(For the faithful, this isn't solely about Twitter, which we've covered here and here. This is more of a focused continuation of our previous discussion about marketing during an economic downturn.)
As marketers, we tend to stand on the outside, looking in. Specifically, we're at a distance from a group of customers or potential markets, and our primary objective is to help our clients learn how to reach that group. It's a perfectly legitimate form of stalking.
Ecotourism, green travel, limited-footprint vacationing—call it what you like, more and more travelers are taking into account the environmental effects of their vacation choices. Even the RV world is beginning to get a little green. Promoting your venue or destination to environmentally aware consumers can bring rewards.
If there's one constant lament—from both consumers and businesses—about the various social media tools out there, it's that many of them seem somewhat unprofessional or childish. There's room for argument there, certainly, but both groups have reason to fear that perception can equal reality. Enter LinkedIn.
One of the things I studied in college was business, and there's something I learned quickly: You have to know how to talk the talk. True, business jargon has existed for years, but it seemed to reach new heights during the last 20 years—such ridiculous heights, in fact, that there has been a well-deserved backlash by some of the very companies who may have had a hand in the problem.
We all know times have been tough, of late. Fear not—I'm not going to launch into a lengthy analysis of potential causes of the economic meltdown. After all, I'm in marketing, so I'm a little more concerned about potential effects. In any economic downturn, a plethora of experts in micro-/macro-financial issues and experts in worldwide market analysis will share with you their years of strategic wisdom—though little of it may apply to you and even less of it will make sense.
