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Social Media

Guest post by: Gerry Layo

Article Overview: With all of the recent buzz over Social Media, many people are left to wonder if this is just “another passing fad.” I seem to remember similar conversations just a short 15 years ago about that silly email thing. (“What the heck is a Yahoo?”) I recently saw a quick little YouTube video regarding Social Media and thought that I would share some of the staggering statistics it contained. I also thought I would throw in some running commentary for you as well (in parentheses).

Social Media

Social Media: Is it a fad? Or the biggest shift since the industrial revolution? BY 2010, Generation Y'ers will outnumber baby boomers and 96% of them have joined a social network.

(Generation Y is also known as Generation "Next." They are the offspring of the Baby Boomer generation and, according to the Wikipedia definition; "Characteristics of the generation vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions. However, it is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies." If all of these people--OK almost all--are in some sort of a social network and they eventually, if not today, will be your customers, can you afford to NOT be present and involved in those same networks?)

Social Media has overtaken PORN as the #1 activity on the web.



(I didn't realize THAT was the number one activity...people need to get to work.)

1 in 8 couples married in the US last year met through online social media.

(This brings an entire new meaning to online shopping. I wonder if Al Gore had this in mind when he "invented" the internet.)

Years to reach 50 million users:

Radio--38

TV-13

Internet-4

Ipod---3

Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months!

Ipod app downloads hit 1 BILLION in nine months!

(Now, if the above statistic didn't leave you a little slack-jawed, I don't know if anything could. The numbers are mind boggling.)

If Facebook were a country, it would be the world's 4^th largest behind only China, India, and the US. China has a similar service called Q-Zone that has 300 million users.

(And it all started with a college kid building a communication portal for students at Harvard.)

A 2009 US Dept of Education survey found that, on average, online students outperformed those receiving a face-to-face education and that 1 in 6 higher education students are enrolled in an online curriculum.

(Do you think that our educational institutions are looking out into the future to determine what theirs are?)

80% of companies are using Linked In as their primary tool to find employees.

(And once you've connected on LinkedIn, you had better have a squeaky clean image on your Facebook and MySpace pages because that's where the prospective employer is looking next. There is no place to hide online. The good news though? You can also create a brand, an image, and a following that YOU define.)

The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is 55-65 year old females.



(Mom and Grandma are reaching out in ways they've never done before.)

80% of Twitter usage is on mobile devices. People update anywhere at any time. Imagine what that means for bad customer experiences?

(Although I don't 100% understand the random thoughts that many seem to post, I DO understand the power of positive AND negative press. When the power to "throw you or your company under the bus" is in the customer's hands-literally-and that power can be asserted instantly, we all need to pay a lot more attention to the experiences that we are creating!)

Generation Y and Z consider email "passé".

(Think about that! We all still use email daily to communicate both on our computers and our handheld devices but those who will be our customers soon, consider email "passe?" So, tomorrow's buyers have grown up-according to Wikipedia-- highly connected, many having lifelong use of communications and media technologies such as the World Wide Web, instant messaging, text messaging, MP3 players, cell phones, and YouTube, earning them the nickname "digital natives." What does this mean? We need to get tuned in and dialed into the way that our customers are--or will be--communicating.Whether you agree with it or like it is totally irrelevant!)

YouTube is the 2^nd largest search engine in the world with more than 100,000,000 videos.

(I guess it's important to get some video online about you and your offerings. If the prospective customer might be looking there, you had better be there.)

Wikipedia has over 13 million articles and is considered more accurate than Encyclopedia Britannica-and 78% of those articles are in languages other than English.

(I guess that the WORLD now has the right to decide what the definitions of things are. I find it amazing that the "open" technology that is the World Wide Web has placed the power directly in all of our hands. This is not simply to define and discuss where we have been but also where we are going and how! WE are now the authorities on all of this!)

There are over 200,000,000 blogs and 54% of bloggers Tweet or post content daily.

(Many of you may be thinking that too many people have too much time on their hands. I am wondering if this is one of the NEW ways that people will communicate and use their time. In fact, in order to do all of this daily, imagine how many people have had to establish this habit-a habit which will most likely be very common in our children. I personally find it an interesting new challenge that demands my focus and attention.)

Word of mouth is now WORLD of mouth!

25% of search results for the world's Top 20 Brands are links to user-generated content.

34% of bloggers post opinions about products and brands.

What are they saying about your brand?

(Although it appears that we need to "get-in" the Social Media environment, it is important that we define a plan and LISTEN to what is being said about us, our products, services, competitors, and the marketplace. "What do you want your customers saying about you?")

78% of consumers trust online peer recommendations vs. 14% trust advertisements.

(Again, when you say it-MARKETING-it is bragging and somewhat suspect as you have an agenda; to sell something. But when they say it-PEER RECOMMENDATIONS THROUGH CUSTOMER REVIEWS---it's fact!)

Hulu (online TV streaming) had 63 million total streams in April 2008 and has 373 million in April 2009. 70% of 18-34 year olds have watched TV on the web-only 33% have ever watched a show on Tivo.

(And I thought TIVO was the coolest thing in the world of Television!)

25% of Americans in the past month have watched a short video on their phone.



(Again, is there any YouTube strategy in your future? Imagine your product demo or your customer testimonials in video format delivered into your customer's hands.)

35% of book sales for Amazon are for the Kindle.

(That's more than one out of every three book purchased through Amazon! WOW! Think for a moment of what an IMPACT that statistic has on the way that Amazon does business. Think harder, for a moment of how that statistic could impact you and your business.)

24 of 25 of the nation's largest newspapers are experiencing record declines in circulation.



(And yet, we are in a day and age where the media-all facets of it-is constantly surrounding us, swaying our opinions, yelling and screaming about what we need to do and why. Everything is transparent. Nothing is sacred.)

We no longer search for the news, the news finds us.

In the future, we will no longer search for products and services; they will find us via social media.

(How will you and your company embrace this fact? How visible can you be? It seems that the possibilities, although somewhat daunting, are endless. And the scary part? If you do it wrong, it could be immediate suicide!)



Social Media isn't a fad....it's a fundamental shift in the way that we communicate!

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Article Tags: communicate, communication, facebook, Linked In, Sales, Social Media, Twitter



Related Forum Posts
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - [quote="WebBizIdeas.com":gvtxsu7g]Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff[/quote:gvtxsu7g] Hi Jeff, Thanks for the suggestion. Why don't you start a new post (with a poll) to see if there's enough interest in your idea for a social media section?
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas! - GT - thanks for the FYI - I'm not sure if we'll put a link back. Something to consider though! Trent - the new category is "Social Network and Media" which was put in to compliment the Online Businesses category that currently exists. Overall the new categories are: - Looking For, Networking and Events - Review My... - Social Network and Media - Brags and Rants These came as a result of Ringo doing research on other forums and thinking about what could be improved on ours to give a better experience for everyone. I hope you enjoy them! David, I'm looking forward to reading your Brag / Rant!
Re: Marketing 2.0 - What Are Your Thoughts - Hi Shri, Thanks for posting this. I also read it and I believe Social Media is here to stay, until the next best thing comes up. Social media proved to be useful for me many times and I think everyone should use it for their business.
Re: Social Media Marketing Ignorance - [quote="vbn411":7qciluxl]Social Media is space that you have to be in to succeed in our current climate. People are going to be discussing your brand / product whether you like it or not, so you might as well join the conversation and add value. [/quote:7qciluxl] I think that's probably one of the most realistic way to think about it. There's no real textbook way of understanding Social Media, it's the networks of people and their interactions that will exist with or without your input. As for Jennifer, You can always have 2 Facebook pages. Many people do. There is also LinkedIn, which is like a professional networking version of Facebook. The only way to know is to try it.


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