加载中…The State of Social Media
(2009-04-14 17:56:54)
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杂谈 |
In Technorati’s 2008 State of the Blogosphere report, the company observed that blogging is becoming mainstream, leading the way for an Active Blogosphere - defined as the ecosystem of interconnected communities of bloggers and readers at the convergence of journalism and conversation. I’d also add that as the Active Blogosphere further permeates our daily information consumption and distribution processes, that the Social Web equally becomes pervasive. But, it’s so much more than an Active SocialMediaSphere. As networks become densely populated and new communities arise and thrive, we're experiencing a fundamental shift in content creation, distribution, and consumption, thus creating an Active and Participatory Media society that is inspiring and seeding a more literate and enlightened generation.
Blogs and social networks are now part of our daily lives.
* comScore MediaMetrix (August 2008)
- Blogs: 77.7 million unique visitors in the US
- Facebook: 41.0 million | MySpace 75.1 million
- Total internet audience 188.9 million
* eMarketer (May 2008)
- 94.1 million US blog readers in 2007 (50% of Internet users)
- 22.6 million US bloggers in 2007 (12%)
* Universal McCann (March 2008)
- 184 million WW have started a blog | 26.4 US
- 346 million WW read blogs | 60.3 US
- 77% of active Internet users read blogs
YouTube = 10 percent of all internet traffic (source: Ellacoya Networks)
YouTube & Wikipedia among top brands (source: brandchannel.com)
Five of the top 10 websites are social (source: Alexa)
Over 100 million blogs exist (source: Technorati)
120,000 new blogs launched every day (source: Technorati)
1.5 million posts per day (17 per second) (source: Technorati)
Everyone is a Social Media Expert
You’re a purveyor of new media, but then again, so is everyone else it seems. So what are you going to do to rise above the fray while also delivering true, incontestable value to those you’re helping?
Are you an evangelist or a consultant?
Are you an extension of your company brand or are you an employee?
Are you a leader, follower, or are you meandering through your profession?
Are you confined to the role of a social marketer or do you represent something with longer-term value?
At the end of the day, everything that’s transpiring around us is actually improving the existing foundation for our business, from service to marketing to product development to sales to executive management, and everything in between.
Social marketing revitalizes and empowers every facet of our workflow and its supporting ecosystem. Seeing the bigger picture and tying our knowledge to the valuable feedback from our communities will help us guide businesses towards visibility, profitability, relevance and ultimately customer loyalty.
In every single case, it doesn’t just take an expert; it requires a champion to make an impact.
You are that champion.
Social Media is One Component of Broader Communications Strategy
Yes, everything is changing. Many have drawn the conclusion that Social Media marketers or Social Media consultants are to the new Web, what Webmasters were to Web 1.0. There’s a rush of excitement and enthusiasm tied to entrepreneurialism and significant short-term profitability in leading, creating, and participating in all things Social. This new breed of expert marketers represent the future of marketing communications indeed, but it is a future that is uncharted, undocumented and forever evolving; meaning, social media is not the final frontier, but merely an important chapter in an ongoing saga that will be studied and advanced for years to come.
For every Social Media expert, we must remember, that there are many more human beings out there who are not using social tools to communicate, but are still equally important to our bottom line. Therefore, our job is to connect our story and our value propositions to people wherever they go to discover and share information - even if it's in the real world. Social Media is a critical part of a larger, more complete sales, service, communications, and marketing strategy that reflects and adapts to markets and the people who define them.
Therefore we should be realistic in how we integrate Social strategies into the human-powered machine of listening, learning, engaging and evolving.
Social Media is a lesson.
Social Media delivers new communications tools.
Social Media is a distribution channel.
Social Media is a means, not an end.
Social Media is a revelation that we the people have a voice and through the democratization of content and ideas, we can once again unite people around common passions, inspire movement, and ignite change.
Social Media Takes a Community Effort
Even today, the debate as to who owns Social Media continues. Some argue that advertising or marketing own the conversation, while others claim that it’s the job of public relations or customer service. If we’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that socially rooted conversations are not owned by any one person or group. The simple truth is that everyone owns it, including "YOU." Perhaps it’s better said this way, the conversation is omnipresent and not defined, steered or controlled by any one entity.
This isn’t an “either or” discussion. The true value of a more socially aware and focused mindset can positively impact every department within an organization to create a more powerful, harmonious, and effective unity that together builds and nurtures a respected, active, and trusted brand.
The socialization of every department will lend support and direction to the myriad of important conversations taking place, currently without you, across the Web. It’s through this direct engagement that we learn everything. We are privy to unique insight that allows us to walk away more informed and clued-in to the real world perception of our “messages” and story. This valuable info isn’t just relegated to any one group within your organization though. You’ll quickly learn that conversations map directly back to specific departments and thus require knowledgeable responses and voices in order to consistently navigate and sculpt perception and important conversations as they happen.
It’s also the ability and desire to channel and escort valuable feedback among your decision makers within to ensure habitual internal modification to improve the opportunity for relevance and leadership, which is so critical in a time when attention spans are elastic and always thinning.
Building a Bridge Between You and Your Customers
No matter what world you live in, we are all responsible for the public relations of any organization we represent. That’s right. Everything we do, whether we’re in PR or not, reflects on, and contributes to, the brand we represent. Arming employees with knowledge and expertise and empowering them to participate creates an efficient, influential, and community-based organization that stays in sync with stakeholders. Doing so creates an active collective of influential voices, in addition to employees, who will help shape perception and provide help to those seeking advice; the community now becomes an extension of your outbound activities, beliefs, passions, and value propositions.
As marketing, communications, and service professionals with a heightened sense of social awareness, we are not vendors for the ever-growing array of social tools.
We are not cheerleaders for all things social.
We are not talking heads who simply repeat the words of other experts.
We are both architects and builders who are creating the blueprints for and constructing the bridge that connects customers and the people who represent the companies they believe in.
In order to truly help those businesses however, we need to learn through real work. We have to get our hands dirty and there’s no way around it. Actions speak louder than words and the last thing we need are more cooks in the crowded kitchen. We need thinkers AND doers. It is the only way to get smarter and in turn, become more valuable to those you’re consulting or helping.
Immersion = incontestable experience, perspective, and knowledge.
Honestly, there’s too much chatter about the tools and networks that populate the Social Web, when in fact we should concentrate on highlighting not what’s shiny and new, but the sharing of practical methodologies and examples of successes and failures for listening, observing, and learning.
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