I recently read an article in The Crimson Hexagon which talks about social media in terms of being a newsmaker. I couldn't agree more with the author's conclusions. For example who can argue with the following statement? "Now social media sources like the millions of Tweets posted each day are being mined for the actual news, trends and opinions that are becoming significant social, political and business headlines." And for today's mid-term elections, more people have gone to social media sites to help get information about the candidates than anywhere else.
So, why is it still taking so long for so many businesses to get on board with social media? Certainly, the numbers are there; and so, conseguently is are the efficiencies when compared to traditional media. Some research studies conclude that B2B penetration is still somewhere around the lower 30 percentile level.
I guess the answer is one of credibility. Many companies and corporations still don't know how to use social media for commercial purposes, nor do they believe that business people use these sites to do business. Well, they have to agree that businesses use these sites for valuable information about their industries and the competition. They have to agree that no where can trend information be made available at low or almost no cost. And, they have to agree that their competition can find out more about what they are up to without having to resort to industrial espionage.
It amazes me that the cultures of these companies and corporations can be so slow to adapt. E-mail today ranks second to Facebook in written communications. Over a half billion people have signed up for a Facebook account. Plus, the fastest growth in signups is coming from people who are 40 and older. I could go on, but the message I am making here should be pretty clear: "Get social soon or you may not be invited to the table!"
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