Slimdizzy Media

Social Media ROI (Return On Investment) Credit: Intersection Consulting

I work at an online marketing firm in Burnaby that has made the leap into social media marketing in the last few months. From working with a few clients I’ve learned a lot about the huge potential that social media sites like Youtube, Facebook and Twitter hold for progressive businesses that want to communicate better with their customers.

The whole discipline of marketing is undergoing a fascinating shift away from the traditional form of advertisements (which most savvy consumer ignore) and toward more interactive “conversations” that centers on improving brand awareness and hyping new products through people’s social networks. In a way, social media becomes a platform that facilitates the kind of word-of-mouth recommendations that influence how people think and what they purchase.

It just gets tricky convincing business people in sales meetings that social media is they way to go. I think this Socialnomics video on the huge potential of social media marketing may be an excellent tool in showcasing the potential that these social media platforms holds for savvy businesses. The ROI (Return On Investment) for forward-thinking businesses that take the leap into social media before their competition is a massive marketing opportunity that simply didn’t exist even a few years ago.

Social Media ROI: Socialnomics

Social Media Mandala. Check it out in the larger version on Flickr

Social media is making a big impact in our lives. Facebook has grown into such a phenomenon that many young people find it weird or suspicious if you don’t have an account. The growth of easy-to-use blogging platforms like Wordpress, user-generated content sites like Youtube and real-time messaging services like Twitter has empowered people to express their creativity online -- and to a potentially massive audience. All of these changes in how we communicate and use media is slowly eroding the once rock-solid business models of mainstream media outlets like newspapers, magazines and television networks.

These two videos by Erik Qualman do an amazing job of communicating just how quickly social media is revolutionizing our culture and how we socialize. Be sure to check out his blog and his great new book “Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business”

I recommend you watch these videos in full-screen: