Do You Need a Social Media Presence?

I've seen on LinkedIn and elsewhere questions about whether a start-up should market via social media such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, etc. My answer to any "should we" question is always, "if your ideal customers are there, yes." Pretty straight-forward and simple. But how do you know where your ideal customers are, aside from asking them? MarketingCharts highlights a new survey (The 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study) shows that the following groups in particular want to be reached (and marketed to) via social networks:

--Consumers aged 18-34 (one-third of respondents)
--Households with income of $75K+

In addition, a majority (2/3) of $75K+ households and households with 3+ members "feel stronger connections to brands they interact with online."

If this is your customer base, it's time to get social!