Janet Lee Johnson | The Art of Marketing

I have had a morning full of meetings, and (in a dangerous move) am drinking my second cup of coffee this morning. I am way early (almost an hour) for a meeting with my friend Katherine, at Albina Press in Portland. I thought I’d get here early and take advantage of their free wifi and work.

Once comfortably installed at a table, I rocketed through email, answered a couple of direct messages (DM) on Twitter, retweeted (RT) one, and posted this:

Not one minute later, my phone rings, and it’s Katherine. “We are meeting at 10:30, aren’t we?” She saw my Tweet and hoped she wasn’t late.

Talk about immediacy of conversations…

I have been doing some work for Smub, a productivity tool for those of us who like to share links with others… and in doing so, have been researching the demographics of Twitter and Facebook. I have been astounded as to how quickly the demographics of both are changing, and depending on where you sit, they’re probably becoming more valuable for your business.

Twitter Demographics:

According to HitWise in August of 2008, men made up 63% of Twitterers, and in January 2009, according to QuantCast, they make up 47% of Twitterers. Hitwise said Twitter’s largest age demographic in August of 2008 was 35-to-44-year-olds; who made up 25.9% of its users. Today, (again, according to QuantCast) 18-34 year olds make up 49% of its users, the largest age demographic, but the 35-44 year olds now make up 30% of its users, so their age group is still growing.

Facebook Demographics:

Here’s where it’s really changing. I found a series of studies by iStrategyLabs where they analyzed Facebook’s database, and there have been profound changes in older people joining Facebook.

Some highlights from this month’s study:

• The 35-54 year old demo is growing fastest, with a 276.4% growth rate in over the approximate 6 months since they last produced their report
• The 55+ demo is not far behind with a 194.3% growth rate
• The 25-34 year population on Facebook is doubling every 6 months
• There are more females (55.7%) than males (42.2%) on Facebook - 2.2% are of unknown gender
• The largest demographic concentration remains the college crowd of 18-24 year olds (40.8%) which is down from (53.8%) six months ago

So for those who think these social media outlets are only for the young, statistics will tell you differently. The demographics of being ’social’ online are changing quickly.

This is a note I’m sending to my valued friends and family. I think it’s a great representation of what I’m doing in 2009 that’s different for me.

1. I’m repackaging my services to be extremely relevant to what brings me most joy and defines my best work
2. I’m asking (at the ripe old age of a Baby Boomer in full swing) for what I want (that’s very hard for me to do)
3. I’m asking my friends to help me realize my dreams of doing great work

As you read this note, think about how you might do something similar - need to refresh your services? Want to be more relevant in today’s markets?

I’m a firm believer that people love to help each other out, which is one reason I spend a good piece of every week networking with others, and in communicating in the social media realm… So here’s my note, in case it prompts some thoughts for you and your brand. And in the spirit of walking the talk… It’ll be interesting to see who ‘gets’ both the email and the blog post.

:::::::::

January 2009 - the sands of change are moving underfoot. The questions for many of us are: How will we keep our hopes and energy high, and how will we play a part in creating positive change?

I’ve decided to focus on enabling businesspeople to use social media.  I’m writing today to both encourage you to join the conversation, and to ask for your support in growing my business.

Here’s the context as I see it:

• Much of the world is shifting from defensiveness to diplomacy. Listening and learning are increasingly valued as organizational practices.
• People are turning to each other for information, transformative and sustainable ideas, products and support. Word Of Mouth is increasingly important in consumer and B2B decision processes.
• Technology is facilitating these connections largely without regard to geographic boundaries. And communities – like synapses – are forming around ideas, causes and concerns.

I’m focusing my work on businesses – from PR and advertising firms to product and service organizations – being in shape to safely enter online conversations online using social media tools and practices.

In a time when marketing budgets are being slashed to save jobs, social media is becoming an increasingly viable communications option.  What companies need in order to get desired results are: education, preparation and tools. Social media tools are relatively free, and measurable benefits await those who learn how to strategically implement a social media plan.

I’m ready and able to ensure that strategy, training, tool selection and launch of social media marketing fit each business like a glove. Most organizations can get the job done in 90 days. As you think social media, I would appreciate it if you thought of me.

I’d love to speak with you or your trusted partners and colleagues about what works and what doesn’t, and share some of my recent experiences. Of course, you can find some of this on my blog at www.janetleejohnson.com.

Want to jump in? I’ll call soon…

Cheers,

Janet

In an article on Media Post this morning, Hitwise said the market share of traffic to Twitter surpassed that of social news site Digg last week for the first time. Interestingly, in going to the Hitwise site, there is no news release there of the findings.

Some interesting stats about Twitter users from Hitwise:

• Internet users ages 25 to 34 now accounts for 45% of Twitter traffic compared to 12% a year ago
• Between 5,000 and 10,000 new accounts are opened every day on Twitter - with a 752.9% y/y growth (Source: Compete.com)
• Digg relies heavily on traffic from Google (38.8%), Twitter receives a higher share of visitors from social networks, mostly due to applications that feature the service.
• Twitter use is likely understated in the study, because mobile usage was not counted

I’m pretty sure we’re going to see an even greater surge in traffic for Twitter this week because of the Obama Inauguration - in which I participated heavily. Last week’s boost in traffic was likely due to the US Airways jet “landing” in the Hudson River, according to Media Post.

With the new administration in Washington comes a hope I can feel and see with my own eyes.

1. One of my favorite positions on the Obama team is that of Director of New Media, headed by Macon Phillips.
2. He’s one of the new contributors to the Whitehouse.gov blog  - which is (according to Macon) about Communication, Transparency, and Participation - after all, “Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration’s online programs will put citizens first.”
3. According to the contact form (!) on the site, “President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history.”

My tiny nit is that you can’t comment on the blog posts, but throughout the Whitehouse.gov site, there are statements that lead me to believe we’ll be able to participate online for the Obama administration to see that participatory government (voting often on issues, expressing our feelings, opinions and fears) will be just what this country needs to “get back to leading.”

Yes, we can!