According to the 2012 Small and Medium Social Business Study conducted by the SMB Group, social media use over the past year has increased from 44 percent to 53 percent among small businesses –and from 52 percent to 63 percent among medium businesses.

More than one-third of those polled (35 percent) said they’re using social media to replace another marketing channel, such as newspapers, magazines, or email marketing.

The study also found that:

• Most SMBs feel social media will help fulfill their sales and marketing goals. Only a small percentage are using social media for non-sales and marketing functions, such as human resources, customer service and product development.

• SMBs say their top social media challenges include: lack of time, inability to measure value, difficulty integrating social media with other business activates and lack of budget.

• While SMB adoption of social media has been on the rise over the past year, median spending for both small and medium companies  remained the same as in 2011.

• Interestingly, SMB social media adoption varies most by industry and by age of decision-maker –and least by company size or primary customer type.

The study also identified a problem that unfortunately, is becoming all too common:

Many SMBs are using social platforms without a marketing plan or clear goal in mind.

In an earlier study, the SMB Group found that when SMBs take a structured, strategic approach–and implement  actionable metrics–they’re more satisfied with the results of their social media efforts than those engaging in an ad hoc manner.

Likewise, SMBs that use social media as part of a planned corporate approach are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to anticipate revenue growth than ad hoc users.

No wonder many in the  C-suite remain skeptical about social media’s “true value!”

The Adobe study specifically investigated the difference between last-click and first-click attribution models for gauging social media impacts.

Last-click attribution models credit a sale to the last place a consumer visited before converting. For example, if a consumer sees a paid search ad for a product, follows the link, and then purchase the product, the search ad will be credited with the sale.

First-click attribution models are significantly more complicated. As Adobe explains:

“Suppose [a customer] first noticed that a friend “liked” a retail brand’s Facebook post containing a link for a discount offer on shoes. The consumer clicked the link, visited the retail site, and explored the offer before leaving the site. Then, a few days later, the consumer searched for the site on Bing, saw the paid ad, and purchased the shoes.”

In this case, which website gets credit for the purchase? Most marketers measure their advertising campaigns using last-click attribution, so credit would go to the Bing ad. However, first-click attribution says Facebook deserves credit because it introduced the customer to the brand in the first place. This decision becomes even more difficult if several different channels converge to drive a conversion on your website.

For retailers that advertise on social sites, Adobe found the value of a visitor was significantly higher when measured using first-click attribution (76 percent to a whopping 785 percent higher across different social platforms). Changing the attribution method also changed the relative ranks of advertising effectiveness on social platforms.

The impact of content marketing across social media channels is also complex, and its effectiveness is similarly affected by the attribution model used. As Adobe points out:

Social media creates an environment in which brands can build awareness and engage with prospective and existing customers early in the purchase process. Prospective customers must first be aware of and engaged with a brand before they consider it, visit its website directly or via search engines, and respond to additional marketing communications. Likewise, the ongoing engagement and conversations that brands have with existing customers increase their loyalty and likelihood of making additional purchases.

By ignoring the value of these interactions, last-click attribution gives disproportionate credit to the marketing channels customers use late in the purchase process, undervaluing the role of other channels in building awareness, engagement, and ongoing relationships between customers and brands. In contrast, first-click attribution gives social media more credit for the value created by these earlier interactions.

See more details in the Adobe Digital Index Report here.

Among the 1,092 marketers surveyed:

• 90 percent are using content marketing strategies, such as article posting (79 percent), social media –excluding blogs (74 percent), blogs (65 percent), e-newsletters (63 percent), case studies (58 percent) and in-person events (56 percent).
• 60 percent said they will increase spending on content marketing in 2012.

What’s more, outsourcing for content is in on the rise, as well.

This year, more than half (62 percent) of those who participated in the study said they use outsourcing for at least a portion of their content marketing initiatives. In last year’s survey, 52 percent said they used outsourcing.

Why the interest in content marketing strategies? According to the survey results, B2B marketers use content marketing to achieve a variety of different objectives, including:

• Brand awareness (68 percent)
• Customer acquisition (68 percent)
• Lead generation (66 percent)
• Customer retention/loyalty (61 percent)
• Website traffic (56 percent)
• Thought leadership (55 percent)
• Sales (47 percent)
• Lead management, nurturing (39 percent)

Last year, Marketing Profs and the Content Marketing Institute found a confidence gap between tactics used and their effectiveness. This year, it appears as though that gap is closing. For example, these four tactics ranked significantly higher in their perceived effectiveness compared to last year:

• Blogs (45 percent increase)
• Case studies (32 percent increase)
• Videos (36 percent increase)
• Webinars/webcasts (26 percent increase)

For more insights, see the 17-page report, available here. (Registration required.)

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sepblog/3634843977/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Do you need to fill a gap in your marketing and communications department? Are you feeling overwhelmed with an upcoming deadline for a white paper or by-lined article? Perhaps you can’t keep up with the daily demands of your company blog?

Our team can help.

As experienced journalists, we take pride in writing strong, clear content that stays true to your message. We deliver crisp, ready-to-publish copy that’ s on-time and on-budget.

So, please stay tuned. This site is currently undergoing construction and will reappear with a new look, new contributors and a new blog dedicated to exploring today’s multifaceted inbound marketing campaigns.

Social media is here to stay and that means we are on the threshold of an entirely new era in content marketing.

Check out the statistics in this short video from Davanti Digital Media (below). You’ll hear that:

• 75 percent of U.S. households now use social media to listen, talk and recommend products.
• In 2010, 68 percent of small businesses increased their social media marketing, which drove immediate results to their business.
• Companies that blog receive 55 percent more visitors to their website than those that don’t.
• 85 percent of social media users believe companies should interact with their customers.

New data from the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth shows that half of the Inc. 500 companies surveyed now have a corporate blog –that’s a steady increase from 45 percent in 2009, 39 percent in 2008 and only 19 percent in 2007.

The Inc. 500 is a list of the fastest-growing private U.S. companies compiled annually by Inc. Magazine. The Center for Marketing Research has been tracking social media adoption among the Inc. 500 for the past four years.

According to the researchers, blogging is now considered a mature tool in the social media arena, and companies have learned to use blogs effectively. For instance, Inc. 500 companies now show a “strong propensity” to engage with customers in the comments section.

Blogs aren’t as popular among the Fortune 500, yet. The Center for Marketing Research found that only about one-quarter (23 percent) of the Fortune 500 surveyed have a corporate blog –a rise of just one percent over last year.

More details from the 2010 study are available here.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sepblog/3634843977/sizes/m/in/photostream/

• I schedule my own time.
• Wardrobe costs are low.
• I can multi-task with the occasional load of laundry.

But, there are downsides, too. For me, one of the most significant is this:

• Working at home can get lonely.

(My sentiments are confirmed in this recent article at Huffington Post.)

This time of year can be especially rough, and every December, I find myself getting a bit more nostalgic than usual. When you work in an office (or in my case, a lab), you tend to take all the holiday socializing for granted. It’s just a natural part of the hustle and bustle of the season.

Things are different when you work at home, though.

My dog refuses to comment on my jingle bell earrings. There are no no gingerbread coffee aromas drifting from the break room. (Oh, who am I kidding? There is no break room, either.) And, I’ll admit, the FedEx deliveryman did look a little perplexed when I tried to engage him in an enthusiastic debate about the pros and cons of online shopping.

So last week, I had a revelation:

Why not throw a virtual office party for all of us who work at home? Why not use Twitter to connect with colleagues and spread some holiday cheer?

And now, that’s the plan. This week, @anyadowning and I are teaming up to host a home office party on Twitter.

Please join us! We’re getting together on Twitter this Thursday, December 16 at 3:00 pm, Eastern. Use the hashtag #homeofficeparty.

It will be fun, free and low-calorie. Dress is casual. Conversation will be lively.

Stop by to say hello. Sip some (virtual) eggnog. And spread some good cheer.

Jingle bell earrings are optional –but, I’ll be wearing mine.

I suppose most of the criticisms stem from a lack of understanding about what corporate ghostwriters like me “do,” so I’m devoting this post to debunking

Five Myths About Corporate Ghostwriters

1. We write whatever we can dream up.

While I’ll readily admit that there are days when I wish this was true, it’s not. I am in contact with my clients at least once a week (usually more often). Sometimes, they send me copy to edit. Typically, we brainstorm ideas by phone or email. My job is to write what my clients want me to write, not what I would like to write. Make no mistake about it: I receive my marching orders from them. Then, they review my work, and I revise, as needed. It’s a highly collaborative process rich with shared cross-functional expertise. One of the highlights of my job is that I am continually learning from experts across a wide range of business sectors. In return, I bring years of journalism training and experience to the table.

2. We are products of the internet and social media.

Wrong. Content creation is nothing new. In fact, some even trace ghostwriting back to Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC. (See a brief history of ghostwriting here.) For decades, C-level execs (and others) have used writers to help them draft letters, speeches, articles, etc. Why is it so shocking that these same people now would use ghostwriters to help draft online content?

3. We do nothing more than repurpose content from other sites.

Wrong, again.  See Number 1 above. Naturally, I use whatever resources are available to me, and if I am working for a CEO who has a keynote speech on YouTube or a by-lined article published somewhere else, I’m going to take advantage of that content for background and supporting information. However, my job is to create new, original value. And, again, I happily accept that charge. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

4. Working with a ghostwriter is a time sink.

Au contraire, ghostwriters save time. In a 20-minute phone conversation with a CIO, she and I can generate plenty of ideas for blog posts. After all, C-level execs are full of inspiration and opinions, but not all of them like to write. On the other hand, ghostwriters like me LOVE to write. I estimate that on average, I have been writing thousands of words per day, every day (yes, weekends and vacation days, too) for years. Writing is a joy to me. But, to my clients, it’s a burden. By relieving them of that burden, I save them time –and headaches, too.

5. We are egomaniacs on a diabolical quest to strangle the free-form, spontaneous nature of online social media –and quite possibly take over the world.

Perhaps this is the most laughable myth of all. Ghostwriters aren’t egomaniacal. Think about it. By definition, we have to check our egos at the door at the start of every work day. Remember: We don’t get by-lines. My work appears regularly in national publications. Blog posts I write attract thousands of readers and reTweets and comments . . . And yet, of course, I remain anonymous. In addition, I certainly don’t feel that ghostwriters detract from social media networks. Instead, I believe that good writing adds clarity, engages readers and helps build community.

So, please try to cut ghostwriters a little slack. You may be reading their work more often then you realize . . . and with a little research, you may be able to find one who fits your style and can help you successfully navigate the modern-day challenges related to creating content for your business.

After all, they’re writers, they say. They write prose. They write articles. They work on projects. They finish assignments. They submit copy –to book publishing agents, magazine editors, website managers and blog networks.

But, make no mistake about it: they most definitely do not write “content.”

I understand the distinction they want to make. Honestly, I do.

The term “content” sounds impersonal, unprofessional and inconsequential. Somehow, it seems unlikely  that writing content would require a journalism degree or years of experience at a news desk or a file cabinet full of by-lined articles. And, it has been made quite clear to me (more than once) that for many, content is synonymous with filler.

However, during one of these recent conversations, I started to wonder, “Are these writer friends taking that one word (and quite possibly, themselves) a little too seriously?” Could it be that we have been writing “content” all along?

Over the past year, I’ve had clients ask me to write content for the core pages of their websites. Others consider blog posts content. One refers to by-lined articles as “content pieces.” Someone else is looking for “quality magazine content.”

Do you see my point? The distinction that some writers are clinging to is now blurring. Our job has changed …and content is continually evolving.

I’ll admit, my feathers got a little ruffled when I first heard my work referred to as content. But, now that I have seen my articles/assignments/projects/stories/copy well-received across a wide variety of today’s different formats, I’ve become more comfortable with the term.

Book chapters. White papers. Articles. Blog posts. Web copy.  I suppose at some level, it’s all content, isn’t it?

And I suppose, realizing that is the first step in becoming a modern content-ed writer.

For instance, in “Can Twitter Make Money?,” from the new issue of MIT’s Technology Review (subscription required), author David Talbot reveals both the enormous potential of Twitter for real-time communication and the formidable challenges the company faces to create more value and find a viable business plan.

In the article, Talbot reports that one study of a sampling of 2,000 tweets found the content to be:

• Pointless babble (41 percent)
• Conversational (38 percent)
• Pass-along value (8.7 percent)
• Self-promotion (5.9 percent)
• Spam (3.8 percent)
• News (3.6 percent)

Also, it was interesting to see this data which categorized users by number of tweets:

• No updates (41.3 percent)
• 1-9 updates (39.3 percent)
• 10-19 (5 percent)
• 20-99 (8 percent)
• 100-499 (4.4 percent)
• 500+ (2.6 percent)

And these numbers, which grouped users based on follower count:

• No followers (24 percent)
• 1-10 (57 percent)
• 11-20 (8 percent)
• 21-100 (8 percent)
• 101-500 (2 percent)
• 500+ (1 percent)

This week Barracuda Networks also published new findings which indicate that less than one-quarter (21 percent) of Twitter users are actual True Twitter Users. (The study defines a True Twitter User as a person who has at least 10 followers, follows 10 people, and has updated their status with at least 10 tweets.)

Like companies in the Fortune 500 and Inc. 500, I’m experimenting with Twitter as a way to build business –plus, there’s no doubt that it’s simply a lot of fun. But, this data clearly shows that Twitter is one aspect of social media that is still evolving.