I have recently taken on the challenge of how Concep will successfully use social media within our own marketing strategy, I have even made a bet with Mark Power, our globetrotting CEO, that I will generate over £15,000 worth of revenue from new or existing clients within Professional Services by December – not a lot of money, but a start.
But anyone who thinks Social Media will replace email completely will need to help me win my bet 100 times over.
Let’s start with LinkedIn, the hot topic at the moment, it seems. It’s great that I have lots of connections and have joined what I thought would be groups relevant to my interests. Very quickly it is heading down the same route as my now pretty redundant Facebook account. The discussions started off well enough, but very quickly I am finding out about business wins and a lot of general PR, which I find as interesting as getting poked or bitten on a regular basis.
I look at how people within my company are using it: BD are using it as a new contact database so if the receptionist at X Law firm won’t tell them who they need to speak to, they will go and have a look on Linked in and call them directly. If I was job hunting it does look like a great place to go, but luckily I should not to be in that position (unless I am wrong and email does disappear).
Now we move on to the other hot topic, Twitter – Did anyone else have bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning? I have asked around – some people like it, some love it (my fellow blogger Scot McKee comes to mind), but still no one has told me how it has actually worked for them within a corporate environment. I have asked many Marketing Professionals within professional services and they would still rather receive an email than have to set up a Twitter account for us to keep them updated.
But I have made this bet as I do believe that Social Media should have a place within B2B. I view it as true One to One marketing, as individual connects with individual. I am just struggling to work out how it will work in Professional Services. Everyone who tells me it is great seems to be a techie or agency side and the motives behind their work social groups all have an agenda (mine will be £15k). What I don’t believe for a second is that anyone truly believes email has had its day, how we read them changes from desktop to mobile, but do people seriously think it has a life span? My little sister, who is at university, does read email by the way and the messages section within her facebook looks a lot like an inbox.
This week I will be starting my own Group on LinkedIn, I will be very selective on who can join and I hope to prove myself wrong, and win my bet.
