Social and Business networking sites seem to be all the rage at the moment. Just a few short years ago everyone was raving about Friends Reunited and the fact that you could actually communicate with long-lost school friends. Not forgetting that they were “lost” for a reason!
Nowadays as the digital era continues to boom there are many forms of sites to keep you in touch with friends, colleagues, family – just about anybody you may or may not want to hear from.
Social sites such as Facebook are getting thousands upon thousands of hits per day and are becoming a great source for online advertising. Cleverly placed ads can be spotted throughout forums, game applications and profiles. This is becoming a key area for brands to get noticed. Many people these days, particularly in the 15 – 35 age bracket, may have their TV turned on but they are online and paying more attention to what their long-lost cousin is having for their tea!
From a business perspective, the specialist sites providing these platforms have proved invaluable. Within sales particularly, the difficult part of the job was actually finding out who to talk to – the key decision maker. If you have a well developed contact list on LinkedIn, Xing or any of the many other business networks, a click on the mouse will provide a list of potential contacts. Together with a full career profile and a few interests to be used as ice-breakers! What more would a discerning sales professional need?
The internet has provided many advantages for people of all walks of life, but used simply as a way of connecting with people there really are no barriers anymore.
Ashley Seddon
ashley.seddon@digitalpersonnel.co.uk