Age no excuse for business to avoid social media
When I talk with small-business people, many who are skeptical of social media — particularly Baby Boomers — often talk about how social sites are just meant for the young. And some say they think spending a lot of time online is unhealthy and antisocial.
I try to show them that people of all ages are adopters of social media. Facebook alone has had dramatic growth this year at nearly all age levels, none more pronounced than women over 50.
Now there are new numbers available on social media users. The median age of a Facebook user has now risen to 33, seven years older than in May 2008. That’s not far behind LinkedIn, the business networking site whose 50 million-plus users have a median age of 39. The median age of a Twitter user has dropped to 31, which shows that Generation Y, which was not an early adopter, is now turning to the microblogging service. There had been numerous articles earlier in the year that Gen Y thought Twitter was pointless. Apparently, that’s changing.
Facebook getting older? Twitter getting younger? What does this mean? It means the old adage is no longer true that only the young are the early adopters of technology. And new social sites designed to attract the young away from Facebook and Twitter are reportedly not having an impact. The young are willing to use the same social media now used by their parents.
So much for age creating a digital divide in social media. (Yes, MySpace remains decidedly young — a median age of 26 — but its focus has shifted to mostly music and entertainment. And it’s certainly not the dominant influence it once was.)
While we’re debunking myths, let’s burst another bubble. Remember the study which found people were becoming more socially isolated because of technology, especially mobile phones and the Internet? Not so fast, according to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Pew found that these technologies do not have a harmful social impact upon people.
In fact, Pew found social networking sites provide an outlet for “discussion networks that are more likely to contain people from different backgrounds.” In other words, people have digital contact with a more diverse group of people.
Boomer business owners, isn’t that one of your company goals? Don’t you want to expand your reach to new people, new contacts outside your regular sphere?
Can’t wait for the next business owner to bring up age, or dismiss the merits of social networking. I’ve got some new research to share.
Small businesses on social media: ‘Show me the money’
Catching up with some odds and ends from the social media world:
• Thanks to Steven Moore of Marietta, Ga. (who, by the way, shares great small-business advice on Twitter) for passing on some interesting news. A new survey finds a growing number of small-business owners are using social media to promote their businesses. The survey, by Internet2Go and Merchant Circle, found about 45 percent of those surveyed are using Facebook or Twitter. Writes John Jantsch of DuctTape Marketing in his analysis:
“… small business owners are coming to understand the power of social media and the relative low cost vs. high return opportunity. However, the survey further suggests, to me at least, that while it’s easy to get on Facebook and Twitter, there’s still a gap in understanding how to make them pay. The danger in jumping into social media networks, with no barrier to entry, without a strong “hub” foundation of a blog or content portal is that it’s difficult to convert someone from the awareness that might be gained through Facebook to the trust needed to make a sale.”
Absolutely, John. Social media by itself will not help you, unless you have a clear, integrated strategy that drives people to your blog or Web site and you build a business connection. Social media are emerging as a major piece in the business puzzle. However, “puzzle” is the operative word here; small businesses are still trying to make sense of how social media can rock their world.
In short, social media consultants better always be prepared for one request from potential small-business clients. With apologies to actor Cuba Gooding in the movie “Jerry Maguire” — “Show me the money.”
• TweetDeck released an upgrade today which already has proven it significantly reduces the drain on your computer and is much more stable. TweetDeck is the most widely used third-party application to get the most functionality out of a Twitter account — seamless retweets, direct messaging, link shortening, etc. Previously, I would have to load it a second time to get all the columns to load. This version is a great improvement. I wish TweetDeck were available for BlackBerry. iPhone users have a great choice between TweetDeck and Tweetie.
• Interesting Wall Street Journal piece today on MySpace (both owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.) The article’s headline: “MySpace Tries to Recover Its Cool.” Says the WSJ:
In a strategy shift, MySpace is striving to become an online hangout for people to connect with friends over entertainment content, whether it’s the new Pearl Jam album, blogs from celebrities like British pop singer Lily Allen or a karaoke contest for the Fox musical comedy “Glee.”
The site is experiencing flat growth (especially compared to Facebook) and declining ad revenues (the article states eMarketer estimates U.S. ad spending on the site will be down 15% from 2008.)
The challenge for MySpace is how they are going to remain “cool” as users age and move elsewherewhile younger users face an endless selection of entertainment choices. We shall see.
