Jacoby Poulain: Breaking the ice via social media

Jacoby Poulain is a Hastings district councillor and a board member of the Hawke's Bay District Health Board and EIT.

You'd have to be hiding under a rock not to notice the polar plunge ice challenge going viral on Facebook and in the media at the moment.

I'm not sure whether I'm chicken or clever, but what I do know is that I'm not particularly keen to freeze my bits and pieces off getting ice-cold water dumped over me in the middle of winter. Instead I'll be donating as my solidarity for the cause.

Whether people decide to take the plunge, donate instead or do some other action to support the cause, what has been highlighted magnificently for me in all this once again is the power of social media. "Going viral" 10 years ago meant you were getting the flu - these days it's what a video or something does when it's shared and multiplied like crazy across the world from person to person online.

This Polar Plunge Ice Challenge is one such example of a cause gone viral and virtually no one connected to the modern social media world is immune from being infected or having it catch them.

Its tentacles reach far too. In the old days one might be lucky for their campaign to reach the lamppost on their street corner in the form of a poster, a story in their local newspaper or perhaps a tiny bit of national TV news coverage if they're really really lucky. These days when you chuck something up on Facebook or other social media platform it can be sent or shared near instantaneously with networks that span across nations, time zones and the world at large.

In fact my nominator for the ice challenge came from across the ditch but with one click of a button, or post on Facebook more accurately, she had no trouble connecting with me.

This power of social media and the internet is being used in business too. The ability to get a message out with speed and reach and at extremely minimal cost in comparison to traditional advertising methods puts modern day businesses, I believe, at an advertising advantage that predecessors didn't have the same opportunity to partake in pre-internet days.

In an increasingly competitive business environment, businesses would be wise to make the most of all marketing channels both offline and on. As a customer I expect products to be online nowadays, not just the business website but products as well where possible. Sure I still shop in person but increasingly I shop online, mainly due to the relative ease and time-saving factor.

My baby's buggy took 15 minutes to browse and buy online - delivered two days later. The more visible and easy to access the products the more likely I am to buy. I'm sure this is true for many.

Some local businesses do a fantastic job of their online presence, others not so much. I understand that some businesses may have to stretch to incorporate such elements but I think it would be worthwhile and the cost-benefit ratio can be analysed.

We have retail giants who have only just come aboard online in any substantial manner recently and we still have other giants that aren't. The beauty of smaller, more local business is that they are often more nimble and able to adapt faster. We want to see and find your stuff - make it easy for us.

All I know is that there are online customers and it could be a better win-win for customers and business locally if we make like the polar plunge people and get the message out there.