Engagement by Blog
Couldn’t stop reading this blog post which posted some great information: Blogs Outrank Social Networks to Consumer Influence. This blog prompted me to respond and I kept going and going. The Serious Business of Social has provoked me to study it intensely for the last 4 ½ years. There is so much to SOCIAL, I’m compelled to educate people so they can be successful with SOCIAL. Below is my response to the above blog.
Thank you for these Interesting findings. I agree and believe the facts and opinions in the blogs and the people writing them boost credibility and influence.
Consider the additional information in enhancement of business relevance.
Additionally, Twitter, a social network, is a micro blog and there are also video blogs. People have to first find the blogs (SEO) or be directed to the blog which can happen in a multitude of ways, including socially by something a peer had mentioned in conversation online or offline. People posting on social networks can be considered a blog. People trust peer recommendations in high percentages. Peer recommendations are determined by trust which creates influence. A great deal of the time many recommendations also come silently as many people listen over time, read without comments, develop an opinion, read without comments and take action when they are ready and without documentation of how they made the decision.
Messages are spread by networks – business community networks, social networks. “Social” is people and relationships. Also, because of social influence from social networks or other sources many people then go to the blogs. Apple is one of the most powerful communities and it is huge. The Community was created not because of the blogs but because of the passion of the product.
People trust a brand over time. People now are more representative of the brand and interact on social networks as they add to their personal brand.
Consider the below statistics:
93% of all business buyers believe all companies should be on #socialmedia platforms Hubspot
“Consumers purchase products and services they learn about through social sharing. These consumers are valuable social sharers themselves, thus creating a cycle of sharing and buying.” – Jeff Bullas
According to a recent study, “with one-third of consumers using social media for seeking or sharing medical information, 41 percent say tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and online forums influence their choice of a specific hospital, medical facility or doctor.” Further fact examples can be found on many industries.
A study done last summer found that “57 percent of consumers said a hospital’s social media connections would strongly affect their decision to receive treatment at that facility. “
82% percent of survey respondents stated more likely to trust a company whose CEO & leadership team engaged on social media.
“The Best Reps are not just present in Social Media, they position themselves as credible and influential sources in customer networks.” – Sales Executive Council
According to an article in Harvard Business Review “new research on why CEO’s would use Social Media, “ Social media will become on of the two most important forms of engagement with employees and customers, second only to face to face interactions.” from on 7/27/12
Social Media has become the #1 activity on the Web. Erik Qualman, Author of Socialnomics, Keynote Speaker
Social egement, rather than search engine trickery, yields top results. Must read article. http://www.fastcompany.com/3000283/seo-isnt-what-you-think-it
In essence, our world has had the biggest shift since the industrial revolution. The way we communicate has fundamentally changed. This has been a MOVEMENT. “Social marketing revitalizes and empowers every facet of our workflow and its supporting ecosystem. New Media is simply a matter of digital Darwinism that affects any and all forms of marketing and service. In the world of democratized influence, businesses must endure a perpetual survival of the fittest. Engage or die. Together we are building the foundation for corporate and personal significance.” Brian Solis What started out as social media has evolved into a Social Business Revolution.
Global communication is going on constantly, irregardless of everything else and it is going on in “real time” People are learning from each other through their connections, social platforms, Wikipedia, and all the other online digital channels and offline communications. “The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage. “ Arie de Geus. Consider this insight as a relevant application for business success.
“Thinking of social media as a separate effort will lead to failure and you’ll lose a year.” Author Michael Scissons, Fast Company
Mobile, big data and cloud enter significantly into our social business landscape as well. By 2012, the amount of mobile traffic generated by smart phones will be 8.5 the total amount of global traffic generated by all devices in 2012. Cisco
In conclusion, companies need to become educated on how to become or further their social business, align to create a strategy using social tools to create team and customer engagement, facilitate and communicate the integration of this process consistently throughout their entire organization and create empowered culture internally and externally, in order to compete effectively in the 21st century.
Thanks for the social share of the research which definitely highlights the power of online relevance and marketing. As with all findings, all of our statistics, quotes and the details of the collection and the interpretations are all variables that can affect interpretation. These findings prompt great discussion and for me, ignited my passion about the social movement of business. Thank you for engaging me. Appreciate all you do in SOCIAL!
Hope the readers found value in this article and post. What are your thoughts, tips on SOCIAL?
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