As times change and different ways of communication and marketing evolve, it’s important to stay “part of the conversation.” Times are different than they were when I was growing up (it wasn’t THAT long ago, but it’s definitely been a few decades)!  People don’t utilize traditional marketing platforms as much as they once did.  I personally can’t tell you the last time that I looked at the yellow pages of any phone book; I can google just about anything I need and I have it within seconds on my phone or computer.  I am not trying to persuade someone away from that type of communication and many of them now have their own online platform, but in today’s world that isn’t where the conversations are happening.  When I want to find the number to a restaurant, I know that I can go to Facebook or Yelp, and not only get the phone number, website, and hours of operation; but I’m also going to get to see what people think of the service, food, atmosphere, etc…I am automatically part of the conversation.   

This goes deeper than just looking up a phone number or review on a restaurant or bar.  Being part of the consumer’s conversations is going to allow any business owner the opportunity to see instant success or fail of a product. I recently bought a new pair of WONDERFUL pants from a line that kept popping up on my Facebook feed.  I would constantly see this ad and I finally clicked on it to see what the hype was about.  Fifteen minutes later, I learned that it was a line of clothing to help keep women in third world countries from being forced into slavery.  They hand make every pair of pants AND they were offering 20% off the first order.  WELL, after reading how wonderful the service and the pants were from product reviews of previous consumers, this girl bought a pair and I swear I wear them every day.  By being a part of the conversation I not only realized that these are some REALLY cute pants, but I was going to help a cause that I hadn’t really thought about.   

Through my blogs I will focus on the different types of social media and how I as a consumer along with my friends and family, utilize the benefits of social media.  I will show and explain the importance of “being part of the conversation.” Stay tuned…I look forward to blogging with you!