Social Media Marketing: What's the Big Deal?
Jessica Cox
October 24, 2009
Five years ago, announcing "I'm on Twitter" might mean trying a new anti-depressant. Not so with today's increasingly interconnected world. Social media marketing has evolved from a quirky Internet buzzword to a world-wide phenomenon. Now, two-thirds of the global online population hang out on social media communities, and that includes Fortune 500 companies and CEOs.
Savvy businesses are scrambling to adapt in this ever-changing playing field. We'll be covering the basics so you can survive and learn to thrive in this new Internet ecosystem.
First, let's establish a solid definition of what social media is, anyway.
According to Brian Eisenberg:
"The biggest problem I have with the term 'social media' is that it isn't media in the traditional sense. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and all the others I don't have the word count to mention aren't media; they are platforms for interaction and networking. All the traditional media — print, broadcast, search, and so on — provide platforms for delivery of ads near and around relevant content. Social media are platforms for interaction and relationships, not content and ads."
This bears repeating: "Social media are platforms for interaction and relationships, not content and ads."
Social interaction fuels social media. It's like being in kindergarten again: it's all about sharing. Pictures, videos, audio, and text get blogged, bookmarked, and commented as they're passed through the digital word-of-mouth chain. Each one becomes a potential conversation-starter.
Along the way, these media types pick up some fancy new names:
Audio = Podcast = online radio show
Video = V-blog = online TV show
Text = Blog = online magazine
Social media platforms use highly accessible, scalable publishing techniques. Whether you're the type who only interacts for about 30 minutes a day, or you're the kind who gets twitchy when you can't check Twitter at least once an hour, you can find yourself a niche on these platforms. Instead of the "one-to-many" model of advertising and traditional media broadcasting, social media provide a "many-to-many" dynamic.
With the increasing mobility in technology, the amount of time spent on social networks is growing at an exponential rate. Nielson Online reports time spent on social media sites is growing at three times the overall Internet rate.
The revolution is underway. It's time to find your place in this brave new world.
Want more? Check out our 50-Second Field Guide to Tweets.
Jessica F. Cox is the marketing director for Aqua Vita Creative. Want to learn more about social media and marketing? Check out her blog, Marketing Alchemy.
Savvy businesses are scrambling to adapt in this ever-changing playing field. We'll be covering the basics so you can survive and learn to thrive in this new Internet ecosystem.
First, let's establish a solid definition of what social media is, anyway.
According to Brian Eisenberg:
"The biggest problem I have with the term 'social media' is that it isn't media in the traditional sense. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and all the others I don't have the word count to mention aren't media; they are platforms for interaction and networking. All the traditional media — print, broadcast, search, and so on — provide platforms for delivery of ads near and around relevant content. Social media are platforms for interaction and relationships, not content and ads."
This bears repeating: "Social media are platforms for interaction and relationships, not content and ads."
Social interaction fuels social media. It's like being in kindergarten again: it's all about sharing. Pictures, videos, audio, and text get blogged, bookmarked, and commented as they're passed through the digital word-of-mouth chain. Each one becomes a potential conversation-starter.
Along the way, these media types pick up some fancy new names:
Audio = Podcast = online radio show
Video = V-blog = online TV show
Text = Blog = online magazine
Social media platforms use highly accessible, scalable publishing techniques. Whether you're the type who only interacts for about 30 minutes a day, or you're the kind who gets twitchy when you can't check Twitter at least once an hour, you can find yourself a niche on these platforms. Instead of the "one-to-many" model of advertising and traditional media broadcasting, social media provide a "many-to-many" dynamic.
With the increasing mobility in technology, the amount of time spent on social networks is growing at an exponential rate. Nielson Online reports time spent on social media sites is growing at three times the overall Internet rate.
The revolution is underway. It's time to find your place in this brave new world.
Want more? Check out our 50-Second Field Guide to Tweets.
Jessica F. Cox is the marketing director for Aqua Vita Creative. Want to learn more about social media and marketing? Check out her blog, Marketing Alchemy.
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