Less than a year ago, we wrote about mom and dad friending us on social networks. Well, it looks like grandma and grandpa are rapidly joining the game, too.

According to recent number released by Neilsen, Facebook is the third most visited site by seniors (65+) – just behind Google and Windows Media Player. These numbers are a dramatic increase from last year when Facebook came in at the number 45 spot. Looking at an even wider picture of seniors’ use of the web reveals that their use of social networking sites and blogs has increased 53% in the past year as well.

As marketers, this is a trend that should not be taken lightly. The 65+ population makes up roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population, and tend to have a higher level of disposable income and leisure time to spending clicking away online. Don’t forget about this group when you’re developing your next social media strategy.

Chances are at some point in your life you’ve witnessed a disgruntled customer say something along the lines of “I’m telling my friends never to come here again.” But have you ever wondered just how much impact said disgruntled customers can have?

Samitrex recently conducted a study within the wireless industry that compares the worth of promoters, those who refer a company to their friends, and detractors, those who spread negative WOM or are unlikely to refer a company. The results show that promoters are responsible for about .5 of every new customer obtained through WOM, while detractors account for the loss of 1.3 new costumers, as a result of their negative word of mouth. How does that affect the bottom line?

The chart above shows the total worth of each promoter and detractor. This value is found by combining how much each type of customer typically spends with the company and the indirect value they provide through word of mouth. Each promoter is worth about $1,700 while each detractor is worth -$300. That means detractors are actually costing a company more money then they spend themselves.

“A company’s ability to take action to increase Promoters and reduce Detractors has a significant impact on financial performance” according to Dr. Laura Brooks, VP of Sametrix business development. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. So, here’s some free advice, courtesy of us here at MGH WOM, on how to start taking that action:

1. It is vital that you do everything in your power to exceed consumers’ expectations when it comes to customer service.
2. It starts with listening. It is possible to transform a detractor into a promoter just by listening to your consumers and addressing the issues at hand. Heck, it’s worked for us before.
3. Use your current promoters to make up for the loss the detractors are causing. An ambassador campaign is a great way to leverage your loyal customers and amplify their positive word of mouth.

Over one-third of Americans interact with companies through social media, says a new study conducted by Cone.  The Business in Social Media report found that 60% percent of Americans use some form of social media, and 59% of those participants communicate with brands in some way.

Additionally, 93% of social media users said that brands should have some presence on social media outlets, and 85% believed that brands should use these tools to communicate with consumers.

Overwhelmingly, the social media advocates said companies should be using social networks to address problems brought about by the consumers.  They also said that these tools should be used to solicit feedback on a brand’s products and services.

This strong consumer push for a customer service presence online represents a growing trend in overall customer/company relations.   The days of one-way communication are out, and consumers are demanding that brands invest more time in their customer relationship building.

The lesson you should learn from all of this: Get as involved in social media as you can….before your competitors do!  Most customers don’t expect you to participate and communicate every day (they know you’re busy).  But they do demand this alternative sounding board.

You can read the full report here.

I was watching the news the other night (because The Biggest Loser was on a commercial break), when something seemed a little bit off - I had read about the “breaking news” three hours prior to watching it on the network. I couldn’t remember exactly where I had seen it, but knew that the program was way behind in their coverage.

And then I remembered my old pal, the Internet. The news felt old because I had seen it in a blog. Now I can’t say for sure that the journalists ripped their information from some obscure blog entry, but found it fascinating that a major news network lagged behind information reported by a citizen journalist.

Most people (I think hope) have some idea about the growing role bloggers and social media’ers are playing in shaping the face of news, but it’s been hard to measure the effect these citizen journalists are having on the media….until now.

Brodeur just published results from a survey they issued to U.S. journalists, and the results are pretty incredible. In the report, nearly 75% of those surveyed said that blogs were having a significant impact on the “speed” and “availability of news”. Additionally, over half claimed that bloggers have a significant impact on the “tone” (61.8 percent) and “editorial direction” (51.1 percent) of their news reporting.

While this user-generated content may not always be 100% accurate, these bloggers have an undeniable effect on the way in which consumers receive their news. They require journalists to constantly stay on top of the blogosphere in order offer news that’s both competitive and timely.

But, even more importantly, bloggers largely influence these journalists to report on the information that consumers find important. 10 years ago, they may have been able to ignore the buzz happening on the Internet and report on stories that only editors found to be relevant. But today, many journalists focus their stories directly around Internet buzz and the impact that it’s having on consumer opinion.

Many of these bloggers are now positioned as subject experts on major news networks, and offer opinions that arguably outrival their traditional journalist counterparts.

It’s a funny thing to watch a grounded institution like the mainstream media shift so rapidly. And I’ve got to say that I love it.

More on citizen journalists in the upcoming weeks…