HubSpot has pulled together an amazing collection of statistics related to elements of inbound marketing titled "120 Marketing Stats, Charts and Graphs." Some of the information dates to 2010, so if anything, the numbers are skewed to the low side. That seems obvious because I'm not seeing reports of people or companies abandoning the use of social media, email, blogging, etc.

Social media management is important to your overall marketing strategy. But as you add more and more platforms, you're likely to struggle with keeping tabs on it all.

It seems that every day a new study is released that validates the use of social media by businesses of every size. Consider just a few of the statistics that our friends at HubSpot have pulled together for us:

Even though social media has captured lots of attention lately, there are still many companies and organizations that have chosen to sit on the sidelines. Perhaps you are one of them. In this tough economy, you are probably evaluating a range of  marketing solutions to grow your business. Yet, you are reluctant to embrace social media. Why?

Most marketers would agree that the more targeted followers you have, the better your chances of driving traffic to your blog or website. I say 'targeted' because it's a mistake to garner lots of followers who have little likelihood of ever engaging with you. And engagement is really what social media is all about.

Manufacturers around the world have adopted the idea of continuous improvement for more than 20 years now. That same philosophy applies to writing. If your blogging today is no more polished and professional than it was a year ago, then you're neglecting your craft.