Artigo Cargo Maio 2010

Port Marketing

Social Networks and Networking

Networking is a very important tool for entrepreneurs, for officials and companies in order to
achieve their goals and plans for personal or business marketing and career development or
business.
Businesses stand to benefit from the networking of its employees, provided they are within
the potentiation of its business, but they can also create their own networks in connecting
enterprise customers and suppliers.

Social networking on the Internet have given a great help to the organization and rapid
development of personal and business networking, particularly with sites LinkedIn and
Facebook.
If we look at LinkedIn, the largest network dedicated to business globally, we can say is the
most efficient tool to network via the Internet, because it is totally oriented to labor relations.
But how to proceed to gain access to new customers and business opportunities? Has much to
gain from an active presence on LinkedIn.

You must first register, login and complete your profile in Portuguese or English, depending on
its scope. This phase, ignored by some users, is fundamental. Your profile shows the caller or
search your academic record, his personal and professional history, companies in which he
works, blogs or Internet sites that have, and that is all the information needed to make a good
first impression . Also be sure to go to upgrading the status, with news and links.

Second, look for others. In addition to those already known, and which may have access
through their email address, LinkedIn has search tools that help you find your target audience.
People can search by sector, function, activity area, region. Add them to your network of
contacts, linking to them and follow what they do or say on the site.

If you have contacts in common, you can take it into consideration in the approach that makes
a message to request the connection to your network or to propose business. Give people
reasons to start a relationship, show that he knows who they are and that is something that
interests them and that there may be mutual interest.
Third, ask recommendations to the people you work or worked. Choose by colleagues or
superiors who feel more professional respect.

After abuse and use of LinkedIn groups. You can create and foster a group on LinkedIn, which
allows you to access new contacts daily. For this write on topics of interest to your sector,
launch challenges, invite to attend and join, is a leader in its market, streamlining the
relationship between people.

Join various groups about their activities, participate in discussions, make new contacts and
proposals, disseminate news, follow the main players. You can also ask and answer questions
in groups or in the area of issues

Keep a calendar of corporate events and create and publish events on linkedin and invite
people in the industry. It is a great way to solidify your business. Due to the viral nature of
LinkedIn, if someone responds to your invitation, the answer appears in the profile of the
person who responded, being seen by all her contacts.

Send personal messages, contacts and customizing the show who knows the person who
writes, customer or potential partner who is interested in developing a relationship deepened.

On LinkedIn there are several applications that can help connecting to other social networking
sites, or showing a powerpoint presentation of your company. The media sector is particularly
present in linkedin and is a good opportunity to promote your business through these
contacts.
To learn more about these issues and enhance the networking on the Internet, the council
purchase the books of Philip Carrera (http://www.filipecarrera.com) a specialist in this area of
linkedin and Facebook: "Digital Marketing in version 2.0 "and" Networking - Professional
Survival Guide "

 
Linkedin groups of most active in terms we have international ports the Global Ports Strategies
Forum ", the" Port Ports Strategy "and" Shipping, Transport, Freight & Logistics Business
Development Group, where you can find the opinions of experts from around the world on
issues of concern to practitioners of ports worldwide, but there are many more.

 
Another very powerful tool for networking on the internet is Facebook, here less perspective
for specialists in specific sectors and more connected to mass marketing, whatever the
geographical scope.
In this case the first thing to do is also create a profile of persons or company or of a cause or
an idea and can be also created a group of fans or a business page, all free. Then can also be
created events, inviting people, and it is important to boost the status, putting news, links,
photos, videos, challenging people.

If you're willing to spend some money, you can even advertise on facebook, determining the
profile of the target audience with great detail, by geographical scope, getting to know
immediately the size of that audience and how frequently you will see your ad.

The ports of Setúbal, Aveiro, Lisbon, Ensenada, Valparaiso, Houston, Long Beach is on
Facebook actively with dozens of fans. It's worth peeking at the pages and join new social
networks. An American study indicates that more than half the people soon after taking
breakfast and brushing teeth in the morning, do not release what's on facebook and access
this application are growing exponentially.