Shrek is part of Broadway’s “monster” transition to social media marketing.

According to Variety.com, a growing number of Broadway producers and marketers are using sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to craft creative social media marketing campaigns for their shows. “Shrek the Musical” has launched its own social networking site (shrekster.com, known as “a place for theatreogres”), while the character-based online narrative created by the show “Next to Normal” (twitter.com/n2nbroadway) has attracted a following of more than 100,000 on Twitter. It’s all part of what one Broadway marketer refers to as “a monster transition in how shows are marketed.”

Social media sites are expanding the reach of Broadway ad agencies, but they can also be more time-consuming than traditional marketing methods. “It takes a lot of people and a lot of time to hit as many eyes as we used to,” Sara Fitzpatrick, director of interactive at SpotCo, told Variety.

At Molding Web, we specialize in assisting companies that are interested in social media marketing but hesitant to engage in it because of the time commitment that may be required. To find out more about how our Internet marketing services can help your company achieve its long-term business goals, call us at 1-877-900-6932.

A major new study released last week by The Pew Research Center indicates that the proportion of college graduates and people aged 30 to 49 participating in online social networking has more than doubled over the past two years. The study, which is titled Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987­­-2009, features 11 sections on topics such as Religion and Social Values, Foreign Policy and Global Engagement, and Social Networking, Science and Civil Liberties.

Online social networking is “no longer just for the young,” according to Pew. Though the 18-29 demographic remains the best represented group on sites like Facebook and Twitter, with 70% of 18-29 year olds using social media sites, the greatest growth has occurred among those aged 30-39 and 40-49. As of April, 43% of 30-39 year olds use social networking sites, up from 21% in December 2007, and 29% of 40-49 year olds are networking online, up from 11% in December 2007.

Most of this growth is taking place among college graduates. In December 2007, only 20% of college grads were active on social networking sites. That figure now stands at 42%, surpassing both high school grads (39%) and those with some college education (24%).

Pew also reports that online social networkers are “checking in daily, or more often” to their favorite social media sites. “Nearly one-in-five of those who use social networking sites (19%) say they visit these sites several times a day, while another 24% say they visit about once a day,” the study says.

At Molding Web, we believe this continued growth in daily online engagement can enable businesses to reach new customers and build stronger relationships with existing customers via social media marketing. We also offer search engine optimization, content writing, and other Internet marketing services that are designed to support the organic, long-term business goals of our clients.

A recently released report by Rockbridge Associates and the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland states that increased online social networking is one of the primary ways in which Americans have changed their priorities in response to the current recession. The study found that 33% of Americans are spending more time communicating with friends and family through social networking sites, second only to watching television (34%) as the primary lifestyle change versus one year ago. Cutting expenses, increasing savings, and stopping 401K contributions have been the major personal changes Americans have made in the economic sphere since last year, the report says.

The report’s conclusion? Relationships win. Though consumers have reduced their spending on products, sales of services have been affected to a lesser degree. The resilience of this “customer-relationship orientation” and the likelihood that social networking will outlast the economic downturn lead Rockbridge and UM to conclude that “continuing the relationship with customers is a key strategy for service providers.”

The way to do this, of course, is to go where the customers are. As user numbers continue to climb for sites like Facebook and Twitter, the social media marketing services we provide at Molding Web can help your business to connect with the growing number of Americans who are making use of these services.