Does Social Media Work?
Does social media work? Short answer, I don’t know. What I do know is that there is a lot of traffic out there. Recent statistics reported by Fast Company on the growth of Twitter are astounding;
2006, 9,600 users
2007: 683,000 users
2008: 4,000,000 users
2009: 71,000,000 users
2010: 195,000,000 users
This past weekend Daytona Beach hosted The Great American Race, better known as the Daytona 500. A colleague shared that she set up a popcorn stand, (one single stand) at the International Speedway. During the day they sold over $10,000 in popcorn. It never hurts to set up your business in the middle of a crowd.
If your product is terrible, you will be uncovered. If your service is lacking, people will learn to avoid you. But being where the people are is not a dumb business strategy. People are on Facebook, people are using YouTube, and by the way there are more than a few tweeters in your neighborhood.
At one time I would have considered myself fairly “high tech,” but technology is now being introduced faster than I can keep up with, rendering me a “digital immigrant.” You may feel this means it’s not worth getting in the race, but I suggest that even if you don’t “win,” it still pays off to be where the people are. Begin incorporating the natural traffic patterns of “digital natives” and get out there on the super distribution freeway known as social media.
