Well the short answer to the statement in the title of this article is that social media is where users interact with other users online. You should know about it because it’s the way of the future.

Social media (also referred to as Web 2.0) is just beginning to really catch on with the general public and either you will embrace it or just forget about it because you don’t understand it. If you choose to ignore it, you could be sinking your ship. Like I point out in my blog article Using Social Media To Market Your Business, you don’t have to be a computer-wiz to comment on other’s articles, like this one, and leave a link to your site below your name. Click through the links in the Social Media side above and see how people use them.

Why It’s Important To Know About

Imagine if when the first televisions came out you as a business owner avoided using them because you didn’t understand them. What avenues of business would you be neglecting because you were set in your ways of only using print media? As technology changes, so does the buying behavior of your customers. If they’re adapting and using new resources for buying, you need to be there; otherwise, you’re likely to be left behind and close up shop.

Imagine one day they build a refrigerator that monitors and inventories the items in it. Is it connected to the Internet? Can it automatically order items for you when you’re low? If you’re a normal brick and mortar store and not networked in, you would lose out. This example is to show you how when times change - so must you.

Another reason social media is important is learning. I can’t tell you how much I have learned from others in this media and mostly learned it all for free. In college I took a few marketing classes you could say. But I have gained real world insights by reading real marketer’s blogs and participating in forums.

What Social Media Junkies Do

Social media junkies typically have a blog, post comments to other people’s blog, participate in message boards, have a Facebook or similar website profile, create and share videos on YouTube or their own website, refer each other to others, and can connect with anyone and nearly everyone in the world.

If your business is in a rut and you have yet to enter into the social media realm, give it a try. You might be surprised.

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