Sure, the industrial revolution changed the world, but the current new world order is all about social. Social networking, social sharing, social linking – the possibilities (and the links!) are endless. These days, social media has taken over every aspect of life – from planning an event to purchasing a product to connecting with your doctor or dentist. And businesses are quickly learning that in order to compete in the marketplace, companies not only need a social presence but an entire social strategy.

We know that sounds intimidating. But when you look at the impact that social media has on the daily lives of all Americans, you’ll soon realize that great opportunity that awaits your business. Check out these facts:

  • YouTube is now the world’s second largest search engine (behind Google). If you thought YouTube was just for wasting time watching cat videos, think again; YouTube is an invaluable marketing tool; you just have to know how to use it.
  • Facebook isn’t going anywhere. In fact, this year, Facebook usage is up 21 percent, meaning that your potential audience is getting exponentially bigger.
  • Facebook is also available in 97 translations now. (Looks like your audience just grew again!)
  • More than 100 million of the 1.23 billion active users access Facebook on a mobile device. Mobile optimization, anyone?
  • Social networks are for everyone, but a staggering 96 percent of 18 to 35 year-olds are active on a social network.
  • User-generated content really affect a business’s digital presence. In fact, 25 percent of search results for the world’s top 20 brands are links to user-generated content.
  • 500 million Tweets are generated each day. That’s a lot of chirping.
  • Twitter has 650,000,000 users, with more added every day.
  • 350,000,000 photos are uploaded to Facebook each day.
Social Media Revolution 2014