As I look back at 2009 and evaluate the impact social media has had on my business it is pretty amazing. I have made new friends, established new business relationships and met some of the most creative and action oriented people online. By virtue of my Internet Business Blueprint podcast, I have been able to interview Gary Vaynerchuk, Perry Belcher, Com Mirza, Rob Hannley and many other entrepreneurs.
One of the aspects I love most is how a small random act can lead to a new friendship, a business idea or the viral distribution of information. I have many personal examples of this and I want to highlight one as an example of how this occurs.
A few weeks ago I was following my weekly ritual of watching ‘Sunday Morning on CBS,” I have done this for years! One of the featured segments was on iPhone apps and I suggested to my wife that they should have included Joel Comm’s iFart. A few minutes later, there it is prominently featured. Having gotten to know Joel on a personal level this year – that was pretty cool.
So I fired off a quick tweet as illustrated in the screen shot below and just like that Joel and many of Joel’s followers who missed the story became aware of it in an instant and could now log onto the CBS website and watch a video of the segmented. Could this have happened five years ago?
The following is taken from Joel Comm’s blog post November 16, 2009 and illustrates how social media can leverage a message to the point that it takes on a life all it own.
Taken From: JoelComm.com
“Nearly one year after the release of iFart, the app continues to sell like clockwork.
I believe that iFart is also the most-referenced app in iPhone history.
It seems like every week one media outlet or another is referring to it.
A Google search for iFart now turns up 106,000 results.
Yesterday morning, I was greeted by a tweet from my friend James Holmes.
I love it when the media talks about iFart. It’s a marketer’s dream.
Sure enough, CBS did a great piece on mobile phone applications, and iFart was demonstrated in the segment!
You’ll want to go about four minutes into the video to see iFart.
Besides the obvious fun and games, here’s what is interesting about the CBS piece.
The 15-second appearance on the CBS Sunday show did more to increase sales of iFart than the four-minute piece on iFart that aired on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show back in July of this year!
Could it be that The Daily Show viewers already owned iFart? Or could it be that a bunch of college-aged slackers don’t have a dime to spend on anything?
Regardless, the CBS piece was very good and it demonstrates just how big the app business is.
By the way, our next app should be BIGGER than iFart. Stay tuned…
I share this story with you to illustrate a simple point. I see so many marketers active on social sites like Twitter, Facebook and others who go out of their way attempting to force their message on the market. Sadly, they are missing the point… If you are engaged and authentic, if you seek to share what you find interesting about your market, your business, your personal interest and the interest of your social friends… your message will be heard in a natural way without you forcing it. Who knows, it may even go viral.
I am here to help you succeed!
(c) Copyright 2008-2009 James A. Holmes. All Rights Reserved.
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James Holmes, Global Team Builder, Coach and Trainer, combining online and offline techniques to help you grow your business. To request a free 30 minute consultation contact James by phone at 303-523-9503 or email at james@AskJamesHolmes.com
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