Here is a really interesting video with some statistics about the current state of the internet and how it has evolved. Videos like this help us step back from the minutiae and realize how fast we are moving.

JESS3 / The State of The Internet from Jesse Thomas on Vimeo.

…wow. That was cool.

While we’re at it, here is another video with cool statistics. It’s a little preachy at the end, but we like the overall idea:

In a year full of not-so-spectacular economic news, a new study about social media gives hope to brands who may be struggling due to the recession. The study, conducted by WetPaint and the Altimeter Group, revealed that companies that were active social media users were experiencing more financial success than companies that were not.

The study focused on 100 brands from the BusinessWeek/Interbrand Best Global Brand Report from 2008. When the social media efforts of the brands were examined,  each brand was assigned a number ranging from 1 to 127. Brands that were very active in social media saw a revenue increase of 18 %, while the least engaged saw a decrease of 6 %.

So, no David Letterman. Twitter is not a waste of time!

Among the top companies that the report mentions include Starbucks, Dell (whom we’ve given accolades to before), SAP and Thompson Reuters. The report to refers to those companies (and others) as “mavens,” meaning they are heavily engaged in seven or more social media channels.

As you may notice, these social media “mavens” don’t come from one industry. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling lattes or business software, social media works!

But it’s not a matter of diving in immediately and setting up accounts on every social media site imaginable. By examining the report’s social media mavens, it’s clear that their success comes from strategic execution of their social media campaigns.  Some things that will put companies in a position for social media success, and therefore financial success, include:

• Picking channels appropriately
• Knowing where your audience is
• Being conversational
• Encouraging conversation and feedback
• Focusing on quality not quantity

There’s a lot of opportunity in social media. The key is to do what’s appropriate for your company and brand. A major killer is doing nothing at all. Becoming a social media maven may be kind of overwhelming. Don’t worry, though. We’re here to help.

What’s the point of Twitter? Ask Dell.

Apparently, Dell has earned $3 million dollars in revenue directly through Twitter since 2007.

Here’s how they did it:

-         Used Twitter to send out coupons, some exclusive to Twitter followers
-         Announces company and product news
-         Responds to complaints
-         Asks for feedback

More importantly, Dell took into account what they heard on the Twittersphere. “Dell heard on Twitter that customers thought the apostrophe and return keys were too close together on the Dell Mini 9 laptop and fixed the problem on the Dell Mini 10. Now, the Dell Mini product development team is asking around on Twitter for new ideas for the next generation of the computer.”

Twitter is essential for listening to your audience. We also use Twitter for our clients to build relationships with their audiences, and position them as experts in their field. Twitter gives our client’s an online personality, and open a dialogue with their customers. In many cases it can be a great vehicle for promotions or special web-only offers.

We applaud Dell’s progressive thinking, and we’re willing to bet that the net benefit of Dell’s Twitter usage is higher than just $3 million. We suggest you “follow” their lead, and start to interact on Twitter. You don’t want to read a story in 6 months about one of your competitors making millions because they are the only ones in your industry interacting on social networks.