Social Media: What is it and why should I care?

You may have heard a lot of buzz around the term ‘Social Media’. If you haven’t heard the buzz, you will. So what is it?

Social Media refers to a new generation of user-developed online content. Basically, pretty much anyone with an internet connection can now publish their thoughts, pictures, information, music and videos online. Some popular social media forms are Blogs, podcasts, Wikis and vlogs. These are all different ways users share their information, thoughts and media in an interactive environment.

These new forms of interaction are amazingly popular. More and more people are interacting globally in a public space.

And what does this mean for business? Plenty.

With the fast spread of information in a public environment, many businesses see social media as a threat. More savvy companies are seeing a multitude of possibilities. Social media can be harnessed as a means to interact with clients and communities, build trust, and test ideas.

If there is a lesson to be learned from the popularity of Social Media: People like interaction. This is the way marketing is heading, and the more companies that jump on the wagon, the more people will expect this out of the companies they deal with.