Social media as a marketing tool
This isn’t as obvious as it may seem. Remember, most of the population doesn’t even know what the term social media means. Heck, even people in social media can’t agree on the language (social networking, anyone?)
Many people fail to realize that social media has huge marketing potential. More and more, social media is being used by for-profit and not-for-profit companies as a free or low-cost marketing arsenal.
Companies like Dell and Starbucks quickly revolutionized the early days of social media by adding it to their marketing mix and getting a huge return on their investment. Think about any local companies in your area that you’ve noticed using YouTube, facebook, twitter, blogs or other networking sites. They’re doing it to ultimately improve their bottom line – and you can, too.
That’s the reason I’m offering my seminars on social media. It can make you money as well as save your company advertising dollars or help your volunteer recruitment efforts – whether or not you realize it yet.
For a recent example, check out the social media campaign by a new product called OraBrush. It’s a tongue cleaner, which they claim does a better job at curing bad breath than does a toothbrush. Who knew? I certainly didn’t – until I saw their video on YouTube. When you get to the end of the video, you’re invited to sign up for a free sample by mail. Once you’ve signed up, they have your contact information to sell to you in the future; and once you use their product, they seem sure you’ll be coming back for more.
Increasingly, I’m hearing that “free” is the future of business. It was the theme of the Webinar I attended this week by tech/biz guru, Chris Anderson. He’s now written a book along the same vein and you can watch him in this video to the same effect. Social media is going to play a big role in the future Anderson imagines.
