Blogs Push Surge in Social Media Marketing
Toby Bloomberg used to be a blogging consultant. Now, she's a social media marketing consultant. So is B L Ochman, as are others I know.
I mention that to say these ladies know which way the wind is blowing. They understand something Toby said I predicted some years ago, that blogging would become part of a larger landscape called social media. (To be truthful, I have no idea what I said, but she says I said it.) She (er...I) was right, it has.
My good friend and business partner (he's my boss, actually) Richard Nacht has written a piece over at RealBlogging on this subject and I encourage you to read it when you get a chance. Basically, blogging is still very much the centerpiece of this new movement, but it's still only one part. In today's marketing landscape, you need to be using sites like Technorati, Digg, flickr, YouTube and others to more effectively convey your message. Podcasts and vidblogging are hot, though they require more time and effort to produce.
With the advent of broadband, the internet is the new radio/TV, and, while old-schoolers like me prefer the written word, the truth is people crave the multi-media experience. Oh, and don't forget mobile. People aren't bound by a desktop or notebook computer any longer. iPod's and PDAs free them to consume content anywhere, on their own terms and in their own time. That includes SMS and instant messaging technology as well. For example, if I want to speak to my 20-something age sons, I don't call them, I text them.
So, as Richard puts it, just when you've gotten a handle on blogging, along comes social media. Some good people to be reading include both Toby and BL, mentioned above, as well as fellow Allbusiness.com business advisor Lee Odden. He understands this new landscape as well as anyone, and does so from his perspective as an SEO expert.
While I don't consider myself a social media consultant per se, I will be writing about this topic more and more. It's required these days, and I want to do the best I can to keep you abreast of changes, news, and strategies in this space. Don't throw away your blog just yet though. Blogging is still top dog so far as I'm concerned. Jjust add some of these other marketing tactics and you'll fare even better.
