Social Media Ain't Just Status Updates Anymore

Social Media has gotten a little more complex over the last year.  Don't let that scare you.  The best way to jump in is by getting familiar!

1. Checking In:  “With every status update, may there be a location attached to it”.  If talking about the excellent service at a restaurant wasn’t enough, you can now pin point your location.  This is almost like free advertising for businesses around the city.  The more you see your friends hanging out at Muddy’s Bake Shop, the more curious you are going to get.
2. Questions and Answers: You might be familiar with Yahoo Answers where people can ask questions that will be answered by anyone out there with insight and an Internet connection. Now other social media outlets like Facebook are adding a Q&A section to their sites.  Getting involved with these services, whether you are a restaurant or a fertilizer company, can be extremely helpful for your business.  You will get a chance to answer questions regarding your industry.  But beware.  You don’t want to sound like you are pushing your product or company.  Make your answers relevant and helpful.  If your business happens to have the answer, make sure you explain why in a way the person who is asking can understand. 
3. Super Coupons and Group Buying: Offering unusual discounts and specials through sites like Groupon or LivingSocial can be a great way to attract people to your business.  If anything this makes them aware that you are in existence.  Everyone loves a discount.  Lure people in with a coupon, whether it is buy a $20 coupon for $10, or a full 40% discount. 
4. Loyalty Cards: Wouldn’t it be nice if instead of junking up your wallet or keychain with all your loyalty cards?  Well guess what? There are already two applications for smart phones: CardStar and KeyRing.  All you do with these is scan in your gym card, Kroger card, etc. and the application stores them for you.  The more widespread this becomes, the more we will see POS social media rewards, as in loyalty for check-ins and visits.  This is definitely something to keep an eye on for the next year.
5. Shopping Habits:  You can link everything you do online these days.  You can link your Amazon to your Facebook account (we suggest this, because it suggests gifts to your friends around your birthday!) or you can post you your purchases to any of your social media networks using several different iPhone applications.  

It’s amazing how far social media has come.  Ready to dive into new, blooming areas of social media?  The easiest ways to move with social media’s new direction are coupons, Q&A, and location-based social media.  We would love to hear your social media business stories.  If you have one, please let us know and we may feature it in one of our upcoming blog articles.