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B2B Marketing

Social Media Marketing- The Basics

Anyone who has any doubt about the power of social media websites such as Facebook or Twitter should become aware of a few statistics. For instance, over half of the world’s population is under the age of 30 and social media is the primary form of action by those under the age of 30 on the internet. If Facebook membership were a country, the population would equal the world’s third largest county, with a population over two times the size of the United States. Moreover, half of all social media users say one of the first things they do every day is check in on their favorite social media websites.

Now for a little business data: Social media-associated sales are expected to top 30 billion dollars in less than five years. Almost 35 percent of social media users said they are more likely to report personal information to a company via a social media site and 20 percent would purchase items on the social media site compared to traditional company websites. It is projected that many companies will generate at least half of their annual online sales through social media websites by 2015.

In other words, there is almost no more powerful marketing tool than social media right now.

Why Social Media Marketing Works

With so many people using social media, there is a huge audience ready and willing to view and pass on information from a company, especially if that message appeals to them on a personal level.

Incidentally, this also serves to keep businesses careful to post non-controversial information to avoid negative publicity that often spreads even faster than positive reviews or comments.

Cell Phones and Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing extends past someone’s laptop these days, since most social media websites also have apps for smart phones and tablets. This means that customers and members can see, comment on and forward on information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Forget the traditional Sunday newspaper ad; companies now are able to send out information at any time with a ready and willing audience waiting to get new content.

Loyalty and Social Media Marketing

There is another, equally important factor to social media marketing – customer loyalty. When someone chooses to “follow” or “like” a website, information from that company becomes a daily part of that person’s life through posts or twitter messages. The company then becomes a familiar, comfortable name and presence in the individual’s life, making them more likely to demonstrate trust and loyalty, often in the form of increased sales.

Companies, meanwhile, can use a loyal fan base to increase this loyalty by sending out discounts, sales and information only to their followers or members, which only serves to invite others to join as well in order to receive the same benefits.

Social media is a powerful force and one that companies should be actively using in their marketing efforts on a regular basis.

 


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