What the hell is social media?

By , Friday, 20 November 2009, 9:26 am 6 Comments

Last week Jeremy King and I discussed the untapped potential of social media at The Guide Live Winter 2009 seminar social media playtime is over it’s time to get serious.During this seminar we showed a video created especially for The Guide Live.

Lasting just under 4 ½ minutes the video has been designed to be the ideal introduction to social media and pulls together some of the latest social media statistics presented in a compelling, clear and engaging way.

The video will be updated every few months with the latest statistics so that it remains as up to date as possible. All updates will be posted on eventmagazine.co.uk and on this dedicated YouTube channel

The script used for this video is listed in full below. If you would like a Word version of this script and a downloadable copy of the video please feel free to contact me.
WHAT THE HELL IS SOCIAL MEDIA?

Social media is “an umbrella term that de?nes the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos, and audio.”

More simply it just describes the millions of conversations people are having with each other across the world 24/7

Why the HELL should I care? Here are 10 really, really good reasons why…

REASON #1
Because social media is now the number one online activity beating porn and personal email to the top spot.
(Nielsen Wire)

REASON #2
Because 2/3 of the global internet population visit social networks.
(Nielsen, Global Faces & Networked Places)

REASON #3
Because time spent on social networks is growing at 3x the overall internet rate, accounting for 10% of all internet time.
(Nielsen, Global Faces & Networked Places)

REASON #4
Because online including social media has become the most influential source in helping consumer make purchasing decisions.
(Weber Shandwick Inline Research)

REASON #5
Because social media is like word of mouth on steroids.

REASON #6
Because social media is democratizing communications. Big time.

“Technology is shifting the power away from the editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite. Now it’s the people who are in control.”
 (Rupert Murdoch, Global Media Entrepreneur)

REASON #7
Because millions of people are creating content for the social web.
Your competitors are already there.
Your customers have been there for a long time.
If your business isn’t putting itself out there it ought to be.
(Business Week, February 19, 2009)

REASON #8
The next 3 billion consumers will access the internet from a mobile device.
(Google)

Already 80% of Twitter usage is on mobile devices.
People update anytime, anywhere.
Imagine what that means for bad customer experiences!
(Mashable.com)

REASON #9
In almost all cases social media is free. All it will cost you is time.

REASON #10
Because social media is hell of a force to be reckoned with.

Years to reach 50 million users:
Radio – 38 years
TV – 13 years
Internet – 4 years
iPod – 3 years
Facebook added 175 million users between in less than 11 months

The phenomenal growth of Facebook:
January 2009: 150 million users
April 2009: 200 million users
July 2009: 250 million users
September 2009: 300 million users
Friday, November 6th, 2009: 325 million users
That’s half a million users every single day
(Mashable.com)

If Facebook were a country it would be bigger than the USA
and the 3rd largest in the World

1. China
2. India
3. Facebook
4. United States
5. Indonesia
6. Brazil
 7. Pakistan
8. Bangladesh
9. Russia
10. Nigeria

13 hours: the amount of video uploaded to YouTube every minute.

412.3 years: the length of time it would take to view every YouTube video.

1 billion: the number of YouTube videos viewed per day.

3.06 billion: The number of photos archived on Flickr.com as of June 2009.
That’s roughly 1 photo per every 2 people on the planet.

1382%: The year on year growth rate of Twitter users from February 2008 to February 2009.

3,000,000: the average number of Tweets sent per day on twitter.com

5.4 billion: The number of twitter messages sent since launch.

5 billion: The number of minutes spent on Facebook each day.

1 billion: The amount of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) shared each week on Facebook.

Social media is not another channel for broadcasting bullsh*t.

You see, it’s supposed to be a dialogue, not a monologue.

One way marketing has had its day!

Stop thinking “campaigns”. Start thinking “conversations”. Listening first, selling second

Unfortunately, most companies are still treating social media like just another marketing channel
when in fact, it’s so much more…

1: public relations
2: customer service
3: loyalty-building
4: collaboration
5: networking
6: thought-leadership And yes, customer acquisition, too.

If your product sucks, social media won’t fix it.
However, if your customer service sucks, social media can help.
If your repeat business sucks, social media can help.
If your company’s word of mouth sucks, social media can help.

Social media playtime is over – its time to get serious!

Never forget the basic rules…
Rule #1: listen – Google alerts and Tweetdeck (for starters)
Rule #2: engage
Rule #3: measure – audience, engagement , loyalty, in?uence (metrics should map to goals)

Now go out there and get social! Because this is only the beginning.


This video was inspired by the genius work of…

Marta Kagan author of WHAT THE F**K IS SOCIAL MEDIA
Managing Director of Espresso based in Boston
Read Martas excellent blog
Follow Marta on Twitter

Erik Qualman author of SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTION
Read Eriks blog
Buy Eriks brilliant book: Socialnomics
Follow Erik on Twitter

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  • http://lordjasonscott.wordpress.com Lord Jason Scott

    Another Cracking informative blog! Should I ever spawn little lord’s they will be coming to Uncle Kerwood to learn all about the exciting world of social media ;-)

  • Sam Moore

    I completely agree with the sentiment here, but how do you google a product or service which you have never seen, heard of or in every other respect are completely unaware of its existence.
    Would WOM alone work to transmit something innovative to your attention? Or is there still a need for a showcase event for innovations, and of course endure yesterdays innovations ad nauseum.

  • James Samuel

    A really interesting discussion, particularly with regards to ensuring that an exhibition space is an extension of the brand it represents.

    Despite the rise of the digital age, face to face networking remains a crucial part of the marketing mix and we receive feedback each year which suggests it’s not going anywhere. However, that’s not to say we shouldn’t be demanding more of these face to face experiences. Seeing products in person, touching and feeling them, asking questions of the experts and meeting the team you could be dealing with is an essential part of the buying process and one which we’re sure makes it a lot more informative and enjoyable.

    In recent years, a myth seems to have emerged surrounding exhibition stands and the need for them to cost a fortune in order to be an effective brand extension. This simply isn’t the case as a few simple factors can be addressed for a successful event, predominantly the provision of knowledgeable and engaging staff.

    The team are what make an exhibition work; they must be proactive in approaching people who walk past, not standing with their arms crossed or sitting checking their emails at the back of the stand; they should be senior, knowledgeable about the company they are representing and grabbing the opportunity to take people on a virtual brand experience journey. An inventive stand design can also help with this – you’re quite right a bowl of boiled sweets and one pop up banner just won’t cut it. Visitors appreciate effort and creativity so we encourage exhibitors to think outside of the box as much as possible.

    Perhaps consider using pictures from one side of the stand to the other to aid with the journey, not having chairs at the forefront which encourage people to sit down and with simple branding which makes it clear from the onset what prospects can expect. Look to brand experiences that are happening across the country week in week out – this industry is thriving so there’s absolutely no reason to conform to the tired and out dated exhibition format with the space you invest in.

    With regards the age old question about ROI measurement of exhibitions, the same can be asked of social media. Number of leads to number of followers? Number of those that subsequently use the service after an interaction? These activities should work in tandem with a broader marketing strategy rather than being pulled out as an individual focus.

    In answer to your final question, perhaps you don’t need to attend an exhibition to meet people but it’s a great way to do it. Our shows, and most others in the live events space, compliment the exhibition experience with networking functions and educational opportunities. As I said previously, social networking is fantastic and we’re embracing it, but you just can’t replicate face to face.

  • James Samuel

    A really interesting discussion, particularly with regards to ensuring that an exhibition space is an extension of the brand it represents.

    Despite the rise of the digital age, face to face networking remains a crucial part of the marketing mix and we receive feedback each year which suggests it’s not going anywhere. However, that’s not to say we shouldn’t be demanding more of these face to face experiences. Seeing products in person, touching and feeling them, asking questions of the experts and meeting the team you could be dealing with is an essential part of the buying process and one which we’re sure makes it a lot more informative and enjoyable.

    In recent years, a myth seems to have emerged surrounding exhibition stands and the need for them to cost a fortune in order to be an effective brand extension. This simply isn’t the case as a few simple factors can be addressed for a successful event, predominantly the provision of knowledgeable and engaging staff.

    The team are what make an exhibition work; they must be proactive in approaching people who walk past, not standing with their arms crossed or sitting checking their emails at the back of the stand; they should be senior, knowledgeable about the company they are representing and grabbing the opportunity to take people on a virtual brand experience journey. An inventive stand design can also help with this – you’re quite right a bowl of boiled sweets and one pop up banner just won’t cut it. Visitors appreciate effort and creativity so we encourage exhibitors to think outside of the box as much as possible.

    Perhaps consider using pictures from one side of the stand to the other to aid with the journey, not having chairs at the forefront which encourage people to sit down and with simple branding which makes it clear from the onset what prospects can expect. Look to brand experiences that are happening across the country week in week out – this industry is thriving so there’s absolutely no reason to conform to the tired and out dated exhibition format with the space you invest in.

    With regards the age old question about ROI measurement of exhibitions, the same can be asked of social media. Number of leads to number of followers? Number of those that subsequently use the service after an interaction? These activities should work in tandem with a broader marketing strategy rather than being pulled out as an individual focus.

    In answer to your final question, perhaps you don’t need to attend an exhibition to meet people but it’s a great way to do it. Our shows, and most others in the live events space, compliment the exhibition experience with networking functions and educational opportunities. As I said previously, social networking is fantastic and we’re embracing it, but you just can’t replicate face to face.

  • Pete Allen

    The world is in a massive state of change, it is adapting to fast developing and changing social, products and consumer values, and the exhibition market is no different , it is adapting and evolving to meet the demands placed upon it.

    The view you present, where a client wanders aimlessly around a hall looking at shell schemes, is not only an insult to our industry but to exhibitors themselves. Time is one of the 21st century’s most valuable commodities, so delegates arrive with pre booked, and pre planned agendas. They are well prepared and make the most of the opportunity that any show presents to them. It is worth remembering that many of the greatest innovations in business are developed and showcased on this stage.

    Exhibitions are still being launched, and are growing, where they have relevance and focus. Clients are not simply using the stands as sales tables, but as 3 dimensional brand environments that deliver at many levels. Perhaps it is the authors failure to engage with these opportunities that causes him to believe the exhibition platform to has no value. Where else can a business owner meet all his current and future business partners. Where can they deliver a consistent message of product and brand face-to-face and to deliver the required project objectives whilst also remaining open to seize, and capitalise on, other unknown business opportunities that arise?

    Well-conceived, professionally delivered and measured exhibitions, and the stands within them, do deliver and will continue to deliver again and again in a way that social media currently can’t. However, to see them as exclusive to one another or dismiss either as ineffective or irrelevant misses the greatest opportunity of all. To simply sum up a highly diverse and technically varied industry, with a single view based on the most simplistic version of this medium is poor at best.

    The question shouldn’t be “Exhibition to be or not to be”, but growth and opportunity, “Bothered or not bothered”?

  • Ken Clayton

    I wish that we could afford to spend 10k on just the stand for a show. We can’t and that’s why so many smaller companies have shell schemes. As for offering a boiled sweet and a raffle for a weekend in Derby, I realise that Michael is being facetious but he’s taking the mick in a way that displays his opinion of smaller exhibitors.

    Why do people ‘have the time to wander around a hall…’? For a variety of reasons. Find out what’s new in their area of interest. Meet people they know but haven’t seen since the last exhibition. Meet new people who might be useful to them. Discover products and services that they didn’t even know existed, let alone know how to find with a search engine.

    We exhibit at a number of shows and yes, we do measure the return by tracking the progress of enquiries gathered at each event. So our sales team can say ‘This exhibition cost £X and we got £Y worth of business from it’. And yes, the cost includes travel, accommodation, expenses etc. And yes, if a show doesn’t deliver, we drop it.

    Michael might think the small companies aren’t worth bothering with but there’s no need for him to display his contempt for them in such a clear manner.