My first impression of this chapter was that it was straight to the point.  “Do you listen to your customers…really listen to them?…If you do, you’re ahead of the game.”  It’s no mystery to me as an advertising student the true value of listening.  You can go on and on for days brainstorming and coming up with ideas that you think may result in a positive, but if you don’t hear the input of your customers, you’re only seeing to yourself.  (And as much as I like to spoil myself, I need to get sales in order to do so.)

Customer engagement and reach has always been a struggle for those of us in the advertising and marketing space, however, we have the single most disruptive tool to the field of all time: Social media.  Social media, as we define it, is “the umbrella term for web-based software and services that allow users to come together online and exchange, discuss, communicate and participate in any form of social interaction.”  For advertisers, it social media means we have numerous ways to reach an audience.  And thats what is so disruptive about it.

With the rise of social media, one of the most noticeable changes is that marketing has become “conversational” in nature (Borcz+Dixon).  And just like in a person to person conversation, different people (social media platforms in this case), have different tones.  The key to being successful in the space is actually interacting with your social media followers.  Large companies are always looking to gain an edge here and off the top of my head, Target is one that jumps out at me.  Target has always had a knack of replying to social media.  Whether it be addressing a complaint, or a witty reply.

Social media isn’t limited to just Facebook and Instagram.  There are dozens of platforms: Twitter, Snapchat, Blogs, Podcasts, Forums and even Wikis.  Obviously, others are more prevalent than others.  And by that fact alone, advertisers are more drawn to some than others.  Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn rank supreme when it comes to advertising (Top Platforms).

It would seem that the future of social media, and now social media advertising, are cemented in everyday life.  Utilized by people and companies, the change in marketing will continue to evolve.  And, as a future advertiser speaking here, you can bet your bottom dollar that social media will be a strong tool in my pocket when I was to engage with my audience.