tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post3203010197720145932..comments2024-03-25T17:34:35.600+11:00Comments on Sarah Stewart: Standing out in the social media crowdSarah Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-91542966192853850502011-05-16T04:10:47.102+10:002011-05-16T04:10:47.102+10:00Hi John, I've been thinking long and hard abou...Hi John, I've been thinking long and hard about my blog post and the comments you made, and had to laugh at the comment you made about the Pope.<br /><br />The reality is for me...I do not have a better way of getting word out about my work on an international stage. Facebook is one of the most universal places where midwives meet, so I've got to work out how my voice is heard above the rest.<br /><br />It is also the place where birth consumers are fighting their battles against medical interference, so I believe midwives have to hook into that. <br /><br />Whilst the shine may have gone off social media, I don't think it is a bad thing for me to take a realistic and pragmatic look at what I am doing and re-evaluate what I am doing with my time in regards to Twitter, Fcebook etcSarah Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-27615253123337275422011-05-01T13:32:12.725+10:002011-05-01T13:32:12.725+10:00Sarah hearing you voice the possibility of social ...Sarah hearing you voice the possibility of social media, in particular Facebook as having lost marketing appeal is akin to hearing the Pope suggest Catholicism will disappear in the next millenium - considering your level of committment to social media. <br /><br />At the same time you are voicing something I have felt for a while now, and over the past year have found myself moving away from social media, even blogging and back to more traditional forms of direct marketing.<br /><br />A cornerstone of marketing is to understand who your customer is, what information they require and where they go to get that information. If social media is not identified as a key source of information for clients then the time spent maintaining an online presence may well be to the detriment of time spent gaining business elsewhere.<br /><br />Are we able to trace new business directly to our online presence? If not, then why are we spending time on this medium?<br /><br />One advantage of social media may be that it enables one to communicate directly with a decision maker and avoid self-interested gatekeepers. If the decision maker regularly visits online sites.<br /><br />I have noticed my online visits have declined noticeably and my contributions even more so without any noticeable decline in business, to the point where social media is becoming irrelevant in my circumstances. For me this suggests the time to 'turn off the switch' may be getting closer.<br /><br />At least any decision I make re social media will be based upon experience of having utilised the process, which is more than some critics of social media will have done.John Coxonhttp://www.johncoxon.co.nznoreply@blogger.com