In my role as vice president of marketing I've consistently heard two common phrases, over the past few months with respect to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, etc.)...
1. I don't have time to participate in social media.
2. <insert social media outlet here> will not find me customers.
I recently compiled a few staggering stats that I wanted to share with respect to this commentary...
- Generation Y will outnumber Baby Boomers by the year 2010 and 96% of them are active in social media.
- Today's new generation of homebuyers, Gen Y and Gen Z (the next gen behind Y) consider e-mail passé. In fact some universities including Boston College are eliminating e-mail as a form of communication to students.
- Social media is the #1 activity on the Internet right now - it has overtaken porn.
- If Facebook were a country it'd be 4th in population behind USA which is 3rd behind China and India.
- 80% of all US companies use Linked-In as their primary source to hire employees.
- Time it took the following media outlets to reach 50 million users...
- Radio - 38 years
- TV - 13 years
- Internet - 4 years
- iPod - 3 years
- Facebook - added 100 million users in the past 9 months
- 18% of television ad campaigns yield a positive ROI because 90% of people who can fast forward through ads do.
- The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women 55-65 years old.
*Source: Socialnomics.com - UnMarketing.com
So in response to the two comments I mentioned earlier, I pose this single question...
- With these stats, and keeping Harley Sr.'s (founder of Real Living) infamous "See the People," speech in mind, how can you afford not to create time for social media? Social media is where you'll find and "see the people" of today and tomorrow.
Social media is not a "flash-in-the-pan" fad that will go away. If you are not in the social media game, jump-in! Because of social media we are no longer searching for news, it is finding us. Likewise, Realtors everywhere are connecting with consumers via these venues everyday.
Our very own Real U offers a Social Media 101 class. Sign up online today and get in the game. When, via social media you connect with a past high-school friend or former co-worker and sell them a home, you'll be thankful you did.
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Superb post. Hope everyone reads this.