The Growing Power of Social Media

There is a clamour being made about social media at the moment. You might think that is a bit of a redundant statement considering the noise it has been making throughout 2010. Remember Mark Zuckerburg being crowned Times Man of the Year or the many milestones reached by Flickr, Facebook and Twitter in 2010?

However, there is a definite consensus that the influence, appeal and opportunities generated by social media is about to grow in 2011.

We stumbled across three stories this week that we found interesting in highlighting the position of social media in everyday life and for business.

The Influence of Facebook and Other Social Media Tools

There remains a view that social media equals Facebook and Twitter. This is, as many industry experts will be quick to tell you, a naive view of social media and the plethora of opportunities available.

However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the lures of Facebook. The fact that 2011 has been labelled “The Year of Facebook” in some quarters should give you an indication of its potential for businesses.

Facebook ads are growing in popularity and, as a result, they are becoming a more effective means of digital advertising. This is seeing them mentioned in the same breath as Google ads as we begin to see a real stand-off emerging between the two online giants.

It is also interesting to see the police turn to the social media giant (Facebook) in a high profile, public case. The recent tragic news of Jo Yeates’ murder has affected the nation and as the police continue to search for her killer they turned to the 500 million plus database on Facebook. This was used instead of formerly tried and tested methods of posters and leaflet drops to appeal to witnesses.

Yet, whilst Facebook is the poster boy of social media it isn’t the sole source – in fact the market as a whole is having a major impact on the American real estate.

Whilst using this as an example, it is clear to see the growing impact that social media is having on many sectors across the world.