Improve your position on the social media ladder
- Luke Telford
- 18 March 2010
Photo credit: vocalfuel @ sxc.hu
In 2007, Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li of the Forrester's groundswell blog published a ladder diagram
profiling what they called ‘social technographics'. The ladder grouped internet users
according to their level of involvement across all social media forms.
52% were inactive with regards to social media. 33% read blogs and listened to podcasts, 19% commented on these blogs and used social media. 15% were labelled as collector's: users who squirreled away content using RSS and webpage tags. Only 13% published content in the form of video or blog posts.
The report insisted that it was essential for any business creating a social strategy to analyze the social technographics of their ideal customer. In 2007, with 52% of respondents apparently uninterested in social media, this imperative didn't carry as much weight as it does today.
In February, Bernoff and Li published an updated ladder that demonstrated some illuminating developments. There's been a considerable increase in users who publish or create content (24%). This is accompanied by an even larger increase in users who comment on what's published.
There's more content, but there's even more comment on the content.
Most significantly, there was a sizeable shift in the number of people who want to get involved.
There's been an enormous jump in the percentage of internet users who want to get involved in social networking sites: 19% to 59%. The Spectators have jumped from 33% to 70%, with the lowest rung dropping from 52% to 17%. This means the vast majority of U.S. people now seek out and consume online content.
Such a rise in these two figures implies that back in 2007 there was a latent hunger for free digital content. People have discovered a need they didn't have: they want to read useful posts and listen to informative podcasts, and watch videos of blenders and kittens.
What does this mean for your business? You want people to listen to your invaluable expertise. You want them to look at your brand. You want them to make the connection between these two things, and become a customer of yours.
These people are eager for content that will benefit them; that they can respond to and use. As a business owner, you're an expert in your field. You have a lot to offer. If you're not already producing free content, start. If you are, produce more.
Share and enjoy |
