Social Media Reality Check

Is the public embracing Social Media?

I believe people are beginning to accept social technologies as just a part of life now.  You can see the names of services being used as verbs in day-to-day chatter.  “I’ll facebook that to you” or “Let me twitter a message to you later”.

They are doing this in the home and also in business.  Social Technologies are now all the buzz and judging by the number of “social media experts” I am meeting these days, there are a few trying to profit from the hype.

There is a tonne of hype around social media in today’s busy world.  Business now must act.  Simple awareness is important, especially as social technologies start to play a vital role in business to business interaction.  Interaction is happening in both the public forums and also on private social technology sites like Partnerpedia or Govloop.

Social technologies are playing an important influence role in the public out but still some folks are having a difficult seeing the value and even understanding how they fit in.

Is the IT community ready for Social Media?

My good friend and trusted colleague Liam Lahey at Partnerpedia interviewed me (actually Twitterviewed me) last Friday.  The topics were about Ulistic and what we are doing and how we are helping IT service providers and small businesses in Canada with online services such as social media, helping my peers understand how they can get increased traffic to their website and play that important “in the know” that is in demand out there.  You can view the transcript from our Twitterview at  Social Media, Search Engine Optimization and the Technology Community Twitterview.

There are all kinds of reports and like I mentioned earlier “so-called social media experts” that claim to believe they know everything about social media in today’s society.  How can we be experts, we don’t even understand the total impact yet?  Many small businesses in Canada are very concerned about the overall role social media is beginning to play in the marketplace but they continue to struggle getting their head around the total impact social technologies will play.

Speaking from experience and my feedback from the Edmonton Social Media conference two weeks ago in Edmonton, there is still uncertainty and doubt on the overall importance of Social Media.

Are social media technologies something your business should use daily?
How do you leverage social media today?
How do you attract great and loyal followers?
Does it really matter?

A couple of months back I came across a report dating back to April 2009.  The report commissioned by CNW Group and Leger Marketing.  Entitled “Social Media Reality Check” it is a great cornerstone for what is happening out there.  After going through this detailed report I began to wonder about how critical and important social media is and how we can help clients at Ulistic?  The CNW/Leger report gets me thinking just a little deeper about even how I use online services to share knowledge, crowdsourcing, get facts and even share thoughts with those around me.

Here is one fact I totally understand.  Nothing will ever beat direct human to human contact, not the best website, not the best customer relationship management software, not the best PSA, not the best “whatever’.  I have a blend of online activities and face-to-face interaction as part of my social arsenal.

Let me repeat this – nothing will beat direct human to human interaction.

Where does social media fit in?

According to the Leger/CNW report (they surveyed 1500 people), the following is what they found:

• 49% use social media at least once per day, that is almost 750/1500 people are using some sort of social media.  Is this Facebook?  Are they reading blogs?  Following Twitter?
• 31% of consumers agree that social media is more credible than advertising.  I would assume this is your Foursquare and Yelp type of services.
• 61% are researching products.  WOW! Researching stuff you sell
• 36% depend on social media to make purchasing decisions
• 40% are “talking” to or learning from specific organizations
• 25% have a better feeling about a company who engage in social media

How many people is your business “NOT REACHING” each day?

Here is another alarming stat.  Are you ready?  Only 4% believe what you write on your website.  57% find your stuff somewhat believable.  That is not a bad stat.  However if 57% find you somewhat believable doesn’t that make your somewhat unbelievable as well?

24% of the corporations in Canada discourage open dialogue or open discussions online about their company.  This is a very alarming stat.  1 in 4 Canadian firms have the muzzle on their employees.  Where do you think they will fill this void?  Of course at home!  50% encourage open online discussion while another 25% just have no clue if they are even permitted to use Social Media services or not.

Here is another alarming fact.  When speaking with IT service providers to the small business space their recommendation to small business owners is to BLOCK social media services.  Talk about not understanding how important these new online services are as a business and interaction tool.

What does all this mean?

Social Media and online technologies will continue to play a very critical role in today’s marketplace, it is of high importance that your business start to review how you can leverage social media and what will fit into your plans.  It does start at a very basic level, with people simply getting to know you and then building up trust with you and your business.  I don’t know about you but I would like to take part with the 61% who are hitting those doing online research.