Ideas In Bloom Wonders About Social Media. Fad or Revolution?

Yes, folks. I have finally lifted my head up from my design work long enough to join the social media universe driven by Generation C. For those of you who are familiar with Generation X, Generation C is after Generation Y. Generation C owns the social media, and functions daily using digital interaction.  

There are more text messages sent and received daily than there are people on the planet.

Why should I care that 12 year-olds are blogging? Why should I ask about Twitter and Facebook pages? What is HootSuite? LinkedIn? Xing? Is Social Media a Fad?

After 22 years in the design industry, my garden bag is full of great tools to share with my clients, colleagues and curious people seeking answers to common questions surrounding graphic design. But how do I share this knowledge and help business blossom under the umbrella of my brand studio, Ideas In Bloom, without emailing everyone in my contact list? Now, that is just annoying. I don't know about you, but if I receive another monthly email newsletter, I am changing my email address. Again, I ask, what is the most effective way to reach people?

You have answered my question. You are reading this post aren't you? You have likely "touched" the links I have suggested, such as the YouTube presentation above or my own home page. Call it an experiment of sorts. In any event, social media, by far, surpasses any technique or material tool a designer like myself can implement to create brand visibility. Why?

1. People trust PEOPLE, not marketing or products. It has been proven that Twitter icons showing a face have greater traffic than icons that show logos. People are longing for connection on the Internet, on a very basic level. If people cannot see you or touch you, they cannot trust you.

2. People buy VALUE, not products. Why are some online companies successful, and some crash and burn? Value. Core values. Who is buying your product? What are their values? How can your social media align with and speak to their values?

3. People have short attention spans. People spend 0.6 seconds on an Internet page before clicking. You can keep their attention longer by engaging them in the content of your page. Enjoy the example of Urban Dictionary for a site full of words and phrases created and written by users of the site as yet another example of Generation C exercising their right to stretch the Internet to its full social consciousness potential.

On that note, I welcome your feedback, and thank you for sharing a few of your moments with me. Send me an email, and let me know your design questions. I might just dedicate one of my blogs to your question! If so, you can win a free design consultation for your business or project.