I've been in sales/marketing for approximately 12 years. There was a 2-year hiatus that I spent at home with my daughter, driving a school bus for . During those 2 years (2008-2009) the emergence of Facebook and Twitter and how you could use it to market your products was amazing and intimidating to come back to. Over the last 2 years I have studied how to use Social Media for business. We saw some significant changes in 2011 on the Social Media Landscape.
Something Facebook changed in 2011 was the implementation of their Timeline feature – users didn’t get to get a taste of it until mid-December. The response has been good as far as I can tell - there is some confusion as to how to apply the changes to your own profile - click here for instructions.
Another addition to the Social Media landscape was Google’s answer to Facebook, Google+. Google+, I admit, isn’t a platform that I’m too familiar with yet. I have noticed however that you have more control over who sees your content – with the use of ‘circles’ – and you can talk to people according to their interests instead of displaying your message to everyone. From a marketing standpoint it can turn a specific message from something some people consider unwanted to what others may consider something of value.
For Twitter, the placement of hashtags (#s) on popular TV shows and commercials encouraged tweeting both on a PR level and a personal one. Some companies are paying BIG bucks for certain celebrities with a lot of followers to tweet about their products – the use of Twitter from an advertising standpoint has increased dramatically over the last year.
These are just some of the changes made in 2011 in terms of Social Media. The rules of marketing are changing. Companies need to be aware of how they can engage consumers online going forward in 2012. If you aren't online - you need to be! Feel free to visit my website for more information about Social Media Marketing.
