Why Social Media?

I’m back from my travels.  For the past few weeks, I’ve been following a pack of travel agents around Australia.  (To read about the adventures, visit Ask About Australia). How did I score that gig?  It’s part of my job being a social media freelancer for Ask About Travel.

One of the main questions I got asked on the trip by the other agents was “Why should I be interested in social media?”

The better question is “Why aren’t you already invested in social media?”

It’s flexible; with all the variety of social media outlets on the web, social media is the best way to reach a targeted market. Strategic communication is the fastest way to make an impact.

Speed.  You can get your brand to the right publics in a matter of seconds.  Providing you with quick results necessary to survive in the business world.

Two-way communication.   Social media allows the best communication with customers.  Through connecting with them on social media, you are better able to understand their needs and wants; therefore, you get an edge on your competitor.

“But my clients are older.  They like paper documents and coming in to book travel.”

Sure.  However, the older generations are increasingly becoming more social media savvy.  Ivy Bean appeared on many news stations around the world as “The World’s Oldest Tweeter” at the ripe age of 104.  Twitter’s demographics found most of its users are 45-54 year olds, and Facebook is no longer limited to the playground of college kids with parents, professors, and employers “friend”-ing undergrads every day.
Also, shouldn’t you be looking for new clients?  Sure, there are a lot of baby boomers out there, but you should also focus on their kids.  Isn’t one of the staples of business to keep expanding?  The next generation is going to be your clients tomorrow….if you can capture their attention (we are rather prone to ADD).  The best place to find them is in their native environment: the internet.

The most important thing is to know is that social media is just going to keep growing and expanding.  It is not a fad.  You’re either going to have to embrace it, or be left behind in the dust.  For example, you will not be taken seriously if your business does not have a website in today’s world….in a few years, that may change to: you won’t be taken seriously if you don’t have a posterous.  Scoff if you must, but we are on the verge of a revolution:

the opposite of pickpocket is….

Putpocket apparently.  In a campaign by British broadband provider, TalkTalk, they’ve recruited former pickpocketers to sneak 5-20 pounds in unguarded pockets and open handbags.  So, leave your bags a little bit opener in tourist hotspots like Trafalgar Square and around Buckingham Palace….but beware because real pickpockets are probably still afoot too!

I kind of wish Aflac would copy this idea in the US, but instead of reforming pickpockets they would train ducks! Think about it, Aflac!  It could be a marvelous marketing opportunity!!!

log out, shut down, go out!!

I’m online at work, at home, and now thanks to my phone, anywhere I go.  Do I have an addiction?  Not more than any other first world citizen.  That’s why this UK ad for Vaio works really well.  They’ve invented a Social Media Addicts Association to sell their new laptops:

long day on the interwebs

(via the next web)

all you can jet

Jet Blue has recently come out with the All-You-Can-Jet pass for $599, which will allow unlimited travel on all Jet Blue flights between the dates of September 8 and October 8.  Is it a great deal?  Probably not…you still have to pay taxes on all the international flights.  So you’d have to make at least 3 trips that month to make it a real bargain.  If you have a lot of time on your hands, it may be worth the investment.

Many are considering it a challenge.  NY marketing executive, Joe DiNardo and his friend plan on flying for 31 days straight, spending no less than 12 hours on the ground.  Their site, twelvehoursinacity.com, will document their journey.  They seem to be doing this without sponsorship.  Brendan Ross posted an ad on Craigslist looking for such sponsorship to pay for his pass, but it may be too late Jet Blue has sold out of passes seeing rising number of hits to their blogs and twitter accounts as well as an increase in their stock.  Not bad, Jet Blue, not bad…but will others like DiNardo gain profit from your PR?  Only time will tell.

which .com would you hang out with?

In the office, at the coffee shop, in bed, people are always tied to computers.  Spending so much time online, it is not hard to visualize websites as people.  Elontirien did just that with this drawing of various social networks:

Pretty interesting depictions.  Only one girl though…guess we still need to make our mark in the digital world.

sentimental value

People get attached to the oddest things.  I can relate…there’s always some relic from ages past that I can’t bring myself to part with.  Would the object be of any worth to anyone else though?  Well Significant Objects is proving that if you share that story, it might.  The curators of this project purchased various objects for pennies at garage sales and thrift stores, then gave them to creative writers to invent a story about said objects. The stories are posted on eBay with the object for sale.  This ceramic shoe went for $77.51.  However is it really the story that influenced the bidder?  Maybe they are a collector of shoes….or maybe a fan of the writer…I feel many variables exist around this experiment.  However, the stories are entertaining short reads; I suggest you take a read.

donate a penny to vanquish spammers

There’s hardly anything you can buy for a penny these days.  Yahoo wants you to put a one cent stamp on all your outgoing emails.  The cent will go to charities, and by certifying your email, spammers will be eliminated forever.

Sounds like an utopian idea.  What about the organizations who send out bulk newsletters to subscribers?  Will they pass through or be forced to pay thousands?  Also, spammers will probably just find a way to fake a stamp…it’s a good idea in principle though.

Read Wired’s take on the issue  here.

could you tweet for 4320 minutes straight?

Last month, VAustralia launched 4320LA, a twitter competition that gave Aussies a free flight and weekend in LA, if they agreed to tweet every minute.  That means partying hard and living up in Lalaland.

Well now it’s our turn.  With 4320SYD, you can spend three days exploring Sydney.  If you’re able to meet the challenge and tweet every minute, you and your friends will win a “Round the World” ticket with V Australia and Virgin Atlantic.

there’s actually a ministry of silly walks?

Unfortunately, the ministry from this old Monty Python sketch does not really exist.  However, don’t let the scientists of Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands know.  They recently conducted a study to determine why we swing our arms while walking rather than hold them still and rigid.

The experiment involved asking volunteers to perform a series of unnatural walks.  As reported by The Independent: Results showed that swinging the arms in opposition to the legs significantly increases the efficiency of walking. However, if you wanted to have a more intense work out, you should hold your arms stiffly to your sides.  The scientist in charge of the study, Dr. Steven Collins, stated that this will produce the same effect as “walking 20% faster or carrying a 10 kg backpack.”

So, I guess this means I should stop running like Phoebe from Friends: