I'm a few days late to mention this but Twitter has grown from this thing used by only hard-core geeks to . . . well, I still don't know how to describe Twitter but a WHOLE LOT of folks are using it now. 752 % growth last year? One million new users in December alone? Wow.
Like many new media in the digital age, we don't know yet what to call it, how to describe it, and how to use it for business. There are theories, certainly, but there isn't much collective wisdom. Together, we are building a knowledge base of what works and what doesn't and eventually, usage conventions for Twitter will form. Maybe more businesses will follow Comcast's lead. In the meantime, if you want to follow us on Twitter, you can here: New Thought Marketing on Twitter. We'll try to keep the conversation going!
New Forrester research indicates widespread acceptance and adoption of social media, with up to 75% of respondents reporting some usage of social media in 2nd quarter of this year. What's included in social media? Well, a lot of the usage is among folks reading blogs. No mention in this brief article on whether or not Facebook and similar social networking sites are catching on with the over 35 crowd, but anecdotally, I can tell you that I'm getting lots more friend requests from old high school and college friends. I've even had a few ex-boyfriends track me down!
From a marketing standpoint, we always tell our clients that more and more of their customers are all over the web and there are some great ways to reach them. We almost always recommend search engine marketing first -- that's a must -- but depending on your customer set, we often look at blog outreach programs, social media press releases (basically, interactive press releases), and social networking. Studies like this simply affirm that more and more of your prospects are hanging out in the social media pool. It's time to start thinking about how to reach them there.
The concept behind social news sites such as Digg, Reddit and Newsvine is pretty simple: search and read the latest in news and happenings and share this content with your circle of friends, colleagues and (perhaps) admirers. But as information becomes increasingly customizable, democratized and instantaneous, these general sites may not feed your insatiable grown-up appetite for real news. Here's a list of great niche social news sites that will undoubtedly fill you up:
Great social news site specifically for small-to-medium sized business companies
Social news site for marketers, entrepreneurs and business professionals
#1 Social news site for internet marketers, with a focus on search
Social news site focusing on current health news
A news site that focuses on technology, start-ups, business and entrepreneurship
Financial Social news service
Internet marketing Social news site that focuses on making money
I'm not quite a Boomer. Not really Gen X, either. (Born in 1965 makes me either the last year of the boom or the first year of Gen X.) But I do know a great marketing idea when I see one. In case you've been under a rock for the last 40 years, the boomer generation is starting to retire and these retirees are redefining what it means to retire. To wit: my good friend, Liz Dahl, who has started a travel site for boomers focused on fun, unique experiences. But don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourself. She's getting tons of press and deservedly so! Read more here: New travel site for boomers: Boomeropia - Yahoo! News
Imagine a shopping cart that tells you where to find the peanut butter -- or better yet -- that one, rare ingredient in that new recipe that you've never heard of before. A shopping cart that lets you digitally pre-load your shopping list and guides you around the store. Of course, this cart is going to show you ads (and maybe even give you coupons) based on your shopping preferences. All in all, not a bad way to get useful information and hey, I'll take those relevant coupons anytime.
The one thing I don't get? How Microsoft got into this game. Does this mean my shopping cart will "crash"? Let's hope not!
I'm a few days late to mention this but Twitter has grown from this thing used by only hard-core geeks to . . . well, I still don't know how to describe Twitter but a WHOLE LOT of folks are using it now. 752 % growth last year? One million new users in December alone? Wow.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=3a01c2c0-73b2-4fd9-8b02-a4204c2edc3e)
