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There are plenty of social media tools out there, and each has features that make it unique. The sheer volume of alternatives, though, means you need to cut the field down to the few with the greatest potential. For IT manufacturers and VARs, LinkedIn should be at the top of the social media list. This environment has more than 50 million reasons to use it for marketing your company, but in the interest of time, let’s look at the top five.

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The notion of expanding your view of the competition is not new. For decades, companies have been encouraged by the greatest minds in corporate strategy to look beyond the businesses with which they go head-to-head, and there’s no shortage of cases where entire industries have overlooked a major competitive force (the newspapers will forever be the first to come to mind). Today, however, the net you cast has to be even wider. In addition to indirect competitors, you need to be able to overcome the “noise” generated by companies that have little or nothing to do with your business.

The average IT buyer – the average person in general – is bombarded constantly with sales and marketing messaging. We see banner ads, drive by billboards and have products “placed” in front of us constantly. It’s unavoidable … and it could drown out your company’s attempts to be heard.

Often, the first instinct is to “raise your voice.” But, running more campaigns, making more cold calls and sending more event invitations means sacrificing quality – and merely creating more noise.

Instead, refuse to play by the prevailing rules. Find new ways to reach your target market, and you’ll gain an unparalleled competitive advantage. This means throwing away the playbook on which you’ve come to rely. Give me a shout at tf@entermarketing.com, and we’ll help you be heard in a noisy market … without even having to raise your voice.

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