspotting, a mobile app that allows restaurant owners to upload dish recommendations, pairing tips and other food-related media. “Ranging from top sake flights to the best brunch spots, Nombe has done a great job branding themselves as experts within the Northern California restaurant space,” Cerilli writes.

In terms of various platforms, Facebook continues to be the most popular resource with both restaurant owners and patrons. More than 70 percent of American restaurants have a corresponding Facebook page, and the number grows significantly every week. The social networking juggernaut still has plenty of nay-sayers, but restaurateurs often find that Facebook provides a direct connection with customers. “From a franchising point of view, I love it. When a potential partner calls me, I tell them go to the Facebook page and listen to what guests are saying about us. What could have more credibility?” Gary Occhiogrosso, chief development officer of Trufoods LLC, told Nation’s Restaurant News in January 2012, adding that web users access his company’s Facebook page more often than its official website.  

In the last year, Livingsocial and Groupon proved immensely popular with consumers, and restaurant owners can enjoy their benefits as well. A recent report from the National Federation of Small Businesses (NFSB) indicates that the deals offered by these sites (e.g., a $20 food voucher that costs $10) often introduce the public to new dining locales—which can be a boon for any small, privately owned restaurant. Ostensibly, these initial discounts bring in a large number of customers in a short period of time. Additionally neither Livingsocial nor Groupon will bill the restaurant owner up front; instead, the sites claim a share of the overall profit—so they will not make money until the business does. 

However, these seemingly win-win deals have caveats. For example, establishments with limited dining space and service staff are warned that the customer overload may be too much to effectively handle. Owners should also not expect immediate profits—in fact, most restaurants will merely break even from discount offerings. “The main purpose [of a Livingsocial or Groupon deal] is to bring in new customers,” the NFSB report says, “and encourage them to come back.”

As app technology becomes more and more prevalent, restaurants offering delivery service are encouraged to adapt to the times. By offering a free, downloadable app that allows a user to order food with his or her mobile device, restaurateurs elevate their establishment above the competition. Owners can take this concept one step further by installing smart phone and tablet tags that enable device users to simply scan a code in order to download the app.

Social media essentially bridges the cap between business owners and consumers—and successful restaurateurs worldwide have benefited from this simplified connection. A classic adage of advertising has always been, “go where the customers are.” In the age of Facebook and Foursquare, restaurant owners are staging the most lucrative marketing campaign in history.

Bio: Kate Manning didn't expect to find herself at the intersection of business, marketing, and the Internet, but with sound writing and editing skills, she makes the most of it. She's worked under others' supervision and on her own for herself.

Are Traditional Media Dead? “Garden and Gun” Says No.

In this week’s agenda for my class of HPM200 Managing Service Organizations in Social Media, we will discuss the impact of social media on TV networks, newspaper, and magazines. Statistics have shown that people rely less on traditional media for information than they did before.  The viewership of TVs and printed media declined. Then, are traditional media dead already or will be replaced by social media soon? 

Garden and Gun, the magazine that was established by a New Yorker in 2007, dares to say no. As a matter of fact, the magazine is doing quite well in terms of subscriptions and industry recognitions.

What’s good about this magazine? Based on what I saw in this CBS News video, I contribute its success to the following factors:

• It positions in a niche market. While there are many magazines and newspaper covering stories of either the Northeastern Region or the West Coast, there is a lack of attention to the “world” in between.
• It has a clear focus: the southern lifestyle --- “authentic, old-school, and unapologetic.” No politics, religion, and SEC football.   
• It has a metaphor yet eye-catching name for branding. 

What are the other attributes for this magazine’s success? From this example, do you think printed media still have room to grow? How so? If you believe that there is no future for printed media, please tell us why you think that way.   

If you are interested in our discussion, please join our conversation on Twitter (#HPM200) every Tuesday and Thursday between 9:30 am and 10:50 am Eastern.

References: The picture was downloaded from Garden and Gun.