Gartner Says Social Networks Are Attracting Too Much Traffic for Retailers to Ignore
by Brian Flagg
A very well written and comprehensive article from Gartner on Social Networking and retailers. Many of the points are valid, if retailers are not utilizing the latest Web 2.0 tools (I really like the Digg.com lab Slack tool), then they will quickly find themselves out of touch with what is being written and read relative to their Brand, and certainly risk losing brand control. Social networking has its challenges, and they are not technological. People on social networking sites are generally there for social networking and very suspicious of any company in either an open or stealth way, trying to influence the network. There have been numerous examples of stealth company initiatives to appear as general social networking site users. Once caught and exposed, the brand takes a hit. Retailers' efforts need to be directed at establishing the brand through all channels and markets. Using social networking to shortcut the process is problematic. More on this in a follow-on entry.
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Featured Blogger Brian Flagg
Brian Flagg is a Senior Group Manager at Target Corp. where he
leads the Client Support Center. Brian has been a technology leader
for 28 years, including 25 years with IBM. He has held many
leadership positions including Chair of IBM's Interdivisional
Technical Liaison Committee on Database technologies, a member of the
IBM Academy of Technology, Program Manager for IBM's Global Help Desk,
and his current role of Client Support Center Senior Manager. Brian's
contributions in the many blogs in which he participates represent his
own views and opinions, based on his many years of experience, and not
those of Target Corp.
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