Why Social Media? Actually the real question should be…Why not Social Media? I’m sorry to break the news to some folks, but Social Media is here to stay. In fact, I’ll go out on limb and say that its going to outlive each and every one of us! Social media has taken over our lives like the Swine Flu took over the airwaves last month(too soon?), and corporations are trying to catch up/figure out how to capitalize on it. The mere notion of connecting with customers, clients, partners, etc. via the Web was foreign to most people and organizations, but now it’s a way of life. After all, the Internet is a big, scary, and unsecure place! And I guess there’s some truth to that, but I promise we’ll make it through together!

First off, I cant think of anything better for a small to medium size business in a recession other than SoMe. Why, because it’s free!! You can go out on the World Wide Web right now(actually, after reading this…important!) and start a Social Media campaign with no credit cards, checks, or cash in sight. I don’t recommend this approach, but I needed to prove my point. The only cost associated with SoMe is time. I’ll tell you right now that in order to do this right and add value to your organization; this is going to take time. There’s no math equation to this, but its going to take quality hours to roll this out and keep it up and running EFFECTIVELY.

Secondly, SoMe is interactive! Would you rather listen to a lecture all day, or engage in a discussion? You back row people need not reply! Think about this…There’s a really good chance that someone somewhere is talking about your product or service. Wouldn’t you like to be apart of that conversation? Wouldn’t you like to engage with those people? If you answered yes, continue on….if you answered no, go to www.bankruptcy.com (meant to be a joke, but I just found out that it’s a real site.)  Old school marketing was one way messaging. Think billboards, t.v. commercials, and radio ads. New school marketing is a two way street. Information is flowing back-n-forth, back-n-forth, back-n-forth.  Think Pong for Atari. Try to imagine that every time the ball touches the paddle, it picks up a new piece of information. That’s Social Media!  

Next, another benefit of SoMe is that its immediate! SoMe allows a single entity to send out a piece of information(photos, videos, audios, and documents) to a group at the click of a button! A lot can be said about the timely manner these interactions happen. I always hear the saying “time is money”, and it seems fitting when talking about SoMe. There’s a great deal of value in being able to relay a message that quickly.

Over time, you develop relationships with individuals who now trust you, who are interested in you, care about you, and see you as more than an acquaintance. You may have the same interest, values, beliefs, etc. as them, and both parties are genuinely open to receiving information from one another. Now take that relationship and put it on the Web. It’s not necessarily just about the messages, it’s not just about the tools, it’s about the relationships! If you approach SoMe with this mindset, you’re leaps and bounds ahead of most.

Wes Harper is in Business Development at Neighborhood America (www.neighborhoodamerica.com) and blogs at www.thesocialworld.com.