USA Today reported in the article “Social media finds place in classroom” that New Milford (N.J.) High School is encouraging social media Facebook, Twitter and YouTube use for educational purposes in his classrooms to communicate with students and parents. Furthermore the teachers encourage students to communicate with their cell phones mobile learning devices.
What does this mean for businesses today and in the future?
There is a generation coming which is mostly communicating over social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They are savvy with blogs, mobile devices and video. This generation is growing up with these tools and businesses who want to stay visible to those potential customers and job candidates need to be there where they are and communicate on those platforms and devices to reach them.
Businesses should rethink their social media mind set and allow the use of these tools on their workplaces for business purposes. Otherwise the chances are good that they lose relation to their target audience and their associates.
Some facts from recent studies for your business to consider before your think of prohibiting the use in your company:
- • 79% of adults are using the internet.
- • People are about three hours on social media from their mobile devices, compared with one hour from their PC.
- • 78% of buyers are researching products and services online before they buy.
- • About one third of consumers are online for three hours or more daily.
- • People spent three times more time on social media and blogs then on email!
- • Companies who blog get 55% more visitors to their websites!
- • 57% of companies who blog have acquired new customers through their blog.
- • 67% of the B2C and 41% of the B2B companies reported that they got new customers through Facebook.
- • 42% of companies reported to customers through Twitter.
Companies like Coca Cola, Dell, Zappos and thousands of small business show every day how to utilize social media to stay in touch with their customers.
Sociel media is no fad. Companies report success stories and provable profit of social media every day.
Those companies who utilize social media are more successful on average than companies who do not. Companies like Groupon, who depend very strong on social media for their coupon business and Zappos actually evolved with social media. Dell was one of the first Top Companies which reported a profit from their Twitter marketing!
For Companies listed on the stock exchange this can also reflect in a better share price. There are studies who show a correlation between the capability of communicate in social media and the share price.
To prohibit the use of social media on workplaces means prohibit to communicate where 700 million people are communication on Facebook and on Twitter (100 million+) makes the same sense as to prohibit the use of the telephone in the office.
Businesses should carefully study this evolution of communication and take their part to not get left behind and vanish in the dust of all naysayers!
Businesses should embrace social media and allow use on workplace. Your associates use social media on their workplaces from their mobile devices anyway.
Marketing Takeaway Tip: Start to engage with your audience on Facebook and Twitter. Show your associates that you trust them and figure out how to be on social media to profit from it. Integrate your associates to formulate a strategy ask them for advice to profit together from social media.
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