Google+ Grows Quickly: This Week in Social Media

social media researchWelcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news. To help you stay up-to-date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention.

What’s New This Week?

Google+ Attracts 10 Million Users in the First 2 Weeks: Google+ is the fastest growing launch of a new social network. Many users are checking out this new platform. Here are some recent updates on Google+:

  • Google explains how to upload email addresses to your Google+ account:


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Small Businesses Benefit Most From Social Media, Study Reveals

social media researchDo you wonder if you have what it takes to compete in the social media marketplace? Who, after all, has the time or the budget to mimic Disney or Starbucks? Certainly not a small business!

Well, maybe that’s the wrong set of questions.

In fact, the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report has some good news for small business marketers. Small business owners are seeing the greatest results from social media marketing.

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How to Gain Competitive Insight With Social Media

social media how toAre you looking for that competitive edge? Want to know what your peers are up to?

Using social media to research competitors can provide useful information for any business looking to create a smart strategy.  Learning about your competitors’ activities can give you insight into what works and what doesn’t.

The beauty of social media is that there’s a ton of information about your competitors that is public. And not only is their strategy public, but the reaction to that strategy is public as well. Let’s take a look at some of the things you can learn about your competitors through different social networks, search engines and other outlets.

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8 Social Media Trends Impacting Businesses

social media researchAs businesses continue to integrate social media and become more confident and comfortable with social media tools and platforms, we’re starting to see a change in social media usage.  A new study reveals what’s changing with social media.

SmartBrief recently partnered with Summus Limited to survey more than 6,000 of its readers across a variety of industries.

They benchmarked and measured the state of social media usage among businesspeople. The data identified eight prevalent trends that give great insight into the social media behaviors, beliefs and challenges of the majority of businesses today.

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Study Reveals Why Consumers Fan Facebook Pages

social media researchHave you ever wondered why people decide to become fans of Facebook pages?  Understanding the reasons people become fans can help your business or brand develop better strategies.

In this article, I take a look at two studies.

The first reveals why consumers fan businesses on Facebook. The second one examines how marketers are keeping up with the ever-changing world of social media.

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7 Steps For a Successful Social Media Strategy

social media how toAccording to the 2010 Social Media Marketing Report , 67% of marketers plan to increase their use of social media channels including blogs, Twitter, and Facebook.

As more companies integrate social media into their marketing and communications plans, emphasis needs to be on creating a social media strategy.  Without a strategy, you’ll undoubtedly be sucked into a social media time sink.

So how exactly do you develop this strategy?

It’s easy.  Here’s a practical approach to developing a social media strategy for your business.

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Most Marketers Not Profiting From Social Media

social media researchAre your social media marketing campaigns bringing in sales? If you answered “yes,” you’re part of a very small group found a recent study.

Although many marketers see the value and potential of social media marketing, most have yet to translate that into sales, found a new report by R2integrated.

According to the study, 65% of respondents said that their companies have not increased revenue or profited using social media. When asked about their biggest impediment, 36% of the respondents cited “not enough data or analytics to develop ROI” as their #1 challenge.

A few key finding determined what set the winners apart from the losers.

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Study Shows Time Pays With Social Media Marketing

social media researchHave you asked this question: Is the time I invest with social media really worth it?  Whether you’re new or an old hat with social media, chances are you’ve wondered if the time commitment is really worth the return on investment (ROI).

Make no mistake about it:  a true investment of time and resources is necessary to see significant social media marketing success.

But the real question is, “Just HOW MUCH time is needed to see solid success?”

This question was recently answered in the new study, 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, authored by Michael Stelzner.  Based on the report findings, ROI is top of mind for most marketers using social media.

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2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report

social media researchHave any of these questions crossed your mind? “How much time do my peers invest in social media marketing? What benefits are they achieving? Where will they focus their efforts in the future?

If you’ve pondered any of these thoughts, look no further.  All the answers are right here in this free report.

Watch the above video for a quick summary.

NOTE: Click here to see the 2011 version of this report.

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Study Highlights Growing Social Media Addiction

social media researchAre you addicted to Facebook or Twitter? As social media continues to grow, details are starting to surface about people’s behaviors and consumption of information in the social space.

As marketers learn more about the “how, when and where” of social users, we can better understand how to optimize our marketing efforts.

Here are two studies that drill down on “how we act” and “what we want” in the world of social networking.

#1: Are We Addicted to Social Media?

A recent independent study by Retrevo Gadgetology revealed some interesting stats about our love for social media sites. The study asked 1,000 users the “when, where and what” regarding social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. The stats suggest we just might be completely addicted to social networking (raise your hand if you tweet from the bathroom!).

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