The Whole World of
Social Media It is never too late to join any of the social networking sites, although you always need to understand the unique characteristics which each community has and learn to leverage them. Content is One Key to Help Build Relationships in Social Media At this point in the game, having an active social media presence has more pulling power than Tiger Woods on tour. Let’s not forget that it was the Social Media which contributed to the downfall of Tiger Woods magnetic abilities by posting, sharing, hash-tagging, and liking the thousands of memes. Did you know that social media marketing has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing? That’s according to the 2016 State of Inbound Marketing Webinar by HubSpot. No matter what you sell and whom you sell it to, using social media as a marketing tool can help your brand grow and pad your wallet. The Whole World of
Social Media It is never too late to join any of the social networking sites, although you always need to understand the unique characteristics which each community has and learn to leverage them. Content is One Key to Help Build Relationships in Social Media At this point in the game, having an active social media presence has more pulling power than Tiger Woods on tour. Let’s not forget that it was the Social Media which contributed to the downfall of Tiger Woods magnetic abilities by posting, sharing, hash-tagging, and liking the thousands of memes. Did you know that social media marketing has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing? That’s according to the 2016 State of Inbound Marketing Webinar by HubSpot. No matter what you sell and whom you sell it to, using social media as a marketing tool can help your brand grow and pad your wallet.

Some people dig in their heels and say, what is social media marketing going to do for me?  Do I really need it?  Yes.  Yes you do and I will be discussing some compelling reasons as to why?

The June 2017 Report on Social Media Landscape in Australia has now been released by Sensis, and it has highlighted some very intriguing trends. 

Almost 8 in 10 people (79%) of Australians now use social media, this is 10 points higher than last year.

And if you want to know what they are doing on social media, then, you would also be surprised (as I was) to know that 45% have taken a selfie and this is more common among males (47% vs 43%) and between the ages of 18 – 29 (88%).

4 in 10 people have posted a a photo of their food on social media and this is more common among males than females (43% vs 38%) and once again between the ages of 18 – 29 (82%)

15% have felt anxious when unable to access their social media accounts and this number is significantly higher among 18-29 year olds (37%).  I can verify this information from my days when I owned a Telstra outlet.  I know how many ladies came running to me because they somehow got locked out of the Facebook account because their phones automatically logged them in, they insisted that they had never had a password.  Then, I gave them a crash course in Online Security and also how to reset their Facebook passwords.

Among 18-29 year olds social media is often the first and last thing that they do every day, with eight in 10 (79%) accessing social media first thing in the morning and almost two thirds (65%), last thing before they go to bed.

Almost 2 in 10 (19%) are happy to check social media while eating with family or friends, with 30-39 year olds being the biggest culprits (33%).

So what does all the above mean for your small business? Firstly, social media will help get the word out about your business.  Even more important than the exposure, it provides you an opportunity to build a relationship with your target audience.  Your followers and connections are the people who know your business, have likely done business with you in the past and will be the ones to tell their friends, family, followers and connections about your business.

Social Media is popular, really, very popular. You don’t need to be, as I am, a dedicated reader of tech blogs or an expert in online marketing like John Doe to know that social media is very popular among consumers.  With its extensive reach and dynamic functionality, there are very few businesses that couldn’t benefit from having a presence on Facebook. And starting there will make it easier when you want to try something new.

Social media is cost effective, cheaper than traditional advertising, so it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to reach more people. Increase your audience and make your business grow!  Social media also encourages a two-way communication.  It gives you the power to learn more about your audience, their interests and to collect feedback.

One thing you have to know about social media users is that when they say they are on social media, they are really on social media.  In Australia, pretty much everyone aged 19-29 are on social media (99%).

Last year, 52% of people said they were more likely to trust brands if those brands interact positively with customers on social media. These views have become even more prevalent (64% in 2017) and the number of followers a brand has on social media has also become more influential on the trust that customers have in that particular brand (46% in 2017).  Consumers are increasingly accessing social media on their smartphones (up from 72% to 81%) and this is the reason why your website must be responsive.

So as a small business, what do you do now – Get a website, integrate it with the relevant social media platforms and Bob’s your uncle!

Reference:  Sensis Social Media Report 2017 (released in June 2017)