In our last post about Twitter we explored the concept of finding your unique voice.  Many writers and social media experts are trying to figure out what’s next with the various social media outlets.  This post will explore some of these ideas and relate it to what you should be doing to anticipate, and hopefully participate in, these new strategies as they unfold.

Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson, writing on the Seeking Alpha Blog about “What is the next layer on the stack?”, believes that social media outlets are like channels on your television.  He thinks that the development of “dashboards” like Tweetdeck allow you to integrate several different platforms for social media (in this case both Twitter and Facebook).  In other words, to take the most advantage from social media, you will need to have a service allowing you to aggregate and filter the various “channels.”   Thus, in the future, you should be able to “talk” to your followers on Twitter, your friends on Facebook, and many more of the social media channels.  Likely, cross channel communication will also become available, giving you access and communication capability between the various outlets that you choose.  This seems to give the concept of viral marketing even more potency.  Imagine the ramifications of multiple platform communication swirling around the Globe.

Other commentators talk about real time information sharing as the root of what is happening with Social Media. In other words, the bricks and mortar media outlets, like newspapers and even television stations, are being eclipsed on news by the amazingly fast posts on the web via Twitter and other similar channels.  Even now what we get as an email flash to our smart phones from CNN is almost old news to anyone watching and listening on Twitter.  Revolutions can now be run via the web to people on the streets with mobile phones.  Where does this information sharing go?  Clearly, we have not even scratched the surface of how these channels will change how we will live in the future.  What is certain is that the trends of today are going to happen fast, and will get global attention via these same social media outlets. 

So what is the next step for those who want to ride the crest of the wave of social media.  The key in my mind is to create a strategy, follow it, and watch what is happening at the fringes. What people are talking about and sharing on Twitter may be the trends for the future.  Strategy comes to play in order to relate the “social” part of this outlet to the marketing of your business.  You can have a fun strategy on Twitter and Facebook and through your “unique voice” attract customers to your business.  But above all, you need to be thinking about what you want to say and to whom you want to communicate.  If you are an Innkeeper, you may want to network with your fellow Innkeepers and gain or share knowledge about this unique business.  However, if you want to talk to your guests or potential guests, you need to have a totally different strategy.  Perhaps you will have two strategies, interwoven, so that you can relate to both at the same time.  The key is to think about what it is you are trying to do on these social media channels and who you want attract as a friend or follower?  This takes thought and planning, so if you want to become a social marketer, once you have learned how to work these outlets, sit down and write a marketing plan for social media.  In future posts we will explore how to best strategize and plan for success in the field of “social” or personal marketing. 

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