Social Media refers to the means of technology-based interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.
At its inception, social media was used to keep in touch with friends and family, but businesses soon saw it as a way to reach customers through a popular new way to talk. The first recognisable social media site, in the format we know and understand today, was Six Degrees – a platform created in 1997 that enabled users to upload a profile and make friends with other users. Six Degrees was based on the concept of the six degrees of separation. Gardiner Morse, in a Harvard Business Review article titled The Science Behind Six Degrees, defines this concept as “the idea that we’re all connected by just “six degrees”- six other people”. Later, with the launch of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg as a Harvard sophomore on 4 February 2004, the trajectory of social media and its impact on everyday life was shaped.
At the core, as defined by Our World in Data in an article titled The Rise of Social Media, the features that define a social media platform are:
(i) profiles for users
(ii) the ability for users to upload content
(iii) the ability for users to discuss content and connect with other users.
Social media is as dynamic as water; ever-changing by nature with no proven or steadfast rules besides the need to have a core understanding of human psychology and social behaviour. One of the intrinsic beauties that social media offers is its ability to extend information to an audience with its unmatched global reach and visibility. Herein lies its major benefit for businesses. Across various industries, social media influences how businesses engage with customers, market their products and services, and manage their online presence. As a business in 2024, it is almost irresponsible to not have a social media presence of some sort. Since our mobile phones have become a quick referencing tool in this new digital age, researching any business online often leads users to checking business credibility on social media. In essence, social media has become the first point of contact, acting as the new virtual 24/7 brand ambassadors for businesses.
If you don’t have a social media presence, do you even exist?
But social media should not be confused with the old known communications and marketing portfolios of yesteryear. While your business may be corporate by nature, social media should be the space where you aim to be relatable, real and relevant. The online personality of your business lives on its social media platforms with its own character, nuances and look-and-feel. Being real means being vulnerable. Social media algorithms favour authenticity, rawness and vulnerability as these factors often enhance relatability and effectively increase overall engagement. OLLMOO is living proof of this. We recently incorporated content into our scheduling that included photographs of the entire OLLMOO team as a part of our birthday celebrations this year. The content was extremely well received by audiences across all our social media platforms. This sort of content inclusion demonstrates that a real person sits behind your content strategy and that you do not have an AI bot crafting content for your business. Perhaps an indicator that the human touch, is what social media currently favours...
Social media should not be confused with the communications and marketing portfolios of yesteryear.
Some of the major benefits of social media for business are:
Social media has transformed the way businesses operate, offering unprecedented opportunities for communication, marketing, customer engagement, and growth. However, it's crucial for businesses to develop a strategic approach to social media, tailored to their goals, target audience, and industry dynamics, to maximise its impact and efficacy. If social media is uncharted territory for you or your business, use this recent data collected by The Sprout Social Index as a guide into the type of content that audiences want to see from brands that they follow on social media.
It's crucial for businesses to develop a strategic approach to social media.
Here at OLLMOO, our social media exists as a content-sharing hub for OLLMOO insights, career tips, industry updates and to share interesting perspectives on work and wellbeing, advancing women and ultimately finding the career that’s the best fit for you. Follow our LinkedIn, Instagram and blog site to stay updated about all things OLLMOO. And if you haven’t already, then join our community of future women leaders at OLLMOO.com today.
