Master of Social Media Offers Advice to Office Business Centers Regarding Social Media Predictions for 2010

"Social media is still an art. The science is coming, but we’re not quite there yet. So don’t throw the baby out with the bath water."

In a recent piece in the Huffington Post, Dell Inc.'s Vice President of Social Media and Community, Manish Mehta offered a round-up of predictions from social media experts and himself about trends in social media in 2010. He highlighted predictions including a focus on relationships made thanks to social media, the necessity of social media as a formal part of a business strategy, and sharing product and service information by social media outlets.

The ALLIANCE Academy's Master of Social Media, Viveka von Rosen, shared some of her thoughts on the predictions that have been made. She warns against expecting immediate results and gratification: 

"I know with the explosion of social media, a lot of people are seeing it as the Golden Egg, forgetting that, like all media efforts, social media takes diligence, skill and time. Expecting to get on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and suddenly attract clients over night, especially using outbound marketing messages, is a mistake. What made SEO to crucial to your business center websites is also important to your social media campaigns: we still need to optimize our blogs and social media updates (and whoever thinks we can just get rid of SEO on our websites might be rudely awakened by a sharp decline in site hits – especially if their social media presence is sub par).

"Social media is still an art," she said. "The science is coming, but we’re not quite there yet. So don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. If you have a traditional media campaign that’s been working for you (and I am including website presence) don’t abandon ship quite yet. You do need to be on social media, and attraction marketing will – eventually – replace most of your traditional media efforts, but this is a delicate time."

Viveka goes on to advise that business centers make sure to remain consistent and keep their tracking systems in place. "It’s crucial right now to know what is working, when it’s working and how it’s working. Get clear on why social media is so powerful and what your company culture can do to adjust, and then dip your toe in. Eventually you’ll be swimming downstream and riding the wave, but make sure your tools are in place before you jump in."