June 14, 2013
What is social media to you? How can you keep track of what’s going on? And how can you keep a tight lead on your own activity? Social media is evolving all the time and creating new and wonderful technologies and opportunities; it’s no wonder that every now and then you ask yourself where you should be paying attention.
Well, have no fear. We have collected 3 must-know topics that will give you a rock hard foundation to prepare yourself for what’s next in social media, and to propel yourself to the forefront of the industry:
Social Media Law
First things first, get your house in order. Everyone is tweeting and Facebooking but there are a surprising number of professionals working online that are not aware of the impact that they are having, or the repercussions that they are inviting. Start at the beginning, and create a social media policy for the workplace. Educate your colleagues and employees. We learned that over 68% have basic, beginner or no personal knowledge of social media law. Be honest, how much do you know about it?
Live Brand Social
There is strength in numbers. You can gain significantly more value from your marketing events when you combine them with social media. UK research shows that reach of your experiences is increased to 74% by combining live events with social. Can you afford to ignore that? Not only will social add value to the brand but it offers you an opportunity to evolve into mobile marketing too – 69% of consumers are using mobile devices to share Live Brand Social content.
Social Media Innovation
Unilever may have been ahead of the trend in 2010 with their ice cream dispensers activated by smiles, and Pepsi may be joining in with their vending machines that trade drinks for Facebook Likes, but there’s more to social media innovation than cool food and drink distributors. It’s about bringing real world interactions on social into the spotlight. “A business looking for social innovation will open new, powerful, revenue streams that will take the brand into the future.”
That might only be a scratch on the surface, but becoming more aware of these 3 need-to-know features of social will give you the sure footing that all brands need to be able to make longer term achievements rather than solely focusing on the immediate future. Plot where your brand is by using our S-curve.
At the end of the day, social media innovation is about forward thinking. Define what social media is to you, take note of what’s going on now and then imagine where it could lead you.