The events of this week have created quite a buzz across the world. Bombings at the Boston Marathon, killing and injuring many. And where would most of the photo's, videos, tweets and more have been if people were not so into technology? It's tough to say for sure. But there is a guarantee that the news would not have spread anywhere near as quickly without mobile phones and social media. Video's and images of the disaster had been posted only seconds after it occurred. I even read a news article stating police were using the surplus amounts of video and pictures taken (mostly on mobile phones) to help them in their investigation. 

"The FBI was leading the investigation and asking witnesses to submit any photos of the blast site – which was crowded with tens of thousands of spectators, race staff and volunteers and runners. Many of them have turned in thousands of images, authorities said." - The Globe and Mail

Our utility of mobile platforms can be frustrating and overwhelming at times, but often serve as useful. And the people using these mobile platforms? Yes, it appears to grow in number the younger you are. 

This tells us that not only are people on their mobile phones quite frequently, but it is become the chosen form to send and recieve media updates. As a marketer, I can't help but think of how this impacts the industry I work in. I spoke before on the importance of creating a responsive website (a website that will change it's functionality and appearance depending on the platform the user reaches it on). But maybe we can take this a step further. Text Marketing? Creating Mobile Apps? What else can we do? How else can we serve this growing population? 

Perhaps we still need to consider where to take this information. But I do believe the events of this week really only reinforced just how important mobile marketing is, and will become. 

Did you know that in 2007 Twitter had 20,000 users and averaged 60,000 tweets/day? 

Did you know that today there are over 340 million tweets/day? 

That's a big jump! It proves just how much Twitter is growing and gaining popularity. Kind of makes you want to get involved doesn't it? It's a great way to get your name out there and start building a reputation for yourself, especially for small businesses. But you have to treat Twitter with caution. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is they think of Twitter as a source to push information, not recieve it. However, you must think of it in regards to ways you can interact with those sharing similar interests. How do you do that?
- LISTEN, SPEAK, RESPOND
- use the 10/4/1 rule
      - 10 messages that are tips, tricks, etc related to your field of interest but not directly about your business
      - 4 comments or retweets about blogs, news articles or topics of interest
      - 1 tweet can be related to sales directly for your business
- be PUNCTUAL and POLITE - people value quick over accurate
      - even if you cannot accurately answer their question right away, a good rule of thumb is to get back to their tweet within a 15 minute to 1 hour time span. This lets them know you are looking into the answer for them and will get back to them as soon as you have the appropriate response.

Social Media is customer centric, realtime, chaotic, neurotic and fun. Remember, everyone can use Twitter. You can use it for Public Relations, support lines, as well as sales. Twitter has been proven to be one of the greatest forms of customer support and feedback. So if nothing else, create a presence on Twitter so your audience can access you and provide feedback.