The usage of social networks is increasing daily. Clearly, the whole social phenomenon is still far from over. Its impact for marketers and companies is huge.

For marketers, this evolution constitutes an enormous opportunity, but also a major challenge. The attention of modern individuals is fragmented, and in this hectic communication reality they want to decide for themselves how and when and with whom they speak, both in private and with regard to business communication.

Moreover, people can also disseminate information themselves via social channels, which can very quickly send messages all around the world.

The social media (r)evolution has five major consequences for marketers. Note that this does not mean that all of them are only caused by the social media and networking evolutions.

Many of them were happening already. The social Web is a natural evolution (read the paragraph “the rules of linking are changing” in this post) whereby people are connected to people online in a one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many way, more than ever before, but it certainly has strengthened, and sometimes simply caused, each of the five evolutions that you find below the graphic (click on it for a larger version).

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Social media is maturing. As many companies have successfully integrated social media in their communication/business strategies and as many more are planning to do so in very near future, it is no longer perceived as the risky investment but more as a necessity in order to keep a competitive edge in the market and maintain the dialogue with consumers. It actually seems that social media adoption is becoming a quality standard of a transparent, customer centric and accessible company. Actually, just like adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies has been representing very similar values for over 30 years now. It is quite interesting to compare these two trends and possibly build on the existing knowledge of CSR management when planning social media strategies as they ultimately both are driven by very similar ideas of building competitive advantage through transparency, advocacy, stakeholder’s engagement, adding value to the communities and the empowerment of communities.

A lot of large corporations have been enjoying the benefits of CSR strategy, but that’s the problem of CSR as it is often perceived as concept suitable only for larger organizations, because of the extra costs attached to these activities. Social media is changing this situation. It has reduced the cost of communication and provided an opportunity to every company to manage/address its stakeholders more efficiently. Read the full story

Jeffrey I. Cole, the Annenberg School’s director of the Center for the Digital Future, explains,

“Consumers really want free content without advertising, but ultimately they understand that content has to be paid for one way or another.” However, Cole continues, “Such an extreme finding that produced a zero response underscores the difficulty of getting Internet users to pay for anything that they already receive for free.”

This is unsettling news for social app startups that rely on subscription fees to generate revenue.

Additionally, the study reveals, 70% of respondents feel online advertising is “annoying”. 50% never click on online ads. Yet, 55% would rather put up with display advertising than pay fees to access the content they want, minus the ads. Online news and paywalls requiring paid subscriptions to access premium news and articles are faring no better. Both Newsday and The Times have seen dramatic decreases in traffic after implementing the paid subscription models. When consumers can find the same news elsewhere for free, it’s tough to justify paying for the content.

So how does this explain the popularity of pay sites like Flickr and Vimeo?

These sites offer “split freemium” models, meaning fans can pay to gain access to premium features or gain greater on-site storage. These varying levels of site access weren’t free to begin with, so consumers don’t feel cheated when it comes to parting with their subscription fees.
Ecommerce sites are not affected by these findings. 65% of adult Americans have so far purchased, on average, 35 items online in 2010, from electronics and books to clothing and travel.

Would you pay to access Twitter or Facebook? Are you willing to pay for upgraded memberships on sites like Flickr or LinkedIn?

With everyone going on about the wonders of Facebook and Twitter, our poor friend LinkedIn sometimes gets left out in the cold.  While not one of the most visible sites, it is definitely one of the most powerful.  With millions of people from all over the globe taking part in the conversation on LinkedIn, it is definitely a place online where your audience thrives.

What I usually hear when I speak to prospective clients about LinkedIn is that “I’m not B2B, I’m B2C.  LinkedIn will never work for me.”  Aside from that statement oddly rhyming, that statement can’t be more false.  Whether you are B2B or B2C, you can carve out your own audience on LinkedIn.  I’ve said this quite a bit, and lately people have been asking me to put my money where my mouth is asking “Can you prove that there is ROI in LinkedIn?”  My answer, “Absolutely!”

About 60% of my business comes from LinkedIn.  True.

While my firm may be unique, we handle accounts for a wide array of clientele that get results on LinkedIn.  Not only sales and referrals, but speaking engagements, sharing of content to a wide audience, hits to their website, media appointments and much more.  I’m not saying that 60% of your business WILL come from LinkedIn, but it is definitely a spot where you need to be.

But my purpose here isn’t to sell you on the wonders of LinkedIn.  It is targeted to those of you out there who are registered with LinkedIn (for a week, a year, 10 years, whatever) and don’t have your completed and are just waiting for the magic to happen.  Generally those like this complain that they don’t see any results from LinkedIn.  Here’s why: you’re not doing anything.

So let’s get moving and create some stellar results!  Here are my 5 LinkedIn “Must Haves” when you are trying to market yourself using this massively useful site:

1.  You MUST Fill Out Your Profile:  A name and title is not enough.  LinkedIn gives you ample opportunity to showcase yourself and your brand.  Instead of leaving half of the profile blank (the percentage of which LinkedIn will show you on the right hand side of your profile), why not take an hour or two and really fill it in properly.  Want people to call you?  Add a phone number.  Want people to look at your website?  Mention it with hyperlink at the drop of a hat.  Don’t skimp here…this is where people are going to find you credible or not credible.  Oh, and one final thing.  Have a professional profile picture, nothing wild and off brand.  No picture = no credibility in my book. Read the full story

There has been a lot of talk about the power of mobile marketing.  From text marketing to applications, the market is abuzz with the “power of mobile.”

For some businesses it seems like a perfect fit, while other companies struggle to see the value of implementing a mobile marketing strategy.

That’s why when I read a great article in Entrepreneur Magazine that had some information consumers use of mobile phone, I thought I would share it with you.  The article was based on the findings of a recent research study done by Harris Interactive.  I’ve grabbed 5 highlights to share with you here:

81% of users say then when they are searching for information on their phones, they want it right away while 66% say they want answers to questions at times when they are not in front or have access to a computer.

When it comes to opinions, 40% of smartphone users say that they’re more by users’ opinions give within the last 24 hours than by those expressed 30 days ago.  When it comes to the 18-24 age group, this number jumps to 67%.

55% of those polled were interested in searching for local reviews on their mobile phones.

63% reported the current opinion of the crowd was extremely important when choosing a destination while 40% of smartphone users wanted to find out what was happening when they saw the crowd.

Now this one is not too surprising (I actually find myself doing this).  Over 1/3 of smartphone users need to find information when they are driving, when many states this is illegal.

What this information illustrates is that we shouldn’t ignore mobile marketing.  With more and more people becoming reliant on their smartphones, it is presenting businesses with yet another opportunity to get in front of their target market.  Worth looking into I think.

Just found this great video by WeExplainVideos called Facebook Commerce Explained – a simple review of the new trend that is changing business for good. It is a simplistic review, but that is what industry really needs at the moment as there are so many CEO who can’t still get it that Facebook can influence and will influence their sales. So enjoy the video and let me know how your organization is benefiting from social commerce?

The social media landscape is changing at a rapid rate.  The reason?  More people are joining the “social media game” everyday….some who you wouldn’t even expect!

Recently I was looking at some very interesting statistics reported by Yougov.com which illustrated some very interesting trends.  I thought I would share them with you as they may just change the way you think about sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

Here are the top 10 social media statistics that just might surprise you:

3 out of 5 Facebook users access the site more than once per day AND the younger the user, the more they log on.

Men are more likely to use Twitter or YouTube.

Woman are more likely to go on Facebook multiple times per day.

Some of the most staggering growth has been in in the 55 plus market.  Over 40% of 55+ social networkers have been registered on the sites for less than two years!

Even more interesting? 28% of Facebook users are over 55.

Men and youngsters are more likely to be influenced by what they read on social media and are more likely to engage by commenting and interacting.

Of the market of 18-24 year olds, 62% interact through comments and such.

Of the market of 55+ users, only 32% interact through comments and such.

On social media sites, men tend to be draw to topics such as sports, newspapers, radio, financial services and music.

When it comes to the interest of women on social media, they flock to fashion, beauty, food and drink.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the differences in how men and women engage on social media:

Music: Women 12.3% – Men: 17.6%
Sports: Women 5.4% – Men 15.5%
TV: Women 10.5% – Men 12.6%
Newspapers: Woman 4.3% – Men 8.8%
Food/Drink: Woman 7.0 – Men 8.3%
Travel: Women 6.9% – Men 8.3%
Fashion: Woman 2.9% – Men 7.8%

These statics show that as our social media community grows, we can see definite trends in usage that illustrate there are many opportunities to promote your business online.  The days of Facebook being only used by college students is well and truly behind us and we are now in the days when grandma is using Facebook and grandpa is on Twitter.

It’s Friday so it’s time to relax and enjoy someone else’s great work. I just wanted to share this cool promotional video of the book We First by Simon Mainwaring . It is just simple and great promotion and I bet it is going to be quite an interesting book to read for beginners.