COMMENTS
Mike,
I think you're right on. Social media absolutely needs to be integrated into existing communication strategies, not looked at as a completely separate strategy. I also think location technologies are going to grow and become more valuable. This is taking shape already with the new iPad apps like Dishfinders and Dash Four. And, your last point about measurement is absolutely key. Followers and fans are only important when you know how to relate those to the bottom line. It's great to be involved in social media and have lots of friends but when you're running a business and responsible for results, management isn't going to be thrilled with numbers unless they are helping the business numbers.
Great post, thanks!
I think general acceptance comes first. Acceptance will not come until the larger and traditions corporations start to accept and permit their staff to engage.. Only 15% - 20% of Fortune 500 have blogs. Does anyone what is the percentage of people trapped behind a firewall? However the changes are already happening with Unilever understanding that social media has positive impact on staff and their brand alike. They actually promote staff to engage! To acceptance is coming and coming fast.
So it comes down to what you say “at HubSpot we don't treat social media separately or special - it's just another part of the world for everyone here, like email, phone and the web.”
Perfect. Social is moving away from the soft measures (brand) to where it belongs. Measurable ROI driven on one hand but human...empowering your employees and constituents to come out from behind the "we are a faceless brand and you are compliant Consumers" to collectively solve problems.
People pay you to solve problems.
@Patrick -
I agree that we need more mainstream acceptance!
Hopefully people will not look to the F500 for leadership, but look to the thousands of small and medium sized businesses that are already getting great results from inbound marketing... if you wait for the F500 to move, it will be too late!
Mike, I totally agree on the integration front. Especially considering that consumers will only engage en massse in a limited number of social media venues. Traditional marketing is still essential and treating the two sides as teammates is the only way to really market successfully.
@Mike
I completely agree the majority of business are benefiting already. And what I expect is that the early adopters will benefit unbelievably as the walls come down further. If we waited on the F500 we would not have Google, Yahoo, HubSpot need I go on.
I believe you are right Mike. However, the majority of people and businesses are still 'learning' about how to use social media for business, so I feel there is a long way to go yet. When you live and breathe SM, Internet marketing etc its easy to loose site of where most people are at. It is new to many and that is why its separate from traditional marketing strategies. Also, I feel there is a question on how long will FB or Twitter last? It used to be Yahoo then Google, it used to be MySpace now Facebook, nowadays there deoesn't seem to be much longevity. When you get on ground level and talk to local business owners you realise that while some businesses are leading the way with Foursquare,and innovative tactics with Twitter, the majority don't even know how to set up a Facebook page. And here's something else that has crossed my mind... social media is moving fast, very fast and becoming such an intrusion into our personal lives. Its becoming more invasive and annoying that an Adv on TV. Maybe it will reach a peak, people will just get sick of it and the bubble will burst???
I think social media will be around for quite a long time as most business large and small are only just getting to grips with the concept and how to use it effectively in their business. Social Media is like the icing on the cake but many companies haven't got the cake built yet, websites, SEO,PPC etc.
I am looking for a really good social media tracking company -- somebody who can track when certain phrases are used. Can you recommend a company? What should I be asking to know the company is any good?