Why should anyone get into social media? There are so many different options available, how do you figure out which one to go with? Is there any business value investing time in social media? From my experiences most feel social media is worth “looking into” but not spending a whole lot of time on because it’s just a fad and it won’t last. I strongly disagree. If a marketing plan doesn’t have a section dedicated to social media then there is a significant gap in that plan. The world is gravitating towards a new trend in communication and it’s either sink or swim.

Communicate Efficiently Using Youtube
All companies have a message that they want to communicate but how it’s delivered has changed. Traditional methods of getting the word out are still effective but using social media can optimize those efforts. One way to do this is by using Youtube, it’s a great way to communicate a powerful message that is text heavy. This can be your company description, your value proposition or a discussion on the benefits of your offering.

But don’t stop at Youtube, leverage all your marketing weapons to point back to that video. Use your website, corporate blog, even your marketing materials to point clients or prospects in the direction of the video.

Building Upon SEO Efforts Using Twitter

Search engine optimization is something that is still foreign to a lot of companies but for those that do know about SEO can use social media networks like Twitter to build on those efforts. Twitter is a great way to communicate concise messages that can possibly increase your search engine ranking. I say possibly because it depends on the keywords you decide to use in your tweets. Whenever something occurs in your company whether it’s an upcoming event, a press release, sponsorship, speaking engagement or networking opportunity use Twitter to tell your followers where you’ll be and what you’re doing. Use Twitter as a tool to inform and connect with your followers.

Twitter is also a great way to point followers back to the Youtube video you just created. Streamline all your efforts to create a powerful strategy that maintains constant and consistent communication with your targets. This is the key to successful marketing.

Following The Trend Keeps Your Marketing Fresh

The world is changing and evidence is overwhelming that social media is having impact everyday and if you’re not swimming with the trend, you’re sinking. Take a look at some statistics that show the influence social media is having on our world.

1. By 2010 “Gen Y” will outnumber Baby Boomers and 96% of “Gen Y’s” have joined a social network
2. Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the Web
3. 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media
4. Years to Reach 50 million users: Radio (38 Years), TV (13 Years), Internet (4 Years), iPod (3 Years)…Facebook (100 million users in less than 9 months)
5. Percentage of companies using LinkedIn as a primary tool to find employees – 95%
6. The second largest search engine in the world is YouTube
7. 34% of bloggers post opinions about products & brands
8. More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook daily.

Social media isn’t a fad it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. Learning how to use these tools to our advantage can strengthen our marketing efforts with very little investment. Start by following the trend and getting involved in social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkdin and Youtube. Getting started and learning how to use each one will take an investment of time, but the benefits are absolutely worth it, so get started now!

1. Source: Grunwald Associates National Study – Info highlighted on Trendsspotting Blog
2. Source: Huffington Post
3. Source: McKinsey Study also posted by David Dalka
4. Source: First Stats: United Nations Cyberschoolbus Document / Facebook Stat: Mashable / iPhone Stat: Apple
5. Source: Jobvite Social Recruitment Survey
6. Source: TGDaily
7. Source: Universal McCann’s Social Media Research Wave 3
8. Source: Facebook