It’s easy for those of us close to the marketing realm to get so close to some applications that we forget that just because we’re using these apps like the pros that we are doesn’t mean the rest of the mainstream is there yet.

Case in point comes a rather enlightening poll from Harris Interactive that says only 5% of Americans are currently using Twitter. And of those 5%, 18-34 year-olds use it slightly more (8%) than 35-44 year-olds (7%).
What I take from this is simple: Twitter hasn’t even begun to reach its full potential yet, which is actually a good thing.
Twitter is at that point that so many brands find themselves at, between that group of people that have initially tried the product or service and recommended to others (who have also adopted it) and a much larger group of people that have heard of it but haven’t really adopted it. Seth Godin would refer to this latter group as the “Early Majority.”

This puts certain marketers ahead of the curve, at a point where they can and should familiarize themselves with Twitter and the potential applications it has for them to start a brand conversation. And by the way, I’m not saying every brand in the world should be on Twitter. Not at all. What I’m saying is social media isn’t just a tool in the toolkit but an entire potential universe that every brand owes itself to examine as part of the larger overall media mix.

So marketing managers, don’t let these small percentages dissuade you from looking into what your options are in the social realm are. Assuming that at least one tool from this realm makes sense for you, it will be far easier to sell social media through internally if you allow a percentage of it into your overall budget rather than depend on it to do a majority of the heavy lifting for your brand. Since these tools are basically free, the budgetary “cost” I speak of is more related to the investment of time that will be required, which brings me to my next point: Starting small also allows you to plan accordingly in terms of who will be handling your social media tactics regularly, what your objectives are, etc. So as your target audience’s engagement of these tools builds, you can build with them internally. The last thing you want to do is jump into the social realm without anybody internally (or externally, such as an agency) being there to cover for you. Just “being there” isn’t good enough.

Use this kind of news as an opportunity to make your social media plans now. That way, when a major influencer like Oprah says, “I love Twitter!” and the majority of your target audience are women aged 35-44 who hang on Ms. O’s every recommendation, your brand just might be in the right place at the right time.

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