Is your company sitting on the sidelines when it comes to social media? If so, you’re missing valuable opportunities to connect with customers, expand your marketing reach and boost revenue. Tweet it, post it, and they will come. Engaging with social media is now the number one daily activity for Americans. According to Nielson, the average American spends 11 hours a day with electronic media. We now spend more time on social media than we do reading email and searching on Google.
Social media’s popularity has sparked a proliferation of outlets. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Digg, Reddit, Tumblr (along with newbie sites on the not-so-distant horizon) are all vying for attention. The growth has been fueled by mobile technology. Nearly 58 percent of Americans adults currently own a smartphone—creating an enormous window of opportunity for you to tell people about your products and services while creating a distinctive voice and personality for your brand. Both are key to engaging and nurturing relationships with existing and new customers.
Social media offers quick-turn appeal that can’t be matched by traditional, deadline-driven media. Frequency and reach are the heavy lifters in any marketing strategy. With social media, you can reach people where they are rather than waiting for them to see a print ad, open a direct mail piece or catch a television or radio spot.
To leverage the impact of social media to its fullest potential, carefully consider your target audience before choosing a platform. If your enterprise has a business-to-business focus, then LinkedIn may be the best fit for your social media marketing strategy. But if you’re courting consumers (including patients who are consumers of medical services) the power players are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Facebook Fans
Harvard drop-out Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild is still the big dog and has the most marketing clout. While the social media giant began as a platform to help friends stay connected, it wasn’t long before companies and organizations began leveraging Facebook (FB). With 1.44 billion active users each month (as of April 2015), its reach is unrivaled.
• 936 million people access FB each day—161 million in the United States and Canada
• About a quarter of these daily users access FB more than once a day
• More than 56 percent of U.S. residents use FB
• Users spend 21 minutes a day on FB
In terms of overall demographics, 77 percent of men and 66 percent of women who go online are FB users. While Millennials and Generation X users comprise a key demographic, about 31 percent of seniors 65+ use FB. Perhaps most significantly, 69 percent of FB users 16 to 64 shop online.
With so much traffic, Facebook makes sense for businesses. In fact, there are more than two billion connections between local businesses and individuals.
• 70 percent of monthly active FB users in the U.S. are connected to a local business
• In an average week, there are more than 645 million views on local business FB pages and 13 million comments about the businesses’ posts.
• Half of all social media users under 35 follow their friends recommendations about products and services
• Nearly half—47 percent—of Americans say FB has a greater impact on their purchasing behavior than any other social network.
• One-third of millennial consumers—33%—are more likely to buy from a company that has a FB page.
Twitfluential
It’s hard to believe that when Twitter first debuted in 2006, no one—not even its founders—understood how it would be used. At first, there were only about 20,000 tweets per day, but beginning in 2009, Twitter began to pick up dramatic momentum.
Today, there are 58 million tweets a day—more than 9,000 every second. Every day, 135,000 new users sign up. The Twittersphere is morphing into the world’s most influential global information network—with 284 million active monthly users and 600 million searches every day.
All of the Fortune 100 companies have robust Twitter accounts, and business experts agree “there is no reason every company should not be tweeting at least once a day.” Building a coveted base of “followers” can pave the path to brand loyalty and valuable word-of-mouth referrals.
One of the best things about Twitter is that it fosters online dialogue. Personalized posts are a catalyst for conversations that will cement your brand in the hearts and minds of patients looking for your expertise and services.”
In his book, Social Media Playbook for Business: Reaching Your Online Community with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and More, Tom Funk reveals that 67 percent of Twitter users who become followers of a brand are more likely to buy its products and services.
While we hear a lot about the antics of celebrities on Twitter, the composition of Twitter’s largest audience segments might surprise you. Unlike other forms of social media, Twitter users are highly educated.
• Roughly 16 percent have advanced degrees
• About 30 percent hold a bachelor’s degree
• Have higher household incomes and more spending power
• Seniors 55 to 64 years old are the fastest-growing user group, up 79 percent since 2012
With the ability to embed photos and video, the opportunity to engage followers is no longer restricted to 140 characters. And unlike traditional marketing vehicles, Twitter can build powerful word-of-mouth through retweets that extend your reach.
Instagramification
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Instagram is redefining the conversation. Photographs have an irresistible appeal—people love to take them, be in them, share what they are doing, and see what others are doing. Instagram makes it easy to do all of this in a matter of seconds simply using a smartphone. The result is powerful visual storytelling that has captured the public’s imagination.
In June 2013—just two-and-a-half years after its debut—Instagram had 100 active users. In early December 2014, the company announced it had reached 300 million active users! Nearly 70 million photos and videos are uploaded each day—everything from images of the Nile River to the newest athletic gear by Nike, and a peek inside the mind of pop princess Taylor Swift.
• 70 percent of Instagram users log in at least once a day
• 35 percent login more than once a day
• 51 percent men
• 49 percent women
• 20 percent of users (now roughly 60 million people!) are 16 to 64 years old
• All users spend an average of $257 per month with companies that post on Instagram
Photos framed and composed in a visually interesting way garner the most attention and online comments, so give your photos some thought before posting. Just make sure your images are attention-getting and aligned with the voice of your other online vehicles. Photos that feature people or reflect creativity will resonate more with your audience. Look at your favorite brands for inspiration—Starbucks and Nike are good ones to check out.
Social Medial Gurus or Goofballs
While it’s tempting to “just get something posted,” remember, there should be a focused strategy for every post—one that complements or enhances the purpose of your website and business. Create an editorial calendar and plan content topics in advance. Don’t just chuck it off to the hands of an inexperienced intern or novice. Just because someone has 100 apps on their iPhone doesn’t mean he or she is a social media guru. It’s best to entrust it to a person who truly understands your brand, the importance of strategic messaging and how social media complements and enhances your other marketing effort.
At Frozen Fire, we know social media plays a critical role in helping your brand get found and nurture new and existing customer relationships. We’re happy to help effectively integrate social media into your overall marketing plan. Reach out to us today.
Frozen Fire is a Dallas internet marketing and video production company that helps companies harness the most powerful aspect of modern marketing—the internet—to engage customers in memorable and meaningful ways. Ways that ignite sales and business growth. Contact us to learn how we can help your business.
