Before doing so, it’s important to understand the data behind each social channel to gain insights into what works and what doesn’t with your audience. Here are 100 of the most fascinating social media statistics and figures from 2012 that can help you better understand Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google Plus for the coming year.
via Brian Honigman: 100 Fascinating Social Media Statistics and Figures From 2012.
On Twitter, Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats has compiled nuggets of narrative wisdom she’s received working for the animation studio over the years. It’s some sage stuff, although there’s nothing here about defending yourself from your childhood toys when they inevitably come to life with murder in their hearts. A truly glaring omission.
In 1748, the British politician and aristocrat John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich used a lot of his free time for playing cards. One of the problems he had was that he greatly enjoyed eating a snack, whilst still keeping one hand free for the cards.
So he came up with the idea to eat beef between slices of toast, which would allow him to finally eat and play cards at the same time. Eating his newly invented “sandwich”, the name for 2 slices of bread with meat in between, became one of the most popular meal inventions in the western world.
What’s interesting about this, is that you are very likely to never forget the story of who invented the sandwich ever again. Or at least, much less likely to do so, if it would have been presented to us in bullet points or other purely information based form.
For over 27,000 years, since the first cave paintings were discovered, telling stories has been one of our most fundamental communication methods. Since recently a good friend of mine, gave me an introduction to the power of storytelling, I wanted to learn more.
ocial media duties are treated more as add-on job functions, and don’t often get a dedicated internal team, details a [download page] new Ragan/NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions survey. 65% of the survey respondents – the majority of whom hail from organizations that employ more than 100 people – said that social media tasks are assigned on top of current job responsibilities. 27% said they have an internal team that works exclusively on social media, while an additional 5% said they have both an internal department and use an outside agency or partner. Just 3% said they fully outsource all their social media efforts. That 3% figure reflects an apparent unwillingness to spend dollars – rather than time – on social media, a trend that was found by Reply! recently, in research examining SMB use of paid social media services.
via About 1 in 3 Cos. Say They Have A Team Working Exclusively on Social.
The problem comes when that churn, that endless wave of news, crests over our abilities to manage and vet. There is a call, for example, to slow down when it comes to coverage. You don’t care that Angry Birds Star Wars is out the moment it’s released. Why not just sit on that news for a few days, really give it a good dry rub? Why not give old Mighty Eagle a call, get him on camera. Really make an event out of it. We don’t do that because that’s even worse than pasting in a press release. There is a very large percentage of people for whom the words “Hey, Angry Birds Star Wars is out. You can get it here” is far superior to a 1,000-word article on how they got birds to look like Han Solo. We’re not any company’s marketing organ, no matter how many times we post about Apple. Those who want more can always find more. Always. So slowing down isn’t the answer.
via Churn: The Problem Of The New Tech Journalism | TechCrunch.
As content creators look to keep audiences interested and clicking on more assets, they would do well to consider audience composition, as research suggests demographics can have a substantial effect on how web users behave once they have found interesting content.
Research from content optimization firm nRelate shows that age is one major factor in how users engage with content online. An October 2012 survey found that younger US web users, especially younger males, had a high propensity to click on related articles and videos after reading online content. Older users tended to click on links to related content on a weekly basis, and women—especially older women—were more likely to be drawn to a story that featured a photo.
via Online Content Exploration Varies by Demographic – eMarketer.
Commercial emailers account for 70% of spam complaints, according to [download page] Return Path’s Email Intelligence Report for Q3 2012, released November 2012. 22% of spam complaints stem from other internet service providers (ISPs), 5% from internal email, and just 3% from bots and dynamic IP addresses. Despite sparking 7 in 10 spam complaints, marketing represents just 18% of email volume, and .03% of all unique domains seen by ISPs.
5.4%. It’s a small figure, to be sure. But, it’s one that looks like it will keep steadily growing. Indeed, the share of time spent watching online video on mobile phones and tablets continues to increase, passing 5% in August and hitting 5.4% in September, according to [download page] a November 2012 report from Ooyala. Much of the growth in Q3 could be attributed to tablets, which accounted for 3.2% of overall time spent watching online video in September, almost double April’s share (1.69%).
via Mobile Devices Account For More Than 5% of Online Video Consumption.
Gartner predicts that by 2015, about a quarter of all companies will have created a new seat at the senior executive table–the Chief Digital Officer. Gartner’s prediction is based on the major transformation underway as companies are digitizing both their sources of revenue as well as their services.
The research group said this is happening because “organizations are digitizing segments of business, such as moving marketing spend from analog to digital, or digitizing the research and development budget.” Also, Gartner says, organizations are digitizing how they service their clients, in order to drive higher client retention. Thirdly, it says, they are turning digitization into new revenue streams. As a result, of these changes, every budget is becoming an IT budget, and the Chief Digital Officer is becoming a logical addition to business leadership.
via Why CIOs May Morph Into the Chief Digital Officer – The CIO Report – WSJ.
Public relations professionals have spent lots of time debating whether journalists make the best PR people.It used to be that ex-journos were hired in narrow roles based on skills or pedigree. At a large agency where I once worked, they were invited to the big pitch to weigh in on story potential, drop names, and wow the prospect.Others were installed in editorial spots where they could wield a blue pencil but otherwise stay out of the fray.Recently, the conversation has shifted to something that professional communicators are doing more often—brand journalism. Though the term is somewhat controversial, its practice—corporate storytelling through compelling and relevant content—is not contentious.So, is there anything new here?It comes down to a matter of approach and commitment. In the past, we were identifying and telling client stories, but the typical PR approach lacked a true journalistic sensibility. A press release is not a story.Today, with the influx of traditional journalists into the profession and the rise of digital and social media, the emphasis is more on getting it right. And without question, someone with experience spotting news, shaping a story, and writing against hellish deadlines has the requisite skills.Here are some guidelines for better storytelling for all communicators.
via Essential components of brand journalism | Articles | Home.