Social Media is everywhere these days and in March, Gemco Valve joined the ranks of companies staking out their territory in this new frontier. Online networking had its inception in popular culture, but now is considered a legitimate business communication tool. Social networks are now being utilized by businesses in ever increasing numbers. Many large companies now have dedicated social media specialists within their corporate communications departments. Smaller businesses either DIY or insource social media maintenance.
“We were surprised to discover that a number of our clients, suppliers and media resources, were already active on Facebook and Twitter,” said Jim Lenihan, Gemco Valve President. “For the past few years we have used LinkedIn and found the connections we’ve made there valuable. So participating in these additional avenues for relationship building seemed like a logical next step.”
The numbers back up Lenihan’s assessment. Businesses of all sizes and varieties are realizing that the main reason to use social media is because that’s where people are nearly 800+ million on Facebook and 150+ million on Twitter, tweeting 300 million times a day. The Pew Research Center notes that Social Media demographics are changing rapidly, with the older user being the fastest growing segment. The average age of American adult social media members shifted from 33 in 2008 to 38 in 2010.
“It’s not rifle shot marketing, but that’s a lot of potential eyeballs,” Lenihan said. “And the possibilities for information sharing, problem solving and becoming a thought leader in our industry are really exciting. I believe social media will be a way for Gemco Valve to extend its reach beyond what we previously thought available to us.”
Social media, despite its faddish beginning, is quickly becoming a way to foster an informal B2B environment that encourages participation and involvement in industry and community related topics – whatever your business. The sites, which are free to use, offer companies a way to connect with an extensive pool of individual experts to help solve problems in a non-traditional, peer to peer way. Extending industry communities through discussion – both “talking” and “listening” is helping companies, especially smaller ones, grow their resources.
In addition to their website, Gemco Valve can be found networking on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.
