Category Archives: Statistics
The latest social media statistics
A national survey of 1,005 adults by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project in August 2012 found that
- 66% use Facebook
- 20% use LinkedIn
- 16% use Twitter
- 12% use Pinterest
- 12% use Instagram
- 5% use Tumblr
$10B PR industry is thriving, according to the Holmes Report
The Holmes Report has released its ranking of the top 250 public relations firms, worldwide, in order of fee income. Here are some findings from the report.
Edelman, Weber-Shandwick and Fleishman Hillard are the top three public relations firms in the world. All three are based in the U.S. Edelman has more than 4,000 employees!
Nearly half of the firms on the list (45%) enjoyed double digit percentage growth in fees from 2010 to 2011. Only 8% posted losses, and most were minor. Five firms had triple digit percentage growth. The PR firm with the greatest growth was Fortune PR in Indonesia with 314% growth.
Here’s what some DC-area headquartered PR firms raked in (ranking in parentheses)
- APCO Worldwide (16) $120,701,000
- Levick Strategic Communications (99) $12,459,523
- Widmeyer (118) $10,600,000
- Spectrum Science (172) $5,800,000
- Gibraltar Communications (182) $4,918,650
Related articles
- US PR Industry Revenue $13.4 Billion by 2017 (pamil-visions.net)
Read the 2012 Digital Marketer Benchmark and Trend Report
Experian Marketing Services, a provider of data, analytics and marketing technologies, today announced the release of the 2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report. The 128-page report provides data pertinent to consumer and technology trends, as well as insights on email marketing, mobile, and social media.
Not surprisingly, nearly half of marketers (46%) in the study say that coordinating all these channels is their biggest challenge.
Other findings:
• 91% of adults online use social media regularly.
• Revenue per email averages two times higher for “friends and family” campaigns.
• 28% of smartphone owners watch videos on their phones in a typical month.
• Pinterest is now the third most popular social networking site, after Facebook and Twitter.
• 92% percent of businesses feel their contact data is inaccurate in some way.
Download the free report here: http://press.experian.com/United-States/Press-Release/experian-marketing-services-releases-2012-digital-marketer.aspx
Related articles
- Experian: Pinterest is third most-visited social site (nextlevelofnews.com)
Social media in the workplace (Mindflash infographic)
Check out this helpful infographic highlighting statistics and best practices associated with social media in the workplace from Mindflash. (You’ll find more posts on this topic in our blog by checking out the categories, right.)
Related articles
- Everything Your Employees Need to Know About Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC] (mashable.com)
- A Quick Look At The Social Media Demographic [INFOGRAPHICS] (sociableblog.com)
How much do you know about YouTube and online video?
Image via CrunchBase
Here are some lesser-known recent statistics and research findings…
- Online video viewing increased 43% in the United States last year.
- YouTube views increased 25% last year.
- YouTube videos receive 4 billion views/day.
- More than 500 tweets/minute contain a YouTube link.
- Online video is 141 times more likely than a website to generate a “click-through” in search engine results.
- 72% of small businesses say YouTube is highly effective for marketing.
- 72% of senior congressional staffers think YouTube is somewhat/very important for communicating their members’ views
- YouTube is the second most used social media channel among Federal employees and Federal contractors.
- More than half of CEOs and senior executives watch a work-related YouTube video at least weekly.
- 65% of senior-level executives have visited a vendor’s website after watching an online video.
- 67% of senior-level executives said an online video influenced them to make a business-related purchase.
- 58% of journalists have YouTube accounts.
- 53% of journalists say online video makes a corporate website useful.
- 47% of charities are on YouTube.
- 86% of four-year colleges and universities have a YouTube Channel
The latest social media trends — findings from comScore report
comScore released the 2012 U.S. Digital Future in Focus report today. Here are some key findings about social media trends you’ll want to know about –
- More minutes were spent on Facebook than any other place online in 2011. Time spent on social networks accounts for 16.6% of all minutes spent online.
- Online video viewing increased 43% among Americans in 2011. More than 100 million Americans watched online video content on an average day.
- By the end of last year, 8% of all digital traffic was accessed via smartphones or tablets (like the iPad). The majority of mobile phone owners went online with their phone.
- U.S. retail and travel-related e-commerce increased 12% last year, to $256 billion in 2011.
- The search engine Bing surpassed Yahoo for the first time in its history, snagging the #2 position behind Google in the U.S. search market. Bing has a social search partnership with Facebook.
How small businesses market themselves now: latest statistics
Photo by treedork
If you operate a small business, you know how important it is to get your message out to your target audiences. So, how are small businesses marketing themselves in 2011? Not surprisingly, a recent survey of more than 1,500 small businesses (most with fewer than 25 employees) found that 73% of respondents are using social media to market their businesses.
Of those, most are using Facebook (more than 95%) and most find it effective (82%). 73% of small business owners found online video also effective, while Twitter was found to be effective by less than half (47%) of business owners using social media.
Other marketing approaches also employed by small business owners, in order of usage, include
- Websites (95%)
- Email Marketing (91%)
- Print Advertising (77%)
- Online Advertising (69%)
- Event Marketing (53%)
If you run a small business, and like 80% of small business owners, find yourself staying awake at night worrying about how to get more customers, Fletcher Prince can help. We offer creative and affordable marketing solutions, including
- Custom Facebook Pages for your business
- YouTube video production
- Websites and blogs
- Email newsletter and announcement campaigns
- Print advertising and marketing collateral
- Event marketing and public relations
and more. Call (571) 269-7559 to discuss creative and affordable marketing solutions for your business.
Related articles
Social Media and Small Business: New Trends
Thanks to Constant Contact, we have some good information on what small business owners use and value, in terms of marketing approaches.
According to a recent survey, nearly all small business owners (95%) have a website and use email marketing (91%). The majority of small business owners are using social media (73%) and almost half are using blogs (43%).
Think the quarter of small businesses who are not using social media are missing an opportunity? Don’t worry; more than half of those respondents (62%) plan to jump on the social media bandwagon within a year.
Facebook is the number one search term on the web, so it may come as no surprise to you that Facebook was found to be the clear winner among the social media options small businesses choose; 95% of small business owners who use social media use Facebook. What is interesting is that represents a leap of 44% since about this time last year.
Also compelling to note is that while 60% of small business owners who use social media are on Twitter and LinkedIn, those platforms were seen as effective by less than half of these users (47%). On the other hand, while less than half of social media users are on YouTube, nearly 3/4 (73%) of them thought YouTube was an effective way to market to their customers.
I feel this reinforces what I have been saying about the power of online video — it will differentiate the small business, it will achieve SEO benefits, and although it involves more effort, it does work.
Surprising to me was the result that 69% of respondents said they use online advertising. Also reassuring for our newspapers was the finding that 77% of small businesses are using print advertising.
When asked which tactics were very effective or moderately effective, the ranking looks like this:
1. Email marketing was ranked as most effective among the options. It is the first choice small business owners make when connecting with customers.
2. Websites came in as a close second.
3. Online advertising — surprise, surprise!
4. Social media. Also most of the respondents who are currently using social media (81%) plan to increase using it, demonstrating that small business owners see real potential in social media as a marketing tactic.
5. Blogs. The marketing power of blogs continue to be underestimated, although their SEO power is matched, perhaps, only by YouTube video.
Social media by the numbers
Did you know this about Facebook?
- Facebook reaches 56% of the active U.S. Internet universe with an average usage of 6 hrs a month per user.
- Facebook is the #3 site visited by users 65 and older.
- The average U.S. worker spends 5 hrs a month visiting social networks at the office.
- Facebook is one of the top 5 visited sites on mobile phones.
Did you know this about Twitter?
- Nearly 20 million people use Twitter.
- Twitter has grown 500% since last year.
Statistics from Nielsen Media Industry Fact Sheet. nielsen-fact-sheet-2010
Marketing with A YouTube Channel
Image via CrunchBase
Every business and nonprofit organization should have a free YouTube Channel.
In fact, every professional person should have their own free YouTube Channel.
That’s right, I said it!
YouTube Statistics to Consider
Comscore reports that 3.8 billion searches are conducted through YouTube each month.
In the U.S., people watch more than 30 billion videos each month.
Having a presence on YouTube, even if you don’t have any video to share, is a great way to communicate information about your brand, online.
Getting Started with YouTube Channels
You don’t have to have any videos to get started with a YouTube Channel. Here are some ideas.
Favorite a Few, Related, High-Quality Videos to Put Video Content on Your YouTube Channel
Fall Properties YouTube Channel
You can make a YouTube channel work for you, even if you don’t have video to share. Recently, I created a branded YouTube channel for a client. They didn’t have any of their own videos to share. So, I had the client “favorite” a current public service announcement that was produced by a national professional association, to which the client belonged. The video PSA is well-produced and presents a message that is in line with the message the client wants to communicate to its customers. And, at a glance, it looks like video content for my client. Instant credibility!
Design a Branded YouTube Channel for Your Company
Fletcher Prince YouTube Channel
Take time to design a channel that represents your brand. Name the channel after your company, of course. You’ll need a square version of your logo. If it’s a personal channel, or you are an independent professional, you can use the same photo you use for your LinkedIn Profile (and name your channel after youreslf, e.g. MaryFletcherJones) Change the background colors to coordinate with your logo, or upload a custom-designed background image.
The text content you put in your Channel profile is searchable, and hyperlinks will work as long as you write precede them with “http://.” So, in addition to your company name, list your web site link, bio and key messages, social media links, and blog link. Remember, this is a marketing portal for your company, so don’t write too much, and keep the customer in mind. What can they expect to see on your channel? Why should they be interested in watching the videos – what’s in it for them? For what audience is your channel intended? Be specific on those points in your channel profile description.
The profile has several sections that won’t apply to a business YouTube channel. You can “uncheck” all the extraneous channel profile sections, such as age, gender, education, favorite books, and favorite movies. Fill in the “Interests” section, however, with 10-20 keywords related to your business or industry. Are you presenting yourself as a subject matter expert? If so, be sure to identify yourself as a YouTube “Guru” rather than the default “YouTuber” channel. View my Fletcher Prince YouTube channel as an example.
Create YouTube Video Playlists Featuring High-Ranking Videos Compatible with Your Brand
Create playlists containing five videos (including one of yours, if you have them) that are related to your industry or brand. This will help drive traffic to your channel and videos.
Associate Your YouTube Channel with Established YouTube Channels Related to Your Business or Industry
Subscribe to the YouTube channels of professional organizations, vendors, and clients that are related to your industry. Invite them as Friends. Their YouTube icons will display on your channel.
Some channels have a “channel comments” box. Make comments on channels featuring related content. If they display channel comments, your logo and YouTube channel link will show up on their channel page. It’s free advertising for your channel.
You can also post a video response to a video on a quality channel — for example, the channel of a national professional organization related to your industry — using the YouTube video recording feature (as long as your computer has a video camera feature). This will increase exposure for your channel.
How to Make the Most Out of Your YouTube Channel When You Have Video to Share
Of course, having video that you produce is the best option for communicating messages about your brand. In addition to uploading quality, short videos focused on a single topic that is relevant to your customers, there are a number of ways to use YouTube features to promote your brand.
Rink Strategic Communications YouTube Channel
Write an Effective Title for Your Video
Your video title is one of your video’s most searchable features. It should be literal, short (five to eight words), and contain important keywords. Don’t get cute or mysterious with YouTube titles. Also, don’t use punctuation (such as exclamation points, question marks, or quotation marks). How-to, advice, and demonstration videos get high ratings on YouTube. So the title, “How to Make a Christmas Wreath” will get more hits than “Making a Christmas Wreath,” for example. Also try titles such as “5 Tips for”…. or “3 Ways to Save Money on…” It will also be helpful to check “How To” in video type when uploading your video, since potential customers are looking for how-to videos.
Ask Friends and Viewers for YouTube Video Comments and Ratings
It can be challenging to obtain comments on your video, but comments help increase views and build ranking for your video in search results. Be sure to ask your friends and coworkers to rate your company’s videos. In the video and on your YouTube channel, invite viewers to comment on your videos and channel. You can pose a discussion-provoking question or ask for specific feedback. However, especially for corporate YouTube channels, be sure hold ALL comments for moderation (there is plenty of SPAM on YouTube). Approve your comments regularly, and respond with thanks for comments.
Tag Your Videos with Keywords and Proper Names
Here’s a secret known by YouTubers with lots of video views…one of the most important words you can include in your tags is the word “video.” For example, if you have produced a video about public relations, tag your video “public relations video.” You can also tag it with public relations. When you tag your video with the term “(fill-in-the-blank) video,” your video will start to show up in related searches alongside highly viewed videos on the same topic. Which equates to more views for your video. Be sure to tag the video with your name, and the name of other people appearing in the video, as well as your company name. You can also check out the tags of your competitors, and of videos that are related to your topic and that are receiving high numbers of views, and copy those tags (if relevant). All of those tags are searchable.
Should You Have More Than One YouTube Channel?
Conversations in Public Relations YouTube Channel
The answer is yes, if you are passionate about several topics, or if your organization has widely different aspects. For example, I have four YouTube channels. I have one for my business, Fletcher Prince. I have a personal one, for vacation videos and such (MaryFletcherJones). I have a channel for my video series, Conversations in Public Relations (PRConversations), and another for my other video series, Living Well with Autism (LivingWellWithAutism).
Your professional YouTube Channel, especially if it is a corporate channel, should feature content you or others produce that is solely related to your company, business or industry. Be selective about what you favorite! However, as you will see fabulous videos that are unrelated to your business that you may want to favorite, you may also want to create a personal YouTube channel. Having a personal channel also makes it easy for you to experiment with many of YouTube’s features and upload your more creative projects, even enter contests! You will need a separate email address when creating each channel, and you should avoid uploading duplicate videos among your channels.
At Fletcher Prince, we have helped several clients establish a presence on YouTube with custom-designed YouTube channels and video productions.
Please contact us if we can help you with your online video marketing.
Related articles
- Got YouTube? You Need It – If Only For SEO (fletcher-prince.com)
- Common YouTube Mistakes Made By PR Firms (fletcher-prince.com)
- How to Use YouTube Video For Your PR Firm (fletcher-prince.com)
