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products performance or a person’s character.
The web is more than just getting someone to
instantly like your ideas or thoughts. Business-
es are discovering that the web is a significant
part of how a company continues to operate:
should we go digital? How can we continue
growing consumer relationships? Should we
update our marketing plan?
Are we losing or
gaining customers? Has bad publicity caused
us to lose current and potential business? Do
we need to obtain more investment funds to
upgrade the product?
For all businesses, not just small busi-
nesses, keeping connected is a part of having
your finger on the pulse. Corporate owners
may find that being on the web isn’t just about
avoiding negative feedback. It’s about keeping
in touch with consumers. That is all a part of
having good customer service.
Customer service doesn’t just end with
a solution to a call or complaint. It’s continu-
ously finding interesting ways to keep them
coming back for more. Vice versa, a consum-
ers constant interaction with your organization
can help you build a business beyond meager
satisfactory standards. You can build a brand
with a loyal customer base that can span for
years to come. –
Tonisha L. Johnson
BUSINESS TRENDS
SOCIAL MEDIA
EVERYTHING
F
ULLTIME ONLINE
With the Internet being essential to all busi-
ness, entrepreneurs are finding that being
fulltime online takes more than committing to
hiring someone to sit and answer consumer
posts. It has truly become a part of everyday
business life on all levels even for CEOs.
Social Media Marketing programs such
as Hootsuite, SproutSocial and Postling gauge
more than just your followers and likes. It vis-
ually describes the relationship between you
and your existing customers. It also offers the
opportunity to engage with new customers.
People that you ordinarily couldn’t get to.
Businesses are incorporating the web
into developing CRM (Customer Relationship
Management). They are using compiled data
to better their products and services. They are
also determining how to sell those same prod-
ucts and services based off current customer
feedback and conversations the web records
through comments, posts and threads about a
NOVEMBER 2012
WWW.TOMIMAGAZINE.COM