Last weekend I helped to do some viral PR and event promotions, so I started by publicly inviting my larger social networks, such as going.com . Then I updated my Facebook status to tell my closer network of friends to meet me at the venue. Once inside the event, I sent up to the minute tweets to my Twitter followers, and the buzz grew from there. Like it or not, social networking has recently become the #1 activity on the web. In a competitive business market, it’s important to stand out from your competition by tapping into the power of social networks. So, this month, I welcome to SPARK PLUG our guest blogger and social media marketing expert Jeremy Mays , president of Transmyt Marketing .
The Concept of creating your own social network has been around for some time. Tools such as ning.com have been in the game of allowing users, companies and marketers to create fully customized and branded social networks for some time now. Why do this? You ask.Well with all the talk and buzz going on about social media and its relevance, social marketers (such as myself ), are always looking for new ways to stand out in an already overcrowded social world.
According to a new report from eMarketer , the resistance to using social media is rapidly fading. However, what is not fading (and never will), is the need to stand out. With Facebook and Twitter, user numbers are on the rise. So, it’s almost an obvious choice to work these platforms into your overall strategy. But do you risk becoming just another page in your fans’ endless list of pages? Maybe.
Then why not start your own Social Network? What you stand to gain is great. Imagine being able to harness the power of sharing your brand, spreading your message, and getting real-time feedback from your customers, all while allowing users to do what they mostly want to do online in ever increasing numbers SOCIALIZE.
Social Media has recently become the #1 activity on the Web
1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via Social Media
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), iPod app downloads (1 billion in 9 months)
By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers, with 96% of them having joined a social network
More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, new stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook daily
Companies care more now about how their social graph ranks their products and services than how Google ranks them
25% of search results for the World’s Top 20 largest brands are links to user-generated content
If Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s 4th largest
80% of companies are using LinkedIn as their primary tool to find employees
The concept of starting your own social network or online community is not new. Companies like Communispace build and monitor online communities for some top brands, while online tools such as ning.com allow you to build out your own Social Networks.
New tools are popping up all the time. Transmyt recently used one such tool in a social media development project for a political candidate, who is running for Boston City Council At- Large . (While already blogging, Tweeting , and connecting with fans on Facebook , Tito Jackson was looking to develop a slightly more intimate partnership with his core base of followers, website visitors and residents, who want to have a voice about issues that are important to them in this election.
Even political candidates are leveraging the power of social media networks. How could you forget President Obama’s social media reliant campaign , for which he won Ad Age’s 2008 Marketer of the Year award?
Whether you want to seek political office, meet your potential spouse, or build your company’s brand, social media marketing is here to stay, and growing ever popular by the second. So if you can’t beat them, add them to your social network.