How many times have you pondered upon whether Social Media will work for your business? Too many times? We thought so.
Now, this thing called Social Media is no more a new thing for businesses, is it? It’s been around for quite some time, and most organizations have experimented with it to limited extents, with or without success. If you ever browsed, you would know that the Internet is filled with case studies of how companies have actually generated revenue leveraging Social Media (Read). The offline grapevine, on the other hand, is packed with a much greater number of sob stories of how people burnt their fingers (and time) over the same medium. “Does it really work?” must be one of the most commonly heard phrases in marketing circles. So where and why is there a disconnect? Let’s contemplate.
Of most clients we met, we would probably say- they get their strategies wrong. Of a few others, there usually is a misalignment of expectations. Either way, one thing is for sure. Unlike what Jeff Bullas and countless other Internet gurus would have you believe, Social Media (as any other channel of business, for that matter), on its own, is far from a panacea for all problems.
It needs to be understood well, to be applied well.
For an Internet Strategist like yours truly, this always is the primary concern while planning those breakthrough sessions with clients. The understanding and appreciation of the medium is mostly inadequate, and as such so are the expectations from it. For marketers and strategists to get their blueprints right, they must have a deeper understanding of the dynamics that dictate online communities and the technologies governing them. There is a need for more focused discussions of newer theories, concepts and frameworks around Social Media.
The purpose of this blog is to do exactly that – we’ll throw out new ideas and provoke you to look at this new medium in a new light. We’ll discuss the most salient features of the domain – things that make Social Media unique, and explore why (and not just how) the fundamental rules of communication need to be altered when applied to this space.
Hopefully, in the process you will be able to figure out the perilous “Does it really work?” yourself. If not, Focal Concepts is always there to help you.
Please keep watching this space for more.
o Social Media: Is it a Market or a Medium?
o Social Media: Does it work better as SEM or SEO?
o Social Media: Is it an Art or a Science?
o Social Media: Is Content King, or Community?
