Where is Social Marketing Going?

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Where is Social Marketing Going?

Twitter…Facebook…LinkedIn and countless other social marketing networks have become part of our everyday lives, both personally and in business. The question is where is it going? How prevalent will these forms of communication be?

I spend lots of time honing my social marketing skills and have been observing countless experts and futurists so I can be informed, and in turn, separate the “wheat from the chaff” so to speak. Facebook has become especially dominant. At a recent event I attended, Sree Sreenivasan, the Dean of Student Affairs at Columbia Journalism School, asked all attendees what their “ROI” was on their social media efforts. The answers were meager if anything. Mr. Sreenivasan, who teaches a social media course at Columbia – a sign of how seriously this medium is being taken, stressed that our “ROI” “is that we’ll all be in business in 5 years.”

I agree. Social marketing will only become more dominant. Of course a personal recommendation from a friend has always been the most powerful marketing for any product or service. So now, imagine shopping online, researching online and surfing leisurely online and bringing your entire social network with you. Looking for a Realtor or Mortgage Broker? What if you visit their site and see 3 of your friends have “liked” them…that’s pretty close to a personal recommendation! Maybe comments have been left on the site. Our online reputations will become increasingly visible and important. Our own pictures and images will be accompanying all our online activity as well, adding a compelling aspect of legitimacy to a digital platform.

You have to be in the game. Grow your network, provide valuable information, services and/or products that distinguish you from your competition and be part of an exploding medium. It is a powerful, insipient way to reach and engage your clients and customers. If you haven’t already I urge you to get comfortable with these platforms. You don’t want to be left behind.