There seems to be no doubt now that social media is going mainstream. Unless you have a doubt. And in that case, consider this:
Coca-cola just launched a new social media policy that encourages their global staff to become part of their communications team. That’s right: one of the world’s largest and most respected brands has just opened the floodgates on social media.
Since social media was born in the “oughts” (I couldn’t hate that term more), the last decade was about discovering the social Web. In the last few years companies have been like my 9 month old son–stumbling around a new found toy, trying to figure out how this fits in their worldview. But their worldviews have largely come from a 20th century model of marketing.
We’ve seen some companies that have fully embraced the community-building aspect of the social Web. But here’s my prediction: communities are about to blow up. In the next ten years the value of engaging with a small, dedicated group of loyalists as opposed to a large, apathetic market will become the bread and butter of smart companies.
So here’s a mantra for you to consider:
Markets are communities waiting to happen.
I think the sooner a business realizes this, the sooner they can start mobilizing people who want to be their advocates. And that will affect the bottom line.
What do you think?
Photo credit: debaird™
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