Interactive

People have become information and communication junkies. We want to know, and we want to know now! We want up-to-the-minute news and interactions at our fingertips, on a moment’s notice. For these reasons, social media has become a vital part of online communication. Social media can seamlessly integrate with existing marketing strategies, and even add an all new dimension – a “face” of your brand. Social media makes it easier to reach many more people online than a traditional Web site alone.

More than 63 percent of consumers research products and services online before buying. So doesn’t it make sense to have a broad, comprehensive presence on the Web? Having your own Web site is fantastic, but nowadays, alone it isn’t enough to make a real impact online. Fortunately, the Internet is booming with exciting and new opportunities to capitalize on the “I want to know now” mentality and people’s desires to interact with one another online. Why not update your online package with access to social media technology and tactics?

So many of our education clients are perfect candidates for interactive and social online features like blogs and micro-blogging, social bookmarking and video. Social by nature, the education trade is chock full of working professionals and potential students itching to find out more and start conversations. How about a brief overview of some of the handy interactive and social media tools?

Blogging: A great blog does not simply push company specials and products, but instead covers a range of topics in the field –news and commentary, how-to information, interactive quizzes and polls related to the field and other topics that are important to your audience. All the great content makes it easier to plug your stuff from time to time without putting your audience off! In fact, blogging is a great way to find and create enthusiastic advocates for your brand in the average user! Another excellent, similar tactic is micro-blogging on sites such as Twitter to send out quick bursts of updates and information to readers.

Social Networks: By participating in social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn – where users can create custom profiles, share links and media and have conversations – you create a public forum for people to discuss your brand, and even better, for you to see what they’re saying and apply it! The social network space is great to connect with people, learn their business needs and respond quickly and simply.

Social Bookmarking: Social bookmarking allows visitors to tag or bookmark your site to return to later. Social bookmarking also helps them share your site with other users as a “favorite” and encourage them to visit. Many sites have even “gone viral” and spread like wildfire as a result of social bookmarking!

Video: There are numerous video uploading sites available where you can place commercials, how-to videos, video blogs and any other video component you can think of. The big social component, though, is that people can search for, comment on and rate your videos! The most viewed videos on YouTube have even been viewed more than 115 million times.

This is only a tiny glimpse into the world of social media, but these innovative strategies can be put to use quickly and cost effectively to deliver a great experience to customers. Not to mention, it can help reach new levels of ROI for your brand. We at PlattForm are super excited about the implications of these new media, and love getting our hands dirty for our clients.