Can It Really Hurt?

My husband and I were shopping for a new TV \two nights ago at Best Buy. We selected the TV after a little exploration, proceeded to the checkout, and paid. At the checkout counter there were flyers that read, “Become our FaceBook fan and get a 10% discount.” I said aloud, really to no one in particular, “I’ll be their fan for 10% off!” and the cashier told me that I could save my receipt, go home and get the coupon once I had become a fan, and bring it back in for a credit. So I did.

My husband I debated whether it made sense for our local Best Buy to have their own page, and what we could stand to gain from being fans…. Aside from the 10% off of the TV we just bought? Really, the possibilities are endless, and the point is that the social networking phenomenon illustrates how differently we seek and find information these days. In the past, I would rely on television, radio, a newspaper ad, direct mail piece, or word of mouth from friends to learn about new album releases, sales, or other newsworthy shopping opportunities. Today, all I have to do is log on to FaceBook, or follow a favorite retailer on Twitter to get deals and information that the general public may not find out about for hours, days or weeks - if ever.

Here is my point. Facebook, Twitter, blogging. All free. All you have to invest is your time and your creativity. And all you have to gain is new customers, or new work from existing customers because, it turns out, they don’t know you as well as you think they do.

So what do you say? Give it a try. If you don’t know where to start, I’ll help you get started. I use Facebook, Twitter, Constant Contact, and most recently, blogger.com for blogging. It won’t hurt. I promise!