Getting the Numbers Right
Image Credit: Cod Gabriel.
Social Media moves at a rapid pace. Changes in behavior happen much faster than we’re accustomed to. It’s important to stay ahead of the curve and have your finger on the social media pulse, so that you don’t make mistakes in your planning due to operating off old numbers.
Augie Ray calls out a few marketers who have made statements about social media demographics and behavior patterns that are either just wrong, or way out of date.
And yes, just one year is way out of date when you’re talking about social media. A prospective client asked me this week if his lack of interest in Facebook and online networking was typical of his age group. A year ago I might have said yes. Forrester’s social technographics scale, first published in April 2007, showed that just over half (52%) of the Internet population was inactive in social media and other studies showed that the over 55s were mainly reading content online, but not participating much in social networking. That’s changed. By October 2008 the inactive figure had shrunk to 25%. ‘Silver surfers’, those over 55, are one of the fastest growing segments of the social media enthusiasts.
“The implications of incorrect assumptions and outdated information can be substantial to brand health. The failure to recognize the growth and changes in Social Media is resulting in a lack of urgency around this channel,” writes Ray.
Accurate, up to date information is easily available online. Sites like The Pew Internet and American Life Project, Nielsen Online, emarketer, Econsultancy, comScore and Forrester Research all do excellent work in this area. You can use site like Quantcast and Compete to get data.
There are also several bloggers who filter this flood of information – MasterNewMedia is one. Jeremiah Owyang’s Web Strategist blog is another.
My other blog The Proactive Report focuses on trends, statistics and behavior patterns online.
Successful social media programs depend on accurate research and information. Find a source that you trust.
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