Backsberg

I stumbled on this video (by @equalman on this site) over the weekend and it really made me sit up and think about the numbers it presents- and the trends behind those numbers. Sure, there is a US focus with some of the stats, but they are most certainly relevant for South Africa, and our wine industry.

Here are some of the stats the video presents:

-By 2010 Generation Y will outnumber Baby Boomers….96% of them have joined a social network.

-Social Media has overtaken pornography as the number #1 activity on the Web.

-Years to reach 50 million users: Radio (38 years), TV (13 years), Internet (4 years), iPod (3 years). It took Facebook less than 9 months to add 100 million users.

-If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s fourth largest after China, India and the USA.

-There are over 200 000 000 blogs online.

-24 out of 25 of the major US newspapers are experiencing record declines in circulation.

What does Social Media mean for Backsberg?

There are some fairly complicated definitions of ‘Social Media’ out there. For me, it’s fairly simple: a digital way of creating relationships. Key to that sense of relationship is interacting with people and sharing relevant information with them. That information can be blog posts, pictures, video, tweets or links.  The other important aspect of social media is allowing members of your community to interact with each other and create their own voice about your story or brand. For some, giving power to one’s own customers may be very scary. I think allowing customers to be part of building a brand is one of the most exciting aspects of the social media phenomenon.

What are we doing on the social media front at Backsberg?

-Blog: this is the main platform for a lot of the stories and content that we put out. It’s a place where you can interact with me through posting comments, as well as helping to shape the content that you see here.

-Facebook Page: this is the home of the Backsberg Facebook community.

-Twitter: for bite-size chunks of Backsberg-related news, this is the place to go.

-YouTube: this is our own Backsberg TV channel. I post all our videos here.

-Flickr: I enjoy my photography and this is where you can keep up to date on the visuals.

So, we are putting quite an effort into all of the content that forms the heart of our social media. For me, it’s really the content that counts. The tools, be it Facebook or Twitter, are not that important in their own right. Fundamentally, our effort is fuelled by the statement ‘Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate’.

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This post was written by:

Simon Back- who has written 51 posts on the Back Chat Blog. After finishing up studying economics at UCT in 2007, Simon has joined his family wine farm, Backsberg. When he is not trying to figure out what marketing wine means, he is authoring his blog, Back Chat.

Author's web site: Backsberg

Read more in Day to Day, Video.

Last 3 posts by Simon Back

• Backsberg wins Sustainability Award at The Drinks Business Green Awards - February 28th, 2010
• Ship direct to Europe- affordably! - February 28th, 2010
• 10 questions for the man in charge of the Sydney Back Brandy - January 28th, 2010