It was a nice fall day — nice enough to still be able to wear a maxi and sandals — when I saw Jay Baer speak about his new book, Youtility (which was an amazing read, BTW), here in NYC.
He was a dynamic speaker. He also allowed for many questions, and gave honest, searing answers.
Mine was this:
“Do you think social media is moving to a 24/7 model for brands and businesses?”
His answer (in short): Yes. And he thinks it will happen in the next couple of years.
I think about scaling that for my own company and clients. Not easy.
Content Marketing is nothing new.
John Deere actually came up with a magazine that was solely focused on the customer. That’s content marketing. And that was in the year 1895.
What IS new is the way we use, find, and disseminate content.
Social media changed content forever, and so did mobile.
Communication Trumps Campaign
Have you noticed the ever-growing trend of always being on? We’re moving further and further away from campaigns to sustained communications.
As we like to say here at B Squared: Think Conversation, Not Campaign.™
We never go dark, we’re always on. (okay, not everyone, but you know what I mean)
Where’s the proof? Right here …
- 35% of smartphone users boot up apps before getting out of bed
- 10% more people get their news from a computer than a paper
- 51% of people do online research as a part of their job
- 60% of TV viewers use a computer at the same time
- 95% of people have used an electronic device before bed a few times a week
- 83% if young people sleep next to their mobile phones
- 50% of Americans prefer communicating digitally to face-to-face conversation
And perhaps most damming in the “always on” war:
- 40% of people use their phones while in the bathroom
So, what happened??
Mobile Happened
Mobile simplified everything. And it’s how social media changed content forever.
For technology that is only about 6 years old, mobile is growing at an exponential rate.
And it’s not just something taking over the lives of Americans, the entire world is on the same page and using this technology.
The online marketing revolution:
- Social media redefined the market (and marketing)
- Mobile was the catalyst that changed the scale of social (from few to many … soon EVERYONE)
- 40% of the world is connected to the internet
- By 2018, nearly everyone will be connected to the internet
What’s Next For Social Content?
- Growth is international. We can’t think in domestic terms anymore.
- The pace has quickened; we’re constantly looking for new content. Marketers and brands have to resign to this fact and move towards an “always on” mentality.
- We need to be more visual.
- Our goal should be reciprocal altruism: which is giving away something with no expectations in return.
- Marketers need to move away from being campaign focused to being conversation focused.
Brands will only be as strong as their conversations.
That’s my prediction, anyway.
What’s yours? I’d love to know – just post your musings on what’s next in the comments section below.
See you in the social sphere!
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