Social Media is a very important online world. Why?

It seems everywhere you turn nowadays we are faced with a 'social media expert'. All around us people are claiming it is the next big thing and will challenge 'Googles' dominance of the search engine world. But why will it and what use is it to the private villa rental sector?

Google stands alone and dominates all around it. The engine is in a class of it's own. This effects UK business to a huge degree and has the potential to ruin whole economies. This is not an overstatement. Imagine if Google decided to act politically. It could literally wipe billions of a Nations balance sheet without blinking.

The Engine is too powerful and regularly alters its course to confuse and upset business trying to conquer its algorithms, colloquially known as the 'Google Dance'. Change, they say, in the name of 'User benefit'. Or in the name of 'Google Benefit'?

And along came 'Facebook'. I have said in the past Facebook is no Google but it is growing in size at an unprecedented rate and Google is watching nervously. I too 'occasionally' log on to Facebook. I have also been known to 'Tweet'. What I have never done is use search on either of these two mediums and I have never clicked on an 'ad'. So how can these two giants start to impact Google?

Facebook and Twitter are social mediums that 'friends' use to 'socialise'. I put both terms in apostrophes because regularly people aren't actually friends and they are not 'socialising' in the true meaning of the word. What they are doing is discussing. And if you can impact that discussion you can crack a huge audience very, very quickly.

And that is the point with social media sites. It's not about trying to sell, it's about communication. That's why the 'grey suits' don't get it. That's why marketing people do. Because it's a relatively creative medium that you need to 'entertain' in to get anywhere at all. Going on saying 'buy me now' will get you absolutely nowhere. Going on with an advert is a waste of time. Going on with an interesting story, tale, competition, application or concept will absolutely get you noticed. It's brand building not sales. The sales are supposed to come after. And that's where it impacts Google. If a company can build online awareness without Google. Who needs them?

Read our report comments within from renowned travel experts (not social media ones!)

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