Social Media needs to be, well, social.

It seems like everyone is getting involved.  At least the majority of the population either has a facebook, twitter, youtube account or even a tumblr. These sites have changed our society and exceeded any expectations we could have had 5 years ago. Not only is your mother on facebook, but so is your favorite retailer ranging from clothing stores to travel agencies. Not only does your mom try to make you feel special on facebook, but so are your favorite stores and brands.  According to Michael Stelzner, the author of “The Social Media Industry Report,” those brands that participate in social media marketing are generating exposure for the company; they’re increasing traffic and are helping to create “new business partnerships” and they’re all trying to do this by engaging you while you’re online.

            Out of the numerous users of this relatively new wave of technology, many of them are marketers. 91% of them stated that they were employing social media for marketing purposes.

This is a pretty great strategy for any business to use simply because of the fact that nowadays we spend most of our free time on these social sites. Michael Stelzner discovered that more than 50% of "marketers were also using social media about 6 hours or more each week." Many of the folks I know spend that kind of time just scrolling through their facebook, twitter and tumblr feeds; this is time where they are solely focused on the content that appears through these venues. However, it’s only the more creative and interactive brands that really manage to captivate our attention and really make us their consumers. Those brands that are really active with their online media presence through the use of social networking sites such as twitter, are already learning to cater to a more customized experience. However, just because a company has a fan page to be “liked” or an account to be followed doesn’t mean that they’re going to continue to stay on top of the social media game.

            As Anthony Miyazaki shared in his blog, social media is more than just liking a page and getting followers. Companies and brands need to be able to connect with their audience on a more personal and approachable level. The reason we as people even join these sites is to stay connected, it’s the main purpose of Facebook altogether. We “like” pages and “follow” brands or companies because yes, we like their product, but because we hope to be appreciated for choosing to spend our sometimes not dispensable income on their products and services. We all like to be acknowledged when we do something good, in this case, when we shop with a certain brand.  For example, the radio station Y100 right here in South Florida. They are always engaging their listeners to have discussions on their pages, they also do numerous contests to make sure that fans are continuing to listen and they’re actually pretty excellent about response to their listeners. I had won a contest with them where I won tickets to a concert. The concert happen to land on a Saturday and the day that I was able to pick up the tickets was the day before, however it was also a holiday weekend and was unsuccessful to get them at the station before they were out for the weekend. If it wasn’t because of twitter and them being able to directly address my situation I would have been a very angry and resentful listener, however, one of the radio hosts was so incredibly attentive and responsive via that she was able to make sure I attended the concert even during the holiday weekend. I was so blown away with their prompt response and genuine concern for my situation I am forever a fan of the radio station and any of the events they promote. I constantly share with my friends and followers to also follow them on facebook and twitter because I know they care about their audience. I definitely felt like I was valued as a person and not just as radio listener. The brand or company not only needs to have a good following but also needs to have good interaction. The good thing about social media is that it’s no longer just a one way street of information. There are now two entities partaking in conversation, getting to know one another. All we need as humans is just that connection, so once companies go that extra step, the social in social media will indeed prove true.

Facebook.com
socialmediaexaminer.com
whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/report/