Social Media Blog
Social Media And The Pop Culture-
Why would a popular musician or singing group put a social media page together? After all, aren’t they busy enough without adding the interaction that seems to be required of a social media site?
In most cases these artists do not develop these pages as a result of having too much time on their hands. In fact, most of these artists do not have a significant amount of free time to devote to a social media site.
That being said the social media site becomes an incredible means of immediate connection with fans. The social media page contains audio streaming of popular songs, video streaming of current music videos, photo galleries and of course an online blog.
These tools provide a sense of immediate connection between fans and artist. Since the page development of social media sites is all online the artists can update their page from anywhere they can gain an Internet connection (often wi-fi hot zones).
Obviously there are those who have some help in getting everything online and keeping things updated, but the point is a majority of artists have gained a clear understanding that an online community provides an incredible mechanism for marketing to already motivated fans.
Links to a primary site can often result in additional product purchases. Even if the individuals have the most current audio products they may use a social media site as the first step in locating and purchasing items such as t-shirts, hats, sweat bands, posters, magnets and many other branded items from the artist.
A social media site allows these artists to let fans know of significant achievements, news or offer information on the pre-release sale of new audio projects.
Fans take the time to post replies, ask questions and send site-controlled messages to the artist.
In so many ways the world of social media has allowed the famous to be viewed as approachable and friendly. The mystery of the artist is less mysterious and concerts can be viewed by many concertgoers as something a bit like a gathering with friends.
In an odd way the use of social media levels the playing field of the famous and yet-to-be famous. This environment is an odd mixture of reality TV, entertainment report and fan site.
The success of pop culture as a historical phenomenon makes this up close and personal approach to artists and film stars something that is meaningful to fans.
Beyond the unusually profound cultural dynamics of social media, artists and actors understand that this genre provides marketing potential to a highly motivated group of individuals.
Marketing has always been about putting a product in front of people on a regular basis. Social media allows the famous to keep their projects (past, present and future) in front of fans.
The use of social media can render fan sites obsolete because the fans have access to the famous. In turn they also have access to each other.
The example of the famous using social media can provide a reason for individuals to provide a point of connection for their own group of family and friends in a one-stop shop of information and feedback.
Social Media Etiquette -
Social media sites understand they are going to be used as a marketing tool. They are designed to accommodate marketing. Some users may bemoan the notion that a social media site has to be subjected to blatant marketing tactics and I do admit they can be annoying, yet it is this format that the world’s twenty-somethings are gravitating to.
This is a marketplace of ideas, random thoughts and fun links in an environment that is in so many ways ‘connected’ in a style that is often defined as web 2.0 – the next generation of media sites.
If you spend any amount of time on a site like MySpace, FaceBook, Digg or other similar social media sites you begin to see how creative businesses have found a way to carve out a piece of the marketing pie. There are millions of ideas, products and services to promote and you can find them all on social media networks.
In some ways what has just been described may be thought of as more like a community garage sale or flea market, but site members can be choosey about why they allow to communicate with them.
What this means is that in most cases site members can block individuals from commenting on their website. Some sites even allow you to ban certain individuals from visiting your site while others allow you to develop your presence as a private ‘by-invitation-only’ page.
If someone visits your site and is very blatant about marketing their site without any real indication they are interested in the page owner it may make sense to remove them from a list of friends. If they return with more blatant advertising they can be banned from visiting the page in the future.
There are some individuals who have no problem allowing others to post blatant marketing material on their pages while others view the practice as a relative of spamming.
In essence you can configure most social media sites to react to others the way you want them to. In many cases you can remove friends at will and you can invite friends at will.
You should not be surprised when members who are blatantly marketing their products ask you to add them to your list of contacts. Remember, you do not have to accept their request.
If you are a business owner looking to use social media to connect with an organic audience just remember you are being watched so make sure you contribute to the pages you visit and allow others to see you as a friend – not the cyber equivalent of a telemarketer.
The History Of Social Media Websites -
Man has always been a social animal and hence, has always lived in complex social structures. The Internet added a new dimension to this aspect through the concept of social media websites.
How It All Started
As the Internet began to permeate into every home, teenagers found a new way of expression via the Internet. One way teens found of sharing common interests with other like-minded teenagers was through MySpace. This mode of expression had no immediate checks or rules clamped on by adults– parents actually felt safer having their teenagers play on their computers at home instead of partying outside.
Teenagers as well as adults found MySpace to be exceptionally fast and viable way of communicating with one another. They could use Myspace –and now Facebook or Second Life– to interact with one another, to share files with one another, and to coach one another into the fulfillment of their dreams.
The popularity of social networking websites grew with the need for the teenagers to have a space of their own, away from the prying eyes of their parents and other “responsible” adults. What resulted was an extremely healthy and effective way of communication that spread like wild fire across the globe gaining thousands, if not, millions of members every day.
Until a few years ago, even though millions of teenagers spent hours on MySpace, many adults did not even know of its existence. Unfortunately, as social media websites became more popular and widespread, predators began using them as a tool to target victims and more and more people became aware of the concept of social media websites, for good and bad.
As the fame of social media websites developed and gained prominence, their potential as money makers came to the forefront. Social media websites such as Digg, Second Life, Reddit, and Facebook have now become popular with adults and teenagers, and MySpace continues to be widely used.
How the Social Media Websites Work
You start with your own space on a page that anyone can access. This is your “lounge” where you entertain your Internet friends. There you place a number of bookmarks for sites that interest you and you put in your comments and extra links (if any). You can also add personal photos, a blog, and news about what is happening in your life. When your friends visit your page, they can check out your favorite sites or photos and leave their comments there.
In this manner, you develop a social circle which is fun and keeps you updated in your field of interest. You can easily form a network of online friends and referral sources via social media websites. More than just fun for teenagers, social media websites are recognized as an effective tool for viral marketing, and they have actually become a marketing vehicle for many individuals and organizations. Many people today use social media websites to build traffic to their own websites, promote their products, and develop a better and broader customer base.
Using Social Media Responsibly -
Social media websites remain an interesting mechanism for mining marketing potential if for no other reasons than social media is so, well, social.
I came across an ezine recently that encouraged visitors to visit a celebrity social media site for an interview that was particularly compelling. Prior to posting the ezine the owner also posted several appropriate comments in both the blog and guest book. They were also listed as one of the celebrity’s friends. This may be considered groundwork for social media marketing potential.
One click on their photo and the visitor who came to find out more about the celebrity can find out more informal information about the business and the owner that originally sent them to the social media site.
This savvy business owner comes away from this gentle nudge to a celebrity social media site inextricably linked to the celebrity because of a few simple posts. Some visitors will likely view the site owner in a different light (for better or worse).
The combination of uses for social media sites is astounding. If there were no marketing potential in social media why do you find so many record labels, book companies, recording artists, authors and comedians with their own unique social media site? Many of these sites will also include video streaming to further interest the site visitors.
It is a unique twist to discover a link based on little more than inference (i.e. this celebrity is my friend) and the marketing potential such inference suggests.
Social media sites can become a bit like online play areas, but they can also be presented in an attractive way that is informal enough to be inviting without being so formal as to be detract from the playful nature that is suggested by the term ‘social media’.
If you can develop a popular social media site you will be pleased to see how many links visitors access and how often your blogs are replied to. There also remains a very real potential for friend requests (additional links back to your social media page – then to your primary website).
It may be advisable to at least do a cursory check on any and all that submit a friend request. You don’t have to know everyone who is on your friends list, but there are some good reasons to do a bit of investigating. Some who ask to be your friend may be a business that is in direct competition with you or it could be individuals who have an agenda that may only become evident through guest book posts.
If you ever become uncomfortable with someone you have welcomed as a friend you need to know that most social media sites allow you to remove a person from your friends list and even ban them from posting on your social media page. This may be important to know if you ever see material that is offensive or derogatory.
Social media can be an important marketing tool. Make sure to monitor your social media site and proceed responsibly.