I recently came across an interesting post on the future of social media and the importance of the value that we can derive from it. The author goes on to say that the online social media revolution is similar to the Industrial Revolution, which I think is a valid comparison. Social media has transformed that way that we interact with people, maintain dialogue and communication, form relationships and communities and send/ receive key messages. The opportunity for people and businesses to access and use various social networking sites and platforms, has increased visibility, messaging, and brand associations.
Today, on average, people are exposed to almost 5,000 ad messages, and as social media continues to develop that number will surely increase. Businesses need to continue to listen and learn about media. A new study by AD: Tech found that found that “almost half of twitterers who have been introduced to a brand on Twitter have subsequently gone on to search for more information about it.” I find that news to be really exciting and encouraging. It shows the close correlation of the growth of messaging and brand association by using social media effectively. The study also showed that 44% of people have recommended a product on Twitter, and 39% have discussed a product on Twitter. 46% of respondents said they would talk about or recommend a product on Facebook and 40% of online users use YouTube. This study shows that the growth of social networking/ media platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are a valuable resource to increase brand awareness, association and loyalty.
Take a minute to look at the chart below on Effective Social Media Tactics from eMarketer.com. The statistics that show that blogging and social network advertising is accurately measured at 32%. The stats also show that some of the very effective social media tools to use are user ratings/reviews, forums/discussion groups, company blog, and blogger/online journalist relations.
So what does all this mean for businesses and the ongoing social media revolution?
I think that these statistics and studies prove that in order to be successful and remain a competitor in the market, businesses need to utilize these social media platforms and embrace the ongoing changes in the ongoing social media revolution. They also need to listen and maintain dialogue with their customers.
