I recently watched a video sent out by one of our own staffers about Social Media and how it’s not just a fad but a revolution and it brought up one excellent point, News Finds Us.
For years, I was a news junky, watched the news every night in college, was into politics, etc. As I got older, I lost track and made a conscious decision that the news was depressing, I would much rather lead a happier life then spend my time watching the news. However, over the past two years, I’ve learned that it finds me no matter what I do. A friend will post the news on Twitter or I’ll read it in a newsletter, over hear it in a conversation. I honestly cannot escape from it. Whether that is good or not, I’ve yet to decide but I think it’s a well-learned lesson.
Whether or not you plan for someone to find out something about your business, they will. So for those of you terrified of social media and what it might or might not do for your business, consider this your warning. It’s best that you tell those followers and friends via Twitter and Facebook, because the all mighty interweb knows, and if it doesn’t, it will find out eventually.
Social and interactive media will continue to grow because the paradigm of the Internet is changing towards self publishing. I see that we are in a typical business cycle with new technology where there are companies on the bleeding edge, early adapters, followers, and laggards. Many of the followers and laggards are just now beginning to educate themselves on the topic or are still in denial that social media will help their business. Others are waiting to see how social media use pans out for the early adapters and will try to learn from the early mistakes.
To your point. The conversation is or will happen about your brand, your business, and your industry. You can ignore it and lose credibility or you can join the conversation and establish yourself as a thought leader.