We all know Social Media has boomed over the past few years, and sites such as Facebook and Twitter continue to grow in size and influence.
In Australia alone:
* 1 in 2 Australians use social networking sites, such as Facebook or MySpace
* On average, Australians are members of 2.7 different sites and 8% of all time spent on the internet is on social networking sites
* Each session at a social media site ranges between 20 – 30 minutes on average
* Facebook has more than 5 million Australian users as at May 2009
* LinkedIn's Professional Network has seen a 23% increase in users over the past 8 months, reaching more than 637,000 Australian users
* Twitter has experienced nearly 50% growth in the past month, with an annual growth of 3,220%
* In April 2009, Twitter was the 37th most visited site by Australian users, breaking in to the highly competitive top 40
Social networking has passed through its ‘rebellion’ stage where users reject it as a viable marketing tool, and is now identified as a legitimate method of reaching customers. Social media tools are highly influential, and have a significant (and now measured) impact in the real world.
I can almost guarantee that some - if not a large portion - of your target market are utilising these sites - and they are more than likely to be sharing honest opinions and information about their tastes and preferences.
Check out the full Symantec article on Social Media including how to stay secure online.
The simple message coming from research into the habits of businesses in a recession is that a recession is NOT the time to cut your marketing budget. In some instances increasing your marketing activity during a recession can actually edge out the competition.
Social Media budgets are one of the first to be increased, namely because they are normally the cheapest. New research suggests that 53% of marketers aim to increase their social media budget in 2009.
These tools, properly managed, can have a rapid and measurable word of mouth result for your product or service. A word of warning: social media tools have passed the experimental phase and are now a legitimate marketing channel, so make sure you have a strategy in place to manage and track your results.
More on Social Media Strategy:
- Get started with your Social Media strategy
- Podcast on implementing a Corporate Social Media strategy
- Internet Marketing Trends in 2009
Find this article helpful? Send it to a friend? Contact Emma
