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.

The concept of Rich & Poor does not apply only to money. As little as ten years ago, information was not the commodity that is has become in today’s world. Back then, books, magazines, TV, radio and newspapers were still the predominant forms of media that were used to communicate, not only news and current events, but everything from academic research to mainstream advertising. The problem with those forms of communication was that full access was not available to everyone. And, as a result, those with more time and money became The Information Rich, while those with fewer resources became The Information Poor.

But times have changed and a wealth of information is now freely available to all with just the click of a mouse button. No more rich versus poor. Information has been democratized by the Internet, and The Information Superhighway may be freely travelled by all.

Empowered with this information, as consumers, we are now becoming more and more discriminating. For example, we will spend as much as 90% of our online, internet surfing time just looking for information before making a purchase decision.

So, what does all this mean if you are a business owner?

Clearly, consumer behavior has become very different than it was only ten years ago. In today’s world, successful businesses have realized that information is power, and that they need to offer much more than just their products or services. They need to provide the information that the rest of us are spending 90% of our online time seeking. Because, in order to capture the minds and hearts of the world, businesses need to demonstrate intimate knowledge of both their industry and the true needs of their customers; they need to establish credibility, authority and brand recognition; and they need a plan to accomplish these goals.

What are we talking about? Content Marketing. And the plan is referred to as a Content Blueprint. The Blueprint specifies who, what, where, when and how for all the valuable information that will be shared with the world. The Blueprint is also a living document because, especially in our new digital world, everything is continually changing and evolving. Technology continues to advance and competition, of course, never sits still.

But credibility, authority and trust are not things that can be established overnight. So businesses need to be in it for the long haul. On top of their core products and services, they also need to be information providers and they need to have a plan for converting The Information Poor into The Information Rich.

Comments and alternate points of view are welcome. Please feel free to contact me for more information on developing a Content Blueprint for your business.