Forget about person to person, eye to eye, and face to face contact. The new connection is all about who’s online and when. Our social media consciousness has amped up in the wake of our introverted ways of doing business. Oftentimes, users behind the screen feel more at ease in their relationships and conversations than in an up close and personal situation.
How does this affect our ability to evolve and be present in real life social situations, or a coming-of-age business progression? The answer lies within each social media platform, network, capabilities, and our perceptions of each. During the onset of Facebook in 2007, it was simple and user-friendly, and boasted no measures of trying to outscore competitors. It simply became a venue where people from all over the world could connect and discover.
My, how times have changed. Not only has Facebook grown to be a billion dollar business, but LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and numerous other social mainstream connections are always on the cusp of something greater and more exciting. If this evolution continues, our world of connecting and relating will surpass what our ancestors never thought possible: Social media is the new handshake and sharing of a glass of wine.
The Ins and Outs of Social Media in Marketing
Whether you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade or so, social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Its ability to transform a conversation and subsequent wellness is highly documented. There’s been studies and research of users who swear by their onscreen connections and how social media fosters anxiety, depression, false narratives, and possibly liabilities unforseen in real time. Whatever you post on a daily basis gets scrutinized by your peers, by your family, and by your employers.
It’s no wonder that people get upset when they’ve been unfriended or disconnected, or unliked in certain circles, and this goes for all media platforms. Going forward in 2019 will see a rise in the world’s population engaging on social media. The growth rate is exponential. Marketing and advertising in each country depends on their message ranking high on social media. It’s become a distraction and attraction of the healthiest kind in business, trends, and brands.
LinkedIn has notoriously been the platform for business owners, employers, and employees alike. Connections made on LinkedIn typically follow a path of the latest trends in business, job placements, scenarios relating to what’s happening on Wall Street or within our economy, and users posting their own job celebrations and messages. It’s with these daily communications that LinkedIn remains at the top of the heap for connecting with likeminded’s in business.
Twitter is an entity all on its own. Recently, the major hub of quick messages and kneejerk responses has come under the spotlight due to their inability to censor what’s proper and what’s harmful to citizens around the world. Twitter was designed to be something of bold and brash way to deliver responses and comments. It’s out of control and potentially damaging to society as a whole. Doubtful it’s going anywhere downstream, as Twitter’s following gets more users every day relying on the hashtags to promote their message.
Instagram is owned by Facebook, and has surpassed primary users based on the ability to use images to tell a story. It’s easy, it’s exciting, it gleams with gloss and shimmer. For those not on Instagram and continue to regularly post on Facebook, there’s a sense of missing out on attracting those connections who solely rely on Instagram and have abandoned Facebook for one reason or another.
Social Media Etiquette
Before the explosiveness of social media and users depending on it to be at the forefront of their main connecting tool, the companies spearheaded a type of outline that social media was to be used to find a job, search for old friends, show vacation photos, display celebrations of family life, and have healthy discussions on what’s trending in the mainstream.
Unfortunately, social media has gone through a metamorphosis that includes hate, criminal activity, divisiveness, silly antics that turn users off, dating and mating, and misquoted or misdated information. There’s been an avalanche of users posting unresearched, untrue, and unmitigated thoughts and comments. As much of a positive tool that social media helps our lives on the daily, it also has a dark side.
As a marketer, let’s hope that our momentum with social media is rooted in proper dialogue that can include knowledgeable banter, intelligent data, resounding ideas, and sites that are worthy to join.
What’s the status?
As everyday postings and hashtags, and the common word about our lives is publicized, social media continues to rank as the number one platform for inspiring and engaging an audience. Your status is spreading like wildfire, and because of modern technology in society, your livelihood is up for public debate.
Here’s to success by keeping the conversation and connection thriving!
Gerry Ellen has been writing professionally since 1995. Her achievements include being a columnist for a prominent magazine called elephant journal, authoring three published books available on Amazon, contributing content to numerous online publications, blogging for the healthcare industry, and freelancing for clients in digital marketing. As an expert copywriter, Gerry Ellen is proficient in white pages, email campaigns, press releases, blogs, all website content, templates, and client consultations.
