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Social Media Means Business

Written by: Max Kalles

Article Overview: If you've heard the term, but are still not clear on the implications of social media, you should learn fast.

Social Media Means Business

If you have an internet connection, you probably know that YouTube is a web site where you can upload videos for everyone to see and that Facebook is a site for communicating, chatting, joining groups and other online interactions with other members.

YouTube and Facebook, together with hundreds of other similar sites, are collectively known as social media. To start to get a better understanding of what constitutes a social media site, let’s look at the literal meaning of the term.

In communications, “media” are the means of communication. From handwriting, to telephones, to newspapers and television, all are communications media. “Social” generally refers to living in, or relating to, a community of people. When we combine and apply the definitions, “social media” web sites are online communities of people who communicate with one another. You may have heard the terms “the YouTube community” or “Facebook community”.

So, what does this have to do with you as a business owner?

The people who participate in online communities are your customers. Just like your business exists and participates in traditional communities of customers - actual neighbourhoods or business sectors – it should also have a presence in online communities.

Before you start, it’s important to understand the major difference between social media and the traditional media. When you promote your company through traditional media, it is generally a one-way line of communication – you deliver your message and, hopefully, your potential customers receive it. Occasionally, traditional media can be two-way communication, such as through direct mail, telemarketing or surveys, where you receive a certain amount of information back from your customers.

In any case, promoting your company using traditional media generally means you have a lot of control over the communication.

Social media allows “all way” communication. Like traditional media, this can be between you and your customers, but, more importantly, social media lets your customers have ongoing discussions about your company, products, business sector and competition. Everyone in the community can participate and offer their opinion, which, good or bad, may not be in line with your key messages.

So, unlike traditional media, when you promote your company using social media, you have little or no control over what’s being said in each community. Surfers will just as quickly pan as praise your company and products and their opinions can mushroom and spread through the internet, and sometimes into traditional media, with blinding speed. When the message is good, you will get more free publicity than you thought possible, but, when the message is bad, it can be devastating.

The silver lining is that you too can be part of the social media communities. With the right approach, you can mitigate the effect of negative messages and amplify the effect of positive messages.

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Article Tags: social media, social media strategies, youtube



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Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - [quote="WebBizIdeas.com":gvtxsu7g]Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff[/quote:gvtxsu7g] Hi Jeff, Thanks for the suggestion. Why don't you start a new post (with a poll) to see if there's enough interest in your idea for a social media section?
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas! - GT - thanks for the FYI - I'm not sure if we'll put a link back. Something to consider though! Trent - the new category is "Social Network and Media" which was put in to compliment the Online Businesses category that currently exists. Overall the new categories are: - Looking For, Networking and Events - Review My... - Social Network and Media - Brags and Rants These came as a result of Ringo doing research on other forums and thinking about what could be improved on ours to give a better experience for everyone. I hope you enjoy them! David, I'm looking forward to reading your Brag / Rant!
Re: Marketing 2.0 - What Are Your Thoughts - Hi Shri, Thanks for posting this. I also read it and I believe Social Media is here to stay, until the next best thing comes up. Social media proved to be useful for me many times and I think everyone should use it for their business.
Re: Social Media Marketing Ignorance - [quote="vbn411":7qciluxl]Social Media is space that you have to be in to succeed in our current climate. People are going to be discussing your brand / product whether you like it or not, so you might as well join the conversation and add value. [/quote:7qciluxl] I think that's probably one of the most realistic way to think about it. There's no real textbook way of understanding Social Media, it's the networks of people and their interactions that will exist with or without your input. As for Jennifer, You can always have 2 Facebook pages. Many people do. There is also LinkedIn, which is like a professional networking version of Facebook. The only way to know is to try it.


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