However the same study goes on to say that “Facebook is still growing towards 700 million users, having reached 687 million monthly actives by the start of June”.

Of course the very same day we learned of the eye-popping $100 billion valuation that Facebook is likely to file in their upcoming IPO in early 2012. What makes this even more incredible is not only are “shares and likes’ worth that kind of money but only less than 6 months ago, the company was valued at $50 billion in the Goldman Sachs deal (http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/06/13/what-we-know-about-the-facebook-ipo/)

But the real question ‘ is Social Media just hype, a bubble? Is it cooling as to be expected?’  Well before we get all carried away with the suggested  demise of social media, lets ponder some real facts.

The socialization of media is not so much about platforms, tools, apps or technology. It is more about sociology, anthropology and the democratization of media. We have shifted into an era in which we redefine influence. Marketers everywhere are beginning to grasp the fundamental change in our culture. The socialization of information has created a whole new ecosystem in which brands and companies can no longer push messages to an audience. Messages are not conversations and audiences are not people. Monologue changes into dialogue. The experience is profound. It is personal. And it is constantly evolving, and we are really just getting started in this new paradigm.

Our entire infrastructure is undergoing seismic change and the results are going to have  staggering impact on every facet of every business! Transformation in everything from customer service, community and public relations, corporate communications and yes marketing. We can no longer aim messages at targets, but must engage our customers, supporters, fans, and advocates in conversation and dialogue! Thats the new business reality. So, social media influence is not declining, on the contrary its only just getting started!

And its just not a matter of resources and scale. Yes of course the bigger brands will always have larger budgets and therefore more resources to manage, run and monitor social media 24 / 7. But I think its much more than simply a matter of resources.

Lets face it, the bigger brands are more willing to experiment. They are faster to develop test plans to see what works best and determine where to commit the resources.

But this should not be a discouragement for small business. The fact is small businesses will always be more flexible, more nimble and be able to react faster to market conditions. By definition small business should be able to truly capitalize on the opportunities of social media marketing. Its perfectly suited for the entrepreneurial character of small business! So whats the hold up? Whats stopping small business from aggressively pursuing social media strategies and tactics, and integrating social networking into their business strategy?

The author in the article I mentioned earlier suggests a “ crisis of imagination”. He proposes that small business needs more creativity. Better ideas is what’s needed. To be honest, I am not too sure about that. I think small businesses have tons of creativity. Its’ what propelled them into business in the first place.

I think small business just needs to get off the fence. Drop the ‘wait and see’ approach. Technology is moving at the speed of light. The social media platforms which were perhaps a consideration in 2010 are now a ‘must have’ in 2011! Make no mistake, if you are not engaging your audiences on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. your business may be irrelevant by 2012. New technologies will bring even newer challenges. Witness the evolution of social location (Solo) sites like Foursquare, and the crowdsourcing deal-a-day sites like Groupon. Social media is not a fad and its not going away.

Small business have a competitive advantage in their ability to move with speed, pace and passion! its time to use the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity inherent in the small business DNA to embrace social media marketing today!

We have worked with some of the best and brightest, and we’ve produced outstanding work for some pretty great clients. We’re proud of our past accomplishments as a digital marketing agency, and we are excited about the future promised by social media and the mobile revolution.

There is no doubt that convergence of these technologies is forcing a whole new paradigm for business everywhere. No category will go untouched. New business models are being created and old methodologies are being overturned and abandoned. The challenge for many businesses, big and small is how to succeed in this new environment.

And so our mantra today is that business is social, and all business must socialize and mobilize or face extinction.

There’s no question that we are in the midst of a major fundamental change in the way we create, produce and consume media.We are currently witnessing perhaps the most dramatic and impactful shift in marketing and advertising since the 1960’s with the advent and proliferation of Television and mass media. This transition is causing huge concerns and threats to the existing eco-system of advertising agencies, magazine, newspapers etc. Media is being forced to rethink the way they engage audiences, and fresh new thinking around products and delivery systems are in evidence. The recent  launch of Murdoch’s The Daily, billed as the “ first digital news publication with original content created every day exclusively for the iPad”, is a recent testament to this fact.

Just like the 60’s decade saw the advertising industry spawn a whole generation of leaders the likes of Bill Bernbach, David Ogilvy and Leo Burnett. These giants transformed, indeed created an entire industry around the ‘big idea’, and went on to dominate the ad industry on a global scale.

So now the digital age is forcing a whole new way of thinking about business. The intersection where analog meets digital creates challenges and also opportunities. There is a whole breed of companies now in the marketing and advertising space that did not exist five years ago, and in the next five years we will see even more new players emerge. Within the last five years we have witnessed the spectacular rise of Facebook, Twitter, Groupon, Foursquare, etc.

Just a few short  years ago, everyone was creating microsites and viral videos, today its all about social media and mobile. The disruption created by the new transparency of social media, and the digitization of business models, is once again creating a new paradigm.

At Rebellium, we have been thought leaders in this space for over the past 10 years. We have been at the forefront of the transition, providing digital marketing counsel and guidance to our clients’ It’s a great vantage point and one that we would like to continue share with forward-thinking partners everywhere!