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PR 2.0

• Build Bridges Between Aspiration and Realization 7 May, 2010, 10:45 am
  Hugh MacLeod is not only a friend, but also someone whose work I admire, follow, and respect. When he asked me to contribute a post for his evocative “Remember Who You Are” series, I responded posthaste. Throughout life, we’re introduced to so many important lessons and proverbs and most of the time, we’ll listen, but not really hear and embrace their message and purpose. Every now and then however, we’re introduced to something so profound that it changes our outlook and redirects our current course, rewriting our future with every step we take forward. It’s not because the words or wisdom is any more or less sincere, emancipating, or eye-opening over the thousands of insights we’ve encountered over time. At particular intervals in our everyday experiences, truly hearing and embracing insight, logic and hope will pervade our lives. But, to truly change and inspire is, timing and relevance become paramount. While words and their meaning are important, our attention aperture and guiding intuition are only open to that which relates to use contextually, at a time when we’re consciously or subconsciously seeking guidance based on our current experiences. While life may not revolve around us, we are at the center of our personal experiences and as such, the aftereffect of the people and information that crosses our path is governed by our state of mind, emotion, and aspiration. In order for something to truly resonate within and as such reverberate throughout our ensuing actions, we must be open and more importantly predisposed to change. And if you think about it, it’s a rare occurrence indeed. Several years ago, I was re-introduced to a famous quote. While I had long forgotten the words, I believe that they had subconsciously inspired me. I was much younger when they initially tested my awareness. For me, and of course, similar to almost everything I learn, it took several appearances to permeate the thinning filters of my attention and focus, ultimately earning permanent residence in my mind and heart. And consequently, it now serves us my guiding mantra for all that I do today. “Life isn’t about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself.” - George Bernard Shaw Hugh’s maxim, “Remember who you are…” aligns with Shaw’s words and the piercing moral within each message, is the aide-mémoire of the experiences that moved and inspired us over the years and the hopes that each engendered. They define who we are and they’re the catalysts that trigger new opportunities and experiences. It’s the remembrance and the application to who we are that becomes poignant. Remembering who you are serves as a history lesson as the state of “you” is the result of your past finding its place in the present. It is the future that is not yet written and without aspiration, ambition has nothing to fuel. Understanding how we got to this place at this time is predicated by our actions as they were influenced by the events that touched us. Ergo, our aspiration is a deliberate state of intention and the distance defining our journey is measured by the actions that move hope and vision toward existence and propelled by conscious activity and purpose. It’s the difference between dreaming…and bringing dreams to life. Lessons are the scenery that surrounds our journey and this is a trip best appreciated with eyes, minds, and hearts, wide open. A good friend introduced me to the concept of Be, Do, Get…and I’ve since woven these words and the governing methodology into the hallmark of all that inspires me. The ideas and lessons that emerge through the discovery of answering the following questions serve as the everlasting sense of renewal for my personal mission and purpose. What do I want to be now and in the future? Why? How will I get there? What’s working against me right now? What challenges face me today and tomorrow? How will I know when I get there and what is the reward for reaching my destination? What is the opportunity cost of these ambitions over others? Once I discover and confirm who I want to be…I then do the things…that ultimately empower me to get to where I envisioned. The entire sequence is connected through discovery and action. Again, life isn’t as much about finding yourself as it is creating yourself. I believe that the distance between who I am and who I want to be is separated only by my actions and words. And defining who I want to be should remain in a perpetual state of aspiration rewarded through accomplishments and milestones intentionally introduced to transform the illusion of progress to a constant state of realization. Remember who you are… Please consider reading my new book, Engage! — Get Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and The Conversation Prism: —
• With Social Media Comes Great Opportunity 5 May, 2010, 4:06 am
  I believe that Social Media represents in two words and five syllables, nothing short of a revolution within any business or any industry for that matter. And, for individuals, it represents the democratization of media and equalization of influence. It presents an equal opportunity platform to broadcast and publish at will, earning audiences and prominence that directly align with the level of individual participation and investment in engagement. The socialization of media affects and empowers more than personal brands however. Essentially all brands are entitled to become media, earn audiences and build online communities, and that is powerful as well as emancipating. The Socialization of Business Within every organization, Social Media is championed from within, sparked by external influences that awaken a new sense of awareness and inspire a genuine ambition to bring about change. At some point however, social media permeates the fabric of every business until it reaches the very essence that defines the spirit, persona, and intention of the brand. It’s natural of course, for new media’s promise and opportunity to escalate within the organization once its potential is unlocked and revealed. As such, the inevitable question emerges, “who owns social media.” What if we asked the question another way….Who owns email? The answer is that email, even though it is among the most social of all channels we use today, is not owned by any one department. Email is simply a tool to communicate. Once we let go of the rope in this veritable tug of war of who owns social media and realize that no one necessarily owns this diverse medium, we can then concentrate our efforts on shaping the perception of our brand and contribute to its sense of value and purpose within the influential communities that define our markets. Social Media, at the very least, galvanizes the socialization of businesses, down to departmental and individual roles. Service, marketing, PR, HR, sales, finance, product, will maintain a social presence as dictated and demanded by their communities, thus evoking the movement from social CRM (sCRM) to SRM. eMarketer recently shared a study published by Mzinga and Babson Executive Research that examined how each business area embraced social media… As expected, marketing earned the top spot with 57% using social media as part of the overall program. Internal collaboration and learning followed with 39% and as the implications and unseen potential for new media unfolds, digital literacy becomes paramount for the future success of any business. Customer service ranked third with 29% and sales, human resources and strategy trailed at 25%, 21%, and 16% respectively. Everything Begins with Listening and Research While these numbers differ from business to business, one of the most interesting revelations for those brand managers and champions who proactively listen and study material activity online prior to engagement is that conversations tend to map perfectly to the infrastructure of any organization. Basically, the location, volume, topic, influential voices as well as the reach of conversations are not only discoverable, they align with the corresponding divisions of most organizations… Marketing Service Sales Product Development/Engineering HR et al. As eMarketer observed… More and more opportunities will present themselves for companies to use social channels to increase their business. The landscape will change rapidly, so tactics that might have seemed irrelevant in 2009 might be on the table in 2010 or 2011. The point is this, social media is owned by its participants and steered by the voices who invest its direction. In order to compete for attention, mind share, and ultimately the future, businesses must now engage in the very online societies in which our audiences seek, share, and discover guidance and information.We must step outside of our domain and come to terms with the reality that relevance and trust, moving forward, is now earned and not simply achieved. Social Media is shared and it’s a privilege. When we pay attention to relevant conversations and in turn, organize them by the roles within our organization that are specifically impacted or affected, we remove the guesswork for how to build a social strategy and ascertain exactly how we can activate the social Web. With the permeation of Social Media, the company matures, adapting and improving the culture, behavior, and overall mission of the business. Without evolution, the stature of what our brand was, slowly erodes as other socially-savvy competitors create awareness and connections. Social Media forces us to find comfort outside of our comfort zones by listening, learning, and collaborating with peers, prospects and influencers engage today. As such, with social media comes great opportunity for those ready to embrace change from the inside out. Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook — Please consider reading my brand new book, Engage! — Get Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and The Conversation Prism: — Image Credit: Shutterstock, edited
• The Business of B2B Social Media 12 May, 2010, 4:52 am
  Social Media is often misconstrued as a medium for business-to-consumer or B2C engagement and discounted as a viable communications network for those companies focused on business-to-business transactions. However, B2B, as in any other field impacted by online activity, is faced with a prime opportunity to not only cultivate communities in social networks and other social channels, but also amplify awareness, increase lead generation, reduce sales cycles, and perhaps most importantly, learn and adapt to market dynamics in real-time. Ignorance is Bliss Until It’s Not… Customers and those that influence them, regardless of industry, are migrating to the social Web at varying paces. While social or digital strategies do not replace proven means that are in play today, they do however, require augmentation and shifts in resources commensurate with the distribution of attention, where it’s focused and to what extent. In my research, programs measured in hindsight are not the only views that offer 20/20 vision. Unobstructed foresight is now attainable and in some cases, predictable, based on our investment in time, energy and creativity in how we analyze online behavior, interaction, and ultimately influence. And, our ability to study and put research to work is only limited by our process for learning and adapting to earn and increase resonance within our target markets. Perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of listening to focused online interaction, is the ability to breakdown the decision making process and how customers and influencers impact behavior. To say it blatantly, social media makes it possible to identify and segment the specific stages of decision making online and how to in turn, respond in ways that steer interest in your favor. The results of these interactions also lend to the importance of adaptation. As we learn more about the challenges, considerations, and sentiment of our potential stakeholders, we can introduce those insights into future designs, processes, and communication. If we are not part of the decision making process, we are then absent from the decision. Opportunity Clicks To help make the case, Outsell recently published its “Annual Advertising and Marketing Study” and in the report, Outsell states that B2B advertising and marketing spending will increase by only .8% to $129 billion. Interactive spending, on the other hand, will escalate by 9.2% to $51.5 billion this year. As Social Media becomes pervasive in workflow and influence, Outsell’s study shows that spending is following the trend. To that end, B2B marketers will increase spending in social networks by 43.3%. While it’s not necessarily as alluring as social, company websites are only receiving a boost of 7.5%. When we study engagement in interactive media, we find that we captivate attention in a very dynamic environment, but we lose them with each click that we either intentionally or unintentionally introduce to lead their experience post engagement. Many times, the click path is aimed right at the company site, and if we were to analyze the design and effectiveness of B2B websites today, we might just find that a large number are stuck in time, representative of an era more aligned with Web 1.0 than Web 2.0.  Opportunity clicks, and without defining a rich and rewarding click path as well as an enriching experience, which most likely requires the renovation of the corporate website, all online activity associated with increased social spending, will bear the brunt of defining and capitalizing on attention, within social networks, the moment it’s captured. As part of the study, Outsell surfaced preferences for business engagement and activity in social networks. When asked to rate the effectiveness of particular networks, more than one-half of respondents claimed that Facebook was either “extremely” or “somewhat” effective. LinkedIn ranked second with 45% surprisingly (and not so surprisingly) ahead of Twitter at 35%, which of course, ranked higher than MySpace at 25%. As eMarketer noted, when HubSpot ran its B2B North America survey, it found that businesses ranked LinkedIn on top at 45% ahead of Facebook at 33% as most effective in lead generation. B2B, or any business or organization, must evaluate and implement interactive strategies in order to earn relevance and hopefully resonance in order to compete for the present and the future. Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook — Please consider reading my new book, Engage! — Get Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and The Conversation Prism: — Image Credit: Shutterstock
• 7 Scientific Ways to Promote Sharing on Facebook 10 May, 2010, 4:27 am
  Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Kelly Johnson modernized that philosophy with an alternate twist, KISS, Keep it Simple, Stupid a.k.a. Keep it Short and Simple. In a social economy where attention is a precious commodity, the ability to strip a social object down to its essence to capture attention has less to do with compacting character counts and more to do with the art and science of packaging and presenting content so that it is immediately compelling, simple to grasp and appreciate and in turn, share across social graphs. For participants in the socialization of media, an ever-thinning attention span is forcing the rapid evolution of our ability to multitask – albeit at shallow depths.  Cognition is thereby stimulated by relevance, simplicity, and in social networks, the objects and content screened and shared by peers. In Twitter, we learned that there is indeed an art to ReTweets and to increase the likelihood for tweets to spread, the words and times we choose dictate their lifespan and ultimately, fate. To examine social objects and how they affect sharing in Facebook, I once again reached out to my friend and social scientist, Dan Zarrella. Zarrella studied Facebook data for quite some time and observed that simplicity, among other interesting linguistic and timed attributes, is the key to triggering word of mouth. Readability’s Effects on Sharing in Facebook With a view from the top, we can see that Facebook sharing is enhanced by simple language and thus modernizes the old adage KISS to now represent Keep it Simple and “Shareable.” In his research, Zarrella examined article titles and matched the propensity for sharing with reading grade levels. The results were revealing to say the least. Essentially, the higher the share rates, the lower the reading grade level, with notable spikes resonating at fifth and ninth grades. Numerical Value For those looking to capitalize on propagating your content in Facebook, although the same could be true in other online mediums, consider the addition of digits to your titles. Yes, there’s a reason why we as content consumers, are duped into reading and distributing social objects with numerical digits in the headline. For example, the title of this article is intentional “7 Scientific Ways to Promote Sharing on Facebook.“  Social science now shows that there’s a reason why articles with similar titles consistently perform well. In Facebook, titles with digits (1-9) outperform text only titles. As much as I’d like to see more originality in and creativity in the school of compelling headline writing, the numbers add up to make a strong case for considering alternatives. Carpe Diem Similar to Twitter, there are days and times where we as content consumers transform into curators by sharing relevant content objects. Whereas on Twitter, RT’s occur most often on Monday and Friday, Facebook users seem most likely to share on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s important to note here that while sharing is notably higher on the weekend, the volume of URLs introduced into Facebook are higher during weekdays, most notably Wednesdays and Fridays.  However, as Zarrella observed, stories published on the weekends tended to be shared on Facebook on average, more than those published during the week. This could be due in part to the fact that more than half of businesses in the U.S. block Facebook and other social networks in the workplace. But then again, if this were true, the science of retweets would also prove otherwise. Personally, I’ve experimented with this over the last couple of years. Indeed, content introduced on Twitter, tends to spark greater reactions during the week, with Monday and Wednesday and Friday in particular. However, when I withhold the same object and introduce it to my social graph in Facebook on Saturday morning, responses are far more notable. What Are Words For, When No One Listens Anymore The act of sharing implies so much more than curation. When we “Like” or share content in Facebook, we are essentially endorsing it and as such, recommending it to friends and followers to act and react. The words we intentionally or unintentionally surround the objects we share result in either relevance or irrelevance. While current events play a role defining the most shareable content, truly, experiential words such as “why,” “most,” “world,” and “how” trigger the greatest volume of shares in aggregate. However, when viewing the activity of words in isolation of sharing events, “you” and “video” prove extremely noteworthy. When words aren’t working for you, they’re working against you. As documented, certain words serve as inhibitors to sharing, closing the attention aperture before content has an opportunity to breathe. According to Zarrella’s research, the least shareable words include expressions I would not have otherwise guessed, including “review,” “poll,” and “social.” Among the least shareable words however, the following terms are introduced with greater frequency, however do not engender the desired outcome, “time,” “Twitter,” and “live.” Action Speaks Louder Than Words Part-of-speech also lends to the shareability of social object. Much like Tweets or any other update in the “statusphere,” brevity serves as a framework for what we introduce into the stream. Seems that we have proof that actions speak louder than words, or at the very least, verbs as action words appear to motivate sharing with important nouns following in second. As to be expected, there are a greater number of nouns introduced into updates, however, it is verbs that imply action and therefore the right verbs compel us to share. Adjectives and adverbs appear to be among the least shared parts-of-speech in Facebook as our attention spans are trained to look beyond promotion or hyperbole. The Glass is Half Full The effect of linguistic content and the tone of updates and objects introduced in Facebook say everything about you. At the same time, determine whether someone reads, ignores, and more importantly, shares what they encounter. Negative updates are among the least shared objects with positive sentiment and words sitting on the opposite end, prove to be among the most shared. It’s interesting to note that a greater number of negative updates are introduced into NewsFeeds than those that are positive. I suppose it’s to be expected, but sex is at the very top of the list and also among the least often introduced into social feeds. I’m also pleasantly surprised and encouraged to see learning, media, work and constructive in the company of shareable linguistic performers. There are times where the content we introduce into the activity feeds of those in our social graph is intended to inspire sharing across the graphs of friends and friends of friends. Consider the science and then craft the update to employ it to your benefit – and hopefully the benefit of others. Antione de Saint Exupéry observed, “Perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook — Please consider reading my new book, Engage! — Get Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and The Conversation Prism: — Image Credit: Shutterstock
• Report: Top 20 Brands on Twitter – April 2010 17 May, 2010, 4:10 am
  Twitter is a stream of incredible collective consciousness. Every day, people all over the world share their experiences through a truly personal lens, providing insight into the real-world experiences and observations that inspire conversations, define communities, and move markets – all in real time. Perhaps one of the most profound and largely untapped treasures in all of Social Media, Twitter indeed represents one of the world’s richest conversation mines. The openness of Twitter holds the information necessary to learn, adapt, earn relevance and ultimately establish significance in our respective markets. We have to listen in order to mature… Brands are consistently among the most discussed subjects on Twitter and as such, studying the activity transpiring on Twitter gives us insight into size, scope, and scale. Once again, I partnered with PeopleBrowsr, the data mining, analytics, and brand engagement company, to mine and analyze the conversations defining the most discussed brands on Twitter. Our goal was to gain a comprehensive view of the conversational landscape for a period of one month, April 2010. And, in order to do so, we pulled running data from PeopleBrowsr’s new Analytic.ly service and also reviewed several lists to verify our top 20 brands for further analysis. Upon review, we then ranked their stature based on individual share of voice as well as examining consumer sentiment through a form of manual curation to capture a true reflection of sentiment. The Top Brands on Twitter: April 2010 We examined 20 of the most actively discussed brands on Twitter for the month of April, which equated to an astounding 24.3 million references. As you can see, only a handful of those companies dominated the overall conversation. At the top, and to be expected, Twitter commanded a 36% share of voice with 8.76 million mentions. Twitter of course, rolled out several new and much discussed services at its first annual Chirp conference, which only fueled activity. Following with 21% or 5.2 million appearances, YouTube was the second most discussed, or more accurately stated, shared brands on Twitter. Driven less by news and more by sharing the content within the network, YouTube nonetheless, enjoys a great volume of traffic as a result. Facebook followed in third position with 9% (2.25 million mentions), driven by the buzz associated with its new “Like” feature, privacy concerns, as well as all discussions leading up to, through, and following the f8 Facebook developer conference. With 1.5 million discussions, Apple earned a 6% slice of the conversation pie driven by the iPad and amplified by the news of what appeared to be the next generation iPhone 4. In fifth position, Google captured 5% of all dialog related to brands at just about 1.32 million. Propelled by discussions around Android, new search functionality, new products, and of course, existing services such as Chrome, Google Docs, Adwords, etc. Share of Voice Twitter = 36% YouTube = 21% Facebook = 9% Apple = 6% Google = 5% MySpace = 2% Amazon = 2% HP = 2% Yahoo = 2% Blackberry = 2% Disney = 1% Starbucks = 1% MTV = 1% eBay = 1% BBC = 1% Nokia = 1% Sony = 1% CNN = 1% Nike = 1% Microsoft = 1% Brand Sentiment: April 2010 Sentiment reflects the state of mind or emotion of an individual as captured by their tone and cemented through their words. As long observed in any review-based network, experience-drive commentary is extremely emotional. In fact, in Amazon alone, most reviews skew either between 5 stars (the top) or 1, simply because of the strong emotional tie either way. However, attitude, view, and intention are among the most difficult  to truly measure, no matter how sophisticated the software algorithm used to examine the dynamics of conversations.  When we review sentiment for these reports, we manually curate mentions to ensure that feeling is represented as planned. Click image to view detail… According to our analysis, most of the discussed brands in our Top 20 report, were in fact, revered. Ranking at the top with 98%, Twitter seemed to shed its epic #failwhale to earn a state of unrivaled prestige.  Drafting Twitter’s top position is Facebook, earning a 97% positive sentiment. And while it also earned a 97% positive sentiment ranking, YouTube followed closely for the third most positively discussed brand for April 2010 with MTV trailing closely for the fourth most coveted brand on the list. With 96%, BlackBerry performed well enough conversationally to garner the fifth spot. In order for winners to exist, we must also balance the equation with, well, those on the other end of the spectrum. In the case, the separation between positive and negative among the top 20 is extreme. As mentioned, Twitter earned a 98% positive sentiment analysis, but on the contrary, Microsoft earned 18% negative share with Apple and MySpace following closely with 17%. In Apple’s case, it was clear that the Twitter community didn’t support its strong arm tactics behind the iPhone 4 investigation. I’ve always believed that neutral conversations symbolized some of the greatest opportunities for steering indifferent or blasé updates towards positive territory. In April, HP ranked atop the conversations that sat in the middle with 80%. MySpace followed with 73%. Interestingly, Google drafted MySpace for a third place finish. And, with 59%, Apple chalked up a solid position of indifference good enough for the fourth spot. April 2010 Sentiment Breakdown Positive: 98% Neutral: 2% Negative: 0% Positive: 97% Neutral: 3% Negative: 0% Positive: 97% Neutral: 3% Negative: 0% Positive: 97% Neutral: 3% Negative: 0% Positive: 96% Neutral: 3% Negative: 1% Positive: 94% Neutral: 6% Negative: 0% Positive: 94% Neutral: 5% Negative: 1% Positive: 86% Neutral: 12% Negative: 2% Positive: 85% Neutral: 12% Negative: 3% Positive: 85% Neutral: 13% Negative: 3% Positive: 81% Neutral: 17% Negative: 2% Positive: 76% Neutral: 22% Negative: 3% Positive: 72% Neutral: 18% Negative: 9% Positive: 70% Neutral: 29% Negative: 10% Positive: 51% Neutral: 43% Negative: 6% Positive: 35% Neutral: 47% Negative: 18% Positive: 24% Neutral: 59% Negative: 17% Positive: 22% Neutral: 72% Negative: 6% Positive: 11% Neutral: 80% Negative: 10% Positive: 10% Neutral: 73% Negative: 17% “Top Brands” as reflected in this report is not necessarily indicative of how well brands are engaging and performing online today. Tracking share of voice, volume and sentiment is only the beginning. Measuring share of voice within relevant conversations sets the stage for something much more meaningful and profound. In addition to monitoring the activity of communities as well as identifying and connecting with influential voices within each network, will also factor into performance, affinity, and overall stature. For example, with Analytic.ly, businesses can analyze other brands that are often referenced by their dedicated Twitter audience. And, if you’re seeking influential spokespersons, PeopleBrowsr can also reveal the influential and celebrity voices who are already reaching those discussing your brand or competitors today. Previous Reports: SuperBowl Ads Sentiment 2010 The 2009 State of the Airline Industry on Twitter The Twitter Hollywood Report 2009 SXSW Sentiment 2009 vs. 2010 Please consider reading my new book, Engage! — Image Credit: Shutterstock (edited)
• I Tweet Therefore I Am 14 May, 2010, 4:11 am
  The fascination with Twitter has less to do with the number of users and everything to do with the ability to observe and study a notable online community of passionate short-form content creators and consumers. This is of course, not just any online community. Twitter is quickly becoming the lens into all that moves us as individuals and also as a global society. Twitter’s simplicity is part of its brilliance. The ability to interpret, analyze and in turn, predict behavior, currently sets it apart from most other social networks. Twitter has become a human seismograph,  measuring and broadcasting the pulse of not just the Web, but also world and local events. News no longer breaks, it Tweets. And if you’re plugged-in to the human seismograph, you are part of a movement, one that defines trends and distributes information before the rest of the reverberations are felt across the rest of the world. You become part of the new information system. In many ways, Twitter’s openness creates a new genre of digital anthropologists, sociologists and ethnographers.  Twitter users reveal the state of all things captivating attention and inspiring action, all in real-time. As new found social scientists, we learn everything. Most notably, we can pinpoint how Twitter, as well as Facebook, is transforming popular culture and the behavior that defines it. In every stone that shapes the Twitter monolith is a bit of each one of us. We, as individuals, bring to it the very essence and sustenance that brings Twitter to life. We are its denizens. We are its ambassadors. We are the keepers of the Twitter commonwealth. There is empowerment to Twitter that is unlike that of any other social network. Perhaps, that’s why it lends to a unique social egosystem, but similarly, there are stages of personal growth that unfold with every Tweet we publish, each response or RT we engender, and every follower we earn. I Tweet, therefore I am. For many who have yet to grasp Twitter’s promise, you’re not alone. Twitter, as a company, doesn’t necessarily make it easy to embrace nor fathom.  Yes, Twitter recognizes that the incentives for new users to join Twitter as well as the initial experiences or lack thereof are now indicative of its position in the technology bell curve of adoption. As it moves toward mainstream awareness and adoption, the motivators for willfully adapting one’s lifestyle is unique to this stage of change evaluation and is not at all similar to those early adopters who initially propelled Twitter into the statusphere. As detailed studies emerge that dissect Twitter’s migration from relevance to omnipresence, we gain the insight necessary to comprehend its effects on humanity. One such study recently captured and articulated that State of Twitter in the U.S.  Edison Research and Arbitron Internet recently surveyed 1,753 Americans age 12 and over to peel back the layers of fervor and hype to reveal the very people using Twitter and defining a new era of communication. Awareness According to Edison, Twitter’s awareness exploded from 5% in 2008 to 26% in 2009 to near ubiquity at 87% in 2010. Of course this is due in large part to our near rabid obsession with the service in mainstream media, businesses, even local shops and services, incessant advertising of Twitter through front-facing pleas, “follow us on Twitter!” If metrics provide a baseline for appreciating Twitter’s rapid journey to recognition, the study compared Twitter’s stature to one of the largest social networks in the world. Twitter is becoming a household brand, it just now has to work towards earning a position as a household service, something Facebook is currently reveling. At almost equal recognition levels, Twitter trails Facebook in actual usage by a staggering 34%. Twitter Usage Twitter recently hosted Chirp, its first conference where it revealed that it hosted over 105 million registered users. According to Arbitron and Edison, Twitter usage currently stands at an estimated 17 million Americans. Twitter Activity Secrets Revealed Twitter recently announced users were Tweeting upwards of 50 million times per day at an average rate of 600 Tweets per second. Previous studies have shown that a small percentage of the overall user base is responsible for the greater volume of total Tweets. In the new Arbitron and Edison report, we’re introduced to five specific segments of “Tweeters” (I’ll name them to make it easier for future reference): - Broadcasters (Several times per day) - Commentators (At least 1x per day) - Contributor (at least 1x per week) - Neutral (At least 1x per month) - Inactives (Less than 1x per month) Twitter Demographics While the following demographics reveal the segments of people using Twitter, as marketers, business professionals, and brand managers, pay closer attention to the “interest graphs” interwoven within the network. It’s how Twitter is basing its advertising architecture and its focus on psychographics over demographics is aligned with the dynamics of social media in general. In the “Age of Social Networks,” the average age of a Twitter user was revealed as 39. Now we learn that 38% of Twitter users are age 35 and older with the greatest concentration of users falling between 25 to 34. And, as we already know, in Twitter, Social Media, and now mobile social networking, women rule. Examining the composition of ethnicity in Twitter brings to life the richness of diversity, but also its assemblage of core groups, mainly White, African American and Hispanic. Twitter Users are $chooled Education and income levels naturally factor into the focus and segmentation of how businesses connect with distinct markets. For some, the desire to reach educated individuals with greater levels of discretionary income is paramount. It seems that Twitter is a network that caters to the well-educated as well as those with higher household incomes. Twitter is a Mobile Experience One in four users actively access Facebook from mobile devices. That equates to roughly 100 million users, which is for the time being, far greater than the total number of all Twitter inhabitants. Perhaps it’s part of the engineered simplicity. Whereas 25% of Facebook users are mobile, almost two-thirds of Twitter users are comfortable accessing the service via their mobile phone – thanks in large part to the brilliant array of third-party applications available by popular developers. Twitter is an Exchange for Products and Services For companies seeking to engage prospects, customers, and influencers in Social Media, Twitter is a goldmine. 42% stated they wish to learn about products and services and 41% already provide opinions about them.  Many updates in Twitter related to products/services are indeed questions about experiences. 31% of those polled admit to asking for user opinions. Here’s where businesses also need to pay attention. 28% of users polled are seeking discounts and offers. 21% claim to purchase products and at the moment, 19% are taking to Twitter to seek support. If You Tweet Away, I Will Follow… For businesses looking to engage in the conversation, Twitter is proving to be a means to connect the dots. For those brands that can effectively listen, respond, and also spark clicks to action, they will weave a rich network of invaluable touchpoints for customer acquisition and retention. According to the survey, Twitters users are more than likely to follow brands in companies at profound levels when compared to other social networks. In Twitter, 51% responded yes whereas 84% responded no when compared to all social network users. And So It Continues… To leave you with one last point intended to convey the preponderance of social networks. The adoption of social networks is soaring across every demographic at a minimum of 10% with some as high as over 20% between 2009 and 2010 alone. Don’t expect that steep incline to taper any time soon. Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook — Please consider reading my new book, Engage! — Get Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and The Conversation Prism: — Image Credit: Shutterstock
• Facebook Around the World 21 May, 2010, 3:52 am
  In March 2010, Facebook emerged as the top search term at Google, Bing, and Yahoo according to Experian Hitwise. Bing reported that 2.6% of all searches were dedicated to Facebook with Google at 1.17%. To say that Facebook is capturing the minds and search boxes of people in the U.S. and around the world would be a gross understatement. Facebook wasn’t only the top search term in America, again, according to Experian Hitwise, it was also the most visited website for a week in the days ending 2009 and beginning 2010. With an increase of 185% in the last year, Facebook accomplished something truly remarkable, if for only but a moment, it beat Google Search as the top destination online. It should also not go unsaid, that combined, Facebook and Google accounted for 14% of all US Internet visits during the week of March 8th, 2010. However, as a denizen of a global online society, it would be prudent to examine how Facebook performs as a province in the worldwide Web. In the State of Social Media Around the World published earlier this year, we learned that Facebook emerged as the dominant social network in 100 out of 127 countries measured. Italian new media observer Vincenzo Cosenza created the following graphic to offer a visual representation of Facebook’s rise to global prominence. Facebook’s stature around the world is indeed remarkable. It is the first truly social media property to garner this prestigious status. Understanding its performance online as a destination rather than as a social network however, offers clearer perspective. With Facebook traffic soaring in the U.S., Pingdom recently analyzed how Facebook performs against other sites around the world using data from Alexa. Of the top 20 countries sorted by the number of Internet users, Facebook.com earned the top spot in the Philippines and Indonesia, which equates to roughly 5%. Google, in its various flavors, surfaced on top in 14 countries, equaling 70%. Facebook’s meteoric rise as a social network with over 400 million users has also proven to become a force in the Web overall. In the United States, Facebook is the number 2 site of course. Around the world, Facebook is also gaining ground within the UK (currently #2), Germany (#3), France, (#2), Italy (#2), Spain (#2) and Canada (#2). It’s worthy to note, in China, Facebook is absent from the top 500. With over 300 million users, QQ sits in the top spot as the prime social/mobile network and Baidu ranks number one as the top destination in the country. Facebook is far from reaching its potential and as its new “Like” architecture hits the WWW with over 50,000 publishers already in place, its 400 million strong army of social curators will only increase its relevance around the world. Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook — Please consider reading my new book, Engage!, I think you might like it… — Get Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and The Conversation Prism: — Image Credit: Shutterstock
• How Can I Help You Engage? 20 May, 2010, 7:30 am
  One of the most difficult tasks that I face when discussing Engage is the dance I perform between author and promoter. The balance is never clear, but intention is what I hope speaks volumes. Engage is a handbook for anyone working in new media. For executives, it will help you lead transformation. For champions, it provides you with the insight to win support. For business owners, it empowers you to compete for attention and customers and expand your footprint. The list goes on… I believe in this book so much, that I put together a program to help organizations change through learning and collaboration. If you or your team seek direction or ideas to engage or improve engagement, perhaps I can help you in other ways beyond the value contained within the book… For details, please visit this page. If you have any creative suggestions, please let me know! #EngageorDie! Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook
• Social Media in Small Business is Anything But Small 24 May, 2010, 4:08 am
  In celebration of National Small Business Week… For entrepreneurs, business owners, investors, and consultants, one of the most exciting prospects of social media, lies in the ability to dramatically amplify your visibility and value proposition among existing and potential stakeholders. Social Media finally places small, local and emerging businesses in the spotlight in ways that up until this point, were largely unattainable. New Media is rapidly shifting the landscape of how people find and share information and much of it isn’t just moving online, it’s connecting people in ways that weave a dedicated network of prospects and advocates within networks that invite your value-added participation. As a result, once scattered customer-bases are now unifying online as concentrated contextual markets, enabling the establishment of bridges and highways between businesses and prospects and ultimately creating new opportunities in the process. Small Business is Anything But Small When combined, small business and social media marketing is anything but small. As eMarketer recently noted, small business is doubling adoption of social networks and there’s very good reason for that. Need proof? The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business along with Network Solutions recently published its third wave of the Small Business Success Index (SBSI), a study that reveals the extent to which small businesses are embracing social media. The results are staggering and serve as a harbinger of new business dynamics. Social media adoption among U.S. small businesses doubled in the past year from 12% to 24%. And that’s just the beginning. 61% of small business owners use social media to identify and attract new customers. 75% surveyed have a company page on a social networking site. 45% expect social media to be profitable in the next 12 months. As part of the study, 500 small business owners shared their experience and expectations of social media. As we can see, creating a presence in social networks ranks at the top of the list, but that’s only the surface. We reveal more insight with each layer we peel back. Of those, 69% are posting updates within their network of choice, with just over half of all business owners focusing on the development of dedicated online communities and also listening to customer feedback. - 75% reported having a company page on a social network, including LinkedIn or Facebook - 69% actively post updates on social networks - 57% are proactively building networks within sites such as LinkedIn or Facebook -54% monitor customer feedback within social networks - 39% host a blog to demonstrate expertise - 26% Tweet about areas of expertise - 16% use Twitter as a customer service channel Source: Mashable Social Media serves as a platform to identify, learn, and connect with customers and prospects along with those who influence their decisions. As in anything, you get out of it what you put into it. The study also examined how small business owners rated the performance of social media tactics against expectations. At the top of the list, 73% of business owners anticipated that social networks would improve the ability to identify and attract new customers with 61% realizing success today. Of course, visibility is instrumental in earning a position within any cycle of evaluation and decision making and as such, 56% expected to increase awareness within target markets with 52% stating that their objective was met. Engagement is the key to everything and thus, I was surprised to see the numbers for both expectation and accomplishments at only 46% for customer engagement within social networks. Identify and attract new customers Expectations: 73% Accomplishments: 61% Develop a higher awareness of your organization within your target market Expectations: 56% Accomplishments: 52% Stay engaged with current customers Expectations: 46% Accomplishments: 46% Collaborate more effective externally, such as with suppliers, partners, and colleagues Expectations: 34% Accomplishments: 35% Collaborate more effectively internally Expectations: 26% Accomplishments: 21% Other Expectations: 12% Accomplishments: 9% Monetization of social media is of course, at the top of the list for all business owners. They want to know that their efforts will pay off, sometimes trumping patience and strategy. Nearly 1/2 believe that social media will make money within the next 12 months and another 53% suggest that their investment in social is already breaking even.  Surprisingly, only 9% stated that social will lose money, but 22% reported that their engagement within social networks is already paying off. Overall, 58% believe that social media has met their expectations. And, herein lies the true opportunity. As we all think about what we know in terms of social networks, we realize that possibilities and success are practically infinite and that learning and experience are practically equalized for everyone. Those who experiment and practice become the veterans in a new medium abundant with students and starved of teachers. That’s why this is such an incredible time. This is your time to engage and become the expert you seek. By answering our own questions, we can participate in social networks in ways that boost visibility, attract customers, and empower a team of advocates to create new business opportunities, improved customer service, and also a more valuable service offering as tuned by our stakeholders. Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook — Please consider reading my new book, Engage! — Get Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and The Conversation Prism: — Image Credit: Shutterstock
• We Are The Champions 27 May, 2010, 3:56 am
  An important reminder that you are on the right path… Social Media marketing is not new nor is it widely established or even understood. However in 2010, it will completely transform the way businesses attract customers and the way consumers find the businesses and services that matter to them. And like that, an overnight landmark, which really is over a decade in the making, will challenge business owners, more so than today, as they now compete for the future, right now. Social Networks are no longer the playgrounds we once perceived. The simple truth is this: social networking is not just for kids or people with too much free time on their hands. Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Foursquare, and the like, are now pervasive, becoming an extension of who we are, and forming valuable social hubs that connect people who share interests and tastes. As a result, the activity within each network is influencing the decisions and referrals consumers ultimately make, usually without the benefit of our participation. The are over 500 million registered accounts on Facebook, over 100 million on Twitter, even the up-and-coming location-based network Foursquare boasts over 1 million users. And, for the record, the average age of a person using Facebook is 38 and those using Twitter hover around 39. Even MySpace boasts a median age of 31. What does that mean for you? The socialization of media and the democratization of influence is changing everything, from how consumers find places, products, and services, how and where they share their experiences, and eventually, where they will spend their time and money. Without an understanding of, or participation in, social networks, we are absent from shaping or contributing to the decision making process of those who define the health and success of our business. Yes, right now, decisions are made with or without us. We can no longer ignore or minimize the changes unfolding before us. Everything begins without fully knowing what to do, why it’s important and whether or not we’re doing everything the right way. But it is in the process of engagement that we learn and mature. While Social Media cheat-sheets and short cuts are available almost everywhere you look, the truth is that we have some work ahead of us. In short, you get out of it, what you invest. Engage or die! Please consider reading, Engage!: It might just change the way you think about Social Media — Get Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and The Conversation Prism: — Image Credit: Shutterstock