WSI Digital Marketing Consultant – We Simplify the Internet

I’m not going to bore you with yet another definition of Social Media. You can find millions of different answers to this question all over the internet. For example, just try Wikipedia. And then while you’re at it, you could also find more answers at YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Squidoo, Vimeo, Bebo, Technorati. And of course, there are many, many more out there.

So why am I bothering to address this already well worn subject? Well, because yesterday I had an epiphany. I realized that most of the definitions of Social Media that you find are really quite narrow in focus and are missing the big picture; I realized that the ‘new’ answer to the tired old question, “What is Social Media?”, is…

“The Internet.”

That’s right. That’s it. The Internet is Social Media and Social Media is The Internet! Epiphany!

Think about it. In 2008, Google announced that they had indexed more than 1 trillion unique URLs. That’s an awful lot of web pages. And certainly, that number has grown since then, right? So, what’s going on? Why do so many people, business and organizations want to have a presence on the internet? Are people creating trillions of pages of content on the internet just so it can all be ignored? Silly question, right?

I think we can all agree that the whole point of putting anything on the internet is so that other people can see it, read it, watch or hear it and then… interact with it, do something, say something, download, give, take, buy, copy, share, talk about, write about, respond to, make a phone call, take some kind of action in response to what someone has created and put there on the internet for us.

In fact, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that everyone who puts something on the internet does so because they want to get some kind of response from other people. Because if not, it’s like going to a party and passively deciding not to talk to or interact with anyone. And what’s the point of that?

People interacting with and responding to each other is social activity. Taking any type of action in response to anything found on the internet is the same thing. At the most basic level, it’s one person responding to something that another person has done. It just happens to take place on the internet. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, either. If it’s on the internet, it’s Social Media.

I hope this has given you some food for thought. If you are only just thinking about doing something on the internet, or if you have already made your mark, think about the kinds of responses that you would like from other people. Then come up with your own ways to encourage and facilitate those types of responses.

As always, please feel free to post a comment, below. Or contact us directly with any questions or for any help developing your own interactive online presence.

Have you ever been in a social situation, at a party or with a group of people, where there is a lot of talking and different conversations all going on at the same time (I’m sure most of us have) and, at some point you realize that someone is saying something but no one is really listening to them? They might catch your eye, and they might have even been saying something interesting. But you really wanted to hear the rest of the story that Frank was telling about the carpenter, the podiatrist and the politician.

Well, the same thing happens all the time on the internet, too. And just like the party situation, there could be lots of different reasons why. Someone puts their stuff out there on the internet, but no one responds to it. Could it be that…

1. No one was able to find it?
2. People found it but it wasn’t what they were looking for?
3. People found it but it took too much effort?
4. People found it but they didn’t understand it?
5. They found something else that they liked first?
6. They weren’t intrigued enough by it to respond?
7. They couldn’t figure out how to respond?
8. Or some combination of all the above?

If you are looking to put yourself or your business out there on the internet, the best advice that I can give you right here and now is to think of yourself as that person at the party who might be talking when no one is listening. Start by listening to and understanding others first, before you start talking. Make eye contact and only then, after listening, understanding and making eye contact, share your thoughts.

What does this look like when it comes to the internet? Listening to and understanding others first is analogous to doing your homework, checking out your competition, learning as much as possible about if/how others are doing the same thing that you want to do. Making eye contact is similar to developing a strategy, envisioning how your approach to the internet will stand up against your compatriots and/or your competition. And sharing your thoughts is how you make the rubber hit the road, your implementation, resources, technology and final presentation.

Admittedly, there are a lot of different moving parts to building a successful internet presence. On the surface, people may see only a thoughtful blog, or a well designed website. These are just some of the many tools and techniques that we use to establish an internet presence. But what people can not readily see is your strategy, all the gears and pulleys behind the scenes that make everything on the surface work at peak performance.

All of that is Internet Marketing.

Please feel free to post a comment, below, or contact us directly. We’re always happy to answer your questions or help in any way with your Internet Marketing strategy.