Social Media

No technology is poised to change the way businesses operate more than social media. Smart executives are seizing the opportunity presented by the growing number of social networks. With millions of users on Twitter, Facebook and other platforms, there is potential to reach a huge audience with very little investment. Where traditional advertising was limited by location, demographic and time social media has none of these downsides.

As marketer Matt Dickman states, "Social media isn't the end-all-be-all, but it offers marketers unparalleled opportunity to participate in relevant ways. It also provides a launchpad for other marketing tactics. Social media is not an island. It's a high-power engine on the larger marketing ship."

Brand presence is growing across the web. Some businesses are seeing huge financial gains, increased visibility and relevant feedback on their products. They can engage their client communities for increased loyalty while leveraging their ideas for improvement. Social media is not without its risks. Each year sees consumer backlashes, employee rants and misguided campaigns. Still, the benefits and simplicity of using social media as a marketing platform outweigh its dangers.

What You'll Learn

• The history of social media and business involvement.
• Ways to use social media in your business.
• Step by step processes to get your company involved on the social web.
• Examples of highly successful social media campaigns..... and those that flopped.
• Books to learn from the greatest minds in social media.
• Tools that help analyze and optimize your social media campaign.
• Lectures on the many facets of social networks and interaction online.

• 73% of US companies use social media to market their products.
• From 2008 to 2012 business use of social media is expected to double.
• 33% of active Twitter users voice their views on commodities and businesses.
• 25% of business page likes on Facebook are to obtain a promotional deal.
• All told Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn boast 915 million members, but many are repeats.

For more number crunching check out the Wiki and this list of 101 mind blowing stats

Social media has come into its own during the past couple years, but its history is much more complex. Essentially social media is the use of technology to host conversations of people located in different parts of the world. Most agree that this trend began with the transmission of the first email in 1971. This development added communication to the roster of services offered by computers. Email allowed people from distant parts of the world to connect and share information, but had a limited reach. In addition, computers were not "personal" yet; they were prohibitively expensive and slow.

Soon afterward usenets and bulletin board systems came into play. These allowed people to set up servers and post messages. Only one person could log on to BBSs at a time, and most dealt with subversive material, limiting their appeal. Usenets worked in a similar fashion, but were not located on a centralized server. They used subscriptions to access certain types of information which was then transmitted through email. People were coming together around common interests to share knowledge and connect with other specialists.

Internet Relay Chat began real-time discussions on the web in 1988. At first the service was only available to UNIX systems and their more tech savvy users. In addition to simple communication these programs allowed clients to share files from their computers and offer helpful links from the web. These platforms came into their own with the development of ICQ, the first instant messaging program for PCs. It was quickly bought by AOL to form the backbone of their IM system. Keeping in touch online was becoming simple enough for computing novices.

In the late 1980s CompuServe Network Services was created to bring the internet to the public. The service was used primarily for email communication and the distribution of forums. These forums were similar to usenets except that they displayed information on a web page rather than email. They offered technical and professional information for insiders and fans of many industries. While the system was popular for its time, prohibitive costs and an emphasis on enterprise services and information made it more appealing to business than the general public.

Following the example of CompuServe, ISPs like AOL brought the World Wide Web into the home in the early 1990s. Computers were smaller and less expensive, quickly becoming a household commodity. With many people coming online for the first time innovation quickened. Chatrooms, dating sites and special interest networks began to pop up around the internet. Six Degrees was launched in 1997 and became the first modern social network. It allowed users to connect with friends and define their interests in a profile. Soon after sites like LiveJournal allowed people to share their thoughts and interests to connect with like-minded individuals.

These early experiments with social presence on the web inspired the host of services we use today. Six Degrees gave way to Friendster and eventually MySpace and Facebook. Del.icio.us and Digg revolutionized content delivery on the web by allowing people to share their favorite articles. Over the decade many new sites were founded, each with a different system of social sharing. Flickr allowed users to share pictures, WordPress brought blogging to the public and Youtube revolutionized video uploading and rating. The scene continues to evolve, including an ever widening array of services.

Businesses have only recently begun leveraging the power of social media. While internet marketing is by no means a new phenomenon, early networks had few users and were often poorly mediated, discouraging business interest. Huge growth in user base and improvements in content control lessened the risk and inspired some companies to venture into the social arena. Today more businesses than ever are asserting their brand on social sites across the web, some even basing their entire business model on the ease of attracting customers.

• Designer Cameron Chapman covers the history of social media in this Mashable article. Each development is explained briefly and is related to the bigger picture. More influential sites have long summaries detailing their rise to power. The different ways people use social media today are also explained, along with the sites in each niche. If you need to know what is out there and who is using it, turn here first.
• For the history of social media at a glance check out Mashable's infographic. From the first email to the founding of Twitter, it traces the development of social tools on the web to their ubiquity today.
• For indepth coverage of social media look no further than BBC’s podcasts on the subject. The three part series runs an hour and a half in length and includes interviews from founders of influential platforms. Each of the sections deals with a different period of social media, from the beginning of Six Degrees and Friendster, to the growth of Facebook and finally touching on the new offshoots of the industry in Twitter, Foursquare and niche sites. If you don't have time for the full series, the article has all the basics laid out.

The Process

Customer-centric businesses have a lot to gain from embracing social media. The millions of people who use social networks everyday are a resource for marketers to tap in to. There are many different ways to use social media to improve policies and products ranging from simple monitoring to full blown blitzes.

The most basic thing a business can do to get involved is to track what people are saying about them on the web. This gives them an idea of public opinion and may even be enough to glean insight on how to improve processes. Whether you have a web page or not, people are talking about their brand online. Whether its praise or scorn, knowing what is being said allows you to position yourself for improvement. It also tells a little about your customers, their concerns and how they interact with your product. While your reviews might not always be positive, they should always inspire improvement.

With this information in hand, companies can jump in to the fray and begin building a presence on the social web. This step requires caution. Companies who have launched campaigns are received in different ways. Putting yourself out there is risky and online activities need to be monitored to show negative both positive reactions. Business should listen intently, this conversation will guide the direction of the campaign.

From the dialogs with customers and others on the web, companies can make calculated responses. These both address the needs of the market while promoting the identity of the brand. The process is cyclical and as the needs and opinions of people change, so will the provisions of the brand. Understanding what the consumers in your sector want allows you to adapt your offerings to their tastes. Company web sites can become more than mere placeholders, instead becoming immersive brand experiences. Communities will crystallize as the marketing takes hold, bringing enthusiasts to your aid. These individuals can spread their passion to others. Followers will continue to trickle in and voice their views. Keep listening.

For the full scoop on the process of using social media in your business read Brian Solis' advice. He goes through a ten stage plan for businesses to follow in their social media strategies. Each of the steps is an important milestone for incorporating social media in your business. No matter how involved you want to be, this article has the plan.

Treats on Twitter

A San Fransiscan food cart vendor specializing in creme brulee dove into the social media world to great success. As a mobile business Twitter has the obvious appeal of letting his customers know where he will be. He takes it a step farther than this though, telling followers what's on the menu as well as fielding commentary from the crowd. Essentially, this is free daily advertising to his 12,000 followers and a crowd-sourcing opportunity to improve his business. His business becomes more of a collaboration with the community, he goes where the demand is. Social media allows business owners to interact with their customer base in real time, for instant results.

Flies and Honey

Branding on the web seems easy on paper, but its easier to go astray than you think. People are bored with traditional advertising and seeing it clog their Twitter feed is likely to have a negative impact. As consumers become more aware of advertising businesses need other methods to spread word about their products.

Content strategist Kyle Monson thinks he has the right idea when it comes to social media. Rather than working in catch phrases and slogans, marketers should think more like journalists. Where advertisers only promote a product, brand journalists would describe the company, its goals and how the product is made. They focus on news worthy stories about what makes that particular business or commodity great, rather than unilateral one liners. Social media is an open world. Anyone on the network can come and read your comment or article. The focus has shifted from reeling in a target audience to casting the largest net possible and seeing who shows up.

Monson proved this in his work with Microsoft. By leveraging the product developers and designers they already employed the company created a family of blogs centered around their products. This venture saw great success, and their technical community turned out in record numbers to read the posts and respond in the comments. They were not just giving away free information, they were forming connections with the customers they already had, customers who would appreciate and share this knowledge. In a short amount of time many of their sites drew almost 20,000 visitors for every post. Honest, simple information cuts through the noise of advertising and brings consumers the stories they actually want to hear.

Using the customer as a launching pad for social media strategy is a powerful thing. Lifespan, a Rhode Island hospital system, is reaping rewards by emphasizing their customers' stories. Few would expect the health care industry to be early adopters of social media but these professionals are showing how it works. Using primarily Twitter, the hospital reaches out to current patients while scanning the airwaves for anyone with something to say about their business. The lives of their patients, their efforts to protect their health, become narratives that promote the effectiveness of the hospital. It's not all roses though. Patients sometimes have negative experiences to share too. This is not always a bad thing. A woman who could not find the hospital was sent a link to a map and her response was gushing. Even situations with no easy solution at least give the hospital a way to engage with critics and discover what drives them. Perhaps even weigh new solutions. Even in an unexpected field, social media opens the doors to improved relationships.

Hearts and Minds

The unique features of the web along with the identity created through social media bring new possibilities for marketers. Apps and digital collectibles like badges and status levels allow brands to identify their most fervent supporters and reward them. Ian Greenleigh, social media manager at Bazaar Blog, understands this fact.

Just like the rest of us, online users are concerned with their own struggles, goals and responsibilities. If you can rub their egos for a second, they are more apt to listen. Intel's Museum of Me is a particularly good example of this. The app turns users' collection of Facebook photos, comments and videos into a virtual gallery where they can relive their favorite moments. It not only connects with the user on a personal level, it conjures emotional response to the memories on the screen. While the campaign does not overtly advertise Intel's products, it does raise awareness of the brand and begins a relationship with a new market of customers.

Piquing emotional interest does not have to cost thousands in software development. Emerson Salon, a Seattle hairstyling boutique, recently launched a Twitter and Facebook campaign to huge success. By focusing on the demographics of their area they were able to draw customers in an already congested market. Their Twitter offers biographies of their employees, current sales and specials and examples of haircuts at their shop. While 12,000 Twitter followers is no record, small businesses struggle to reach this many people in traditional marketing campaigns. Social media is leveling the playing field between local stores and national chains.

Emotions are not the only doorway to engage customers. People want to know they are important and valuable. Badges, titles and other status signifiers give back to those that support you. The internet is a perfect medium for this type of positive feedback. Companies promote brand evangelists as spokespeople, giving voice to their most loyal supporters and the products they endorse. The recognition can be as simple as a digital award or mention all the way to profiles and solicited reviews. In the world of social media your customers are your best marketers. Find out more about how to rub your customers' egos and engage them with status symbols.

Control Your Message

Social media is not without its pitfalls, as many companies have realized. Sharing on the internet is risky, your life is under the public eye. The consumer market is already volatile and any misstep will be replayed around the web. These are cautionary tales from the social world of the web.

Sometimes it just takes one bad decision to mar a company's reputation. This was the case when GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons decided to go on safari. After posting the video online including elephant butchery by GoDaddy clad villagers the backlash was unstoppable. PETA and other conservation groups immediately responded resulting in a wave of negative sentiment as more were appalled by the viral video. The scheme was written off as a shameless attempt at marketing and users unsubscribed in mass. To make matters worse, domain retailer Namecheap donated $1 to Save the Elephants for every new customer after the incident. GoDaddy not only tarnished their own image, they opened the door for their competition. Social media is not a vacuum. What might seem like a good idea in a certain context might seem barbaric when viewed in a different light. People from all walks of life engage on social platforms and there is no telling who you might upset. Seth Godin advises, "Conversations among the members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not. Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations." Always remember that what you do online reflects on the company image as a whole.

Wal-Mart is another victim of internet uprising, although for more controversial reasons. Where GoDaddy simply displayed questionable activity as a marketing campaign, Wal-Mart's subversive tactics were its campaign. Chicago blogger Kevin Robertson noticed a certain commenter fervently defending Wal-Mart any time they recieved mentioned. After a little research he discovered that this advocate was part of a community group funded by the Chicago marketing firm Wal-Mart used. The connection is obvious and raises questions about business using social media. On the web where it is easy to masquerade as a different person marketers have an even greater obligation to transparency. Leading people astray by hiding behind internet identities is a surefire way to enrage your customers and fuel your critics. While it might seem easy to hide on the web, someone will make the connection and blow your cover. And remember Jeff Bezos' words of wisdom: "If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell 6 friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends."

One might expect social media would be more useful to those businesses that sell directly to consumers. With a variety of different people online it makes sense that those who seek the largest possible audience would flock to social media. While this might be true, many B2B companies are also adopting social media strategies, some with amazing results.

Mashable's Ben Parr exposes some of the surprising statistics on B2B social media use. You wouldn't expect it, but B2Bs use social platforms more than B2Cs for everything except social media marketing. For B2Bs, social media allows a look in to the minds of their customers. It shows where their product hits the mark and where it falls flat. It allows them to start conversations with potential clients and build relationships. This communication is even more valuable in the B2B industry since they have a limited customer base to market to.

PayPal is a great example of how these companies can use the tools of today. By joining the social media conversation they were able to find out what people wanted from their payment system. PayPal Apps, a platform to develop widgets and features, was created with this insight. Developers can now adapt the PayPal system and make money while doing so. They have crowd-sourced the process of development and are reaping the benefits from it. Rather than force programmers to develop their own payment applications, they realized the process as a collaboration. It has lead to a dedicated community of developers who make money from their offerings and has created a host of features for PayPal at a low cost.

Tech companies are especially quick when it comes to adopting social media. SAP is often considered one of the earliest and most ambitious adopters of social media. They are present on every social network available. This helps them keep in touch with their communities and announce product offers. SAP goes beyond the standard channels of social media with their internal community where customers share knowledge about their software. This creates a network of SAP experts to draw on, limiting the need for customer service and inspiring the company with new ideas. They even recently redrafted their Terms of Use to allow the company to draw software code from its user's suggestions. The customer is not only a revenue stream. They develop expertise in a company's products and can help shape their future developments. The business is happy because it gets feedback and solutions at a discount and customers are happy their voices are being listened to. In social media everyone wins.

The tech sector aren't the only ones excited about using social media to connect with other businesses. Many traditional brick-and-mortar outlets are finding that social media is an easy way to reach out to their customers. It is a unique forum where their ideas spread instantly. For some businesses this is helping them reach markets that traditional methods have not broached.

While it is a software company, ShipServ's market is already carved out. The shipping community was not an obvious pick for a social media campaign. Its members are not especially hip to internet culture or online business. ShipServ knew it had a lot of work set out for it. First they created a blog telling the stories of their customers and why they used the product, but did not stop there. They created original content and a series of white papers for the shipping industry and used social media channels to promote them. These ventures were risky, no one in their industry had ventured into the world of social media. But, since their beginning, they have shown success, bringing in more potential customers than hoped. By creating a dialog with those in their market they began relationships. These ties are not just to attract clients. Their website hosts interviews with current customers, a powerful tool in convincing others to jump ship.

SteelMasters followed a similar strategy to attract customers. Prefabricated buildings are not what your typical social media user is searching for. The company needed to show that their products were worth a look, even to hesitant buyers. By featuring examples of their products on their Facebook page they engaged new customers who otherwise would not have considered their products. High school baseball teams are using them for batting practice and farmers are using them as outbuildings for equipment and livestock. Even individuals are purchasing them for garages and storage units, a whole new market for the company. The wide community on Facebook, and some clever content, helped get the word out for SteelMasters. Now their page is filled with videos, photos and reviews of their product in a variety of applications. The company did not need to adapt their product to a new market, they merely needed to show its versatility and cost effectiveness in new situations.

The many users on social media means that someone is talking about your company. You need to know what they are saying and how to enter the conversation. After getting involved you will have to find out how big your impact is. Tracking user comments across multiple channels is a difficult task at best. Drawing quantitative conclusions from the data is even more challenging. For businesses, analyzing the effectiveness of their social media campaigns is a problem.

Luckily David Armano offers practical indicators to watch out for. Measuring progress in terms of numbers of fans and comments might have some value, but is small game compared to the big picture of social media. Both users' behavior and financial gain are valuable metrics, but how do they translate into social media? For the actions of users the metric is simple. More people saying better things about your company is a gain. Quantifying this improvement is almost impossible though. It is extremely difficult to put a price on one rave review, or to calculate the losses after consumer revolt. Economic impact, on the other hand, is easy to gauge in numbers. A simple earnings sheet is enough to account for that. What caused the increased profits, however, is more difficult to gauge. In the world of social media, campaigns might save money in what is spent on customers or they might increase revenue by attracting customers. It is important to compare both of these factors and question the correlation between them. Through careful analysis, planning and experimentation putting a price tag on social media is less ambiguous.

Tools for the Trade

Businesses evaluating their social media impact need tools to help them along the way. There is simply too much data to collect and analyze by hand. Recently many programs have been developed to display social media information at a glance. This software measures important statistics across many social networks. Most are highly customizable, so you can see what people are saying and when. This allows companies to see the influence of their campaigns in real-time and recognize when something goes wrong. The measurements obtained are not just to evaluate campaign progress, but to track influential peers in your market and see what people are saying about individual posts. From here you can recruit brand evangelists to spread the word, put out fires before the become uncontrollable and evaluate the impact of your online content. No business involved in social media should go without one of these programs. Check out the features Playground by PeopleBrowsr, a powerful tool for analyzing social media payoff.

We've all heard of FarmVille, Mafia Wars and the host of games that run on Facebook. The craze has set in and at least a few wallets have burst. While any business can use social media to promote visibility, some entrepreneurs are seeing potential within the social networks themselves. Facebook currently has an extensive catalog of apps that work on its platform including games, quizzes, plug-ins and statistics. Many of these products are free to buy but offer additional content for cash. They also make innovative use of the social platform, rewarding their users with certain collectibles, icons and other status symbols they can share with friends. As Jay Baer states, "Activate your fans, don't just collect them like baseball cards."

Gamzee is a relatively new entrant in the social games business. Founded by Howard Marks who started Activision and Acclaim, the company is expected to take off. Marks sees potential in the way social apps easily make their way in to the mobile sphere. As the users on social networks continue to increase the market for these types of games becomes even bigger. Since these networks are accessible from mobile devices, people can move from their computers to their phones and back. For some types of business social media is the perfect backdrop for their products. It is a platform with existing members and giving them something to do creates value for everyone involved. The marketing is already built in to the network, although Facebook has no shortage of apps on their sidebar. When people see their friends getting ribbons and high scores on these games they might want to join in, increasing the overall user base. While the average payment on these games is less than $10 the social gaming industry took in over $725 million last year. The social games industry is booming and stands to pick up more momentum as mobile devices become more widespread.

Games are not the only applications that have shown some success on social networks. Soccer fans in the UK were thrill with Sky Sports News' "Your Team Your Dream" app. This program transformed users into the star of their favorite soccer team and posted weekly updates about their virtual performance. The motivating factor behind its success was the huge community of soccer fans online. It brought them together in a unique way, gave each a video to share with friends and inspired discussion of shared interests. It gave them a new way to be social and meet people with something in common. Rather than take people out of the network to play a game, it enriched the experience for a niche market. Social apps may still be new, but they are quickly becoming an profitable way to promote interaction between users.

Check out the now defunct Sky Sports Net and other businesses that use social media to deliver unique and valuable content. While these projects are expensive, they are a great way to get involve customers in the conversation.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

As more and more people use social media on their phones and tablets, the need for geolocation applications grows. Even away from home people are still hooked in to their social accounts reading the news of the day. There is potential for this always on connection. Many current attempts at geolocation have fallen a bit flat; Foursquare has a fraction the user base of its competitors. Still, when smartphones have completely saturated the mobile market, people will need ways to connect with the world around them. For businesses the options are limitless. Someone will need to develop applications to help people check in to appointments, share information about certain places and organize all this data into a readable format. Even brick-and-mortar shops could send advertisements and specials to users within a certain distance. Location-based technology is an area any new software company needs to consider.

• Find out how big the social media phenomenon really is. These stats show how Facebook, Twitter and other networks are infiltrating our daily lives. The number of people on social media every day is simply amazing and is changing the way we interact with one another. If you still doubt the potential this medium has for your business, check again. Just excuse the dramatic music.
• This podcast with David Meerman Scott explores the world of social media through his book World Wide Rave. In the book he discusses ways to engage your audience and promote your product on the world wide web. The old school business theories of the past simply do not work anymore. Heed Scott's advice if you want to create a stir around your business.
• Aquasana shares their secrets using NetBase, an internet commentary analysis program. The company sells most of their water filtration products on the web and understand the power it has for them. They are active on social networks and through their website, but needed a way to gather what was being said about them. NetBase was their solution, though there are many analytic programs available. Rather than simply survey the marketplace, they used the information to improve their products and show their advantages over competitors.

• Groundswell is a seminal book on the ins and outs of social media. Rather than hiding in fear of consumer backlash it forces companies into the social world. Filled with case studies of businesses large and small, examples of how to succeed are everywhere. If your venture isn't taking advantage of social media yet, check out this title for ideas on what has succeeded before.
• Communication is changing in this digital age. Naked Conversations is an examination of that change and the potential it holds for business marketing. Blogs are an important part of the social media scene to bring quality content to your customers. Learn how to use them effectively in this book.
• The New Community Rules is a primer for the social web. It covers the tools available from social networks to blogs and how to leverage them for the best results. Everything from what content sells to maintaining transparency is covered. This needs to be on every marketer's bookshelf.

Do I really need a Social Media Manager?

With the increasing importance of social media in the business world many people are branding themselves as experts on the subject. But do we really need a new profession? Marketers are already established, why can't they do the same thing?

Peter Shankman, a social media entrepreneur himself, sees the newly minted experts as unnecessary. "Being an expert in Social Media is like being an expert at taking the bread out of the refrigerator," he says. In his mind, social media does not change the landscape of marketing. The goal is to make money. Prizes for followers, online contests and other novel aspects of social media miss the mark in his book. If it does not have a measurable revenue, it is not worth doing. For him the same tenets that drive advertising, transparency, relevance and content, are driving social media. If you can succeed in the advertising world you can succeed on Facebook.

In a direct response to Shankman's post Rand Fishkin, founder of SEOMoz, upholds the necessity of social media professionals. Businesses in the current financial climate are struggling to stay in the black and want to see returns on their investments. Would they really be hiring record numbers of professionals for no gain? Additionally, these people are really experts. They understand the processes and tools to leverage and track social campaigns. These are not common sense. Many of these experts have already brought real revenue to their clients. The advantages are not subjective.

To find out more check out Shankman's full post and Fishkin's response.

Do customers really want to be bothered by more advertising?

With television, print, radio and Google AdWords, will clients really be responsive to more marketing, or will it further erode trust of business? Neicole Crepeau thinks we are driving away our customers. While fostering discussion is a good thing, businesses that insert themselves into the conversation at all times do so at a cost. Recent trends have seen Facebook users un-liking businesses. As the rush for businesses to make themselves known on social media becomes greater customer receptivity decreases. According to Crepeau, companies should get to know what the conversation is before putting in their two cents. Simply soliciting people to buy is not a rewarding method of engagement. If businesses are too concerned with simply selling their products on social networks, they risk alienating their followers. If they develop meaningful ways to interact, they will be on the way to building a valuable community.

Chris Brogan continues this perspective on social media. Even businesses are tired of rehashing the same old content in a new package. The thing is, it does not have to be this way. He gives ideas for a few types of businesses of how to make a real presence on the web. His takeaway message: if you have passion in what you do, share it with the world. The problem isn't social media itself, but the way we use it. The technology is still an open playing field and companies should be excited to see what is possible there.

If social media has so much potential, why haven't all businesses that use it seen success?

Many companies that have embraced social media are still wondering when the payoff comes. It is true that many ventures on to the social web fall flat. Engagement is hard to achieve, especially when people aren't interested in the conversation. Social business is still a new concept and it is unclear what works and what doesn't. Even so, Mark Schaeffer at {grow} has a few common reasons why businesses flounder in the social scene. Planning, metrics, executive approval and self-proclaimed experts are the roots of the problem. Many companies treat social media as they would any other marketing campaign. He advises going beyond the marketing team, involving every public-facing department in social media, but does not stop there. Internal use of social networks is the wave of the future and will allow unprecedented collaboration. As a bonus it lets you test out your strategies before bringing them to the public. If it's not interesting to a member of your team, it will not be to an outsider.

Brian Solis reinforces this point. He claims that it is not enough for businesses merely to be active in the social realm. For him new media is changing the ways customers expect business to work and is democratizing corporate decision making. Companies no longer need to allocate a huge portion of their budget to research, they have an experienced pool of users at their fingertips. Creating products does not have to be a solitary process anymore. Clients can give feedback to help guide development. Businesses can give back by sharing innovative way to use their provisions. You will not gain followers simply by showing up to the party. Bring something with you, expertise, passion, education or personality, and your presence will blossom.