From what I can see, tomorrow’s class will be all about Social Media in business. I’m excited, because I’m a bit of a social media nut (more so than your normal teenager). One of the preparation questions is, “Is Social Media a fad?” I immediately thought of this video when I read the question (and wouldn’t be surprised if they show it tomorrow):
While some of the figures and facts may be a little sensational (96% of Millennials? Try 96% of Millennials who have access to a computer…), I believe in the core message of the video – social media is so ingrained in so many of our lives today, that it’s hard to imagine existing henceforth without it. Kinda like the internet itself – it’s an innovation that is not going away.
The second question is: “Is social media useful for companies?”
Answering this question is not as straightforward as the first. While someone like me would be quick to jump to “yes”, part of me also wonders if there are any companies that would not benefit from using social media. Some companies don’t even have a choice – social media drags them in first, such as when Air Canada broke a boy’s wheelchair and when Southwest Airlines removed a passenger for “being too fat”.
Almost no company, brand or product is off-limits in the blogosphere/Twitter-sphere, and when you have a group of angry consumers Tweeting or blogging negatively about your company, you’d better learn how to harness the power of social media then and there, or else risk watching your brand crash and burn in a firestorm of Twitter outrage. This Mashable article offers some tips on how to avoid such situations.
Leave a Reply