Simple Social Networking

Top Social Networking Sites:

There are a number of different blog sites out in cyber space, but Facebook and Twitter seem to be the top two favorites for businesses. Now is the time for all companies, large and small, to embrace the fact that free social networking found on Facebook and Twitter is one of the best avenues to increase a company’s visibility and in turn – increase the potential for sales.

What is Facebook (www.facebook.com)?

A business Facebook page should be looked at as a free webpage for your company. It is a public profile that allows you to share your business and products with other Facebook users. A business Facebook page works almost exactly like a personal Facebook page where a person gathers “friends” and people write on the page’s “wall”, however a business pages gives you the opportunity to gather “fans” for your company and products which in turn increases your visibility to other Facebook users.

What is Twitter (www.twitter.com)?

Twitter is a site that allows its users to write a microblog (a small update of information limited to 140 characters) and share it with everyone. Twitter can be searched for key words relevant to your business. Not only could you search for the buzz around your company name and its products but also search for product types and competitors. People are out there and they are writing about your company and products – Twitter gives you the opportunity to interact with your clients and intercept any feedback.

What are the simple steps of social networking to increase sales?

(1). Set up free accounts on Facebook and Twitter

(2). Search Facebook and Twitter for your company’s name, brands within your company and products you offer – listen to what others are saying about you in order to come up with your social networking strategy

(3). Start writing on your Facebook and Twitter pages to increase your company’s visibility

(4). Introduce new products and protocols on your Facebook and Twitter pages to increase sales

(5). Comment on other pages as an opportunity to interact and intercept with other companies and clients

Resource Guide:

http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/ – Interested in learning more about social networking? Confused about where to start?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites – An extensive and ongoing listing of social networking sites available on the internet.

http://www.whatisrss.com/ – RSS Feeds are a great way to keep up with the ever-changing content of your favorite websites. When you subscribe to an RSS feed you are instantly notified when new blog posts or other info are updated on a site.

State of the Skin Union

Despite the current world economic problems, skin care remains a “defensive” industry. This recession has clearly caused a larger pull-back in consumer spending than any in a number of years. So, while professional skin care (cosmeceutical) has fared reasonably well, most companies have seen some drop in sales.

The large company mergers of the last few years, (such as Estee Lauder and Allergan linking to do a line for doctors) has slowed down or halted. What has NOT slowed down, and has in fact escalated —is mass market brands being dressed as cosmeceutical, to mimic professional skin care brands. They have all the “scientific” terminolgy and marketing claims— just not the ability to deliver a real result that a true professional brand can. The average consumer doesn’t know that however. They may think buying Oil of Olay ProX and skipping a visit to the dermatologist (as their TV ads suggest) makes economic sense, in these times. These are the challenges to professional brands now. The same things apply as always–to meet the challenge.

1. Education: Always the key and what the mass mimic brands can’t do. Just don’t forget they are your competition now also.

2. Global: There has been wash out of weaker global brands in the last year. This is a great time to prepare yourself to enter new markets in the coming years. Our in-house regulatory department can guide you on this.

3. Product Mix and Concept: Drop old skus that are not working and add in new concepts. You have the advantage of being quick to market with new products, new ingredients etc. This is still much harder for the mass market companies, despite their increasing faux-cosmeceutical determination. Larger volume of fewer skus equals better pricing, and will be a big key to mass market competition in the future.

4. Visibility: Get a strong web presence. Use search-engine optimization. See our quick guide to social networking on the web!

5. Distribution: We are always on the lookout for information that might give you a “eureka” idea for your brand to help you drive sales. We are your partners in the drive to success, and as such, think in a very marketing-driven perspective to increase sales.

6. Point of Difference: CoValence is always working on new proprietary ingredients, new concepts, and other intellectual property to help our clients stay ahead of the growing competition (such as our Mitoprotect ingredient that was up for an award at HBA last year). You have products that use levels of ingredients and are manufactured in ways that mass producers can’t do. Women know a superior product when they use it. In other words, you have an edge over those attempting a mass market brainwash on what is and isn’t professional skincare. We will continue to do our best to support you in your efforts.

Tags: allergan, economy, este lauder, facebook, merger, PR, recession, rss, social network, twitter

Categories: SKINsider

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