The Friday Five - Social Media Stats, Blog Ingredients and KPIs

Shh... Shhhh... We won't talk too loud in case you're still a little hungover from New Year's parties, but it's time for The Friday Five: Five Headlines from Social Media, Inbound Marketing, SEO, and Web Design, our weekly roundup for ideas and news that you can use. And here they are:

1. 73% of U.S. Adults Use Social Networks, Pinterest Passes Twitter In Popularity, Facebook Stays on Top
2. 11 Essential Ingredients Every Blog Post Needs (Infographic)
3. Digital Ads: How Facebook, Google, And Twitter Target Us
4. Do You have inbound marketing KPIs? You should
5. Big Data Shrinks to Grow

Facebook may be currently facing question marks over how well it’s faring with younger users, but among those over 18 in the U.S. it remains the social network king. According to figures out today from the researchers at the Pew Research Center, the percentage of adults using the social networks of Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram to communicate with each other is now at 73%, and Facebook — the world’s largest social network with 1.19 billion users — remains the most popular in the U.S., with 71% of U.S. adults using it.

11 Essential Ingredients Every Blog Post Needs (Infographic) - Copyblogger

Inbound marketing relys on creating remarkable content for your site, and blogging is a huge piece of that. Make sure you follow these tips.

Digital Ads: How Facebook, Google, And Twitter Target Us - ReadWrite

Traditionally, media buyers have used targeting to minimize the waste of advertising to the “wrong people”—those not in their target market. With the rise of digital media, media buying has matured, making possible sophisticated buys that allow for targeting of specific consumer groups within broader markets.

Do You have inbound marketing KPIs? You should - InvstmentNews

Key performance indicators are quantifiable measurements of an organization's success in various areas. Though used mainly in the retail world, when properly understood, KPIs can allow you to benchmark your progress. 

Big Data Shrinks to Grow - New York Times

All high-tech hype cycles must end, and usually when they do there’s a crash. Some pundits gloat at bad ideas that got funded and fell apart. The true believers set to building something durable from the remnants of the boom. In some cases, like the ’90s Internet hype, the outcome more than fulfills the promise, but few see it coming.

That's it for this first edition of the 2014 Friday Five. Now get cracking on those new year inbound resolutions!