No...I don't think it is. Social media management is just another name for getting people to pay attention to a busienss. It's similar to advertising except with a more social orientation. It's also similar to 'public relations'....which isn't a new term or profession.
But there are a few 'new' things about being a 'socail media manager':
Technologly has made it possible to be very effective creating 'buzz' via the itnernet.
The volitility and competitiveness of business nowadays causes companies to look for any advantage they can get. Thus the greater interest in hiring people who understand how to use social media to help their business grow.
Being a Social Media Manager pays big money because companies know that it can be worth big money to their bottem line.
No doubt about it, when you consider that no special education is required, it's pretty amazing how much a person can make if they really know how to 'do' this social media managemetn thing. Here's a video from a recent TV spot about it:
There's a lot more toYouTube and video marketing than most people realize. Text messaging, text email and text based websites will alway be around.
But the undeniable fact is that more and more people, espeically the busy, mobile, upscale and upwardly mobile people you probably want as your next clients......they're more likely to watch a video that read an email. Especially on a mobile phone.
The diagram to the right and the states that follow here(from something I'm reading right now) say it all.
Any of you guys out there who've ever wondered about meeting a nice Filipina girl for the purpose, probably, of marriage.....you'll find this interesting.
First of all....a little background.
I've long thought that Filipina girls were pretty. Of course, to be honest, there's pretty girls pretty much everywhere. But on the other hand, I think it is safe to make a general statement that certain ethinc and/or national groups do tend to exhibit certain unique characteristics. And it's..."'different strokes for different folks", right?
I mean, some guys are partial to black chicks, some guys like fat chicks, some guys like Latinas, some.....etc., etc.
And some guys like'em all. But there's no denying (and I DID check the spelling on that word) that more and more US and Western guys are 'looking abroad' for romance.
Many of you will remember that I've written often that there's a huge unfullfilled opportunity for Salsa dancers to generate dance videos for commercial intent. You'll remember that I have many times said that dance instructors and dance team leaders should explore and develop the idea of making commercially oriented vidoes of their team's work.
You'll remember that the two reasons I thought this was inevetible was because (1) the equipment and technology is more affordable, simpler and readily available than ever, and (2) as 'the net' has grown also has grown it's appetite for quality content...such as online entertainment.
And what could be more entertaining than watching some sweet little salsa honeys strutting their stuff on your iTV, internet connected super screen home theater, or lap-top? Actually...there are some things that would be more fun to watch but......you get the point.
Point is, just recently a movie director in Korea has made a full length movie using nothing but an iPhone (actually...several iPhones).
If you're saying, "Huh......!?"then I know you're not profiting from the social networking revolution. But what if there was a way you could profit from it?
That's right. Companies like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace all started out small and as something primarily for fun. Most of them were started by young guys too. And look at what they're worth today.......millions upon millions of dollars.
How you would you like to profit from the explosion of social networking by building your own social network organization?
That's right! With Achoo.com you can start your own social network network and actually get paid for doing something you're most likely already doing anyway.
Get more information here. You can actually get a free 30 day trial and I'll help you build your network just like I'm building mine.
I've been trying to crystallize the answer to that question in my mind lately. It's of concern to me first of all ...'just because' I'm a naturally curious kind of guy. But secondly, because I'm kinda getting 'ants in my pants' to get outta the English teaching business and start using some of the skills I've developed (some more fully than others) since I've been over here in Korea.
As I've said several time before, I because aware several months ago about this field called 'social media management'. As you'll recall, "social media" refers simply to user generated content shared with other....e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkeIn, Digg,Posterous, et.al.
I read that more and more companies, from big to small, are spending money and lots of it on social media. It's spent in a variety of ways that are sometimes pretty simple and other times very sophisticated. But what I wanted to know was, "What exactly do these 'Social Media Managers' do?"
Well, how 'bout things like these?
Set up any important social media platforms you don't have yet...e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkIn and possible others.
Clean up social media sites that you have which might be perhaps kinda neglected and junky by now.
Help you with growing your follower list through selective targeting and inviting...and maintaining those relation ships through constant communication....e.g. 2 status posts/tweets a day on each of your major platforms.
Help with reputation management....e.g. monitor the 'net' to immediately catch anytime somebody says something good or bad about you/your company/your brand. And respond accordingly.
Function as a first-line of customer service(especially valuable if you have actuall products to sell)
Function as your eye on the market...e.g. monitor your industry and keep you advised of any new developments you need to be aware of.
Function as the publics eye on you.....e.g. as you become better know, people are curious about what you're doing. You might not be comfortable with the task of telling people what you're doing......you might be reluctant to toot your own horn. So let somebody do it's who's presumably better at it that you are.
As you get more successful and your goals get larger, you can use your social media/PR manager to actually generate more extensive 'content' for you....blog post, reports, make appointments, etc.
Undoubtedly there's other things that go on too but these things listed above should serve to illustrate that there's more to it than maybe you realized.
So let's go to the dance business that I know a little bit about because I've been a serious 'social dancer' for a long time.
There's no doubt that the dance business is just as competitive as anything else. There's still a lot of money to be made. But I don't see much, if any, high powered 'social media' in it.
What I do see is inward oriented....i.e. to the people who already dance. They're 'preaching to the choir. In my opinion, very few of the major players in it think as big as they could and use social media to expand their market.
Should you be thinking bigger?
Well, I don't know for sure. But ask yourself this question: "Is there anybody else out there who doesn't know how to dance but would probably like to learn?"
I'm watching a very interesting video right now by a well know blogger in which he's talking about how small business owners can use blogs effectively. There's a lot of good content here which I'll be sharing here later but another benefit I get from watching stuff like this is that it raises questions.
Why are questions valuable?
Questions are valuable because a solution has no meaning or value to anyone unless it solves a problem or answers a question (kinda two sides of the same coin).
And the question I just heard him raise on the video is, "Do you really want to grow your people?" Because, after all, if the benefit that small owners have over big business is the 'careing' and 'personal service' aspect of it, then doesn't it make sense that you've got to be able to recruit and build to most effective staff possible?
I think it does and I'm going to be thinking about this aspect, especially in regards to dance studio owners, of how a studio could attract, keep and grow more profitable through building their own motivated and qualified staff.
Research has proven conclusively that most small businesses stay small because the owners are not able to grow beyond their ability to grow beyond their own abilities...i.e. they can't let go of power enough to allow others enough responsibility to really contribute to the business.
I think it's a subject worth thinking about.
P.S. Edie the Salsa Freak undoubtedly knows that.....as evidenced by these seminars I see she's been doing about 'how to start and manage a dance studio'. I see no one else in the dance business really addressing the business aspects of success in the dance studio business. Such a shame too because there's a lot more people who don't know how to dance than do.....there's lots of new customers out there.
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