Aftermarket Insider Issue 67 - (Page 13)

Social Media: helpful or hurtful? The popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn and Classmates.com more than quadrupled from 2005 to 2009. Many users say the sites are good for our society, but others contend that the dangers of social media outweigh the benefits. As with all social media platforms, what is hot today might not be in the future. Companies who chose to use social media need to be able to accurately determine what to allocate their time and resources to in order to increase brand awareness and maintain a positive reputation on- and offline. Social media can prove to be a great feedback and communications channel to customer interactions, whether positive or negative. toolbox INSIDER voLUME 67 blogs Which Social Media Platform is Right for Your Business? Social media is everywhere these days: we see companies employing social media advertising on commercials, radio, billboards, Web sites and even on our cell phones and other mobile devices. We see logos for Facebook, Twitter and Flickr at the bottom of hundreds of Web sites. We are asked to subscribe to blogs, become fans, friends, share and connect in countless ways, but how is this social networking actually benefitting us, and are the companies using these platforms seeing measurable results? through the demonstration of your knowledge of the market, create an emotional investment in your company, build brand awareness and more. Blogs can be integrated with other social media platforms, and can even have your Facebook posts or Twitter streams live on the blog itself. One of the downsides to blogs is that they need to be as real to their readers as you should be to your customers. Readers will know if you are faking your industry knowledge, if you have too much emphasis on yourself and not on them and also whether or not you are involved with the blog regularly. Along those lines, blogs should be updated frequently, which can be difficult from a time perspective. Blogs – Blogs are widely considered the “base” of any social media campaign. Blogs can add personality to your Web site and boost industry perception, educate others AFTERMARKET INSIDER | VOLUME 67 | 13 http://www.Classmates.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aftermarket Insider Issue 67

Aftermarket Insider Issue 67
Contents
President’s Message
Association News
Good Things Happen When YOU ARE HERE!
AAPEX 2010: A Picture-Perfect Show
Toolbox
Toolbox: Going Social
Market Intelligence
Technology Update
Member Profile
Market Intelligence

Aftermarket Insider Issue 67