Niche Focus Group Creates Packages to Harness the Power of Social Media
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(Business Wire)--
The number of texts sent and received every day exceeds the Earth`s population!
It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million people, yet Facebook added 100
million users in less than 9 months! If Facebook were a country, it would be the
fourth largest country in the world, after the U.S. Ashton Kutcher and Ellen
DeGeneres have more Twitter followers than the entire population of Ireland,
Norway and Panama! These astounding facts were published recently in the YouTube
video, "The Social Media Revolution". The world of social media is exploding,
bringing people to people and businesses to people in a way never before
imagined; and it`s having a profound effect!
Social media is no longer a casual social interaction. Businesses nationwide are
jumping into the arena, not merely to gain the ear and attention of their
constituents and clients, but more importantly, to create one-on-one
relationships with the public at large. Niche Focus Group is a communications
agency in Phoenix, Arizona that has extended its general advertising/public
relations to include social media services. Troy Bohlke, the owner and founder
of Niche Focus Group states, "Through all of my years of marketing I have never
seen the velocity in market speed of social media."
Social media combines technology with social interaction to create or co-create
value. Creating a virtual shift in how people discover, read, and share news,
information and content, this fusion of sociology and technology has literally
transformed the monologue of internet communication into the instantaneous
dialog of a linked community. It quickly and effectively shares profiles,
opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives and media itself, via such venues
as: Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Orkut, Bebo, MySpace, Hulu and YouTube.
YouTube is now the second largest search engine in the world with 100 million
videos, and growing.
Most networks facilitate conversations and interactions online between
established groups, giving them the potential of unprecedented influence and
power within the consumer market. Advertising campaigns can literally succeed or
die in the momentous pressing of "send". Two major ad campaigns met their fate
in the fall of 2008: Twitter users attacked and killed the new J&J Motrin Mom`s
Campaign; and bloggers bombed and destroyed Germany`s Pepsi Max Campaign. Both
were squashed immediately: one the first weekend, the other after the first
issue of the ad.
Eighty percent (80%) of Twitter usage takes place on mobile devices, providing
consumers the ability to broadcast news anywhere, anytime. As the number of
"followers" and "friends" increases exponentially, it is likely that a business
can plummet for poor customer service before the customer pays the bill. At of
the end of 2008, there were over 200 million bloggers: 54 percent of whom posted
content or tweeted daily; and 34 percent of whom posted opinions about products
or brands. Add the fact that 78 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations
more than traditional advertising, and today`s businesses have a real challenge
on their hands. But if a business uses it responsibly and effectively, social
media can catapult a business ahead of its competition.
"Not many owners are aware of today`s shift in communication and what it can do
for their business," states Bohlke. "Social media has the potential of
accomplishing what no other media has in the past: in numbers, message and
effect. We encourage all our clients to utilize this powerful tool, not so much
for advertising, but to develop trusted relationships within their public
niche." To accomplish his goal with social media, Bohlke and Niche Focus Group
joined forces with Lon Safko and Steven Groves of The Social Media Bible. "Most
people had heard of social media but have no effective strategy to profit from
it. We provide packages to monetize social media by working with the social
media experts themselves," says Bohlke. The Social Media Bible sold out in six
major cities in only four days. It also ranked 21 in "Top 100 Best Selling Books
in America", two weeks in a row.
Scott Monty, the head of social media for Ford, says, "We're not interested in
advertising on social networks; we're interested in getting in there and
interacting with people." In an interview, Monty declared, "Social media is not
a campaign, but a commitment. Businesses can, and should, use these networks in
order to grow an active and interactive audience."
"Companies the world over are starting to dabble in social media-they have to or
they will be left behind," says Heidi Alexandra Pollard, Chairwoman for the
Professional Communication Network. In a recent survey of 880 people, nearly 81%
admitted that their social media efforts generated business exposure and more
than half claimed that social media tactics generated leads.
The benefits of online social networking seem to hold even greater promise than
face-to-face social networking, or conventional marketing, for that matter. For
one thing, business owners are primarily investing time instead of precious
dollars. For another, they can reach beyond the limitations of geography in
gaining awareness and generating leads. Finally, the potential for online
referrals is huge.
"This is a dream come true for our company," continued Bohlke. "Being able to
offer this Niche Specific strategy is exactly what is putting our firm over the
edge." Online socializing may be a radically different method of marketing-but
in the future, it could very well be the preferred method of marketing,
one-on-one, throughout the world.
Niche Focus Group
Troy Bohlke, CEO
480-656-0560
troy@nichefocusgroup.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009
