by Fronetics | Sep 23, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
The number of social media channels is astounding –and is growing daily. Which of these channel(s) should your business leverage? Here is what you should consider when determining which social media channels you should use for your B2B business.
Your ideal customer
Who is your ideal customer and on which social media sites are they active? Taking time to understand who your customer is and understanding where they spend their time is invaluable. If you want to reach potential and current customers you need to be where they are – you need to make it easy for them to find you and to engage with your business.
Competition
Identify which social media channels your competition is using. Do these align with the channels your ideal customers are using?
Don’t be follower. If your research has shown that your potential customers are using a social media channel that your competitors are not using, don’t assume your competition knows something you don’t. Play where your potential customers play.
Content
What type of content do you have, and what type of content do you feel will best attract and engage potential customers? Video, for example, is better suited for YouTube than Twitter.
Finally, it is essential that your business is an active participant on social media. Only take on what your business can handle and/or consider outsourcing.
by Fronetics | Sep 9, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
Many companies within the supply chain industry do not participate in social media because “they can’t get past the word ‘social’ and the perception it creates.” Companies with this mindset are at a disadvantage.
The supply chain industry is, by nature, an industry that is built on relationships, partnerships, cooperation, networks, and on communication. Being social is vital to the success of companies with the supply chain industry. Social media is a platform that is well poised to meet the needs and demands of the supply chain industry – and to help companies within the industry grow their business.
Social media is a tool that can be used be the supply chain industry for: risk management, business intelligence, recruitment, lead generation, engaging with current and prospective customers, attracting new customers, improving productivity, problem solving, and establishing your company as an industry leader. Moreover, social media can be used as the foundation for a new business model.
Clara Shih, CEO and Founder of Hearsay Social, and Lisa Shalett, Managing Director and Head of Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy at Goldman Sachs, write:
Social media is perhaps best thought of as 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.
Similarly, Tony Martins, President of Tony Martins & Associates, notes that:
Supply chain executives should look at the social model of collaboration that can be enabled through social media as the most significant strategic weapon in supply chain optimization today. It liberates them from the rigid framework of functional structures and client-supplier relationships. It is the best way I’ve seen to keep the supply chain moving quickly, in spite of the many problems that will always occur.
Still skeptical? Look at companies who have successfully leveraged social media. Or, as Shih and Shalett suggest: “As you contemplate the risks and rewards of social media, we would suggest that the key ingredient for evaluation is simply to experience it for yourself.”
Interested in learning more about social media and the supply chain industry? Download 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 | Aug 13, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
Leads are essential to the growth of your business. Social media is an effective way to find new leads.
Social media allows you to find new leads by doing something called social prospecting. Social prospecting is the art of searching the social web, identifying potential prospects for your business, and engaging them in a manner that draws them to your company’s website and through your funnel.
Social prospecting
At the core, social prospecting is about listening. It is about listening to social media conversations in order to generate leads for your business. It’s beyond monitoring keywords. It’s about engaging people that may or may not know what your business can do for them.
Workbook
We’ve identified the quickest way to find potential prospects on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+ and compiled them in a workbook. Every worksheet includes: a short preparatory work to make the actual prospecting easy; visual instructions on how and where to find prospects; pro tips that will help you get the best results; prescriptions (Marketing Rx) for success; and take-home exercises for follow-up prospecting
Get started
Want to get started? Simply download the workbook.
by Fronetics | Aug 13, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
Leads are essential to the growth of your business. Social media is an effective way to find new leads.
Social media allows you to find new leads by doing something called social prospecting. Social prospecting is the art of searching the social web, identifying potential prospects for your business, and engaging them in a manner that draws them to your company’s website and through your funnel.
Social prospecting
At the core, social prospecting is about listening. It is about listening to social media conversations in order to generate leads for your business. It’s beyond monitoring keywords. It’s about engaging people that may or may not know what your business can do for them.
Workbook
We’ve identified the quickest way to find potential prospects on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+ and compiled them in a workbook. Every worksheet includes: a short preparatory work to make the actual prospecting easy; visual instructions on how and where to find prospects; pro tips that will help you get the best results; prescriptions (Marketing Rx) for success; and take-home exercises for follow-up prospecting
Get started
Want to get started? Simply download the workbook.
by Fronetics | Jul 22, 2014 | Blog, Supply Chain, Talent
Hiring the wrong person is a costly mistake not only financially, but also in terms of team morale and productivity. Making the right hire is crucial.
Research conducted by the PewResearch Internet Project found that in 2013 73 percent of online adults used a social networking site of some kind. The percentage is even higher for job seekers – 89 percent. Given the high prevalence of use, it is likely that your talent pool is on at least one social networking site. Hiring managers and HR professionals within the supply chain industry should use this reality to hire great supply chain talent.
Social media is increasingly being used by hiring managers and HR professionals in their hiring process. More than one third of employers use social media in their hiring practices, here’s why you should follow suit.
A study conducted by CareerBuilder.com found that 65 percent of employers who use social media to screen candidates do so to see how the candidate presents themselves professionally. Fifty-one percent of employers used social media to see if the candidate would be a good match for the company’s culture, and 45 percent reported that they used social media to further research the candidate’s qualifications.
Of those employers who use social media in their hiring process, 34 percent reported that they found content that resulted in them not hiring a candidate. Close to 50 percent of reported that they did not hire a candidate because of inappropriate material in their profile, and 45 reported they did not make the hire because of indications of drinking and/or drug abuse. Other negatives found by the employer were poor communication skills, criticizing former employers, and making prejudicial comments.
A candidate’s social media profile and use can also provide employers with information that can push a candidate to the top of the list. Approximately 29 percent of employers reported that they hired a candidate because their social media profile supported professional qualifications and/or contained a great reference about the candidate. Additionally, employers reported that they hired a candidate because their social media profile showed that the candidate was creative, well-rounded, or had great communication skills.
One thing to keep in mind – all information found online and via social media needs to be treated in the same manner as information found via traditional sources. All hiring practices must abide by state and federal laws relating to fair and equal hiring.
Social media is a great tool that can assist hiring managers and HR professionals hire great talent.
