This event proved to be very profitable in terms of getting our name out there and new business that was acquired.  Typical auto industry events are more like infomercials by those presenting at them.  This event was different.  Best practices were shared and the podium pitches were almost non existent.  Those that were interested in our services reached out to us versus us having to pitch them.  It made for a non confrontational discussion.

If you look to serve clients in any industry do not discount the networking to be found at conferences and seminars even if you are not an active participant.  The rewards come from new business, enlightenment and seeing what your competition is up to.  One thing you need to remember if you are participating in these types of events and looking for vendors to help you meet your marketing goals.  The best pitch and the most polished presentation does not equate to results,  look for those that can show you a broad range of results not just hand picked examples.

Today, social networks, properly managed, can be the ultimate branding tool.  With site such as Twitter, Bebo, and several hundred other viable niches in the social networking segment drawing in tons of people, they can be used for brand management as well as getting the word out about interesting aspects of a company.

In the search engines, there are social networking sites that rank exceptionally well.  Controlling the front page and beyond for searches of one’s business name can help keep poor reviews or other damaging items our of public view.

For proper search engine reputation management to work, these websites have to be utilized.  They can work with each other to lift each other up, not only in the rankings, but also by cross-pollenating of users.  If a potential client sees that you have a Ning site, for example, they may check it out, join it, and then explore other social networking sites with which your company participates.

The advantages are many, but a sharp word of advice.  These are not simple “set it and forget it” style websites.  They need interaction and participation.  They require nurturing of relationships and spreading the proper words.  They cannot be ego-centric and must offer benefits to the users.  Plugging in accounts at these sites and spamming with them, or worse, doing nothing with them, can be more damaging than beneficial to your brand and your company.

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