Social Media: Traditional Views

Finding a way to branch out from traditional views of advertising can be difficult. There is so much information available about potential returns through newspaper ads, commercials and the radio. Utilizing these new avenues of social media requires a much more innovative approach. Everyone is tired of hearing gimmicks, sales pitches and clever slogans. While there will always be a place for those, no one wants to see an ad for a new shampoo appear on their Facebook wall. What people want out of a business that is using social media is to be a part of a community. As we learned in class, the most successful business locally that uses social media is Bear River Health Department. That is because they actively take part in conversations that are relevant to their business.

Companies create a Facebook profile with the goal to generate as many “Likes” as they can, but to what end? The only businesses that I have liked on Facebook are the ones that I have a personal connection to, or someone I know does. This is where new ideas are needed. Some companies spend upwards of 20 percent on their annual revenue in advertising. Social media is so popular because it is free. But imagine if a business took some of their advertising budget and poured it into Facebook to create incentives for people “Liking” them. It could go a long way.

It is a fact that people respond to incentives. Everyone enjoys getting something for free, but that isn’t the only way to draw a crowd. There are tons of niches that business harness to help spread awareness or grow their business. People respond to humor, creativity, causes, exceptional people, and the environment to name a few. I like this Old Spice video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

They were transparent that they wanted you to buy their product but they did it in a humorous way.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2011/09/01/how-social-media-can-mesh-with-traditional-corporate-it/

This article spoke of the impact that social media will have on the IT landscape. Social media sites are saving businesses money. Instead of hiring a whole team of people to keep all of their employees informed about what is going on, employees do it themselves through Facebook.

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/01/24/why-social-and-traditional-media-marketers-should-stop-acting-like-fighting-lovers/

This one is awesome, it goes over some of the pros and cons of both traditional marketing and social media marketing.

Blogging

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,650732-1,00.html

I did not realize how important blogs had become until I started reading articles about them. I may still be a bit old fashioned. I didn’t have an email address until I was 19, I never made a MySpace account and I was the last of my friends to create a Facebook. My first blog was created last year, and that was because it was a requirement for my class. Taking a class on social media has really helped me realize how out of date I am.

It is hard for me to understand how influential blogs have become because I don’t really follow anyone’s. But apparently bloggers have become a valued and trusted source of news and other information. They have become the Rottweiler of current media watchdogs. It is a little scary to think that an average ordinary person can have the power that they do through their online presence.

The reason why blogs are so effective is because they are free. People see them while they are going about their everyday lives. Blogs are a way that people can find others with similar interests that relate to their problems. It’s an interesting phenomenon that people will take time out of their days to read about a stranger. I obviously need to start reading blogs to fully understand the potential that they have.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/fashion/07blogs.html

This article was also very interesting; it followed the story of a mommy blogger who had developed a large following, then because of one post lost her entire following. I can’t imagine how many incredible journalists or writers there are out there. It is nice that everyone has a chance to be heard. Blogs make it easy to get started; the trouble is developing a following. They say that the people that do have a large audience do so out of sheer luck. It is just nice to know that dreams can still be reached for all those people who want to reach out through their writing.

Social Media: The Big 7

http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/05/14/the-7-social-media-marketing-essentials-for-brands/

As I was researching articles on the “Big 7” of social media, I came across an interesting article about 7 practical uses for social media for businesses. As I have worked with various businesses to assist in advertising, the one thing they never say no to is, social media support. Every business owner knows that social media is important, it affects the way that their business is viewed by others. However, not many know how to utilize social media. I am excited for this class so that I might have a few more answers for them by the time this class is over.

One of the ways stated in this article that social media could be beneficial to a company was through internal communications. They listed a few websites apart from the Big 7, but also talked about how companies could use Facebook groups to help organize and keep employees in the know about things happening in the work place. The article also spoke of utilizing sites such as YouTube so help promote branded content.

Customer service can become outstanding through social media. Companies can use it to receive instant feedback about products and services. This can go good or bad for a company. The article talked about how the world is becoming more transparent through social media. If a company is lying or hiding something, it is easy for the world to catch wind of it through a simple Facebook or Twitter update.

People seem to be concerned that Facebook membership is slowing, they are taking it as a sign that the world is moving on to the next great thing. However, I feel that as people are becoming more competent with computers, there is only room for more growth. The article compared Facebook to MySpace. ” Many think Facebook will have a similar fall from grace one day and that we will move on to the next big thing but to think like that would be foolish. You need to think of Facebook not as a website but as a platform which will become as important as the internet or Google itself. Facebook is starting to force it’s way on to websites, it’s being built in to the core of mobile phones and soon you’ll be buying stuff through there and it will influence search results. Facebook is not going away any time soon.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/if-im-on-facebook-it-must-be-over.html?_r=1&ref=socialnetworking

This article was not related at all to the other one. I just thought it was interesting to see that even the people who were originally against Facebook and finally making a profile. Facebook and social media are becoming a way of life. Those who do not get on board will be left behind.