Comments on: How Social Media Is Changing the Way We Do Business

By: Social Media: Is It On Your Menu? « Jeff Lipschultz’s Blog

Social Media: Is It On Your Menu? « Jeff Lipschultz’s Blog — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:59:01 +0000

[...] company leader, if you are not leveraging Social Media (or don’t get it), take a look at what Arment Dietrich is doing. They are not just drinking from the water cooler–they are supplying the [...]

By: Moeed Saeed

Moeed Saeed — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:33:34 +0000

Gini, I am totally on-board with your response to Lesley’s question about how to control relationships with your clients. Social media allows businesses to establish personal relationships with their customers, all while maintaining a global presence. I think customers are frustrated with the impersonal nature of business and social media is a great tool to be personal again, especially for small businesses.

By: Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:25:33 +0000

You have a wonderful talent for capturing the essence of a subject, Gini in a clear and intelligent way.

And you’re so right about the importance of relationship; as PR people, we need to make sure we remember and nurture the ‘R’.

I can’t recall who said that social media is the intersection of the personal and professional, but I think it is and that’s one of its greatest opportunities (and challenges, if a practitioner doesn’t understand the subtleties).

By: Patti Dragland

Patti Dragland — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:41:06 +0000

Thanks so much for listing the value-add for businesses. I have heard a lot of talk lately about “prove the profitability” but great business leadership understands intangibles are hard to measure in a quantifiable manner against “profitability” and do not carry a ‘margin’ percentage.

Businesses have an item on their financials called “Good Will” and a dollar amount is added to that line in the spreadsheet. “Good Will” is only generated through reputation and can only be built with great solid relationships. As you have mentioned, social media is providing another venue for those relationships to develop into stronger and more cohesive bonds allowing businesses to become flexible and learn more about what their customer wants.

I might add one more. Without social media I would not have the incredible opportunity to network with many leaders in my field. Collaboration and partnerships have been built and I have learned more than I ever imagined. Before web2.0 I would have had to travel full time to conferences to build the large network I have – rather than run a business!

Great post Gini!!

By: Susan Mazza

Susan Mazza — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:13:33 +0000

For me the most important point you make is that it is not about the technology – it is all about the relationships. The technology of the past allowed us to reach more people. Social media has allowed us to connect with more people. There is a big difference! Your examples of what social media has enabled for your company are a testament to that difference.

By: Paul Segreto

Paul Segreto — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:47:14 +0000

Over time, personal interaction within a social networking environment creates trust. In turn, it develops relationships, shares information, provides two-way communications, and provides points of reference for follow up. It creates a multi-tiered platform of information that benefits both business development and customer generation efforts alike. Often, simultaneously.

Oh yeah. Without social media I wouldn’t know the great team at Arment Dietrich or for that matter, Gini…

By: Marian Sparks

Marian Sparks — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:31:45 +0000

Gini -
I appreciate this post because social media is “changing the way you communicate with customers” which leads to changing the relationships. It allows the business to be more accessible and personable than some shallow authoritarian, faceless body.

What’s amazing about this change is that many people are afraid of change. And quite frankly they’re afraid of their customers. They’re afraid of being naked and getting the hard core feedback that when applied can help the business be better and serve them better.

I’m thankful for social media (Twitter) for “introducing” me to you. Because without it, I’m not sure how our paths would have crossed!

Keep doing your best work. You’re fantabulous! (and yes, that is a word in webster-LOL!)

By: Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:09:51 +0000

Susan, buy Groundswell for all of your clients and make them read it. That’ll convince them.

By: susan hart

susan hart — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:57:49 +0000

Couldn’t agree more – the fundamental of any business is its relationships with its consumers, and their relationship with the organization, the product or service. So I’m sold – how can I get my clients/prospects to understand?!

By: Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:52:56 +0000

Lesley, I think the whole point is for companies to be more personal with their customers. People want to have relationships with the companies they buy from; in fact, 90 percent of Americans EXPECT to have a relationship with the companies in which they buy from. Take a look at how Zappos has done it. They’ve built extreme customer loyalty through social media that has helped their business grow exponentially.