by Fronetics | Feb 20, 2014 | Blog, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
There are a staggering number of outlets available for consumers to search for products and services. From Google, Yahoo and Bing to Angie’s List or Craigslist to Facebook or Pinterest, people are spending much more time online researching before making a purchasing decision.
While many businesses may have an excellent track record within their industry, not having a presence on social networks can be detrimental many companies. Without this presence, when consumers are exploring their options before making a purchase, companies are missing out and it ultimately affects the bottom line. Using social media is an increasingly beneficial way for businesses to build and improve their reputations.
Fronetics Strategic Advisors believes that embracing presence is a great way to build your reputation. Here are three reasons why using social media is a valuable decision your company needs:
1. People Should Be Talking About You.
According to Ragan Social Media, 97 percent of consumers who bought a product based on an online review found the review to be accurate. Online reviews can be found on nearly every type of social network – from LinkedIn and Facebook pages, to conversation on Twitter and Reddit. Consumers are talking about your product – and if they are not, there is a problem.
2. The Higher the Number, the Better.
When consumers are researching products and services, they will be looking at your social media channels. Consumers want to know that your business is the go-to in the industry, that you are fully knowledgeable, and want to see that you are sharing content that is relevant to your industry and not simply using social media as a completely self-serving tool. Using social media as a tool to demonstrate thought leadership will increase your reputation. Having a solid number of followers on your social networks, and a high rate of engagement with them, will let your potential customers know that you are a reliable resource for information – and ultimately, a great product that they need to have.
3. Social Media Can Help You Manage Your Reputation
Unfortunately, in businesses across all industries, there are public relations issues (and sometimes nightmares) that require a level of management that is difficult to achieve by simply distributing a press release or adding a note to your website. Building a strong brand through social media and utilizing these channels as a means of being more transparent to consumers is highly beneficial to all businesses. These efforts supplement your public relations efforts and can help restore brand loyalty.
Over the past decade, social media has significantly changed how companies can manage their image. Having a low number of followers and lack of engagement will be a negative on many different levels. On the contrary, building a strong social media presence allows for businesses to connect with customers and consumers like never before. Take advantage of this opportunity and interact with your customers – you’ll be sure to learn something about your own company, as well as about your targeted consumers.
by Fronetics | Feb 20, 2014 | Blog, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
There are a staggering number of outlets available for consumers to search for products and services. From Google, Yahoo and Bing to Angie’s List or Craigslist to Facebook or Pinterest, people are spending much more time online researching before making a purchasing decision.
While many businesses may have an excellent track record within their industry, not having a presence on social networks can be detrimental many companies. Without this presence, when consumers are exploring their options before making a purchase, companies are missing out and it ultimately affects the bottom line. Using social media is an increasingly beneficial way for businesses to build and improve their reputations.
Fronetics Strategic Advisors believes that embracing presence is a great way to build your reputation. Here are three reasons why using social media is a valuable decision your company needs:
1. People Should Be Talking About You.
According to Ragan Social Media, 97 percent of consumers who bought a product based on an online review found the review to be accurate. Online reviews can be found on nearly every type of social network – from LinkedIn and Facebook pages, to conversation on Twitter and Reddit. Consumers are talking about your product – and if they are not, there is a problem.
2. The Higher the Number, the Better.
When consumers are researching products and services, they will be looking at your social media channels. Consumers want to know that your business is the go-to in the industry, that you are fully knowledgeable, and want to see that you are sharing content that is relevant to your industry and not simply using social media as a completely self-serving tool. Using social media as a tool to demonstrate thought leadership will increase your reputation. Having a solid number of followers on your social networks, and a high rate of engagement with them, will let your potential customers know that you are a reliable resource for information – and ultimately, a great product that they need to have.
3. Social Media Can Help You Manage Your Reputation
Unfortunately, in businesses across all industries, there are public relations issues (and sometimes nightmares) that require a level of management that is difficult to achieve by simply distributing a press release or adding a note to your website. Building a strong brand through social media and utilizing these channels as a means of being more transparent to consumers is highly beneficial to all businesses. These efforts supplement your public relations efforts and can help restore brand loyalty.
Over the past decade, social media has significantly changed how companies can manage their image. Having a low number of followers and lack of engagement will be a negative on many different levels. On the contrary, building a strong social media presence allows for businesses to connect with customers and consumers like never before. Take advantage of this opportunity and interact with your customers – you’ll be sure to learn something about your own company, as well as about your targeted consumers.
by Fronetics | Feb 13, 2014 | Blog, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
demand generation infographic
by Fronetics | Feb 13, 2014 | Blog, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
demand generation infographic
by Fronetics | Feb 4, 2014 | Blog, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
This article also appeared on DC Velocity.
Research conducted by Adrian Gonzalez, founder and president of Adelante SCM, found that 30 percent of respondents (supply chain professionals) reported that their companies block access to social media sites. One of the reasons for the lack of participation in social media by these companies is likely due to a lack of understanding of what social media is and the role it can play in business. As noted by Gonzalez: “many supply chain executives and companies are stuck on the starting line because they can’t get past the word ‘social’ and the perception it creates.”
In a 2013 article in MIT Sloan Management Review, Gerald C. Kane, Associate Professor at the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, wrote: “When asked to define social media, most people probably rely on something similar to Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s definition of obscenity: ‘I know it when I see it.’” Unfortunately this approach to defining social media tends to perpetuate stereotypes and does not accurately reflect what social media is and how it can be utilized by business. What, then, is social media? Social media is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as: “websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.” These websites and applications are inclusive of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. Social media is part of a larger framework called social technologies. The McKinsey Global Institute defines social technologies as: “IT products and services that enable the formation and operation of online communities, where participants have distributed access to content and distributed rights to create, add, and/or modify content.” Social technologies are inclusive of Yammer, Jive, Moxie, and Supply Chain Operating Networks such as Descartes, GT Nexus, Elemica, E2open, LeanLogistics, and One Network. Also included in social technologies are network-based business intelligence and analytics.
Clara Shih, CEO and Founder of Hearsay Social, and Lisa Shalett, Managing Director and Head of Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy at Goldman Sachs, call attention to the fact that when you get right down to it, social media encompasses “a set of new and innovative ways for businesses and customers to do what they have always done: build relationships, exchange information, read and write reviews, and leverage trusted networks of friends and experts.” Furthermore, engaging in social media and utilizing social technologies provides business with the tools to manage status, social networks, and established relationships—all drivers of firm performance. Social media and social networking also enable companies to be able to better manage risk, create demand, define their reputation, innovate, enhance business intelligence, and improve productivity.
To learn more about social media and the role it can play in business, see our white paper: Social Media and the Logistics and Supply Chain Industries: Why Not Participating is a Risk You Can’t Afford to Take.
by Fronetics | Feb 4, 2014 | Blog, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
This article also appeared on DC Velocity.
Research conducted by Adrian Gonzalez, founder and president of Adelante SCM, found that 30 percent of respondents (supply chain professionals) reported that their companies block access to social media sites. One of the reasons for the lack of participation in social media by these companies is likely due to a lack of understanding of what social media is and the role it can play in business. As noted by Gonzalez: “many supply chain executives and companies are stuck on the starting line because they can’t get past the word ‘social’ and the perception it creates.”
In a 2013 article in MIT Sloan Management Review, Gerald C. Kane, Associate Professor at the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, wrote: “When asked to define social media, most people probably rely on something similar to Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s definition of obscenity: ‘I know it when I see it.’” Unfortunately this approach to defining social media tends to perpetuate stereotypes and does not accurately reflect what social media is and how it can be utilized by business. What, then, is social media? Social media is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as: “websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.” These websites and applications are inclusive of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. Social media is part of a larger framework called social technologies. The McKinsey Global Institute defines social technologies as: “IT products and services that enable the formation and operation of online communities, where participants have distributed access to content and distributed rights to create, add, and/or modify content.” Social technologies are inclusive of Yammer, Jive, Moxie, and Supply Chain Operating Networks such as Descartes, GT Nexus, Elemica, E2open, LeanLogistics, and One Network. Also included in social technologies are network-based business intelligence and analytics.
Clara Shih, CEO and Founder of Hearsay Social, and Lisa Shalett, Managing Director and Head of Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy at Goldman Sachs, call attention to the fact that when you get right down to it, social media encompasses “a set of new and innovative ways for businesses and customers to do what they have always done: build relationships, exchange information, read and write reviews, and leverage trusted networks of friends and experts.” Furthermore, engaging in social media and utilizing social technologies provides business with the tools to manage status, social networks, and established relationships—all drivers of firm performance. Social media and social networking also enable companies to be able to better manage risk, create demand, define their reputation, innovate, enhance business intelligence, and improve productivity.
To learn more about social media and the role it can play in business, see our white paper: Social Media and the Logistics and Supply Chain Industries: Why Not Participating is a Risk You Can’t Afford to Take.
