tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5285812003538838741.post8093475450743755997..comments2008-11-15T11:04:30.215ZChristopher Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660157291722137172noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5285812003538838741.post-26231199963260382642008-11-15T11:04:00.000Z2008-11-15T11:04:00.000ZThank you for the comment, May. <BR/>The ability to actually hear back from the customer is indeed one of the greatest benefits of the social media. Listening must not be ignored by the organisation; in fact, were I to give an organisation one piece of advice it would invariably be to ensure that they continue to develop their capacity to 'listen'. Although I am still convinced that a presence in the social media is a necessity in the current environment, the ability to listen and to understand the medium is an imperative for ensuring the creation of an appropriate presence. Mindlessly entering, 'shouting' and then leaving a conversation is not appropriate...The Lovable Rogue also known as Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660157291722137172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5285812003538838741.post-77299839980915308702008-11-15T10:36:00.000Z2008-11-15T10:36:00.000ZAs I see it, one of the best things that companies can benefit from Social Media is FEEDBACK. Finally you have the option to truly know what your consumers and specially, the ones who are still NOT your consumers, think about you and your product. You'll have honest and valuable information from the ones who actually matter. I'd like to think that, with that powerful information available, Marketers can listen and understand the market in a better way, offering a better service that suits the demand and not pushing an useless experience to the final consumer. <BR/>And with that, I don't mean that I'm against the "Pitch". I just think the "Spam" model is long gone and PRs should mean Personal Relations instead of Public Relations. Therefore, they will talk about their service/product/company. Not talk anyone into it. <BR/>Great Post Chris!<BR/>Maisa.Maisahttp://icloudtoday.tumblr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5285812003538838741.post-89469380920328632072008-11-14T20:29:00.000Z2008-11-14T20:29:00.000ZHey Danny,<BR/>Thanks for the post; glad you liked it! I've just been getting frustrated a lot recently when reading certain blogs. People are forgetting that the social media is not ours... Whilst print and television arguably may have been 'ours' once upon a time when people had no choice but to watch commercials, the social media has always, always, always been about the customer first. If we are lucky, the marketer come in at a distant second. <BR/><BR/>I love marketing and I love the social media, but I honestly think that the lines between the two are beginning to become horribly blurred. At this rate, the social media will only comprise marketers all shouting their latest product offerings at one another... I imagine that the customers will all have had the good sense to move onto other things. <BR/><BR/>Thanks again for your input, Danny. <BR/><BR/>TLRThe Lovable Rogue also known as Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660157291722137172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5285812003538838741.post-56936539252832639522008-11-14T19:17:00.000Z2008-11-14T19:17:00.000ZChris, this is an absolutely fantastic piece, and coming from a self-confessed marketer, your views are particularly resonant.<BR/><BR/>This is indeed the problem facing marketers, PR and advertising professionals looking to take advantage of social media. You can't use traditional methods - they will invariably fail. <BR/><BR/>You want to make connections that will come to you for your brand or product? Get to know them first. It's not hard - all you have to do is ask. ;-)Danny Brownhttp://dannybrown.menoreply@blogger.com