4 Social Media Truths, Part 2

In part 1 of the series, we discussed how your brand is already public. Your decision to participate will happen irrespective of others' decisions to talk about your brand in their personal and public conversations online.

That might sound scary to some business owners, but for many, it presents a great opportunity. Which leads into our Social Media Truth #2...

Your brand will be shaped by social media.

In fact, it's probably starting to happen already. Remember that social media isn’t just Facebook and Twitter. Modern word-of-mouth advertising (good and bad) happens online everywhere—sometimes even without the “advocates” knowing they’re doing it. That advertising is happening right now in places like:

• Blogs and blog comments
• Business and alumni networking sites (LinkedIn, Classmates, etc.)
• Product reviews (Amazon, Zappos, etc.)
• Online company ratings (Google Places, Zagat, etc.)
• YouTube channels
• And more

Your brand is not immune. As people of all walks become increasingly comfortable with, and dependent on, communicating online, so too will their opinions and experiences be shared online. All the more reason to be actively participating in conversations and providing the brand image you want to the public.