Be Social Or Stay Home

Yesterday I was interviewed by a good friend of mine (and former boss) for a project she had for college on internet marketing. She is going to SMU and getting a degree at an older age than most would ever consider and amazing accomplishment in my book.

During our interview we both agreed on something that now seems pretty obvious, yet some businesses have yet to truly grasp.

BE SOCIAL OR STAY HOME

This is true NOW for your business and almost every business in existence right now. I came across an insightful article on the newspaper industry specifically calling the out to GO SOCIAL.

The newspaper industry is in full survival mode. Given their power they should have been ahead of the curve but obviously didn’t think that anything could ever take your power as the source of information and news.

Those companies that accept the fact that having some element of social interactivity will have a chance to survive.

Every single little startup that I have come across in the last 6 months has this in place. I even found a social GPS app for my IPhone.

But why is social so important?

Why is social such a big deal? I believe that ultimately it has to do with the fact that it makes us as users feel like we actually know these people or companies.

And if “friends” like or suggest something to you like a product or piece of content, there is a “Trust Factor” that plays a role.

Think about that. How many times have we watched a movie or went to a restaurant simply because one of our friend’s suggested it?

Does your business have this now? Do you embrace social media? Do you have someone to manage that aspect of your business?