Count and convince.

Two things to cover today:

1. ROI is a big issue for any activity undertaken by a business.
2. Not everyone has unbridled enthusiasm for Social Media, especially as it is all (relatively) new.

This morning through Twitter I was made aware of two posts covering this area in far more detail than I could ever hope two so rather than kid myself that I could do the topic justice I’ll repost.

First up: How to sell social media to cynics, skeptics & luddites (yes I like the pejorative title).
Next: Social Media metrics superlist: Measurement, ROI, & Key Statistics Resources

Now these are both very big lists to get through.
I’ve noticed with people I first introduce to Social Media that there is enthusiasm quickly followed by anxiety as they process exactly how much stuff is out there.
Here’s the key.
Don’t even think about trying to take it all in.

You don’t read every article in a newspaper, you skim and dip in and out – treat this stuff the same. It can be hard with services like Twitter where you feel a pull of obligation because they’re YOUR followers.
Don’t.

I think Chris Brogan wrote, and I agree completely – ‘You don’t drink THE stream, you drink FROM the stream’

(Image by Skibler)

Interesting stats

Universal McCann has written a couple of insightful reports with some interesting stats.

This from the Wave3 report published March 08:

Australia – Blog readership for on-line users has grown from 21% to 62%, an estimated 3.3 million blog readers in this country.

Globally Blog readership has grown to 54% to 77%. An estimated 346 million people.

The time period for this growth was from September 2006 to March 2008

If you’re not getting involved, why not?