Celebrate Social Media Day in Chicago

Today I would like to talk to you about Social Media as a whole. In just 10 days, we celebrate World Social Media Day. Ten years ago, social media barely existed. Today, it is part of everyone’s life. Whether you are school-aged child or their grandparent, social media is part of your life. I think the best way to talk about the impact of social media is through a few numbers.

Facebook has 1.28 billion monthly active users

If Facebook was a country, it would be the second largest in the world, second only to China. This year it surpassed the population on India. It is estimated that by the end of 2015, there will be more Facebook users than people in China making it the most populous country in the world. People are online. They are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google+. Chances are your family, friends, co-workers, clients and prospects are all using social media.

Facebook users share 2.5B pieces of content daily

It is inarguable that people are on social media. More importantly, content is there. On Facebook alone, 2.5 billion pieces of content are shared daily. On YouTube, 72 hours of video are uploaded every minute of the day. If you need an answer, social can give it to you.

Every second, two new people join LinkedIn

It is no secret that social media has dominated the business world. LinkedIn is the business social marketplace. Business starts there and ends in conference rooms, on the phone and at golf courses around the world. People find new businesses online. While advertising was once the marketing king, world of mouth advertising via social has taken over. In fact while on 14% of consumers trust advertising, 78% trust referrals from their peers. (Check out www.boxlessmedia.com/networkin for our upcoming workshop on LinkedIn)

The power of social media is astounding. That is the reason for World Social Media Day. It’s a celebration of the great things that social media can do. With the support of Chicago’s Alderman Bob Fioretti, June 30th will be named Chicago Social Media Day. If you are in Chicago, come and join our celebration at Dick’s Last Resort Chicago. All the details are available at www.socialmediadaychicago.com. We will have a live music, giant Jenga, Atari games and much more. No pancakes, just great food from Dick’s and a whole lotta fun.