All posts tagged social networking
The Potential of Pinterest
According to a recent report by Experian, Pinterest has become the third most popular social network in the United States, behind only Facebook and Twitter. The widely circulated Hitwise report, released early this month, reveals huge increases in visitors to Pinterest’s website – most impressively, a 50% gain from January to February that put it over both LinkedIn and Google+.
The rankings, by total visits for March, are as follows:
- Facebook: 7 billion
- Twitter: 182 million
- Pinterest: 104 million
- LinkedIn: 86 million
- Tagged: 72 million
- Google+: 61 million
Perhaps most startling about this data is how clearly it illustrates the stranglehold that Facebook has within the social media realm, to say nothing of Pinterest claiming over 20 million more visits than LinkedIn. Not bad for a digital bulletin board site that’s only 2 years old and was, until recently, frequented primarily by hobbyists and crafters.
It should be noted that in the report, Experian was only measuring visitors, while several other market research services got slightly different results by including pageviews into their data. For example, Alexa.com ranks Pinterest only fourth among social networks, still behind LinkedIn. Complete.com, ranking.com, quantcast.com, and urltrends.com list Pinterest fourth among social sites as well.
And Pinterest isn’t the only network growing. From December 2010 to December 2011 Twitter grew by 45% and LinkedIn by 98%. And everyone’s favorite whipping boy at the moment, Google+, actually grew a very impressive 800% from August 2011 to December 2011.
Regardless of slight differences in the ranking data, it clearly shows that Pinterest should not be ignored by businesses looking for further connection with their customers. There are already several great examples of companies who have embraced its simple, highly-visual pin/repin dynamic, such as Southwest Airlines, Etsy (no surprise there), and Whole Foods.
It offers another outlet for businesses to let their hair down a bit and have fun with their audience, but also provides inroads to unique demographics vis-à-vis other social networks: women accounted for 60% of the visitors and a higher percentage of users in the Midwest, Northwest, and Southeast.
Google+ Arrives
source: www.TheSocialMarketingDiva.com
Feeling a little left out because you haven?t received your invitation to Google+? Don?t worry, that?s the point. After struggling through three previous incarnations, the New and Improved Google Social Network, awkwardly named Google+ is officially open for business. This is not to be confused with ?Google +1? which was released a few months back, and was ostensibly an opening salvo in their newly heightened battle with Facebook over social media supremacy. That was merely the Google version of Facebook?s ?Like? system. With their unveiling of Google+, the search giant is now ironically acting as giant-killer in launching their own full-fledged answer to Facebook?s social media juggernaut.
So you haven?t gotten your invite yet, but the artificial scarcity that Google is engineering here (perhaps taking a page from the Steve Jobs handbook) is to engender a grassroots, viral campaign feeling to their roll-out. You’re probably a bit more inclined to join if invited by your best friends than by having it forced down your throat every time you log into your Gmail. It?s savvy marketing, and by all accounts, the buzz seems to be positive (no pun intended – Google would rather forget that little misadventure). Tech Crunch, Gizmodo, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and a slew of other respected publications and blogs have given it high marks, some with the caveat that it may be a little late in the game to be taking on Mr. Zuckerberg.
But for all intents and purposes, Google+ seems to strive to be the anti-Facebook on one fundamental level – that the world of online socializing is taking on a more grown-up approach. What they seem to be betting on is the long-held, and valid concern that Facebook is too social. When you make an announcement, post a video, ?like? something or interact in any way, it?s broadcast to all of your ?friends.? And let?s be honest, how many of those people are your friends? Granted, Facebook has grudgingly made adjustments to this problem through “Groups” and the like, but Google+ has made it easier, more streamlined, and by some accounts, somewhat fun to group your acquaintances into corresponding groups that are privy only to the info that you deem worthy for that particular “Circle”. While some have lamented this approach (some commenters say they like this aspect and how it differs from real-world interaction), as social networks evolve into becoming an integral part of ?real-world interaction? people of legal drinking age require a more nuanced approach.
Either way, if it reaches some modicum of success, Google+ will be a welcome alternative for many disenchanted current and former Facebook members. But we?ll see – after all, it?s not a success or a social network at all unless people are using it.
Online America
In late 2010, the Pew Research Center published a fascinating study revealing some of the online activities and trends among different age groups within the United States titled the Generations – 2010 report. Only the second annual report issued by Pew to examine online behavior, it displays the increasing desire to try to understand how we use the internet as a society, and where we?re going in the near future.
Some of the data was fairly obvious, such as the fact that younger age groups are far more likely to use a social networking site. However, one surprising trend revealed that older generations such as “Young Boomers” (ages 46-55) and also “Older Boomers” (ages 56-64) saw a higher percentage increase in their social media usage than the “Millennials” (18-33) and “Gen X” (34-45). This probably indicates that while the younger generations are far heavier users, they are traditionally quicker to latch onto new trends, thus meaning that the older generations are only now beginning to become more accepting of the role social media networks now have in our daily lives.
As the data indicates, perhaps your parents are hipper than you thought. And from a social media marketing perspective, this data represents positive news indeed. It was already generally understood that Facebook could reach the Millenial and pre-Millenial generations in profound ways, but now it seems that their parents and grandparents are beginning to message, post, and network right alongside them – and perhaps opening up to its marketing campaigns therein.
We need not point out that the so-called ‘Millenial’ generation is also that traditional demographic long coveted by advertising and marketing experts. And along with their frequent use of Facebook and other social media, they use search engines even more so. More staggering still, is that all demographics are now using search engines in their daily lives on an unprecedented level.
For all adults (ages 18+), search engine use is 87%, and among Millennials, it’s 92%. There was no data on the under 18 demographic, but one could reasonably surmise that when they come of age, search engine usage will be (if it isn’t already) close to 100% within their age group. Taking this all into account, the Generations – 2010 Report from Pew clearly displays the importance of using search engine and social media marketing as a focal point for any organization looking to increase both its exposure and its overall success moving forward.
Content on Social Media
Who needs social media? Answer: Who doesnt?
In a global market that has no boundaries, and where consumers could be anyone from Texas to Timbuktoo, you need to shout your product, again, and some more again.
It applies even to the big boys too. Suppose Coke stops its marketing campaign for a week. Do you think its sales would not dip? Suppose again Coke doubles its p.r. for the same period. Would its sales not rise?
Now, how do you make your product or service reach your customers from Timbuktoo to Texas? No one is asking this question today anymore. It shows how relevant, critical, and mandatory social media has become as a cutting edge marketing tool.
For the die-hard naysayers, a 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study has come with some revelations that effectively ends the argument about the utility of social media. This is what the Cone team found out:
Sixty percent of Americans use social media, and out of which, 59 percent interact with companies on social media Web sites. One in four interacts more than once per week.
93 percent of social media users believe a company should have a presence in social media, while an overwhelming 85 percent believe a company should not only be present but also interact with its consumers via social media.
56 percent of users feel both a stronger connection with and better served by companies when they can interact with them in a social media environment.
When asked about specific types of interactions, Americans who use social media believe:
a) Companies should use social networks to solve my problems (43%)
b) Companies should solicit feedback on their products and services (41%)
c) Companies should develop new ways for consumers to interact with their brand (37%)
d) Companies should market to consumers (25%)
* Men, a much sought-after target in the online space, are twice as likely as women to interact frequently (one or more times per week) with companies via social media (33% to 17%, respectively).
* Of the younger, hard-to-reach users (ages 18-34), one-third believe companies should actively market to them via social networks, and the same is true of the wealthiest households (household income of $75,000+). Two-thirds of the wealthiest households and the largest households (3 or more members) feel stronger connections to brands they interact with online.
Moral of the story: If you have anything to market at all, you cannot do without social media even if you are an elephant in the room!
