Welcome to the world of Web 2.0 where our minds don’t think, they buffer. In this day and age, you can do almost anything online, including shopping, ordering food and even dating.The use of social media has brought with it a brave new world of influence and dynamic that has transformed (and even reinvented) many aspects of our daily lives.
Most dramatically, the Internet has allowed for a democratization of content and information, making average Joe Plumbers part of a grander equation; this dotcom era has not only empowered individuals to become industry-influencers, but has also warped the way in which consumers wish to receive information. Industries such as PR and marketing are adapting and even struggling to evolve in the world of social media. Everyone has begun to realize that social media is not only powerful, but is filled with powerful voices… and if you can’t beat ‘em, you must join ‘em! (Do you think that’s why there are so many moms on Facebook now?)
While industries experience many transformations as new channels of influence and information arise, “marketing-at” people has become so passé. The industry has become one that is socially-driven, facilitating a space for a new class of rather authoritative voices, to share opinions and content no matter how controversial. The access to valuable information, and the ability to so easily publish information has many social media outlets trumping those wise traditional media owls. While traditional influence would conventionally reach the masses via news journalists and reporters, social media has greased the wheels for the John Smiths to gain recognition as industry authorities, for such things as daily blog posts. Honest-to-blog, blogging is no longer perceived as a chronology of haphazard musings or diary posts. Blogging has tweaked itself into a powerful portfolio of wisdom and knowledge that is shared with millions of others.
Blogging is now culture. What we are left with is a changing landscape of media, and information channels with new dynamics of influence. Everyone has the power to veto on the web, and many lavish in daily paparazzo-activity. Regardless, the genre of the new influencer is too dominant to be ignored.
So what does the industry make of all these new concepts of influence and sudden shifts of voices and power? Like I said, if you can’t beat ‘em, you must join ‘em! Embrace the realm of the new-school new media, and join the peer-to-peer dialogues that take place on the web. Use the channels of influence to go to where your audience is and start real conversations with real people. Use social media to understand such things as the different markets, the various needs of people and the most effective ways to converse with these people. Just think of Twitter, the 140-characters-or-less newsfeed that is self-described as “without a doubt the best way to share and discover what is happening right now.” Social media is just that: about the right now.
As a company or corporation, it is important to be able to digest, produce and share content, as well as to participate actively in conversations, especially those surrounding your business and niche. This will help initiate and cultivate brand loyalty, track impressions, and allow direct conversation and engagement with consumers and customers. By meshing the old-school traditional instruments and the new-school social tools it is now easier to establish relationships which serve as a base for important and insightful interaction.
Few phenomena have had the social impact that the Internet has had in just a decade. How companies approach internet-based technologies can impact a company’s reputation and branding. So dive in, get involved and embrace the new medium! Chances are if you represent a brand, you are part of a larger conversation taking part on the web. Don’t find yourself on the outskirts — word of mouse is the new genre.
