Market collaboration is the right way to go

It was good to see that the Mainstreet retailers are supportive of the River Traders Market.

The approach of collaboratively working with the market is the right way to go, and that negative energy which was evident in recent news stories hopefully has been turned around.

In talking to people around town, there are several opportunities for Mainstreet which it could take advantage of - including the three things I wrote about a couple of weeks back.

In fact, some of these ideas were evident on Facebook. A lot has been written and said on the effectiveness of social media and how utilising it can be a good mechanism to extend the reach of your business. As a user of Facebook and Twitter, I regularly see businesses touting their wares and, clearly, utilising data that these sites have doubtless collected to direct messages "tailored" to my unique needs.

This is powerful stuff but clearly in its early days. There is also the matter of the "culture" of the sites concerned. Facebook, clearly, is about connection and sharing of information and is the most social of media venues. The range of postings and topics that can appear on your page is unpredictable and, as a business utilising the tool, you would need to ensure that an investment in Facebook marketing would strategically and truly reach your target audience.

Twitter, on the other hand, is more real-time and is actually a really good source of breaking news. Again, though, it is a highly social venue and because of the speed and frequency of posts, there is potential for your message to be overlooked and even lost. That said, I have "followed" some management theorists on Twitter and, once I know their "call sign", I actually seek them out and visit their Twitter page.

Probably the most pertinent of all of these for business people is "Linked In", which is specifically business-based and a clear mechanism for connecting with business people. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, there is a level of professionalism to the site. You can search and find people with particular skill sets and experience - rather than being limited to reading what they have to say on topics of the day or being bombarded with motivational quotes and requests to "like" something.

The most important aspect of social media, in my mind, is that it enables your business to position itself laterally in an ever-expanding market.

These tools enable you to reach beyond your current catchment but can also give you insight into those who are interested in you and your business. Linked In has the unique feature that you can see who has viewed your profile. In most cases I connect with these people immediately - either to purchase services from them or to get to know their businesses better.

So, to recap, it would be an idea to research how social media can help you grow your business, and we have access to a marketing company professional whom we will bring to Wanganui to run training courses in the spring.

If interested, the number to call is 021 244 2421.