General, Internet Marketing Strategy, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Strategy, Social Media Tools, Social Networks
Social Media: More Powerful Than You Think!
Mar 30 2011
I challenged myself to give up Facebook for 40 days and have found it to me the most difficult challenge in terms of staying informed. Facebook is one of my bookmarks of sites that I visit on a daily basis, as it is for many Facebook users. Without Facebook, I immediately tuned in to other social media networks that I am subscribed to such as Twitter and LinkedIn. Ultimately, I have failed this challenge of eliminating Facebook from my everyday tasks but have come to understand the significant influence that Facebook and social media has made globally.
In regards to the current events and the revolutions in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, they are often described as “Twitter Revolutions.” The defining characteristic in comparison to the Revolutions of the past, like the Russian revolution, is the means of communication. I have read a number of articles that claim that the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions were set off my social media activity. Wael Ghonin, Google’s Middle East and North African Marketing Director and leader in the Egyptian uprising, told CNN that the Egyptian protestors had the Internet to thank for their victory with President Hosni Mubarak stepping down from power after 14 days of protest. “I want to meet Mark Zuckerberg and thank him personally. I’m talking on behalf of Egypt. This revolution started on Facebook,” said Ghonim. In regards to the Libyan affairs, researchers found that the main way for protesters to communicate inside and outside Libya was through social media. Considering the power of social media in igniting an entire revolution, imagine the impact these networking tools can have on your business.
With the recent Tsunami in Japan, many students were witness to the terrible tragedy overseas as they were spending the semester studying abroad. Three NKU students were reportedly studying in Japan during the Tsunami and made contact with the University and friends and family back at home through Facebook and letting them know he was safe. Without Facebook, we would not have been in contact with these students for several days. Facebook is a way to stay connected. In times of disaster, Facebook allows just that. This can be important for your business as well – many people have global networks and knowing where your assets are is important. Social networks allow for these connections to prevail.
Moments ago, I found out I missed an event on campus because I missed the Facebook invitation. I haven’t been on Facebook in two weeks. JUST TWO WEEKS! Events are being promoted through Facebook more often than they are through e-mail, and when you’re not on campus that often to see the paper promotions, Facebook is the primary medium. Facebook is where every college student looks to see what’s going on. Businesses are now doing the same. Facebook has over 500 million active users, meaning that most of your audience, more likely than not, is on Facebook. Promote where your people are instead of just your traditional mediums.
If social media can inspire an entire country to revolt, imagine what social media can do for your business! It almost seems unreal the tremendous impact that social media can have on such a global scale. It is crazy the amount of information I’ve missed from being detached from Facebook for just two weeks. Social media marketing has certainly come a long way from where it first began – utilize these Internet marketing tools and, when properly implemented, you can watch your business grow.
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