about us - social media
what is social media?
So, what’s “social media”, anyway?
Wikipedia describes social media as “…the online tools and platforms that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives with each other.”
Simple, eh?
Well, let’s put it another way. Most websites and web pages you can find on the web can be described as “flat”, meaning they’re written once, rarely change, and cannot be interacted with.
These are search returns, company homepages, member lists, maps, and so on. These pages are not meant to be interactive or change over time; they simply put some information out there that someone ( hopefully ) might find useful. This is “static media”, and much like a printed brochure, once it’s out there, that’s it.
Read it if you find it useful, print it out or bookmark it so you can come back to it if you need it later.
Social media is different.
Social media web content is created by people with the express purpose of being “portable”, or shared, as well as commented on, listed in various indexes and maybe even changed and evolved over time. Platforms that enable or support social media include many things you’ve heard about in the news or from friends: blogs, wikis, social network sites such as MySpace and Facebook, immersive environments along the lines of Second Life or There, media sharing sites and applications such as Flickr and YouTube, and content sharing sites such as Digg and Technorati.
Social media is content created for social consumption with the express intent of having it change, bend, fold, spindle, and be mutilated over time. Blog postings are commented on, social network site profiles change and evolve, movies on shared media sites gets tagged, linked to, discussed, reposted in other places, and so on.
Put another way, social media or content for social media platforms is ripe for spreading around the internet and through society in a viral fashion. It’s almost always made with the intent ( express or implied ) that the content can be passed along, referred to, reposted, and otherwise carried on the wind of public interest.
This can happen on accident, certainly. Think about almost every fad you’ve heard of. But it can also be an intentional act, something that’s managed, although this is a bit trickier.
Traditional PR material such as a press release is like shot out of a shotgun; blasted in one general direction, with the hope of hitting as many targets as possible with the intent of getting some few people “hit” to respond back. This usually means buying something, paying for services. To use traditional media to spread your message, you do a bit of research on the people that you want to hear your message, put some effort into crafting it in a form you think they’ll respond favorably to, and then release it in whatever medium you can afford- TV, radio, billboard, or newspaper.
Social media is different.
Social media is “grown”, when it’s done well.
Just like traditional marketing messages it’s written with someone in mind, but it’s also written expressly to be portable, as above. It’s also often delivered via some social media platform such as a blog, wiki, content list ( such as Digg or Del.icio.us ) instead of more traditional marketing methods such as flyers, ads, or email.
Marketing via social media is meant to take on a life of it’s own. With social media, it’s not how many people you reach with your initial “blast” of publicity, but rather how your message takes off of its own accord. With social media, you craft it well, and watch people share it amongst themselves. They do all the marketing work for you.
Let me say that again: They do all the marketing work for you.
This has several advantages to traditional marketing, but you have to have something interesting and authentic to pass on.
- - First off, it’s marketing smarter, not harder. It enables people to do your marketing work for you. People like to be empowered.
- - Secondly, think about who hears your traditional marketing. Anyone who drives past your billboard, or happens to listen to the radio when your spot airs hears it. Most of them forget it seconds later. Social media on the other hand is passed on only by people who are interested, most likely to people who are interested..
- - Social media marketing ( social marketing? ) is almost always cheaper, especially when compared to traditional media staples such as TV ad campaigns or national print efforts.
- - Information conveyed along social media lines is “processed” differently than traditional media. Out of habit I ignore most commercials and billboards and flyers and web banner ads. But when a friend passes something along to me, I listen and give the message consideration. I am also much more likely to pass this on to others I think might care.
Social media marketing can be done in tandem with more traditional marketing. It usually gives a more human and approachable voice to what you’re doing than your corporate website or official brochures do. People respond to this.
There are a few caveats here, certainly. Just like growing a garden, you have to keep an eye on your social media efforts. They need to be managed, as it’s possible things can take a sudden turn you didn’t originally plan for. Also, as I’v esiad before the message needs to be crafted a bit differently than almost all traditional marketing matter. It’s more casual, more honest, and must be more interesting and “sticky”.
This is not as easy as it sounds, but the benefits can be outstanding.
June 6, 2008