Reach More Clients Globally: Social Media’s Global Growth

If you haven’t jumped on the global social media train, now is the time. New Nielsen data confirms what social media pundits have been claiming:  social media is a powerful way to reach customers globally.

The Nielsen Company recently reported that usage of social media sites grew rapidly, up  82% (!) from December 2009 to December 2009. Some sites’ usage grew exponentially, with U.S. usage for Facebook increasing 200% and for Twitter 368%.

Although the United States led the pack in terms of individuals using social media sites (142,000), Japan came in second place (47,000 individuals).  Australians spent the most time per month on such sites, topping out at almost 7 hours/month, with Americans coming in second (6 hours/month).     Other countries, like Brazil and the United Kingdom, reported a healthy number of social media users and time spent on social media sites.

So what does this mean for professionals wanting more clients abroad? Social media is another powerful global client development tool to build relationships–and very cost effectively.

Social media enhances other forms of relationship building, but alone isn’t a “quick fix” to boost clients abroad. Professional service providers usually need to build trust with prospective clients over the long term before being hired.

But social media does provide a way to start a conversation–a dialogue–that can lead to a deeper professional relationship.