An important reminder that you are on the right path…

Social Media marketing is not new nor is it widely established or even understood. However in 2010, it will completely transform the way businesses attract customers and the way consumers find the businesses and services that matter to them. And like that, an overnight landmark, which really is over a decade in the making, will challenge business owners, more so than today, as they now compete for the future, right now.

Social Networks are no longer the playgrounds we once perceived. The simple truth is this: social networking is not just for kids or people with too much free time on their hands.

Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Foursquare, and the like, are now pervasive, becoming an extension of who we are, and forming valuable social hubs that connect people who share interests and tastes. As a result, the activity within each network is influencing the decisions and referrals consumers ultimately make, usually without the benefit of our participation.

The are over 500 million registered accounts on Facebook, over 100 million on Twitter, even the up-and-coming location-based network Foursquare boasts over 1 million users. And, for the record, the average age of a person using Facebook is 38 and those using Twitter hover around 39. Even MySpace boasts a median age of 31.

What does that mean for you?

The socialization of media and the democratization of influence is changing everything, from how consumers find places, products, and services, how and where they share their experiences, and eventually, where they will spend their time and money. Without an understanding of, or participation in, social networks, we are absent from shaping or contributing to the decision making process of those who define the health and success of our business. Yes, right now, decisions are made with or without us.

We can no longer ignore or minimize the changes unfolding before us. Everything begins without fully knowing what to do, why it’s important and whether or not we’re doing everything the right way. But it is in the process of engagement that we learn and mature.

While Social Media cheat-sheets and short cuts are available almost everywhere you look, the truth is that we have some work ahead of us. In short, you get out of it, what you invest.

Engage or die!

Please consider reading, Engage!: It might just change the way you think about Social Media

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Get Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and The Conversation Prism:

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