Nielsen Online says "member communities" (e.g., social networks and blogs) have become more popular than e-mail. This is a clear indication that the world of communication is shifting quite rapidly. So what does this mean for business? Should email be dropped in favor of social media? Not so fast - while participation in social media has grown exponentially, older adults (I use this term loosely), are still locked into the traditional method of communicating via email. In fact it is estimated that the use of email has actually grown 11% in the past year. These email users are often the consumers with the greatest disposable income and are the decision makers within organizations.

However, one must recognize the rapid shift that is happening. Generations Y and Z (those under age 35) rarely consider email as an option. In fact, the majority of this younger segment never used email at all. We all know about the explosion of social networks like Facebook and MySpace, but did you know the fastest growth segment on Facebook is 55 - 65 yrs of age?

Clearly, businesses need to consider both forms of communication as part of their marketing mix. Email may still be a great way to reach an older audience with newsletters and promotions. But social media is without a doubt the future communication vehical of choice and should most defintely be considered. What is so great about social media? Consider the fact that 78% of consumers trust their peer recommendations the most. Only 14% trust advertising. Add to this the fact that 77% of all active internet users regularly read blogs. So people will either talk about you or you can encourage people to have a dialogue with you.

If you encourage conversation it's constructive - if you don't, it can turn into destructive gossip about your brand.

We'll discuss in more detail how and when social media can and should be leveraged to build your brand loyalty.