Nielsen's third quarter social media report is out for 2011, and the findings are significant. Americans now spend over a quarter of all of their Internet time on social media sites and blogs. We are becoming obsessed with these psuedo-social means of virtually connecting with other people. Incredibly, US Internet users spend more time on Facebook than on any other web brand. Close behind are Blogger, Tumblr, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Who is the average social media user? Well, she's female, lives in New England, has a college degree, is between the ages of 18 and 34, is of Asian or Pacific Island decent, and has a household income of less than $50,000 a year. The most quickly growing demographic for mobile social media usage is people aged 55 or older. This cohort grew by 109% over the past year.
How do you make these numbers work for your company? Integration is key. Does your website show your most recent posts from Twitter or Facebook? Can users "like," "retweet," or "re-blog" your content? Can potential customers easily access your company's LinkedIn site? Giving your viewers access to your social media sites will increase their familiarity, recognition, and interaction with your brand. What is most important, however, is that all of these features are available on the mobile version of your website as well as your traditional site. As users become less and less tied to their laptop or desktop computer, you need to give them a way to stay connected with you on the go and links to your social media on your mobile site are paramount to maintaining this connection.
Need help with this integration? Contact AndPlus.