A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart, wrote 18th Century author and satirist Jonathan Swift. He could have well been describing just how to get social.
Interacting and connecting with others through social media is the single most important set of habits to qualify any individual, organisation or company as being truly social. Underpinning this is a series of characteristics and motivations that help define and drive people’s digital behaviour.
Perversely, you now have to fund reach-out through social media, efforts that until not so long ago could be achieved organically. Facebook is at the vanguard of this trend but are joined by Twitter offering ads to boost your messaging, emergence of promoted pins on Pinterest – with Instagram, owned by Facebook, and perhaps soon Snapchat also rolling our advertising opportunities in the UK too. Gamers will of course be only too familiar with the pay to play concept.
Platform of Opportunity
As digital and social media, combined with technological innovations, reshape how people access and acquire information and services, so too does the need to rapidly evolve to keep pace or ahead of the curve become critical. Where people bought products, they now seek services. Where customers went to the market, consumers turn on to different platforms. You’re strategies still rely on a marketable product priced and targeted but what your approach will look like and where your audiences are living has changed.
But if you think you’re going to do social media seriously and do it for free then think again. New dynamics call for new approaches to how resources are deployed, how investment in your people is mapped, and what tools are required to achieve best results. Sales are no longer (though in truth for some never were) the main focus – experience, personalisation, quality service however that’s defined, and going to where your target audiences live digitally are among the most important pillars supporting credible engagement.
One way or the other, money talks – the challenge is to make sure you invest more in passion than payment.
Spend wisely
Kenny
The full 7 posts in 7 days countdown on social media learning in one place.
Next post: #5. Go Further Faster
Previous post #6: Just Don’t Get Your Phone Wet
Photo Credit: andrewrennie via Compfight cc
Blether And Blogger 
You must be logged in to post a comment.