Social media – what is it?
The Social Web is now an integral part of everyday life and, for companies; it is fast becoming a critical area for brand recognition, brand reputation and business development.
Social Media is the conversations on the Social Web that happen on Social Platforms or in Social Networks such as Twitter, Linked In, YouTube, FaceBook, FourSquare, community sites, blogs, forums, newsgroups, referral sites, comparison sites etc.
The term ‘Social Media’ really means ‘talking to each other’. It is our natural form of communication and has been in used successfully from when we painted pictures in caves. Then we communicated directly one-to-one or with a few others. Now, with the online world helping us, we can communicate directly with our friends and the rest of the world simply, cheaply and rapidly. Social chit chat passing information from one person to another is often called ‘word-of-mouth’.
We believe that, for business, word-of-mouth marketing is now fast becoming world-of-mouth marketing and this is leading us to a Consumer-to-Consumer (C-to-C) led market with the Social Web at its core.
No one can control the Social Web and it is not going away. It cannot be switched off and this makes it crucial that a company implements their social web strategy in a way that creates maximum influence in the conversations regarding their brand.
To influence anything, first you need to be listened to and to achieve this you have to have something relevant and interesting to say. You also need to be found easily and, crucially, be found where you need to be found. Being found, being interesting, being relevant, open and supportive leads to you matching your customers needs, building the trust required to maintain pace with their needs and getting you followed. This allows you to lead the conversation, build positive sentiment and provide an environment for sustained business growth – built then with the willing help of your customers.
Social Media is main stream and having something interesting to say, getting it in the right place and having it found, trusted, followed and getting your customers building your business is where Social Media Graffiti excels.
To find out how we can help you to get your customers building your business takes only a short conversation.
Talk to us here.
