General - Thursday, January 8, 2009 12:29 - 1 Comment

What is Social Media anyway?

According to Wikipedia,

Social media are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio.

Got that? Me either…at first anyway, and what the hell is Wikipedia? Wikipedia is a great example of social media at work. As a free online encyclopedia, the content is ever-changing and it’s being changed by the people who use it. Yes, Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world; anyone can edit it. This may make you a little wary about factual content, but you can’t argue success. Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has become one of the largest reference web sites, attracting at least 684 million visitors each year as of 2008.

So basically, social media is the online equivalent of a backyard, over the fence chat between individuals, except word-of-mouth has been accelerated by a keyboard, cell phone, high-speed Internet connections, digital cameras and video recorders. Simply put, “we the people” have become “we the media.”

As an advertising executive, this new form of media is very intriguing. If I had a nickel for every time a client of mine said, “Word-of-mouth is my best form of advertising,” well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be writing this blog. It’s time to start cashing in on those nickels. Social media marketing is word-of-mouth advertising on steroids.

In future posts I will share tips, tactics and case studies on how my firm has used social media to help promote businesses. I will also try to pass along articles and other blog posts I find interesting. I invite your comments or questions and together we shall wade through these new and interesting topics.