Update

Doing a quick search, even if the hardware companies themselves aren't yet using social networking sites to promote their businesses, their customers are talking about them online.

There were 20 tweets on Bunnings in the last 24 hours. Mitre 10 scored a few less, but they were more business targeted. One person commented that they liked a particular advert. Another complained about product unavailability. Search on a brand, and the top tool companies are being talked about too. And there were even classified adverts of products for sale.

It all helps to highlight that, if you're a bigger company, the chances are that your customers are talking about you in these forums. And I guess you have a choice: do you monitor and get involved in shaping that discussion, or is ignorance bliss?

Well, I'm no technological whizz. I've only been 'social networking' for about an hour. Before that, I could find my way around my emails ok and had my own Facebook page, but I am a twitter and blogging virgin. Yet, within the hour, I've created a Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and You Tube account. Do you need all of them as part of your online marketing plan? Probably not. But I'm trying to get a feel for how they all interconnect.

The results
As a starting point, although familiar, Facebook wasn't that exciting. It's more for individuals than companies. Once I have developed a community of 'friends', I guess it will be a good way to keep them up to date. But developing that community may take some time and a concerted effort on my part.

Twitter is going to get some getting used to. It's short messages, less than 140 characters in length and I suppose it will be handy once I get my online community up and running. I'll use it to announce events or promotions, reinforce advert deadlines and the like. But, like Facebook, it's not worth a damn if my customers aren't online and listening to those messages. The argument runs that social networking is cheaper than more traditional marketing, but this rings hollow if you have to advertise that you're now online.

This site, Blogger, was probably the best of them all. Although I still don't have any people following the blog, at least I felt like I could 'create' something so that when they do all flood online, they'll have something fully formed to read.

The site has a host of ways for me to promote my business. I can earn money from it by adding other people's adverts. Google searches your blog to see what you write about most often, and selects adverts that fit with your writing.

I've also managed to upload a video from Assa Abloy's recent Lock Case event (which I had already uploaded to my You Tube account). But I haven't found out how to isolate it so it's the only one playing. I've also uploaded photos, links to my twitter page and a link to www.hardwarejournal.com. All in all, not a bad hour spent.

I'll comment on the Hardware Journal's latest online activities in our September newsletter. We'll have to wait and see if that pushes people to these sites, or if they find them on their own.

Wish us luck!!!