Social Media. You either get it or you don't. Some businesses see the importance of it. Others see it as a time waster. I tend to notice the businesses who think it's a time waster also are still paying to be in the phone book or have outdated websites. It's not just businesses who are benefiting from Twitter it's also celebrities. Celebrities are using Twitter to share news, promote products they endorse and communicate with fans. Many are doing this with the help of selfies.
Let's take last night's Oscar's for example. Outside of the scoop of who wore what designer and the announcement of the winners, the Oscar Selfie and it's record setting re-tweet were a big hit. Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres selfie topped 2 million re-tweets! It is reported that this single tweet crashed Twitter temporarily.
The Grammy's, Arby's & Pharrell Williams also benefited from the power of Twitter. During the Grammy's Pharrell wore his signature hat that resembles the Arby's logo hat. Arby's had great success via Twitter, having fun posting tweets about getting their hat back. This morning it was reported that Pharrell auctioned off the Grammy hat to benefit an educational non-profit "From One Hand to Another". The hat auctioned for $44,100 to none other than Arby's! The power of Twitter buzz and stellar marketing efforts by Arby's helped raise money for an educational charity.
Celebrities like Ellen or the Muppets are using selfies via Instagram or other social media outlets to promote their endorsements or upcoming films. The Muppets joined Instagram and have posted some seriously cute selfies to promote their upcoming film Muppets Most Wanted. Disney also uses social media to its advantage. They posted a tweet featuring 140 Disney characters! The characters posed in the shape of a hashtag to promote an upcoming all night event at Disney parks.
What these businesses and celebrities are doing is using the power of social media to their advantage and small business should be taking notice. Social Media is free for anyone to use. Anyone can use hashtags and post selfies promoting brands or products. Any Tweet or post on Instagram can go viral at any given time. Look at Arby's, they are a brand you don't often hear much about but they are using the power of social media to their advantage and other than their $44,100 donation they are doing it without paying for advertising!
Social Media is technology driven. It is yet another example of how the companies that embrace technology will thrive and those that are afraid of it or dismiss its value will struggle. How are you using social media to benefit your business? Do you find new products or brands via posts on social media? What impact to you think social media will have on Arby's? If your business is not embracing social media or your website is outdated, it's time to reach out and make a change.
