It is quite obvious in this day and age that social media dominates our lives. Just think about the number of times you check your Facebook or Twitter feeds. Is it just out of boredom, for fun, to stalk people, or out of addiction? For me it is a combination of all four. Social media websites rule our lives! Our entire existence is online, in the form of posts, embarrassing pictures, funny videos, etc…
When social media first came about last decade, no one could have imagined its’ wealth and power. Facebook filed to go public today. How much is Facebook worth? Apparently $5 billion, at least for the initial public offering. I can only imagine this number increasing as Facebook becomes more engrained in our lives and more valuable. Facebook wants to be the “go to” site for everything, from pictures, to videos, to games, to job searching, to marketing, EVERYTHING that can be done online, they want to do.
So this brings me to my topic, how social media has completely revolutionized marketing. Now any business can have a a Facebook page or Twitter (not to exclude the countless other social media sites). It is so easy to connect with customers and upload interactive contact to convince followers that they must buy your product. Social media allows for conversations, contests, photo-sharing, all of which are beneficial for an organization.
Businesses can not only just interact with people through social media, but also advertise. Yes, those annoying ads on the side of Facebook that are always eerily representative of your life. Advertising via social media is big business, and not just for the businesses, but for the websites themselves. In 2010, Facebook made $1.86 billion off ads alone. WOW…how insane! Does anyone actually click those ads? I know I don’t, but apparently somewhere out there, someone is clicking on those ads. Yes, I will admit it. While I have a mind of a marketeer, I would never click on an online ad.
Advertisements aside, marketing through social media is a huge money making tool, and more businesses are jumping on the bandwagon. Proctor & Gamble announced this week that they are laying off 1,600 employees worldwide, most from the marketing department. This blows my mind. Marketing has always meant job security, as it makes the company money and they are willing to pay good money for skilled marketeers. Instead, P&G is focusing their efforts on digital media, more importantly social media.
This is a sign of the times, social media is changing marketing forever. Gone are the days of billboards, print ads, and TV advertisements. In its’ place is interactive online content posted through FREE social media websites.
The next question is “When will social media websites CAPITALIZE on this free publicity, and begin to charge businesses for social media profiles?” Who knows, but social media is no longer about connecting with others, it is about business and making money.
Now, if only one of these businesses would hire me to do their social media. 🙂
Educated. Unemployed. Broke 