Do you have a favourite advertisement on TV that just grabs your attention every time its on? Or perhaps a campaign run on Twitter, Facebook or another social media platform that lights a fire within you and inspires you to share it along.  Businesses have sure changed the way they market products or services to us.  In the past marketing campaigns were solely focused on selling their products to us post production, now companies are turning to social media from the inception of a product all the way to its delivery on store shelves.  However the challenge has now become how to use social media platforms to reach customers in new and exciting ways while providing real time experiences for them to comment on and share, thus making companies more likeable and trustworthy in the eyes of their customers. I asked Ed Rush, Global Marketing Executive at Elemica to share his thoughts on this subject, “There is an old saying – “you have two ears and one mouth, listen twice as much as you speak.” In my experience in business to business, it seems most forget that rule when it comes to social. Too many marketers are eager to post their message and speak to the market and attract likes, comments, and follows. However, so much more can be learned when you refocus your attention from social “speaking” to social “listening” across your networks. When the primary objective is to learn about the challenges, priorities, and/or objectives of others in your community, you can then approach your outreach with a much more strategic and tailored communication. Ultimately, facilitating a buyer’s journey is more about understanding where they are at and expertly facilitating them through the process. You can’t do that if your speaking twice as much as listening.” There is one company that I am excited to share about which is taking its social media marketing campaigns to new heights, and that is HP.  Keeping in trend with the latest platforms, HP launched the #BendTheRules campaign that blew customers away and resulted in much success socially. So what is Social Media Marketing and what are its the benefits? How are businesses currently working with it and what are the new trends that companies should embrace?  Let me begin by answering the first two questions.  According to Wikipedia, “Social Media Marketing is the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites.”  In… Read more »