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Although large social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have now been around for a few years, social media marketing is still a new phenomenon for most companies. The largest barrier most face in incorporating it into their business model is – understanding it. 

For example, many may visit a site like Twitter and go, “What’s the big deal? Why would anybody want to know what I’m doing? And, how does this benefit my company’s bottom line?”

Social Media Marketing: How to Understand What It’s All About 

One thing every small business owner/large corporation does understand is numbers. So to grasp what this whole “social media marketing thing” is all about, let’s take a look at some hard numbers.

1 in 7 U.S Adults Use Twitter

According to a study conducted by eMarketer, a market research firm that covers the internet marketing and advertising industry, as of this year (2010), 26 Million (that’s 1 in 7 U.S. Adults) will use Twitter. That’s a whopping 200% increase over just a couple of years ago (2008).

55% of Americans Have Facebook Account

This is according to a July 9, 2010 post on BizReport. While all may not be active on a regular basis, the sheer numbers who know about it prove the site’s popularity.

17% of Americans Spend Time on Social Media Sites

This is according to a study conducted by The Nielsen Company. And, where potential customers go, so do companies. The same report stated that ad spending increased by 119% from August 2008 to August 2009. And remember, this is during a “global recession.”

Two-thirds of World’s Population Spend Time on Social Media Sites

66% of the world’s online population spend time on social media, blogging and networking sites. This equals 10% of time spent online worldwide. Source: The Nielsen Company, Global Faces and Networked Places

The Young Don’t Necessarily Dominate Social Media Sites

Many would think that young people use social media more than their older counterparts. While this is true as a whole, it’s a bit more complicated. For example:

The average age of a social network user is 37; the average age of a Twitter user is 39; and the average age of a Facebook user is 38. In short, it depends on the social media site in question.

Note: All stats from Study: Ages of Social Network Users on Ping.com.

There’s nothing like seeing the numbers in black and white to start truly grasping why jumping on the social media marketing bandwagon is not only smart, it’s necessary to survive the changing corporate landscape.