(HedgeCo.Net) With more 15,000 competitors, the hedge fund industry is extremely competitive. Many institutional investors are contacted by thousands of managers a year, meeting with a few hundred, have follow up meetings with fifty, and ultimately allocating to two. In this competitive environment, any edge over the competition is vital. Having a well thought out social media strategy is one way to achieve this. During the past five years, the use of social media has significantly increased within the hedge fund industry. Today, a vast majority of firms have at least some presence on social media.