The Social Media Bandwagon

It's no joke to say that social media is a serious thing to think about when starting up a business, or rebranding an already apparent business. Social media has no doubt changed the way businesses run in today's society. In an article off of PRDaily.com, 7 Tools for 2012 Communications Plans, we can see that social media and the Internet will continue to play important roles in the survival of businesses.

In the article, Gina Dietrich explains the seven ways that a business can incorporate social media in their plans for the upcoming year:

1. Consolidation. With the rapid growth of technology and social media, it is important to really look at what works, and what doesn't work. Really get in-tune with your customers to see what they really want, and do it.

2. Privacy. Always a huge controversy. Businesses need to think how their clients or customers are using the Internet. It is important to be transparent, but not too transparent. Keep your customers updated, but without sharing too much private information. You can't control what people are saying about you, but you can control what you say to the people.

3. Gamification. Make your business some sort of game with your audience. Going into 2012, playing games with your customers can appeal to a wider audience. For example, "come in today between 3-4 pm and receive 15% off" through a text message club or email blast.

4. Mobile Content. As we are moving with a technological advanced society, mobile devices are becoming more popular each day. An online website is simply not enough anymore. People are now using smartphones and tablets to view websites. Businesses need to keep this in mind when making websites, mobile websites are key.

5. Social Television. Advertising and getting the name out there is getting to be tricky. Original and different ways to advertise are more attractive to consumers. If a business simply has TV ads, a different campaign is going to be necessary for this upcoming year to attract consumers.

6. Improved Analytics. Simply use as many tools to evaluate your business. Social tools are not standardized yet, but there are many ways to evaluate results. Google analytics, Twitter searches, Facebook searches, and basically looking at feedback on customers' comments are beneficial.

7. Google Wallet. The way people think and act is becoming more and more mobile each day. Before we know it, paying for something just by touching the screen on your phone is going to be a normal thing happening all over. This is something for businesses to consider as well.


Written by: Adam Krell