There are over 6.5 billion people in the world and around 1.5 billion of those people are online. That means they are using the internet to get information, search for a product, talk about a company, participate in a social network, etc. There was an absolutely great interview that Lee Odden did with Richard from the Dell social media team; in the interview Richard makes an excellent point:
“Even more importantly than its efficiency and cost-effectiveness, social media is an ideal tool to listen, learn and engage in real conversations with customers. Does someone need to justify that?”
Read that 10 times if you have to until it sinks in. With 1.5 billion people currently online and with that number increasing at a rapid rate; how can you possibly think of NOT going online? Perhaps we should flip the question around and instead of saying “why would you get involved with social media?” we should say “why wouldn’t you get involved with social media?”
If we take a look at some of the current internet usage statistics we can see how rapidly the internet is growing; both in terms of users and in terms of information.
If we look at some of the most visited sites we have:
- yahoo
- youtube
- windows live
- myspace
- wikipedia
- hi5
- ebay
- craigslist
People are out there searching and talking. In 2009 and beyond no brand or company can afford to not listen or engage with their users, it’s just not smart. All the information you will ever need about your users and your customers is online.
- Who they are
- How they find you
- Where they come from
- What languages they speak
- What they click on
- How long they visit your site
- What pay they take through your site
It’s all there. I can even tell what browser or screen resolution some of my readers are using when they visit my site. No type of off-line marketing can possibly give you this type of information. I’m not saying dump traditional media, I’m saying help your users find you online. Direct your users to your online presence via facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. Have the CEO of your company go on a television commercial and say “we have a blog, here is how to find us and talk to us.” Run a print campaign with an add that says “we are now on twitter, if you have a question or a problem, let us know.”
The metrics are all online now. As a brand manager, company executive, or employee it should part of your responsibility to help all of your users and customers find you online!
Thanks for reading!
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