What's better? Social Media or Cold Calling when it comes to business building

As I had a quiet morning, I thought I would have a look at traditional businesses and flicked through the yellow pages and thomson local directory just to see how web savvy the businesses are.

I devised a scale indicating a business' comittment to communication with their customers.

Level 1: they have a phone number
Level 2: they have more than a basic ad
Level 3: they have a website
Level 4: they display their email address
Level 5: they display a twitter account
Level 6: they display their facebook page


Level 1-4 is all about having the immediacy - potential customers can contact you when they need the goods or services you provide.

Approx 1% display an email address.
None had a twitter of facebook page displayed. This shows a real lack of awareness of potential from social media.

Here's why having a social media page / twitter account in addition is superior.

Third party credibility and recommendation. Facebook and twitter are not owned by the business, they are independent. As a result other people can post comments on the page. This shows that the business is willing to accept feedback.

Engagement. If a person sees a facebook and twitter ID, then there is a good chance that they are showing willing to communicate with their potential customers on a regular basis. In otherwords having a regular engagement or relationship with their audience. This is positive and beneficial to the business because they also have the benefit of word of mouth.

Leverage. There is only so much effort you can place in building your business, so using the internet and other people (fans) to share the load is a bonus. Facebook and Twitter have features that allow you to access on a regular basis many more people.

The only disadvantage of Facebook and Twitter is that it is not so long lasting, so coupled with a blog, your social media presence can have longevity. Someone who follows your social media post back to a blog post will also be able to see your progression.

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p.s. what does this article have to do with cold calling? Cold calling is a very singular event. In 99% of cases is just a fleeting moment. Social media allows you to draw a customer in to your business and by connecting in a 'warm' way, when your potential customer is ready, they will buy from you.

Set up your own marketing system online and get Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter to work for you.

Mark N Hopgood is an entrepreneur who helps others build businesses online.
His linkedin profile is officially in the top 1% of most viewed accounts. Linkedin is a community of 200 million professionals from around the world.

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