So, Why Social Media?  Here are some of the reasons why Social Media is a giant marketplace. Research has shown that nearly 23% of people’s time is being spent on Social Media sites or apps.  Email is declining because of the massive shift into Social Media.  In fact, email is has experienced a 28% decline in its overall use with this massive surge with Facebook, Twitter and other networks on the rise.

Friends, families, and businesses are communicating on their Social Media networks now and it is instant.  With today’s cell phone technology and the numerous “apps” the Social Media is always with us right in our purse or pocket.
 
A report put out by The Neilsen Company in August 2010 showed that Social Media usage was up 43% than just a year ago.  If you include blogging, email and instant messaging we are spending about 36% of our entire day trying to stay connected.  Now, just to make it very clear on how big a shift we are talking about, 36% of our total time is spent staying connected to our world and 64% of that connected time is on Social Media networks… Totaling 23% of our day. 

As an advertiser wouldn’t you want that kind of attention? Of course you would. That’s why the companies that are already using this technology, and doing it well, are having such an increase in their online campaigns.  You online strategy is not a luxury anymore.  It is where you should be putting the bulk of your marketing budget so that you can keep up with the consumers and potential clients.

These trends have the business world on a shift of how they communicate with their customers and get feedback from them as well.  Business has always been about how well you have maintained your “list”.  Before the internet it was your “mailing list”, addresses so you could send out letters, postcards, etc.  Then came the power of the internet and email and so we built an “email list”.  This allowed us to capture an email address and send out updates or a newsletter to our followers.  Now the “list” is moving to how many followers you have on your Social Media networks and blog.  They are seeking your information and if you aren’t giving it to them they will find someone who is.

This shift is allowing tremendous growth in online marketing.  The strategy is going to be unique for each industry and company, but the purpose is to keep your company in front of them when they want you to.  That way when they are ready you are on their mind.  Staying in front of the most amount of eyeballs is not on billboards, TV, print, or email.  The revolution is Social Media and services that allow you to be in front of your customer via cell phone.

This weeks lesson is not uber revealing, but it is one that will take you a long way when purchasing dicisions become tough.

Week 2:”You Get What You Pay For”

My prother tells me, “You pay for what you get!”…Isn’t that always the case? I lay down the money and they give me the goods, whether it is a little money or a lot, I’m paying.

But the idea “you get what you pay for” is different. There is QUALITY incorporated into the transaction. So, 1 topic where this is very prevalent is shoes! I have been getting back into basketball lately and we play pick-up every Wednesday and Thursday night.

My shoes have become a concern! The “old” ones that were great, finally gave way. They were comfortable, easy to get on, and I could where any kind of socks with them. The failure was a hole in the toe and that doesn’t work so well for athletic movement back and forth.

So, my choices were to use some discount newer ones I got on clearance a whlie back or go with really old ones from years ago. Choice… newer discounts. Wrong choice! They gave me a blister on my left achilies 1/2 hour in. Then I switched to the really old ones thinking that would solve my problems. Wrong choice again! Dime size blister on my right arch. Just incase you were wondering, those hurt extra bad because they are on the tender part of your foot where there are not layers of skin to protect it.

Anyways, I am going to have a better shoe experience in the future and “get what I pay for”. The deeper underlying lesson is that some things acutally merit spending more money on them in the long run. By doing so you can avoid pain, suffering, having to acually spend even more than you should have the 1st time, and having to waste all the time going through a bad decision.

This philosophy can apply to most things, including the business world. We are riddled with choices to buy services that seem “cheap” or offer way to much for what appears to be a low price. Of these marketing strategies beware and proceed with caution when something looks “too good to be true”. There are however exceptions to the rule which are rare, and you can decide on your own what those are, but I strongly believe when it’s all said and done, “you get what you pay for”.