Social Media is Top of Mind for Many Web Businesses
In a recent study on business use of social media, 86% of those surveyed had a Facebook fan page, 10% plan on getting in the next 12 months, 3% plan on getting past one year out, leaving only 1% not currently planning on getting a Facebook fan page.
This post was inspired by an article published in eMarketer today entitled “Hopes and Fears of Social Media Marketing,” three-quarters of US Web retailers surveyed by the e-tailing group and PowerReviews in August–September 2009 for their “Community and Social Media Study” said they thought brands were accelerating their use of, and commitment to, social media. In fact, 86% of those surveyed had a Facebook fan page, 10% plan on getting in the next 12 months, 3% plan on getting past one year out, leaving only 1% not currently planning on getting a Facebook fan page. Even they’ll get it by next year.
Many say that Social Media is a “Communication Revolution.” I tend to agree. Ponder a few facts and references provided by socialnomics:
Years for a Media Type to Reach 50 millions Users:
- Radio (38 Years),
- TV (13 Years),
- Internet (4 Years),
- iPod (3 Years)…
- Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months…iPhone applications hit 1 billion in 9 months.
Source: First Stats: United Nations Cyberschoolbus Document ; Facebook Stat: Mashable; iPhone Stat: Apple.
When you think about the way that social media changes the ways that consumers interact with their peers, coworkers and business partners, it is mind blowing. Add social media enabled mobile devices to the mix, now you have ubiquitous social connectivity beyond what original laptops and cell phones could have ever imagined.
Employers using LinkedIn to evaluate recommendations from current and past employers, to verify what others say about you in a public, networked forum. This came into play for reference I provided today. Some estimate that as many as 95% of employees use LinkedIn to get to know candidates during the hiring process. Powerful stuff.
Another fact highlighting how deep social media is becoming entrenched in our lives: One out of eight couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media. Source: McKinsey Study also posted by David Dalka. I know, it is hard to believe. Still think Social Media is a fad?
The keys for companies to be able to leverage social media as part of their overall marketing strategy is to get past their web 2.0 fears about handing some of the online brand stewardship to the end customers while realizing that this is going to happen anyway. Companies that have online success leverage social media to create excitement, buzz and loyalty around their brand and those that don’t have to compensate in other ways or miss the boat altogether.
Rick Noel is an experienced digital marketer enabling businesses and organizations to grow through the Internet, while maximizing marketing ROI (Return On Investment). Rick is the CEO and Co-Founder of eBiz ROI, Inc., a full-service digital marketing agency located in Ballston Lake, NY.
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