Actually, social media is slowly morphing into Digital Media -- an umbrella that covers Social, Mobile, Web, Games, and Apps.
What's important for marketers is that this must now be part of your 360-degree view of the landscape. Digital Media Marketing requires a seamless multi-screen strategy so that your brand DNA is represented no matter where the consumer finds you.
Mobile-only and mobile-first consumers want to first experience your brand, then learn more, then purchase -- all in the palm of their hand. Your apps and games need to be more than 'gee-whiz' -- they need to be functional and truly add value. Games need to make sense and of course you've mastered social and know how to listen, provide native content, measure and contribute value.
To be ready for 2015 your CTO and CMO need to be able to sing Kumbya together in order to harnass big data, SEO, and deliver that to all digital platforms -- web, mobile, social, games, and apps -- all at once.
In my Executive Marketing classes at UCLA Extension, I talk about the typical trajectory new innovations take to become fully integrated into our daily and business lives. Something starts out as a FAD, then becomes a TREND, and then either fades away or becomes part of BUSINESS PROCESS.
As we close out 2014, I can say with certainty that Social Media is now fully integrated into most businesses at some lever. Businesses have realized they need to be on Facebook because more and more consumers are searching for them on Facebook (as opposed to their website). Today, a press release is issued with the directive "Post this to all social platforms".
Everyone's on LinkedIn. Twitter sits comfortably as everyone's real-time news and trends tracker -- whether for sports games, public health emergencies (Ebola), or the upcoming mid-term elections.
And, yes, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, WeChat, Tinder and more are alive and well with new innovations right behind them.
Real-time is the new reality. Brand DNA will get corrupted if you can't deliver. RIP, social media and Hello Digital Media. 2015 should be quite interesting.
Beverly Macy is the CEO of Gravity Summit LLC, a digital media strategy company located in Beverly Hills, CA. She teaches at UCLA Anderson School of Management and is the author of The Power of Real-Time Social Media. She can be reached via email beverlymacy@gmail.com