Getting Social, is it for Businesses or just kids?

There is a lot of talk in marketing circles about the buzz around Social Media. There is also a lot of misunderstanding about what Social media is. Of course everyone knows that social media is Facebook and Twitter right? Well yes, they do come under that banner, but the fact that they grew up being used by people to chat to their friends, does not mean that that businesses cannot use them to communicate with their customers, suppliers, and even just fans. Social media is also a lot more than just Facebook and Twitter, which are really social networking sites. Social media is any digital space, where the content is created and shared by the users. There are many places that this happens, Wikipedia, YouTube, Picassa, Flikr, Vimeo, Google Plus, Linked In, Blogs, Forums, Trip Advisor, Redit, Revoo, to name just a few.

Many people do not believe that there is any benefit for business to business companies in social media, but there may be for Business to Consumer organisations. It may be true that the is more scope to reach consumers, but don’t be fooled that you cannot reach your target markets with Social media, in some cases, your customers are already active in these media, if you don’t get active your competitors could steal a march on you!

The main issue from a marketing perspective is that social media is not a place for traditional advertising. It is not a broadcast media, it is a place for people to engage with each other, and that includes businesses. Many companies, and even bands, or charitable organisations, do not allow fans to post to their wall on Facebook. Why not? You are preventing your fans from interacting with you and your other fans, blocking up the viral flood.

The trick is to find out where your target markets are active, and meet them there. We now have Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus, Vimeo, Picassa, Flickr, Wikipedia articles, Linked In, and a blog. We make a concerted effort to write, share and tweet information that will interest our fans, followers, and people in the industries that we serve. We always try and pick related areas, but don’t just bleat on about us. We try and stimulate conversations and discussions and you would be surprised about who joins in, so why don't you? Re-tweeting someone else’s content might go against the grain, but it costs nothing, and could encourage the re-tweeted to re-tweet you. You end up positioning yourselves as thought leaders and through that build your brand in ways you may only have previously dreamed of. Don’t be impatient, unless you have a very funny or shocking video; don’t expect to be a viral hit on day one. It takes time, keep at it and build your fan base slowly, it is like networking, but with people you may never meet in person.