By Amy Slife

Social media novices and companies who have yet to enter the space might be the first to say the social sharing medium is a fad, but the growth numbers for many social media platforms should show anyone questioning the staying power of social media otherwise. According to a Nielsen survey of February 2010 social networking usage across 10 countries, the average time a person spends on social sites is five and a half hours per month. Of the countries surveyed, Italy landed in the top spot with just shy of 6 and a half hours per person and Japan fell at the bottom of the list with 2 hours and 37 minutes per person being spent on social networks. (The U.S. landed third with a hair over 6 hours per person.) You might think 5.5 hours a month spent on social networks doesn’t sound like much given the average 31 day month is 744 hours long, but the kicker is that globally we’re spending 2 hours more a month on social media than we did last year.

This blog post will dive into social media usage stats for four popular social networking platforms that show social media is here to stay. If you’ve been working to convince your C-suite that social media is a key element to have in your marketing mix, some of these numbers might assist you doing just that. Is there one social network that you tend to use more than others or you think has greater sticking power? Share with us in the comments below!

Facebook

With its 400 million users logging onto the site at least once a month, and with 50% of those users logging on every day, Facebook is squashing its social network competition. According to the same Nielsen survey mentioned above, Facebook is the social network destination worldwide. It accounts for almost 6 hours per user session across the globe and the average user logs on 19 times a month. According to a Facebook fact filled infographic, which you can see in its entirety here, 70% of Facebook users live outside the U.S. and it’s the second most trafficked website, behind Google. Facebook’s lead in the social media market and plethora of new features, elements and redesigns being added each year illustrate its stronghold in today’s environment and many brand marketing mixes around the world.

YouTube

YouTube turned 5 this month, and Sunday, via the official YouTube blog announced that the platform has surpassed two billion views per day. Now if my math is right, that’s over 83 million views per hour. That’s a lot of YouTube video watching going on around the planet. For an even more convincing YouTube stat, the two billion views per day, according to the post, is about double the audience for the three major TV networks in the U.S. during prime-time TV hours. Another interesting stat, as of a March 2010 article, states that 24 hours of video is uploaded every minute. Not only can the average Joe upload their own YouTube video, but it’s a place for companies and brands to house and share their own viral video content. Five years strong already, YouTube seems to be illustrating true social media sticking power.

Twitter

Our 140 character-only social media network experienced similar significant growth in its early days, much like foursquare’s recent growth (see below for more on foursquare!). According to a report on Twitter usage as detailed here, Twitter’s awareness level is now on par with that of Facebook, as such 87% of Americans are aware of Twitter, and only 5% were aware in 2008. While it’s safe to say the majority of Americans are aware of Twitter, only 7% of the population is using this social network. While this population usage rate seems nil in comparison to that of behemoth network Facebook, some specifics on who that 7% consists of might surprise you and encourage your brand to jump on board with Twitter. The study found that Twitter users are more likely to live in higher income households and are also more likely to be following brands on Twitter versus on other social media networks. This in itself might encourage your brand to jump on this network to spread the word, assist with customer service and offer promotions.

foursquare

Location-based social networking platforms, like foursquare, are the newest kids on the block, but I think it can be said that location-based social media is the way of the social media future. In last Tuesday’s blog post, 4 Reasons to Foursquare, I mentioned how other social networks like Twitter have added options for location-based tweets, and that Facebook is rumored to soon be launching their own version; location, location, location is the direction the social media world is moving. The company that seems to be doing it right so far, and growing at some pretty incredible rates, is foursquare. On Monday, foursquare tweeted that’s they’re averaging 600,000 check-ins per day, and earlier this month it was 40 million check-ins total, up from 22 million check-ins five weeks prior; that’s almost double digit growth in just over a month. In late April foursquare hit the 1 million registered user mark, growth that was encouraged by the 100,000 accounts that were created in the 10 days of SXSW. With other networks jumping on the location-based bandwagon, it’s safe to say the popularity of foursquare’s fun check-in based social networking platform has tapped into a new social market that’s going to continue to grow and spread throughout the social media world.

By Jenna Lebel

We frequently offer tips for growing your Facebook fan base, but recently we have also received many questions about how to utilize Twitter. It’s certainly not a simple task to gain loyal followers, and it depends largely on the content of your tweets. Here are some tips every one can use  to help you increase your followers. Do you have other tips for growing your audience? Share them with us!

Tweet Well

In a previous blog post I provided tips for creating better tweets and ultimately a better experience for your followers. Here are some highlights: keep your tweets shorter than 140 characters to maximize retweetability, add more value and be less promotional, be human and add a personality to your tweets,  and retweet others while adding something to it.

Tweet Regularly

It’s pretty simple. The more active you are on Twitter the easier it is for you to establish yourself and people to find you. If you only tweet a couple of times a week, where is the value in following you?

Use Hashtags

Hashtags not only allow you to index your tweets, but they also allow others to find you. Use hashtags when tweeting about something important to you or something you talk about frequently so that when people search for the topic, they find your tweets and can expect similar content from you in the future. If everyone agrees to append a certain hashtag to tweets about a topic, it becomes not only easier for users to find that topic in search, but it increases the chance of the topic appearing in Trending Topics.

Engage in Twitter Conversations

This not only includes responding to @replies and finding people tweeting about similar topics as you, but it also includes participating in Twitter chats like #FollowFriday, #MusicMonday and others.

Ask Your Followers to Retweet you

It may look desperate, but asking costs nothing and often gets positive results. Ask for a retweet (“Please RT”) and let your followers spread your word.

Follow Users Who Share Similar Tweets

Use Twitter’s search engine to find people talking about the topics that you talk about and follow and engage with them.

Promote Everywhere

Cross-promote by providing the link or adding your Twitter stream on other social sites. Add your Twitter handle to all current channels of communications (website, email signatures, business cards, etc.).

By Amy Slife

Last week, LinkedIn announced a new feature via their blog — the ability to follow companies. You could chock this up to one more social network jumping on the “Follower” band wagon alongside Facebook and Twitter, but in actuality the implications for job seekers and companies on LinkedIn is huge.

If you’ve been in the market for a new job at any point in time over the past couple of years, chances are you’re probably familiar with searching for jobs by way of social media. Twitter has facilitated the social network job search through tweeting companies like Talent Zoo, various users who aggregate and tweet job listings, plus designated hashtags and the ability to search for key words. It’s simple enough and typically generates a slew of job listings, but LinkedIn has taken the social network job search one step further through the follow company option.

How can company follow help you, the job seeker? With nearly a million company profiles on LinkedIn, from our very own theKbuzz to Pandora, Starbucks or GE, the follow company option allows users to follow a large array of companies. Followers receive notifications to keep track of ongoing developments like hiring and job opportunities or key business developments happening within the company. In fact, LinkedIn even lets you choose what you want to receive notifications about, whether that is new job opportunities, general company profile updates or when employees join the company, leave the company or are promoted within the company. With 65 million users on LinkedIn, this new feature seems to be a great tool for job seekers to keep track of that perfect position or opportunity within their favorite company.

How can this feature help your company? As the LinkedIn blog post on this matter suggests, the follow company option can provide insights for your company as well. For example, if you’re following your competitors, you have a front row seat to see if your brand rivals and local competitors are mass hiring or making company staffing changes. This can signal a wave of growth in your respective industry, or hint at an upcoming issue or crisis in the field.

Overall, the follow company feature is beneficial for both companies and for individual job seekers, and especially appropriate for a social network like LinkedIn which is aiming to garner the shareability of Twitter and Facebook. Do you plan to follow companies on LinkedIn and for what purpose will you use this new feature? Share your thoughts with us!

By Jenna Lebel

We constantly commend companies for their social media effort stating that they “get it.” But some companies (and people) just don’t get it. And part of the reason they don’t get it is because they don’t understand it. I’ve been in several meetings that have turned into a social media 101 because of the audience’s lack of education. Here I’ve compiled a list of FAQs about social media to help quickly educate the social media novice.

Do you have other questions you want answered? Or do you have better answers to the questions listed? Share them in the comments section below!

Who is social media for?

We believe strongly that it can be for everyone. With the variety of social media platforms available, there is something out there for everyone.

Where do I start?

Before starting anywhere, know what’s already out there. Search for mentions of your company, brand or products not only on Google, but also on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and all other social networks to see what people are saying about you. Next, reserve your brand name. Even if you aren’t yet ready to invest, it’s worthwhile to reserve the name of your brand/company/product on all social sites. When you are ready to invest time and resources, where do you start? With thousands of social networking sites and tools available to businesses and people, it’s daunting to jump in the game.  We’ve given you 5 places to start here, but really we think no matter where you start, you’ll see the benefits.

Why does my company need it? What is the benefit?

Your company needs it because your customers and prospects are already there, waiting to talk to you. You can either join the conversation, or let them talk about you and your competitors (the good, the bad and the ugly) without responding. Beyond that, it is low-cost marketing compared to traditional media vehicles such as TV, radio, print, etc. It can help all aspects of your company (detailed below). And above all, if done well, social media marketing is word of mouth, on steroids. Surely your business has grown thanks to referrals and positive word of mouth. Now imagine your happiest client sharing how much they loved working with you with 100 Facebook friends, Twitter followers or LinkedIn connections. If this doesn’t answer your question about the benefits of social media, this certainly will.

How can I use it?

There are a number of ways to use it, the most basic being to connect, engage and share a dialogue with your current and potential customers. As I said earlier, it can benefit all aspects of your company. You can leverage social media to gain insightful consumer feedback.  You can use it to create a foundation to mitigate crises. You can extend your customer service model to social media and use it to actively address service issues. You can use it as a sales tool. You can use it for recruitment. Basically, you can use it to serve any need that your business might have.

How do I build relationships with fans?

Engage. Provide value. Acknowledge. Reward. Be human!

How is it different from other messages I’m putting out on my website and elsewhere?

Unlike traditional marketing messages, social media allows for two-way communication. Essentially, you’re able to have a dialogue with your audience. Instead of talking at them, you can talk with them.

How do you measure it?

This is a great question, one that is often asked by people who do get it. It first depends on what you’re looking to measure. Each platform is different and there are a number of great tools to measure success on each. Facebook has its own built-in analytics, Facebook Insights, which measures user exposure, actions and behavior relating to your fan page. So if you’re looking to measure the activity level and overall performance of your page, Facebook Insights does this for you. There are a number of free and per cost tools to measure conversation, interaction and success across all social networks. If you’re looking to measure ROI or a direct link to sales, it can be done. This Mashable guide explains (better than I can) how to properly measure social media ROI.

By Jenna Lebel

Your customers are your brand’s biggest asset. Not because of the money they spend, but for the thoughts and feedback they can contribute. Several companies see value in identifying and leveraging input from their best customers to guide the direction of their company. Social media gives you instant access to these people and a platform to gain that insight. Some companies piggyback on common social networks, while others, with the help of great companies like Communispace, create their own networks.  We think regardless of the method you use to reach these people, there is a tremendous benefit in doing so. Here are 5 examples of companies building brand communities to yield constructive feedback from their consumers.

Do you think this is beneficial? Can you think of other great examples? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Starbucks

My Starbucks Idea is an open community for Starbucks’ biggest fans to share, vote and discuss their suggestions for the large coffee chain. As explained on the site, “You know better than anyone else what you want from Starbucks. So tell us. We’re here, and we’re ready to make ideas happen.” To date, they have had 88,175 ideas submitted by fans. They not only allow users to submit ideas, but they also allow users to review and vote on other ideas and see which ideas have been implemented. While they have thousands of ideas and have received high praise for listening to customers, not everyone believes they are actually willing to turn the ideas into action.

Dell

Dell was one of the first companies to really utilize the internet to get customer feedback and ideas on new products. Similar to Starbucks, their open community, ideastorm, gives consumers a chance to post ideas for Dell products or services, vote (or demote) ideas, comment on ideas and see the ideas come to life. Non-users can visit the site to simply view all ideas and sort by most popular and most recent.

Dunkin’ Donuts

The Dunkin’ Donuts Advisory Panel is an invite-only community where only the most loyal Dunkin’ Donuts customers participate in discussions and have 24 hour a day access to share their opinions. VIP members are among the first to see new advertising campaigns, learn about new products, and receive valuable rewards like Dunkin’ Donuts gift certificates for their feedback.

Rubbermaid

Rubbermaid collects customer feedback from their social sites to help them design and fix new products. They recently encouraged their fans and followers to post ratings and reviews of a specific sink mat product and to suggest ways in which they might be improved and better designed. The company then brought the feedback directly to the appropriate managers and redesigned the product.  The Atlanta-based company was so appreciative of the feedback, they reached out to consumers who had posted negative reviews and offered them the newly redesigned product.

Houlian’s

Less than a year ago, Houlihan’s restaurant and bar created an invite-only “brand community” called HQ to test their new tapas-style “small plates”. The community of 10,500 served, and continues to serve as, a virtual comment card. The company revamped their offerings based on the community’s feedback and the small plate menu now accounts for 26% of sales in the 10 markets where it has debuted. Some of Houlihan’s biggest fans, or “Houlifans” as they are called, have helped the once stodgy Irish pub rebrand itself as a modern suburban hotspot.

-Dave Kerpen

Recently Foursquare has been all the talk in social media / tech circles. The location-based social network debuted at the South by Southwest Interactive conference last year and has recently picked up a lot of steam. When Facebook integrates location-sharing soon, we believe Foursquare will explode!  I’ll admit, I was a doubter at first about Foursquare and location-based social networking at first (um, privacy concerns?) – but now, thekbuzz and I are totally sold. Hope you enjoy our tongue-in-cheek video for Watch me Wednesday, and please do share if it you like it. See you on Foursquare – I know what you’re doing.

By Jenna Lebel

Consumers’ trust in brands is on a downward slope. 77% of consumers report that they trust companies less this year than they did last year. With over half of social media users connecting with brands, there is a huge opportunity for brands to connect with consumers to regain that trust. But before they can do that, they need to understand what motivates people to become fans and follow these brands in the first place. Some people connect with brands on social networks because of the conversation taking place. Others may fan or follow a brand because their friends are doing it. But I’d argue that most people FIRST connect with brands for the 3 reasons outlined below.

Love of the Brand

If you’re a current customer or just share an affinity for the brand, you may fan or follow it to show your support or stay up to date on the latest news. People looking for exclusive content and the latest information about their favorite brand can find it through social media.

Exclusive Deals and Offers

Not surprisingly, people follow brands on social networks because of what’s in it for them. Several brands reward their fans and followers with contests, giveaways and discounts. A Razorfish study shows just how much this motivates people highlighting that between 37% and 43.5% of people fan or follow brands primarily for exclusive deals or offers. The same study showed that 70% of the people polled had participated in a brand-sponsored contest or sweepstakes. Giving people a desirable incentive to engage with a brand is an effective and powerful way to gain and interact with fans.

Service and Support

The connectivity of social media has opened the door for companies in their efforts to engage their customers, solve their problems and build overall brand favorability. We’ve talked about it before. Social media gives consumers easy access to brands and an easy outlet for support and service. Brands will be more responsive to complaints and service issues made in the public space and people capitalize on this.

Why do you follow or fan brands? Share in the comments section below.

After attending #sxswi and finally getting hooked, our CEO Dave truly sees the benefit of location-based social networks. In this week’s Watch Me Wednesday, two of our Boston Buzz Builders talk about Foursqaure and location-based social networks, and their implications for businesses. What are your thoughts? Have you tried Foursquare? Share in the comments section below.

by Kristen Malzone

Many businesses run in fear when they hear the words “social media.” These are businesses that have not yet developed a sound social media policy. You can’t run from social media. It is everywhere! The best thing to do is address it head-on and proactively utilize social media as a competitive advantage. General Managers of Major League Baseball teams have been struggling recently with managing their employees’ use of social media.

Kenny Williams, GM of the White Sox, exclaimed: “Stop the world! I want to get off!” He is referring to how quickly social media is changing the game. One of his employees, Oney Guillen (son of manager, Ozzie Guillen), made some negative comments about him via Twitter. This type of activity could have been prevented with a structured social media policy. Now, there is substantial amount of negative buzz surrounding Oney’s resignation as a direct result of the Twitter drama. Kenny Williams should read our blog post: “5 Tips for Social Media Crisis Management.”

Managing players’ use of social media  is a whole different ball game (pun intended). Nick Swisher of the New York Yankees sets the perfect example. He manages and updates his own Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts. He uses social media to interact with his fans. Through his YouTube account, he answers questions fans have submitted via Facebook and Twitter. Swisher’s social media presence is the most tactful out of all MLB players and is arguably one of the top celebrities using social media. MLB should ask Nick Swisher to host a social media training session for all players. He really gets it and could share his wealth of knowledge.

With the season fast approaching, GMs should really be on top of their game both on and off the field. Who are some of your favorite MLB employees and players on social media? Nominate their fan page to our Facebook T0p 40 Fan Pages 2010 list.

By Jenna Lebel

Mobile location technology was a central theme at this year’s SXSW. Although foursquare was the breakout app at last year’s conference, it was still a main focus this year resulting in a huge surge in the service’s growth. This Wednesday, the location-based social network announced that almost 100,000 users have signed up in just the past 10 days. With growth like that, it is no wonder that businesses are teaming up with foursquare to create customer rewards programs. Here are 4 examples of how companies are using foursquare to provide value to their biggest fans. What’s your take? Is foursquare the ideal customer loyalty program platform?

Tasti D-Lite

Social media has changed the way rewards programs are executed. Just ask Tasti D-Lite, the first company to leverage foursquare for a rewards program. The New York-based frozen treat company created “TastiRewards,” a rewards program that encourages people to link their Twitter and foursquare accounts to their Tasti D-Lite membership cards. When customers register their TreatCards, they can opt-in to link to their Twitter and foursquare accounts.  By linking to their social accounts, users are able to automatically update their Twitter, foursquare or other social sites every time they make a qualifying purchase at a participating Tasti D-Lite location. Through this rewards system, customers win points regularly (in fact, they earn 1 point per purchase for each social network connection set up) which are redeemable towards a free medium cup or cone.

Starbucks

Frequent Starbucks trips now have their perks! Though there is no financial incentive or free coffee just yet, visitors who check in at the several Starbucks locations on foursquare can unlock the “Barista Badge” after five check-ins. Starbucks is new to foursquare, but sees the benefit of the location-based mobile service. They plan to use foursquare as a testing ground for reward strategies. In the works is a kind of uber-coupon: they plan to offer prizes such as invitations to special events, photo-sharing or online reputation scores. Starbucks committing to foursquare might open the possibility for other companies to follow in their footsteps.

ZAGAT

The restaurant reviews guide ZAGAT partnered with foursquare in early February. Users earn a “Foodie” badge when checking into any ZAGAT-Rated restaurant in NY, LA, Chicago, Boston, or San Francisco. That’s not all! In an attempt to bring the foursquare community together with ZAGAT’s dining expertise, users can benefit from insider tips in all five cities and have the opportunity to be featured on ZAGAT.com in their “Meet the Mayor” series.

Bravo

TV station Bravo recently partnered with foursquare. Bravo explains, “Bravo fans do more than sit on their couches and watch Housewives. They eat where Top Chefs eat, they shop where the Housewives shop and they foursquare!” Their foursquare deal comes with a variety of Bravo-themed badges and a guide to “Bravolebrities’ picks for the best restaurants, bars and stores in your city!” The TV station is turning its well-known personalities, from popular series such as Top Chef and The Real Housewives, into content creators. These celebrities share tips and to-dos which people can then follow. Bravo even created 20 second TV ad spots promoting foursquare (see below).