What is Social Media?

Social media is a collection of platforms in which all users can produce and broadcast content online. The significance of this new media for business, politics, art, activism, etc. is obvious.

Social Media provides an immediate vehicle for “viral” transmission of information. It allows you to communicate instantly with millions of people, and gives each one of them the opportunity to spread your message even further. If you are clever and dedicated, and have a good message, you can turn the whole world into your own personal marketing force!

For anyone who wants to be noticed, social media should a top priority. Besides offering the opportunity to engage with your audience and allowing you to find the right audience more easily, social media is significantly less expensive than advertizing through traditional media. Consider the costs of running TV ads on major networks, or full page ads in national newspapers on a regular basis. Businesses making smart use of social media are consistently beating their competition.

Some of the potential benefits of social media:

• build brand awareness and loyalty
• strengthen relationships with: audience, clients, potential customers, influential people in your field, etc.
• improve customer service and customer interaction
• drive more traffic to your website(s)
• improve your search engine rankings
• generate sales

The return on investment (ROI) for use of social media can’t be measured in the traditional way, but by all accounts, it’s significantly greater than by advertizing on traditional media. People are spending more and more time on social media, and you can engage with them directly on those platforms and find the people who are interested in what you have to offer.

Social Media vs. Traditional Media

Social media is the great leveler today. The key difference between social media and traditional media is that you can engage directly with the public, and carry on real conversations with them. You can answer questions, run promotions, and provide quality information on a range of topics related to what you offer. In this way, people can be exposed to your message or product in the pursuit of their own interests!

You can also quickly become an authority on a particular subject using social media. When people feel that they can look to you as a valuable source of information, and that you’ll even treat them as equals in this space, they are much more inclined to find out about and try whatever it is your offering. If something goes wrong, they can always ask you about it in a way that is generally less intrusive than receiving a phone call or email.

Even advertizing on social media platforms gives better results than advertizing with Google or putting ads on websites. It’s easy enough to see why, since Facebook (or whoever it is) ALREADY KNOWS all their users’ interests, friends and browsing habits, so it’s much easier for them to target the right users with the right ads.

Social media is improving the efficiency of communication and is already a vital component in many endeavors. If you have something to say, don’t be silenced by the cost of broadcasting on traditional media! Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can amplify their message on a scale that would have been unimaginable just a handful of years ago.

Some further reading on Social Media ROI:

• Social Media ROI for Idiots
• Social Media ROI
• Why Small Businesses Shouldn’t Take Social Media for Granted
• 8 Social Media Metrics You Should Be Measuring
• Want to Know the ROI of Social Media
• How to Measure Social Media ROI for Business