If You Are Reading This, You’ve Proved My Point

 Last January, I again participated on the planning committee for the 2011 Entertainment Industry Conference for CPAs and attorneys.  We agreed on most of the usual topics to be presented at the conference.  Then, I suggested social networking.  The idea was written on the board.

Fifteen minutes later, a respectible CPA turned to me and said, “Rick, I know social networking is a sexy topic, but I doubt it is what our attendees are looking for.  They won’t come away with anything.” I nodded my head and thought to myself: Thank you.  You just gave me an extra 12 months to blow my competition out of the water using social networking and SEO.

Skeptical? 5 Key Social Media Findings That Affect Your Business by Glen Stansberry lists some new findings:

1. Americans spend most of their time online on social network and blogs–If you are reading this blog, you have contributed to the 23% statistic that more time is used reading blogs and social networks than checking emails.  You may have also found me because of what I have been doing for over a year.  Writing

2. Seventy percent of active online adult social networkers shop online–Sell where your buyers live, online.  We are all going there.  Have a bigger presence than your competition.

3. Fifty-three percent of active adult social networkers follow a brand(only 32 percent follow a celebrity)–Adults follow brands across social networks.

4. Sixty percent of social media users create reviews of products or services–When was the last time you reviewed a book on Amazon, or rated a restaurant on Opentable?  You are contributing the movement.  If your business is not on there, then you are behind the curve.

5. The number of mobile Internet users is up 47 percent from last year–I have actually trashed a rude restaurant that made us wait an hour beyond their seating estimate. We were outside with our 85 year old father-in-law on Father’s Day in the dark.  My bad review went into Yelp before I reached my car in the parking lot.

If you are resisting the social network, SEO revolution, you are risking the well-being of your business.  But, before you jump in, do some research and learn.  There are consultants that can help you.  Then, create a strategy and stick to its implimentation.  Your online presence will not increase overnight, but the constant creation of content will get you noticed.