Let Us Not Forget What Social Media Is About

While many of us in the agency and media business write and try to come up with a calculation for a business’ ROI in social media let’s not forget the real benefits of social media and just how kind and generous people and businesses can be.

photo credit: mel_rowling

On social media day our business page posted what is the best thing about social media.  A person commented about how he picked up a homeless man who had not spoken to his family in over 30 years, had never been on a computer, and through social media found his sister in England who had informed them that their mom was still alive and living in Ireland.

We have all been touched in some way with reconnecting with someone from our past, but I thought this was a little different and more special than the friend we had not spoken to since a year or two after graduation…

Last week I was given a heads up on a community page that we run that a young member of our community whose cancer had been in remission had come back, and that the child was in the Ronald McDonald House in New York City. His home town is a small family friendly community in Southern Oregon with a population of just over 8,000 people.

The family opened a Facebook page for Team Ethan Jostad.  In just over a week they have added over 1,200 ‘likes’.  They are partnering with local businesses that are helping with fund raising.  They are ‘liking’ those business pages and encouraging people to support those businesses.  Some of the best PR for a business comes from cause marketing.  They are doing a GREAT job under very tough circumstances, and would encourage you all to ‘Like’ their page

Last night over 2.2 million porch lights were turned on the Caylee Marie Anthony.   Everyday great things are happening by individuals and businesses in social media.  While the ringing of the register keeps the doors open, it is the engagement that you have with people that makes the registers ring.  By the way if you could tell me what the REAL ROI of a radio, TV or print campaign is let me know.