Mobile Social Media Marketing

What could be more social than a phone? It's built specifically to empower communication over distances. It's a natural fit then, that social media marketing should find its way to the phone. I'm talking about YouTube going mobile.

On November 2, TechCrunch picked up on an AdAge article that stated YouTube would be mobile within the next 14 months. They correctly assumed that the unveiling would occur sooner - though not as soon as this.

The November 7 Wall Street Journal carried an article about a deal between Verizon Wireless and YouTube which will allow Verizon's customers to view videos from the user generated media leader. This is a huge stroke of luck for advertisers.

Traditionally, the mobile market has been nearly impossible to advertise on. It's pretty much a closed system, controlled by the service providers and giving marketers no direct access to customers. With the advent of YouTube videos being available through Verizon Wireless, it's a gold mine of opportunity for those savvy enough to pull it off.

Let's not forget that, even though anyone can post a video on YouTube, it still takes that special something to make it into the most popular videos. While authenticity counts, so does entertainment value. And sometimes, there's no telling what the public will engage with.

It's quite fitting then, as reported by Online Marketing Blog that YouTube was named TIME's 2006 Invention of the Year.