What can Social Networking do for me?
written by
Bill Baldwin, Compelling Marketing Communications
and Matthew Craver, Talcott Mountain Media
If there is one thing that has redefined the way people use and interact with the Web, it is the explosive growth of social networking sites. Social networking sites are ones that aim to create online communities of people that share interests or activities. Sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and the pioneer MySpace allow users to build chains of connections to other people.
It would be impossible to over-emphasize just how fast these sites are growing. Twitter grew 3,000 percent in just one month. More than 4 in 5 U.S. adults that regularly use the internet participate in online social networks. Facebook receives over a billion user visits each month. If you haven't started using social networks yet, you almost certainly will be soon.
People talking to other people is nice, but it doesn't necessarily help a business. One of the key things that we have been discussing in these newsletters is return on investment. Perhaps the greatest attraction in this regard is that the investment in social networking is minimal - many of these sites are free. Measuring return sounds more difficult, but sometimes it is very obvious.
Take the small blender company Blendtec. Three years ago, they started posting 1-minute or so videos on YouTube of the company's CEO subjecting odd items to their high-end blenders. Items such as rake handles, marbles, even a full, unopened Coke can. Silly as it may sound, over 15.5 million viewers have watched these videos, and for a $50 investment Blendtec saw sales grow 500% over two years.
Not every small business will experience such results form a social networking site, of course. What they will do is open a new avenue of interaction with your potential customers and colleagues. Social networks can supplement or perhaps even replace your traditional advertising as a way to convey your message. Social networking sites also have the built-in advantage of naturally organizing along shared interests, so the people you contact through such sites are often your best targets. How many other media pre-qualify your message recipients that effectively?
Talk to Bill Baldwin about how to add social networking to your marketing plan to take advantage of these new opportunities.
Compelling Marketing Communications and Talcott Mountain Media will be discussing more about website improvements in our next issue, which comes out the third Tuesday of every month. We'll see you on December 15th.
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