Digital marketing is fascinating. While the concept remains consistent, the execution changes almost daily. Think about social media platforms, how you use the internet, when, how and why you consume content – it’s constantly changing. Google, Facebook and other sites update their terms and advertising policies on a regular basis. That’s why it’s so important to have a digital marketing person on your team, or to hire a consultant who knows what they are doing.

While you may have a personal Facebook page, you probably don’t have the knowledge, time and effort it takes to run a successful Facebook Business page. Perhaps you read blogs, or even have a personal blog, but you may not be an expert in creating content for your business website targeted to your primary audience with the intent of increasing traffic and sales.

Or maybe you still don’t understand how all of this is important to your business and marketing plan.

I’ve pulled together a few of my favorite statistics supporting social media, content and digital marketing in a three-part blog series to help share why it’s critical to consider these tactics, and how they can help your business thrive.

Today, let’s highlight Social Media Marketing.

• 3.5 billion people use social media, which is nearly 50% of the world population. Instagram alone has more than 1 billion users monthly. You have unlimited potential in reaching your target audience.
• Nearly 70% of U.S. adults use Facebook. It may be the most popular platform, and one of the best to reach your potential audience.
• 90% of millennials, 77% of Gen X, and nearly 50% of baby boomers use social media. Don’t let someone tell you that you can’t reach all generations effectively on social.
• People spend 3+ hours a day on social media platforms. You have three hours to catch their eye with your content.
• 54% of social users take advantage of social media to research products. It’s like another Google, but more engaging and interactive. They are looking for reviews and recommendations, they want to learn about your brand and see how you interact with your customers.
• 71% of consumers who have a positive experience with a brand on social are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family. Use your social presence to build your business.
• 83% of people who sent a Tweet to a company and received a response felt better about the company and were more likely to do business with them.
• People are 26% more likely to view ads on Twitter than any other social platform.
• Over 46% of all social media traffic to company websites comes from LinkedIn.
• 90% of Instagram users follow a business on the platform, and are interested in hearing from and about brands. Instagram also has the highest engagement rate with businesses.

Now, re-read all of those bullets until they sink in…

These are just a few of many eye opening stats about social platforms and their positive effect on businesses, and companies are paying attention. Marketers spent nearly $90 billion in social media ad spend in 2019, and that number is expected to continue to rise.

Each platform has their own nuances. Each has different audiences – for example, you should advertise on Instagram if you want to reach a younger audience, Facebook for an older audience, and LinkedIn for a professional audience. Each has preferences for what types of ads work best – static image? Video? Link? It can be overwhelming, which is why it can be helpful to have the help of an expert.

Also remember, it’s not all about paid advertising. It’s also about organic content and what you post on your page. It’s how you interact with your audience. Social media gives you a prime opportunity to have two-way conversations with and learn from your customers and prospects. They can leave you reviews, interact with and comment on your posts, send you direct messages – and you can respond directly back to them. It’s a chance for you to share your brand, your story, information about your products/service, educational/informational/engaging content for your followers.

With social media, you essentially have unlimited potential to share your business and interact with your customers. Do it right, and you will see increased brand loyalty and consumer engagement, and even increase in sales. Do it wrong, or don’t do it at all, and you’ll be missing out on a huge and cost-effective opportunity.

I encourage you to do some research on your own if you aren’t familiar with all of the positive effects of being active on social media as a business. Comment some of your favorite stats below!

If you want to talk further about how social media marketing can help your business, need help getting started, or would like assistance with ongoing support, send me a message today.