Monday, November 15, 2010

What are you afraid of?


Social Media. Does it scare you? To some people, it's like talking to them about Nuclear Armageddon.

Between blogging, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., it is tough to be a successful business without embracing some form of social media.

Some companies cite lack of experience, lack of time, lack of resources, "it's too new", etc., as their reasons for not using social media.

In an era when our customers crave information NOW, doesn't it make sense to have some social media presence?

Check out these media facts:

The first full-page newspaper ad in the United States was published in 1856. The first newspaper published in America was in 1690.

The first paid radio commercial took place in 1922 at WEAF in New York. Continuous radio broadcasts had been around for about 20 years.

Twitter started in 2006 and has an estimated 175 million users worldwide.

Facebook started in 2004 and has over 500 million users.

If you are waiting for a bigger sign or a bigger ROI (Return On Investment), stop waiting. Start doing.

Sincerely,

@emnbensdad (That's me on Twitter.)

4 comments:

  1. It's a bit different in that it's not really a controlled platform. FCC controls radio and the papers well...don't get me started. Lack of control scares people and companies as does any fundamental shift in media. I'm starting to get nervous because now you can be prosecuted for what you tweet. Watch those random train of though tweets people.

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  2. Very well said @sparegeek. It is a big shift. But companies that have shifted are doing great with advertising in order to reach a different audience.

    Two local restaurants send me text coupons each month. I usually respond by giving them my business. I probably wouldn't go had it not been for their use of these new advertising channels.

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  3. The world is hot, flat and crowded, all because the Internet, and more specifically social media.

    Seth Godin's book, Tribes, describes how you can use the Internet to be a Tribal leader.

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  4. For centuries, we thought the world was round.

    I have downloaded Tribes to my Kindle. I guess I need to start reading it.

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