Shauna Nicholson

Currently, I’m subscribed to a few different means of social media. After weeding through ones I wasn’t fond of (including MySpace), I’ve found a lot of value in the ones I’ve active in. They include: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, (the smaller ones) Content Wrangler, Twenty Something Bloggers, and various professional wikis and blogs. Please feel free to link to/friend/follow me! Of course, I keep up with most of this via RSS–which is like cheating, but still comprehensive.

Scenario A: The weekly sales meeting begins with a rundown of big projects everyone’s working on. Your seasoned salesperson, Mary, runs into a problem blocking the sale that is out of the business’ direct influence. Rather than losing the sale Mary turns to LinkedIn and asks about it on the Q & A boards. Someone in Denmark recognizes the problem and provides a case study. Mary thinks strategically and applies the information to her newest client.

Scenario B: Industry news is moving quickly. You’re responsible for keeping on top of it, but are already overloaded by your day-to-day work. You pull the RSS feeds from the top 15 industry news leaders, including private blog commentary to gain insider perspective. After skimming the feeds for 15 minutes each morning you’re able to pick up the information you need and stay on top.

Scenario C: Cold calling and traditional advertising aren’t cutting it for your B to B sales. Your clients are turning to the Internet and private consultants to decide what they should buy and when. Rather than losing the market share, your company launches a blog to both educate with your industry expertise and introduce how your products apply to their businesses.

Scenario D: You’re looking to hire 2 new people. Interviews are taking weeks and you’re not sure how the new prospects will get along with your existing team. You check their Facebook profiles and see photos of them doing keg stands fishing with their kids; your decision just became easier.

Scenario E: After your 45th birthday, you’ve finally admitted you’re not sure what college students of today are up to…but your selling your products to them. A quick look on Facebook gives you the idea to host an event (directly inviting your demographic); now that you know a bit more about them, you include free pizza and a party product demo on a local campus. You’re able to do that because you’re already “friends” with campus staff.

Scenario F: Your company’s development team has been working to put together a user manual for the latest product launch, but it’s weighing them down and extending the launch date. You decide to outsource your manual to a technical writer and keep tabs on the manual’s progress via a private wiki. You’re able to make notes and monitor progress as the new product comes along. Your launch date is saved without sacrificing documentation.

Scenario G: Another delayed flight means lost progress time. You complain via Twitter and ask for some advice. Instantly, you get a tweet back suggesting you check and see if you can transfer to another airline (for free!). You confirm with the attendant and are on your way. (True story!)

The lists keep going on, but I’m sure you get the point. There are so many different avenues to take on this. Social media makes everything faster and a lot more comprehensive.

If you still have doubt, consider this: My own mother has Googled me.

What sort of scenarios have you found social media influencing the way you do business?