How Can Hospitality Folks Make Informed Decisions
About the Best FREE Internet Social Networking and Marketing Opportunities...
When the Opportunities and "THE BEST" are Constantly Changing?
The Marriotts are Twittering and telling folks to start booking or rebooking cancelled meetings.
Every business must have a Facebook Presence! And if you're not Linkdin - you're burned toast...
We have the revered Greenbrier announcing its upcoming bankruptcy via every social media medium possible.
And just today, I received a snail mailed invitation and free tickets for a colleague and myself to attend a 2009 Internty Marketing Conference in Santa Fe
sponsored by StoresOnline.com and sporting the logos of Google, Yahoo, ebay and msn. Not only did I (and likely hundreds - perhaps thousands of others)
receive the invitation - but, those of us among the first 100 or so to rsvp also get a free lunch or dinner, MP3 players for two, and expert opinions about Internet Marketing.
Who could ask for more.
Of course the fine print states that - while there is no pressure to purchase - businesses are there to learn how to drive/create more business - and the sponsors
will have products available to sell to increase that potential.
The Wall Street Journal is providing directions on how to start and grow your Tweet, shove and who knows what else networks...
It's all confusing... and as potentially time consuming as all get-out. Especially if we challenge ourselves to learn how to use use the social media opportunities
correctly and effectively - and what's considered correct and effective today - could be history tomorrow.
So, what should we do?
For sanity's sake, we should hire some trustworthy online marketing firm - that makes a good living - and has great testinomials about their capabilities and ability to
stay ahead of the technology curves.
I've been a marketer for years and have developed promotions targeting millions and millions of potential consumers - but never - in my professional
life have I been confronted with so many FREE options... So many opportunities and FREE advice that take time and money to develop.
So many FREE choices about how to reach targeted customers and make boatloads of money.
Let's be smart. Let's conduct our own preliminary research as always. Take a little time to explore. And then select our advisors with care - there are loads of people who
purport to having an in-depth understanding of the evolving Internet Marketing arena - but there are few who can really deliver. Ask friends and colleagues for
referrals to business' who deliver. Trust in all arenas - even those claiming to be FREE - needs to be earned. Have fun.
