Back in December we posed the question: How will social media change
the way we do business in 2008? We also went on to discuss 10 major social
media trends that were going mainstream. Well, we're in June now and it is time
for a mid-year review of those trends. We discuss the trends and pass verdict
on their progress. You can also download a PDF version of the article (it has some funky graphics in it)
1. Social Influence Marketing becomes the third dimension of marketing There's no doubt that social media has given rise to a totally new form of marketing called Social Influence Marketing. Those brands that simply treat social media as another channel through which to push advertising are missing the point. Social Influence Marketing is about harnessing the peer and anonymous influencers and strategically leveraging social media to meet marketing and business objectives.
It's not a channel but a new way of thinking recognizing how the web has gone completely social. And in fact contrary to what we earlier thought, social influence marketing is not just about extending conversations beyond campaigns, it is about leveraging social influencers to achieve broader marketing and business objectives.
Verdict: Trend is even larger than we thought.
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