[Video] The State of Social Media in 2013

Posted by Eugene Farber in Social Media

Here we are into the last month of 2012. And assuming the world isn’t going to end, the new year is right around the corner.

Today, I want to share a video with you about some social media statistics to keep in mind for the new year.

Once again, as I always point out when sharing statistics, take them with a grain of salt. One statistic in particular, which I list in the highlights below, is probably extremely far off reality. And I will point it out.

Nevertheless, it’s important to focus on the trends, not necessarily the accuracy of the numbers.

So let’s jump into some highlights, and then the video itself (which I must say is pretty well done).

Highlights

  • 1 billion people on Facebook. This is not news hot off the press, but it’s impressive nonetheless.

    Of course, this is really talking about Facebook accounts. How many of those are real people is up or debate. Either way, there’s a lot of people on Facebook.

  • Social media has become the #1 activity on the net. And while I’ve bad mouthed people that label any social media platform as the end-all, be-all of marketing, it’s hard to argue the popularity of social media.

    I check my accounts on a daily basis.

  • Now that that’s been said, keep in mind that the major social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc) aren’t even welcome in China yet. Talk about growth potential!
  • Generation Y and Z consider email passé. So much so that some universities have stopped distributing email accounts.
  • Over 50% of the world is under 30 years old.If you want to reach them, you have to go the platforms they are using (or make it easier for yourself to be found – content!).

    Need help creating a content plan that will reach your target audience? Get in touch.

  • Each day, 20% of Google searches have never been searched before. That means there is a lot of opportunity for search engine traffic even if you don’t think you can compete with the “old guys” for the “big terms.”
  • Every second 2 new members join LinkedIn. It’s probably my favorite of the social networks. And if you are in a B2B setting you absolutely have to be on there.
  • YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world (Google being the first). And every minute 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube.
  • 53% of people on Twitter recommend products in their Tweets.

    If you want any control over what they are saying about you, you need to focus on design, customer experience and great content.This helps ensure that people are saying great things about your brand, service or product.

    And again, if you need help getting your ducks in order, feel free to get in touch.

  • 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations, while only 14% trust advertisements.

    This obviously becomes a huge deal for product reviews (if you’re selling on Amazon, for example , service reviews (sites like Angie’s List) and restaurant reviews (Yelp, etc.).

    This also makes reputation management a much bigger deal going forward. If you need someone to handle your online reputation, shoot me an email.

  • 93% of marketers use social media for business. This is the statistic that I take a lot of issue with.

    I keep seeing these bloated social media stats, and I don’t think this is anywhere near accurate.OK, we get it. Social media is important. But 93%? Not even close.

    I think this is likely a function of the way surveys are performed to get these stats. If you are running an online survey, then you are going to get responses from businesses that are present online. And those are the businesses that are more likely to use social media.Just this morning I went to a bakery for breakfast that didn’t even have a website.

  • And this just entertaining (and I want to know what the parents were thinking): babies in Egypt have been named Facebook & Twitter. I don’t even know what to say about this.

Some Personal Notes (Not from the Video)

I can vouch for the idea that younger generations don’t really use email. I’ve spoken to younger family members who upheld that idea. I’ve also spoken to colleagues who have younger family members who have relayed the same idea to me.

Another thing to keep in mind, from the feedback that I’ve received, these generations prefer to use Twitter over Facebook.

Of course  it’s important to keep in mind that a lot of these people aren’t in a “professional setting”; and email communication isn’t a necessity yet.

So for businesses targeting this audience, social media becomes important for brand awareness. But email doesn’t lose any importance because you want to be able to communicate with the people that are actually make the purchases as well (read: the parents!).

And just on a side note about social media, this YouTube video was a great way to promote the Socialnomics book :) .

The Video

Video Credit: Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics



3 Responses to [Video] The State of Social Media in 2013

  1. Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef says:
    December 3, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    Thanks for sharing the video, Eugene. I’m thinking I should set up a debate between BJ Mendelson (Social Media is Bullshit) and the Socialnomics author.

    By the way, I’m interviewing Mr. Mendelson later this week. You have any juicy questions you want me to ask him?

    Reply
  2. Heather Stone says:
    January 7, 2013 at 1:09 am

    Hi Eugene,
    Really interesting look at the social Web here. Something that I think is really important to remember is that just because Facebook is big enough to be the equivalent of the third largest country in the world, does not mean it is the right community to reach your customers…necessarily.

    Reply

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