[clarkson]

 hi could someone explain blogs and facebook twitter etc to me please.

 i am reading social media for dummies and i am to much of a dummy to get even that.

 i have a blog page on new website and a facebook page but blowed if i know what to do with content.

 cheers

 john

[Paul Clapham]

IMO don't bother !   we are now living in an age where we are receiving INFORMATION OVERLOAD !

Also ask your self this , how many blogs , facebook sites , web sites, do you look at in a week ?

Most  of my customers are over 50 , when I ask how they heard of my company they tel me , it was the leaflet through the door , or via a friend or family member, not from a blog , not from facebook , and from my 2 web sites,

People will come on here and say they get nearly all their work from the internet, I think a great deal of that  is BS and HYPE , as they don't want to feel that they are being left  behind by the pack of carpet cleaners who say they get most of their work from their websites !!!

And to be honest  if you are reading , social media for Dummies, and don't understand it, stop wasting your time , and go and deliver flyers, because you are never going to be able to do enough to generate enough interest in your blogs, facebook, website , etc to do what i guess you are trying to do ie , get on to page one of Google in your area.

Yes I have a web site , yes my company is on FB , and Linkedin, but am I bothered if they are on page one of Google , no not really , to me they are a ref. point for customers to find more info out about my company , once they get a flyer.

[Steve Chapman]

I get most of my new customers from the web 

Regards
Steve

[Allan Simmons]

Pauls right about the over 50's but what about the 35 year old working mum sat at her desk looking for a carpet cleaner?  They're Googling it and they're a key target market to us, cos the 50+ market is slowly dying, literally, and also becoming more internet savvy.

I believe it's just another marketing tool that works, but isn't the be all and end all (yet?).

Al.

[Adam P]

what paul said.

simple thing to consider is do you read blogs/facebook/twitter to find service providers e.g. local buildoers? if not then it's a good guess that you don't see the point in it and wont understand that style of advertising, which is not a bad thing as it's imo not the greatest way to gain new customers.

imo if the use for social media isn't obvious to someone then they shouldn't bother.

[gary hall]

Hi John - there are  so many  marketing methods and forums / blog's  - are  a cheap way of getting your name out there - do they work - yes ,  they can get a potential client interested in you BUT and here's the big secret about ALL marketing methods !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PEOPLE SELL TO PEOPLE

telemarketing , leaflets, blogs,twitter,internet,local press, recommendations,free demo's,networking groups  - are all  ways of getting you in front of someone but at the end of the day -

 PEOPLE SELL TO PEOPLE

Good luck

Gary

[Billy Russell]

Pauls right about the over 50's but what about the 35 year old working mum sat at her desk looking for a carpet cleaner?  They're Googling it and they're a key target market to us, cos the 50+ market is slowly dying, literally, and also becoming more internet savvy.

I believe it's just another marketing tool that works, but isn't the be all and end all (yet?).

Al.

Good post!!!! I'll use my mum as an example, shes the MD of our family company, she is 64 this year, up until last year she had never owned or used a computer, but since we started going through iso 9001/14001 and we've had to start using computers more, she decided to buy one and now she googles everything!! Even when she's looking for a good carpet cleaner!!!!