If there was ever a question about how popular social networking and social media sites are in Ireland, a quick look at the Alexa rankings for sites in Ireland certainly provides an interesting insight. While not perfect, the statistics give us some indication of which websites attract the most traffic.

Of the top ten most popular sites according to Alexa as at 2 November 2007, no less than five of the sited were social networking or social media websites.

So if you are a marketer or involved in business development and are wondering how to connect with your ideal clients and customers, how to get up to date research on what your clients and customers are saying about your brand and what concerns them, my recommendation is ensure that you integrate reviewing social networking sites in your market research and your online marketing communications plan.

You won’t have to re-distribute much of your marketing budget you are currently investing in online marketing through banner ads and Google Adwords. 

What you will need is time rather than money from your marketing budget.

Consider building relationships and getting connected online through social networking sites where your customers and consumers are connecting.

In fact that is the conversation I had earlier this week with Adam Maguire of The Sunday Business Post who was researching for an article he was writing about how marketers can use social networking sites to connect to their target market.

I suggested to Adam that rather than cash, connecting to consumers and clients demands courage:

• courage to take a stand with your executive team to show them that social networking sites are worth investing time with
• courage to research online and take notice of what people are saying about your brands
• and courage to begin to engage and connect in real conversations about what matters most to your customers, clients and consumers.

So do you have the courage versus the cash?

Remember that there is a time and a place for banner adverts. Just as with traditional above the line advertising campaigns from TV adverts, to print ads, these marketing strategies build brand awareness but it is difficult to measure their effectiveness and they do not automatically lead to brand engagement or convert prospects to customers.

As for the current top ten most trafficked sites in Ireland according to Alexa rankings, here they are:

1. Google.ie
2. Bebo
3. Yahoo
4. Google.com
5. YouTube
6. Windows Live
7. MSN
8. Facebook
9. MySpace
10. Wikipedia

Did you find this article helpful? Then please share it!

Hide Sites