Let them Have Social Media

Numbers are great. Did you know that 76% of all statistics are made up on the spot? (you didn’t did you…..)

Now that I’ve got that out of my system, Cone a strategy and communications agency released a recent study titled Americans Expect Companies to have a Social Media Presence. While the study doesn’t outline what they consider “social media”, the numbers are excitingly (surprisingly?) high.

Here few snippets:

• 93 percent of Americans believe a company should have a presence in social media
• 60% of Americans regularly interact with companies on a social media site
• Men are more likely to use social media tools to interact with a company than women (33% vs. 17%)

There is no doubt that consumer media consumption habits are changing in favor of interactive and online sources. As more and more precious attention is spent online, companies will have no choice but to engage consumers on their turf, social networks.

So are we going to see a mad rush of companies looking to join the party. Probably not. There is still a certain mystique around social media and the web. Actively engaging customers requires a reformation of communication channels, policies and procedures, tasks that can prove challenging for many companies. But hey, lifes better with a few challenges.

Message to companies: Get out their and party!

Tagged as: customer service, market research, social media, stats