More than six in 10 (64%) people who follow a brand on Twitter are existing customers of the company, according to [pdf] a study released in October 2011 by Chadwick Martin Bailey. Results from “10 Quick Facts You Should Know About Consumer Behavior on Twitter” indicate about six in 10 (61%) also want to be [...]

In yet another example of companies still not getting it when it comes to social media comes the findings of a survey which revealed that over 70% of all customer complaints sent to companies via Twitter fall on deaf ears.

Part 1 of 3 – Square one. The basics. First step. When it comes to planning an effective social media presence, most minds drift to the tool box. Should we be on Facebook? What about Twitter? Do we need a profile on LinkedIn? What about video?

How much time are you spending on social media? Can you tell if it’s helping sales?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a framework for measuring the impact of your social media efforts?

That’s where Susan Etlinger’s new research for the Altimeter Group comes into play. Susan did qualitative research with 60 social media marketers and vendors to understand how businesses currently measure their social media performance.

Social media is evolving so quickly that it almost makes your head spin.

Google+ arrived on the scene only a few months ago and has quickly gathered nearly 50 million users, Twitter continues to grow past 200 million and Facebook continues to evolve both its personal profiles and company Fan pages.

The social web is the third phase of the Internet’s evolution which has followed the portal phase around 1995 (such as Yahoo and AOL) and search phase which commenced in earnest in the late 1990′s ( including Google and Bing).

While the 4 Ps of marketing are still relevant, it’s the 7 Ps that are most applicable to modern day marketing. Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

It’s easy to point out the ways in which email and social media are different, and how it is possible to conclude that a company that has built its communications program on email should not move resources into social.That email marketers make excellent social media marketers is one very good reason to supplement communications through social. Still, there are many counter arguments I come across, some less defensible than others. Here are a few of the most frequently cited, each in need of a little mythbusting:

“The important thing is that you realize that social media isn’t a passing fad or a fun hobby–it’s a business strategy. …Only the strategic will survive. We have moved past the stage where social media is a shiny new toy that everyone is playing with. Like every other marketing strategy, it requires time, people, and resources to succeed. You’ve made that commitment and now you’re ready to dive in.”