Janne Muhonen Interview – Social Media for Business

by
Janne Muhonen

Social Media for Business -interview series presents prominent Internet professionals from all over the world who are at the cutting edge of the latest Social Platforms. During this exciting and truly international interview series our experts reveal what are the most useful Social Media Tools and what you need to consider when you start using Social Media as part of  your marketing mix.

Janne Muhonen is the director of New Businesses at Talentum Media in Helsinki, Finland. Talentum Media produces journals, professional literature, seminars and network content for professionals in different fields: economists, engineers, lawyers, doctors, and IT and marketing experts in both Finland and Sweden. Talentum’s media content is geared to the needs of the target groups and produced by journalists with solid professional credentials.

Q1. What are the most important Social Media Platforms at the moment?

Facebook, Youtube, Linkedin (b2b) and Twitter.

Q2. How do you see Social Media has changed the advertising communication?

First, social media has made advertising more personal. Second, because social media customers have become marketers. You have to be more personal and have more accurate knowledge of your target group. You have to know how they communicate (using social media). It should be considered as like any other new communication channel. At the moment its totally overhyped and in many cases it would be wiser to allocate budget to other more traditional actions.

Q3. How do you measure the effects of Social Media Marketing?

My opinion is that every marketing action should increase sales. If not – it is not worth it.

Q4. What social media platforms would you recommend to a company that is just starting their online marketing?

It depends on what you are marketing and to whom and where. Facebook. YouTube. Twitter.

Q5. What are the key points to remember when a business starts using Social Media?

Know the platform you are going use; how people (and companies) communicate there, what kind of messages get the best response. Keep that in mind but do something differently ie. be unique. Identify groups you want to affect. Learn who are the opinion leaders of chosen networks and groups. Do not fool your customers. Anyway your activities should increase your sales. Participating in social media requires goals and objectives as any other marketing action. Know what you are doing and what results you are looking for. Remember it’s a two-way media. Think it through.

Q6. How does Social Media Marketing differ from traditional marketing?

It’s more personal, you can get closer your target. It can be very cheap if you can create message that spreads virally. Traditional marketing is from one to many. Social media marketing includes conversation between recipients and it is rather from many to many than from one to many.

Q7. Do you think every company (that has a website) should have a Social Media Strategy? Why?

Yes, since declining to use social media is also a decision that should be grounded in the overall business strategy. What we now call Social Media will be in near future (for some people it already is) just the way how we communicate every day. But the strategy does not have to be as heavy structured as other strategies of the company because the field of social media changes quite rapidly.

Q8. How do you see Facebook as a Social Media Marketing tool?

Facebook has a lot of potential, most of it is still unused. You just have to know how to use it, old-school marketing strategies won’t work without modifications. Facebook is still trying to figure out the best way to capitalize its platform. Most of the facebook marketing campaigns are rubbish. For products, easy to buy from web, it can be considered as a working sales channel – for b2b-products not.

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