Latest studies: Social, video the growth areas
OK, class, it’s time to review the latest studies, which seem to give us a pretty clear picture of the online world.
1. Internet usage is peaking.
2. Social networking sites are on the rise while social sites with a single focus, like Flickr or Blogger, are not (except YouTube).
3. The blogging audience is peaking.
4. Video watching and sharing continue to grow, especially among young adults.
These are some of the findings from reports this week by Forrester Research, Universal McCann and the Pew Internet and American Life Project. What they tell us is that our media habits have somewhat stabilized. While Internet usage doubled in the past five years, TV viewing habits haven’t really changed, according to Forrester. People still spend more time watching TV than online. Radio, newspapers and magazines have been the victims of Internet growth.
So what does this mean for small businesses and professionals? They’d better be thinking about Nos. 2 and 4 and what strategies they can use for these worlds. Social networks and video-sharing sites are the hot zones.
It also confirms my experience. The best way to draw people to your blog or company Web site is through social media. Otherwise, people won’t come looking for you.
Twitter: A brand needing an identity
An entrepreneur yesterday had lots of questions about using Facebook as a marketing tool to help grow his business. He said he looked at Facebook as the new Yellow Pages for small businesses. His clients, he said, are all Facebook users.
He wasn’t nearly as excited, however, about Twitter. When I told him — an educated guess — that many of his clients and prospective clients probably use Twitter, he said he’s “not there yet.” He said he doesn’t see it as a marketing/sales tool.
I tried to explain to him that Twitter is not all about people tweeting about what they had for breakfast. (True story: The only time I’ve ever read anything like that was on Facebook, where a friend wrote “I’m eating a delicious sandwich” as her status update. Still give her grief over that.)
Twitter users are far more receptive than Facebook users to marketing/product conversations. By that, I mean ongoing conversation about a product or service, not blatant, in-your-face pitches. Twitter has the highest percentage of users among the social media sites who are entrepreneurs, according to several surveys.
So what’s the problem? Then I remembered last week’s latest Harris Poll conducted for LinkedIn — 69% of U.S. consumers said they don’t know enough about Twitter to use it. Marketers were particularly harsh in their response to Twitter — 21% thought it wouldn’t go mainstream while 17% said it was “already over.” And only 8% of marketers felt Twitter was an effective promotional tool.
Why the reluctance on Twitter? Why haven’t the Time magazine cover stories and relentless, positive daily coverage (even The New York Times) quieted the reservations of people like this entrepreneur?
When I look at the 69% figure, I think of more than just people needing more information before they use Twitter. Many people still don’t get what Twitter is; it lacks any real identity or clear purpose. LinkedIn is business networking, period. Facebook is social between friends, acquaintances and, increasingly, family. Marketers are just trying to ride the wave of Facebook’s immense popularity.
But Twitter? Many people don’t understand the point of 140-character posts read by strangers. They’re not sure if Twitter is social, business, bulletin board, news, opinion or what. It’s perceived as untamed and unfocused. While Twitter users have the ability to control who they follow or those who follow them, there is still a Wild West quality to the site. Marketers, spammers, porn star wannabes and weirdos can find you easily, even if you can quickly block them. Because Facebook and LinkedIn are perceived as far more protective of the user, people feel safer there.
Brand identity and a quality user experience are the two biggest challenges for Twitter moving forward, particularly as it looks to cash in on its vast audience. And social media marketers and strategists will be challenged in convincing many professionals and small businesses that Twitter is worth a look. Trust me, Twitter is worth checking out.
Many social media skeptics will come around
I sat in on an Atlanta meeting recently while a presenter explained the merits of LinkedIn to a company.
The audience, mostly young and very smart, asked great questions. Several attendees hung around afterwards and asked even more questions. Someone pointed out that an employee had walked out after eating and avoided the talk. Someone else quickly added, “That’s all right. He’ll never use it [LinkedIn] anyway.”
Another professional showed similar skepticism during a talk I gave. He didn’t leave the room, but he was openly dismissive of social media. And I guess he dismissed me as well when he asked “You actually make money off this?”
Anderson Analytics’ recent research found three groups of people least likely to embrace social media — the time-starved (although Anderson says nearly half of that group will be using social media by year’s end), those concerned about computer security and, finally, Group 3, those who think social media are stupid. The research found 94% of this group will never use social media.
Both skeptics I’ve mentioned undoubtedly fall into Group 3. So there’s a 6% chance their minds can be changed. How do you reach those whose minds are made up?
First, I’ve seen too many people change their mind in the past year. In the Atlanta area, the statistics prove it. Those over 25 and even over 55 are flocking to social media, especially Facebook. We’ve previously written about that phenomenal growth, pushing Atlanta to No. 2 in registered users in the U.S., trailing only New York. My guess is that both of these skeptics have been getting — or will get — pressure from associates and friends to communicate more through social media, whether they want to or not.
Second, the business case studies are coming like a flood. Every day, you read accounts of new success stories in the media. See last Friday’s New York Times piece on Twitter and small business, for starters. Twitter is being used successfully in … Blowing Rock, N.C.? Books and studies are proliferating at a rapid rate, detailing strategies that lead to results.
In short, using social media as part of an overall strategy is a must for most professionals and small businesses. I’ll probably never know what happens with these two skeptics, but I’d wager at least one of them eventually changes his mind.
Now those are odds that I’ll take any day.
Don’t fall for social media “experts”
Last week, I told a group of entrepreneurs that I wasn’t a “social media expert.” Then I told them, neither is anyone else, and if anyone attempts to make that claim to them, go screaming into the night. I called those self-described experts the “new snake oil salesmen of the 21st Century.”
Last night, I tweeted: “If you use Malcolm Gladwell’s definition of an expert having 10,000 of practice, then who can honestly claim to be a social media expert?” (Haven’t seen anyone raise their hand yet.)
Ironically, at the same time I was tweeting, two blog posts were making the rounds in the Twittersphere. Peter Shankman and Sarah Evans wrote a delightful piece with 25 “Ways to Tell Your Social Media “Expert” Might Not Be An Expert After All” while Ian Lurie at Conversation Marketing has an amusing “10 Questions to Evaluate a Social Media ‘Expert’.” My favorite way to spot a non-expert, from Shankman/Evans:
Everything they learned about social media they learned by reading blog posts (i.e. no application). You can learn a ton about sex from reading Kinsey’s manuals, but I’d still rather be with someone who has some practical experience.
For years, the most overused term in business has been subject matter expert. I’ve cringed too many times meeting people who’ve been too quick to play the expert card. However, in a new economy based upon relationships and openness, people now can see through the poseurs, whether we’re talking social media or anything else.
The truth is, there is a growing number of specialists and consultants who are now getting results for clients through social media. Those pioneers will be the first to tell you that their successes came after countless hours of experimentation and changes in direction. Those of us newer to the table are now benefiting from their lessons learned.
There are plenty of qualified people out there who can help a professional or small business create a social media strategy. There are plenty of people willing to work their butts off for you. Just watch out for the snake oil salesmen.
Your ideal social networking site
What features would your ideal social networking site have?
I ask after stumbling upon a post reporting that a new social networking site is coming in August that combines the best of what’s out there under one umbrella. The slogan for the new site reportedly will be “better than just nice.”
I have no way to verify the report. However, it’s interesting to see the list of features for the new site, which include:
1. Embedded Music Player 2. Private & Group Chatting 3. Personal Blogging 4. Photo/Video Uploading & Sharing/Tagging 5. Customizable Personal Pages 6. Group Creating 7. Apparel – T-shirts, hats, jogging pants, etc. 8. Hundreds of Widgets and Applications to add to your personal page.
Not sure I need my own line of hats and T-shirts, but maybe you do.
What if you had deep pockets (or willing investors) and could create your own social networking site? What features would you have? Anything different than what you see on this list? Small business owners, what you you like to have?
Let us hear from you.
