As social media changes so rapidly, perhaps a current overview on the active platforms may be helpful. Below is another great infographic by Flowtown & ColumnFive .
some notes
While strong on fundamentals, a few “misses” & thoughts on the graphic…
- LinkedIn…the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 150 million members. This network should be included as it is strong for recruiting and “B to B” marketing. Consider in 2011 57% of businesses reported acquiring a customer via LinkedIn- a higher % than Facebook &Twitter. (source: HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Report, 2011)
- Pinterest…Just because, “Pinterest Hit 10 Million U.S. Monthly Uniques Faster Than Any Standalone Site Ever” doesn’t mean it has earned a place in the graphic. This is a newer (& addicting I’m exploring this one) site that is still shaking out. Definately could be a HUGE game-changer, but we’ll see.
- Objectives… while the “Pros” column touches on how the social media channel is strong, a bit more on how it works best in a marketing application would have been nice. Jumping into anything with out a clear objective is rather ridiculous imho. (Also, saying “we just need to have a presence”…isn’t a valid objective- no matter how many of competitors are in the space.) [For more on marketing objectives in 2 more great infographics…click here.]
- Blogs…A blog is a social media channel which probably deserves a mention. Similar to LinkedIn – 57% of businesses reported acquiring a customer via a company blog. (source: HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Report, 2011). That said, some companies are dropping blogs due to the time and resources to maintain and are substituting in Facebook – which isn’t a good idea in my opinion and a topic for another time.
Key Thought… Today marketing requires authentic connection and social media is here to stay. So be strategic in your approach and where you participate – do so remarkably well. Enjoy! (click below to enlarge graphic)
