I’ve heard it all. “Social media will make you rich.” “Social media is free.” “Social media is magic.” As David Peralty says, “Social Media is Work Not Magic.” A social media marketing strategy takes much planning, daily attention and committed resources (just to name a few).
But – then again – maybe it is magic – sort of…the communication barriers that social media decimates and the real-life, real-time opportunities that it presents can be life changing. For instance, Twitter allows “people” to connect with “people” who they would never have had an opportunity to “meet” otherwise.
Connecting with an Online Mentor
Okay, so this may not seem like a huge deal to you, but for me connecting with one of my favorite industry authors was the highlight of 2010 (of course, second to the birth of my first-born son). As I was reading, The New Rules of Marketing & PR, I read words by David Meerman Scott and thought, “I’m not sure I agree with this. I wonder…”
Instead of just being lost with my thoughts, I immediately logged onto Twitter. I direct messaged Mr. Scott. I asked him 140 – character question that slightly disagreed with him, but was truly meant to seek clarification. Within 10 minutes, Mr. Scott messaged me back. The thoughtfulness in which he showed and the response time in which he gave shocked me. My respect for him grew 10 times that day – making me a life-long fan and brand ambassador. (By the way – I was completely wrong!)
MySocialCloud.com’s Big Break on Twitter
While I probably exaggerated my Twitter story as a highlight of an entire year (that would be pretty sad, huh?); it was still a pretty awesome experience. But, for two young entrepreneurs, it would be fair to say that their “Twitter story” was the most significant event that happened to them and their business in 2011.
Stacey Ferreira and her brother Scott launched MySocialCloud.com, an online web application that allows you to manage your online life. One day when Stacey was on Twitter she saw a tweet by Sir Richard Branson who was offering a chance to meet him in exchange for a donation to his charity, Virgin Group. Stacey immediately emailed the charity and applied. Two days later – they were in Miami, face-to-face with Branson. See how a tweet turned into $1 million on Entrepreneur.com.
For Stacey and Scott, they put their nerves and fear aside and grabbed a hold of an opportunity that could only happen with the existence of social media.
So, in some cases – social media may appear to be magic. But, then again, isn’t magic something that just happens to you as you sit on the sidelines? Success on social media, and success in America for that matter, is earned only when you pay attention, work hard and are willing to put yourself out there as if failure is not an option.
Will social media change your life? Maybe. Does it happen overnight? Almost never.
What was the coolest thing that ever happened to you or your business because of social media?
