What is “Social Media”?

href=”http://www.crunchbase.com/company/facebook” target=”_blank”>Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru...


 “If you don’t like the news

go out and make some of

your own!”Wes “Scoop” Nisker

Everyone loves it when the newspaper writes a story about them — or their business.

Now, with Facebook, You Tube, Twitter and other online communities, or your blog, you’re making the news and telling your own story.

And your fans and customers respond in a conversation.

I call it “Social PR.”
Instead of filtering your message through reporters and “experts” — you’re communicating directly to a community.
This massive, global, two-way conversation is called Social Media. And it’s turning the world upside down.

Facebook now reaches 1 billion of the most influential, affluent and connected people on Earth — in 70 languages. And 70% of Facebook users are outside the US.

Now the numbers are so massive that social media can no longer be ignored.

Social media is also now the best way to reach and influence the mainstream media.

Social media now gives you unprecedented, direct access to celebrities, Venture Capitalists, investors, reporters, CEOs and influential people of all kinds.

If you’re not using Social Media to promote your business, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to find new customers, fans and relationships.

Today, with the rapid disappearance and shrinking of “mainstream” media, (like newspapers and magazines and TV which nobody under 60 seems to watch anymore), you can’t rely solely on press coverage to announce your product or ideas anymore.

In order to influence and seed consumers and “early adopters” who will be the first to sign on to a beta programs, try a new product or embrace revolutionary ideas, it’s critical to be seen and heard on the “emerging media” or “social media” too .

This is where the trendsetters, hipsters, cutting edge early adopters and most technologically agile people hang out, talk about what’s new, and spread ideas to their friends and colleagues.

Social media is where the mainstream media get their story ideas and learn what’s hot, trendy and new.

These social communities are now nearly as important as newspaper, TV or radio coverage and can be highly targeted.

“Social media” includes:

- social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Pinterest.)

- social bookmarking sites (like Digg and StumbleUpon.)

- blogging sites (Like WordPress, Blogger, Squarespace and Tumblr.)

- group buying/discount sites (like Groupon, LivingSocial, BuyWithMe.)

- customer review sites (like Yelp.)

- video sharing sites (You Tube and Vimeo.)

- photo sharing sites (Flickr, Pinterest)

- radio talk show networks (“podcasts” like Personal Life Media, Visionary Culture Radio and Blogtalk Radio.)

- Internet radio (Pandora, SOMA-FM.)

- event networks (Eventful, We Know, Daily Candy, Upcoming, Zvents, Eventbrite, Craigslist, Meetup, Going.)

- professional networks (LinkedIn, Ryze, Labor Fair, TaskRabbit, MeetUp.)

- vertical, niche social networks for your market (ie for LOHAS they include: Architects of a New Dawn, Children of the Light, WiserEarth, Etsy.)

- Yahoo Groups, Google Groups (these closed email lists can spread your product, workshop, event or idea to highly targeted niches.)

- User groups – in high tech, these groups of early adopters and enthusiasts are critical to the success of a new product. For other businesses, such as Green, specific green networking groups are highly influential, and often have their own social pages.

Your website (hopefully a blog loaded with “Social Share” buttons, links and feeds to Twitter and Facebook — and not an old, 1990s-style, static website) is the hub of this integrated social media strategy.

We then teach you how to drive traffic to your website or blog, increase your search ranking, get positive “buzz” in the social communities and get noticed.

Related articles