From what we have seen on the Internet the past years, social media and social media marketing are not going anywhere soon.
This is why we agree with MarketMeSuite and Placester when they say in this infographic that it is time to face the facts that “social media marketing isn’t a fad” and that “more and more small businesses are leveraging the power of social” for their own gain.
As it stands now, 26 percent of small business marketers spend an hour or more on social media marketing per day. The infographic also notes that 58 percent of small business marketers spend at least 10 minutes on social media marketing a day.
That may tell us that usage is not really for prolonged periods of times but what can be seen as an indication that marketers are seeing results is the fact that 58 percent of them plan to increase their social media use this year.
Why is social media gaining more and more use by small businesses marketers? The infographic lists the following reasons why:
– 84 percent of small business marketers use social media to reach customers across multiple touch points.
– 62 percent of small business marketers use social media to reach customers where they spend time.
– 56 percent of percent of small business marketers say that customers expect them to be on social media.
– 53 percent of small business marketers use social media as an engagement tool for 2-way conversation.
And spend time on social media people do. Furthermore, as we have mentioned in past articles here on Social Barrel, customers trust companies more when they have a social media presence. As an example, the article linked below reveals that people trust a CEO more when he or she uses social media.
Why CEOs Should Use Social Media [Infographic]
If small business marketers are so keen on using social media, what types of results are they seeing coming from their efforts in this field?
For one, they are seeing more traffic to their sites. Businesses gain a 185 percent increase in web traffic after achieving 1,000 likes on their Facebook Page, the infographic notes.
Furthermore, businesses with 51 to 100 followers on Twitter generate 106 percent more traffic than those with only 25 or fewer followers.
The infographic also notes that 46 percent of online users count on social media when making a purchase decision, 50 percent of shoppers have made a purchase based on a recommendation through social media, and 71 percent of social media users are more likely to purchase from a business they are connected with.
The Effect Of Social Media On Commerce [Infographic]
Small business marketers are also acquiring customers via social media use. For linked in, 57 percent of businesses say they have generated customers through the use of the site. 48 percent of businesses say they got customers through Twitter and 42 percent of businesses say they did so through Facebook.
The infographic then goes on to give tips about making the most of one’s social media marketing efforts.
The first tip is one of the author’s favorites and has in fact been discussed in previous articles here on Social Barrel. This is to add value to the content shared to an audience.
10 Tips To Get More Shares On Facebook
As the author said in the article linked above, “Ultimately, it all boils down to one question: Does your material have value to people?” If your material offers the audience value, they have a reason to follow your social media accounts and share your content.
Now how does one ensure that their content has value? The infographic says that content should be helpful, informative or entertaining. There are a lot of types of content to choose from. There are how-to articles, interviews, webinars and podcasts, reviews and ratings, video tutorials, market reports, infographics, and the like.
Another tip the infographic provides is that one should post during the most appropriate times on social networks. That is, post when most people are using social media. This is something that we here at Social Barrel have discussed in the past.
Best Times to Post on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest
According to this, the best time to post on Facebook is from 1pm to 4pm. The best time to post on Twitter is from 1pm to 3pm. The best times to post on LinkedIn are from 7am to 9am and from 5pm to 6pm. For Google+, it is 9am to 11am. Pinterest posts are recommended to be done from 2pm to 4pm and from 8pm to 1am.
Nonetheless, we again remind our readers that the times specified in the article above and in the infographic below are just for reference. It is best if one conducts his or her own analysis of their audience and see the times when engagement is high for their particular audience.
Learn Best Practices For Pinterest Account Management [Infographic & Insights]
How To Improve Social Media Engagement Level
The infographic also reminds small business marketers to ask questions. What should one ask? Small business marketers should ask open-ended questions and ask about things related to the business’s industry. Don’t ask yes or no questions and also don’t limit questions to things about the business or brand.
The next tip is something we have also discussed in the past here on Social Barrel. That is, that social media is not only for marketing. It can also serve other purposes such as it being used as a customer relationship management tool.
Social Media Is Not Only For Marketing Your Business [Infographic]
According to the infographic from MarketMeSuite and Placester, nearly half of online customers expect businesses to provide customer support on Facebook while only 23 percent of businesses do so. Furthermore, it reveals that only 42 percent of businesses use social media to solicit customer feedback. In addition, it says that 56 percent of customer tweets to businesses are ignored and more than 10 percent of business do not take any action to respond to negative social media posts. That is a lot of potential that is untapped.
Another tip is to utilize the appropriate social media platform out there for a business.
“There are tons of social media sites out there, all of which offer different experiences for their communities,” the infographic says. “If you can identify a place where your customers are (and your competitors aren’t) you can gain an advantage.”
We couldn’t agree more. For those looking for the right social media platform for their specific goals, read the Social Barrel article linked below.
How Brands Can Choose The Right Social Media Platforms For Their Goals [Infographic]
Nonetheless, we also agree when the infographic stresses that marketers should not spread themselves too thin and use all available social media platforms. Choose the right platforms and stick with them.
It also helps for one to tailor content to the social media platform that is used.
5 Reasons Why You Should Customize Your Social Media Content To The Social Network You Use
Learn from the tips and insights given in this MarketMeSuite and Placester, and from the comprehensive articles linked above. Nonetheless, maybe more important than learning is to take action and make your small business a big business.
