It seems like only yesterday we were talking about social media as the new word of mouth.

Oh, wait… heh. It was yesterday.

So you can probably guess how happy we were to read a new eMarketer article that backs up exactly what we said.

According to a June 2011 study from Dell and Forrester Consulting, businesses who are listening and engaging on social media are seeing the impact across a wide range of metrics.

But here”s the specific bit we want to highlight:

Click graph to view full-sized.Sixty-three percent of respondents told Dell casino online and Forrester Consulting they had seen a positive effect from such initiatives on brand awareness, while 57% said the same about brand sentiment, and 50% about overall business success.

Think about that for a minute.

Sixty-three percent of businesses surveyed saw a positive impact on brand awareness. That is the new word of mouth in action.

And you know what that means, right?

Happy dance time.

Oh yeah.