Here’s a great update on Social Media and it’s impact.  There are some pretty amazing stats in this, so check it out!

Just to hit a few of the highlights:

• If Facebook were a country it would be the 3rd largest in the world
• YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world (Google is first, and oh by the way Google owes YouTube)
• A new member joins LinkedIn every second
• 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations
• Only 14% of consumers trust advertisements

So what does all this mean? You better have a content and social media strategy that helps your business be found, discussed, and recommended by your customers.

People recognize ads.  More and more they are either ignoring them or avoiding them.  It’s time to rethink how you build awareness and consideration about your business.

Customers are in control.  They want to be informed, educated, or entertained, not sold to.  They actively seek out businesses on the web and especially on social media.  They trust their friends and people they don’t know over what they see in ads.

Living in St. Louis and St. Charles, we shouldn’t be too surprised by the impact of social media.  Our show-me mentality serves us well, and we should embrace this.  We’ve relied on recommendations from our friend, family, co-workers, and community way before social media.  Social media is just accelerating the pace.

Please St. Louis and St. Charles, share your thoughts with us on how Social Media and the web has changed:

• our community
• how we find businesses, products, or services
• how we learn
• how much information we share with each other
• how we make buying decisions

The world has changed.  Marketing has changed.  Are you a part of the social media revolution?