Social Media is now being used by small business, entrepreneurs, big business, non-profits and a multitude of other organizations. Using Social Media to market and network online is quickly becoming the norm as the number of people using and participating in Social Media grows exponentially.
Consider these numbers:
• In 2005, 8% of all adults online had a profile on a social networking site. Today, this has increased to 35%.
• In December 2008, 76 million people visited MySpace which was a 10% increase over the previous year.
• In December 2008, 54.5 million people visited Facebook which was a 57% increase from the previous year and it’s estimated that 22% of all adults online have a profile on Facebook.
• Facebook’s fastest growing demographic is among users ages 35-49 in 2008.
• In August 2008, 23.7 million people visited YouTube and 1 out of every 3 videos viewed online is on YouTube.
• Globally, in 2008, more internet users accessed a social networking community than used email, (67% to 65%).
• In December 2008, 4.5 million people visited Twitter which was an astounding 753% increase from the previous year. Five to ten thousand new Twitter accounts are created daily.
• The number of active people on Twitter in the past week is over 550,000.
• 73% of active online users have read a blog.
How Can a Social Media Virtual Assistant Help?
Clearly, Social Media is here to stay and it’s obviously become a marketing force to be reckoned with. As small business owners or solo entrepreneurs, many of us have limited time to be focusing on how to learn or manage what it takes to increase online visibility or to adequately manage all of the “places” online that we are told we “need” to be. That’s where a Social Media Virtual Assistant can help. I have spent the time learning and understanding not only how Social Media works, but how the various Social Media avenues can be used for marketing one’s self or one’s business online. Further, I know how the various platforms work…those icky, sticky details of how to do something within Facebook, how to best manage your Twitter account, who to follow, what does an @reply mean…all things that can take precious hours to learn and understand. As a Social Media Virtual Assistant, I become your short-cut into jumping into the Social Media fast lane. Further, I can help explain to you “why” you want to be involved in Social Media and Social Networking. There are other benefits that are not just about connecting and engaging with your target market.
Stay tuned this week for additional posts which will cover exactly what I can do help with different Social Media platforms, real world examples of how Social Media is being used and other information about why it is important to establish a strong online presence.
Resources:
http://www.primalmedia.com/blog/social-media-non-profits
http://mashable.com/2009/03/09/social-networking-more-popular-than-email/
Image by fredcavazza via Flickr
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