The "Why" of Social Media. (Repost from LinkedIn)

This is an awesome little blip about the reasons for Social Media in our generation. The gentleman who posted it to LinkedIn, Kyle Blades and his company Rebel, apparently do a ton of research in the evolution of what consumers want. I found it to be extremely upbeat and lifting.

The "why" of social media

For those of you that are sick of hearing me talk, here is what some other people have said about the power of social media:

Social media is not a fad. It is not going away. It is not just for teenagers. It is fundamentally re-engineering the way we communicate with consumers, with each other and the way we promote and sell our goods and services. If you are not making this a part of your business and marketing plan, know that your competitors are. The social media train is picking up steam. If you don’t get on board, you’ll be left at the station. (Chuck Schuele)

Social media is transforming marketing as we know it. Marketers should first of all listen or read what consumers are saying about their brand within these social networks before doing anything. They’re powerful communication tools and are becoming an essential part of successful marketing strategies. (Geri Weiland)

I use social media for networking and to reach additional groups of people that I may not otherwise have access to (those that are located in different states, etc). (Steffany Caputo)

I first got onto it out of necessity, as social media has become normal business practice. I’ve found that LinkedIn has allowed penetration into areas I would not have had otherwise. (Sue Rhodes)

If I don’t, I feel left out. (Scott S. Seroka)

I think it gives power to readers/audiences. They can come together and form communities either in support or against of anything. (Nitin Walia)

From a business, brand and internal alignment point of view, I/we use social media for relevance. Relevance for demonstrating truth behind a value proposition, relevance in demonstrating thought leadership, relevance in promoting/creating relationships and community interaction. (Lou Thurmon)

I have been using LinkedIn first and foremost to get connected and build a business network outside my physical area and secondly to use it to take the pulse of what is going on in with businesses–basically to see what the predominate thinking is on sales, marketing and the state of business these days. (Holly Rotman-Zaid)

Inbound marketing. From a business perspective, devoting a percentage of the marketing plan to allow for your audience to come to you, instead of you going to them. (Pete Iacovazzi)

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who put effort into describing why they choose social media.

-Kyle Blades