Here’s an excellent post about getting social with social networking sites by (Business) Coach Charrise, Get Social:

My clients often ask me for advice about social networking. Social networking, in case you live under a rock, pertains to websites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, and many more. In fact, there are so many that people become overwhelmed by the number of choices they have available to them.

These social networking sites are helpful for people who see the value of connecting with people they would otherwise not meet. They become a valuable platform to showcase your business. They offer a cost effective (mostly free) way for people to brand their business, and potentially gain client relationships or joint venture partnerships. Social networking presents powerful opportunities to enhance your business.

Of course, the key is taking action. In order to make productive use of these sites, you must reach out to people, and begin to develop relationships. Much like networking on a local basis, social networking through the net takes time and effort. You’ll only receive value if you offer value. They can potentially be tremendous time-suckers, so you must use them wisely.

When clients ask for coaching on this topic, I offer a few suggestions…

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Here are several excerpts from an article by Michael Bush and Rupal Parekh, More Marketers Want to Get to Know You:

The days of putting millions of dollars against something without being able to track its effectiveness are soon to be over.

Enter CRM.

As the U.S. economy worsens and consumers rein in discretionary spending, brands are ramping up their customer relationship management efforts, aiming to grab some of that money by building one-to-one relationships with consumers.

Feel-good talk about leveraging CRM — the art of using tools such as database maintenance and customer segmentation — to boost understanding of consumers isn’t anything new. Ask around, though, and industry folks will tell you 2008 is shaping up to be the year in which companies put their money where their mouths are –

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