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Social Media should be a major component of your business strategy
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You've been hearing a lot about social media and social networking leading up to the Myrtle Beach conference, and I wanted to share some statistics I received from the Society for Word of Mouth (SWOM) yesterday. These are pretty amazing numbers and you'll quickly realize why social media should be a major component of your business strategy going forward.
According to SWOM, social media and social networking sites are being adopted by all age groups in record numbers. Here are some examples with some links to articles:
- 105 million Americans use social media sites. This represents a 93% increase in social networking since 2006 http://tinyurl.com/dxb4wm
- 48% of Millennials (people born between 1982 and 2001) have joined brand or fan pages on social networks http://tinyurl.com/ccw4mx
- The number of adult internet users on social networking sites has quadrupled since 2005! http://tinyurl.com/au7muf
If you're not doing something with social media, get started TODAY!
On a related note, I'd like to share another link with you to a great video done by a firm called Common Craft. The video is called Social Media in Plain English (http://commoncraft.com/socialmedia) and it's a great overview of what social media is all about. This video and others by Common Craft are also great examples of how to explain a product, service or idea very well. I also recommend you watch some of their other videos such as Twitter in Plain English (http://commoncraft.com/twitter).
I would also encourage you to learn more by attending the session on Social Media at the AFCP conference in Myrtle Beach. We're planning on talking about how social media is being used in our industry, and looking forward to hearing what our fellow members are already doing.
See you in Myrtle Beach!
Marc
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Get ready for MARCH MADNESS!
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 Start your research or get out your Ouija board and get ready to make your picks in the annual AFCP March Madness contest.
Grand prize winner wins a free trip to the 2009 AFCP Conference & Trade Show in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina April 23 - 25, 2009, including coach airfare, hotel, and registration!
You can register anytime, but brackets will open on Selection Sunday, just after the announcement of the seeds. Choices will need to be made before the tourney opens on Thursday.
To register for the tourney, go to http://afcpmarchmadness.mayhem.cbssports.com/e?referrer=MKTG_BM_INVITE
You will need to enter the password "afcp2009" to gain access.
Remember Kristin Hackler who won last year, went on to win $500 in PennysaverUSA's drawing and $300 for second place in the team competition, and now is the chief oddsmaker at Caesar's Palace? This could be your 15 minutes of fame!
Join in the fun, you may be a winner.
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Google turns voicemail into email
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By Alexei Oreskovic
Reuters
Thursday, March 12, 2009; 4:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc
is seeking to blur the line between the telephone and the computer even
further with the introduction of Google Voice on Thursday.
The new service weaves traditional phone features with Google's
Gmail email product, allowing a person to store transcripts of
voicemail phone messages in their email inbox and to find a specific
nugget of information within a phone message as if trawling through a
sea of emails.
The move comes as Google increasingly branches out from its
stronghold in Internet search, as it seeks to carve out a role in
everything from cell phones to personal productivity software.
Read more...
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