Mr. Business Person – it is not business as usual. You are not in control of the message anymore. Social Media has upset your apple cart.
Since forever businesses controlled the message to the masses about their brand and products via outbound ads in radio, TV, and in various publications like newspapers, magazines, Yellow Pages, and billboards. Businesses could say whatever they liked to mass audiences. What were unhappy consumers with an opposing view supposed to do? A consumer could not afford to take out ad space in TV, radio, newspapers, etc, etc.
Mass communication had a huge cost barrier to entry and that meant businesses had a monopoly on mass communications. And then along came the Internet. For almost no cost anyone could access the world.
But at first the Internet didn’t make it easy to reach really big audiences. Email could reach a large, but limited audience for example. Websites could only attract so many visitors.
But then came forums and mass communication became easier, And then blogs and it became easier. And then Social Media and product review sites sprang up and the lid was taken off mass communications.
Businesses got onto the Social Media bandwagon also. But many businesses are doing it all wrong. Same with many politicians. Many companies and candidates are trying to use Social Media as an outbound ad delivery system in the same old business as usual manner.
Businesses try using Social Media for ads and to publish self-serving articles. Politicians often use it to spread their ‘propaganda’ and to solicit donations.
WRONG. Social Media is an inbound, bottom up , not top down media. Social Media works best when the masses talk and businesses and politicians listen. But businesses and politicians are not used to listening, they are used to talking.
Businesses and politicians must learn it is not business as usual – the public is in control of the message. Believe it. Accept it. Learn to work with it.
Tags: Digital Marketing, Digital Media, Social Media, Social Media Marketing
