It’s simple, really. Social media is now the #1 activity on the Internet. In fact, popularity of social media sites is growing so fast, it’s almost impossible to have accurate statistics to share. But you’ve got to admit the available numbers are staggering: as of January, 2010, Facebook claims that at least 175 million users visit the site every day; Twitter has 75 million user accounts, and the average number of tweets per hour was around 1.3 million. In a May, 2010 study, it was found that YouTube boasts over 2 billion views a day, with an average visit lasting 15 minutes.

What these numbers mean to your company or brand is simple. If you’re not using social media in your marketing, you’re simply out-of-step; you’re falling behind, and every day you get further behind.

In our opinion, an effective business (big or small) marketing plan must have a social media component. After all, social media is free, and there’s something it can do that your yellow page ad can’t: develop and build strong relationships.

Social Media…

• Levels the playing field for businesses large and small
• The COST OF ENTRY IS ZERO
• Allows you to LISTEN to the Customer
• Low in cost but offers high returns
• Provides higher search engine rankings
• Increases brand visibility and monitoring
• Brings targeted secondary traffic to your website
• Gives you the ability to reach your market directly
• Enhances your understanding of market issues