This video about the explosive growth of social media and online communities, produced by the good folk over at Socialnomics, has been making the rounds online, so I thought I’d post it here in case you haven’t seen it. Lots of statistics, but hey – there’s good music!
Lesson Learned, on the surface: Sounds like social media is pretty damn important, doesn’t it?
Let’s dig a little deeper. This rebuttal post shows, though, some inaccuracies in the video. For example:
- The format of the video and some content, even down the song, was replicated from another video without credit.
- Some of the statistics presented are not presented in a clear light (missing words or phrases that change the meaning of the information.)
Don’t get me wrong – the overall message is pretty powerful and pretty clear. But let’s also get our facts and figures right too.
So, the Real Lessons Learned:
- There’s lots of hype online. Don’t buy into hype – buy into a well-thought out strategy that is a fit for your ideal customer (and subsequently, your business). Social media is big, but big doesn’t have to mean expensive and overwhelming.
- Don’t believe everything you read or see. This is an old but true tale. While the statistics presented above are indeed compelling and in most cases accurate, there’s been a little stretching of the truth.
- Give credit where credit is due. Online media makes it easy to reuse other’s content (such as the video extract above). Play by the rules and if someone has allowed you to reuse their photos, text, video, or other content be sure you give them fair credit. After all, you’d want people to do that to you, no?
To Learn More…
Even though the statistics were slightly “warped,” the fact is that social media is becoming an ever-more powerful weapon to market your small business. Are you using social media to your full potential?
If you prefer working with someone hands-on, have a look at our building an online community package. We’ll find out where your ideal customers hang out online and make sure you have a seat at the table as well.
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