reading "Leverage existing social networks or find an influencer to do it for you" from @shannonpaul
This article expands upon the fact that most companies don't 'get' social media. The ways that people communicate are changing. The control that marketers used to have is shifting. Users/visitors/prospects want to be in control of how they interact with companies that they do business with. The more companies try to shove their marketing down their throat, the less responsive the customer will be.
You would never practice marketing or sales in person like this. You would never walk up to someone and pitch them immediately. The conversation would first begin with the weather, what you had for breakfast and where you were from. Only then could you have built a minimal amount of trust to introduce the pitch. That's what social media is all about.
The goal here is not to blast your marketing to yet another channel but to be present and accounted for in the conversation and the community. You might not care what the CEO had for breakfast today. But the fact that you even know anything about his meals at all makes him a real person. It makes him closer to you as a customer and builds trust both directly and sub-consciously.
That's my take, read Shannon's article here:
http://veryofficialblog.com/2008/10/24/leverage-existing-social-networks-or-f...
