There are many people that claim that 2010 will be the year of social media. They’re wrong, social media has already arrived. It is now at the forefront of marketing budgets and 12 month plans and if you’re not already using it, then the fact is you’re going to get a bit left behind. I recently came across a report from the Center for Marketing Research (Massachusetts University) that studied the use of social media in the Inc. 500 (the fastest growing U.S. companies). Some highlights from the report include :

While these statistics may only be representative of the Inc.500 companies that took part in the survey, they display some interesting trends. I was surprised to see that the use of online video had reduced fairly significantly. As this coincides with an increase in microblogging tools (mainly Twitter), it seems that many companies are using these ‘quick’ forms of social media, reducing the investment in more expensive forms of communicating. It may well be the case that the slew of UGC on Youtube etc.. has led companies to focus on other areas where they can stand out more. Either way, it’s a surprising trend and one that, I hope, reverses. I’m a firm believer in the power of online video and would readily advocate this as a strategy for many brands.

The glaring statistic that you can’t and shouldn’t get away from, is that 91% of the companies surveyed used a social networking tool in 2009. The fact that just 9% of companies aren’t engaging with social media is not to be sniffed at and should also sound a warning to those businesses that are yet to be convinced of the benefits of social media. If anyone’s left questioning it – stop wondering and start doing! You really can’t afford to ignore it anymore.

The other surprising finding is that 36% have a formal policy for employees that blog. As these represent the fastest growing companies in the U.S you can expect other businesses to follow suit. This is an interesting trend, but addresses an important issue for employers and their employees’ social network profiles. We’ve already had the study that advocated appropriate dress code in avatars, so it’s interesting to consider how one’s personal social networking activity impacts your professional life. There are obviously legal implications if your employees are blogging (revealing company secrets etc..) and this move, while it may seem controversial to some, demonstrates that blogging is further maturing, with practices in place to protect both parties. This still sits a little on the uncomfortable side, as your social media presence should be your own : not the ownership of your employer.

Overall, the study demonstrates that social media is affecting every level of an organisation, not just marketing, but human resources, recruitment and legal too. 2010 will not be the year of social media, it will be the year in which social media kicks ass

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