To Do Or Not To Do Social? Are You Still Asking the Question?

7 years in this business as a social media strategist and still I hear “Should I be doing social?”

We see clients increasing their visibility, mailing lists and search engine visibility every day and still I hear “Should I be doing social?”  Why do business owners keep asking this question? Because  they don’t know how to measure the value of social media.  They can’t always immediately see their results and so they think there aren’t any.  No one is walking into their business saying, “I found you on Facebook and want to buy from you” and so the business owner begins to doubt they are getting any results at all.  In short, they just don’t get how important social has become to their very existence. 

Look on your desk.  Do you see an ink pen?  Do you know how much money that ink pen helped your business earn last year?  Probably not.  Do you doubt that without any ink pens in your office you wouldn’t have been able to achieve the same results?

Do you have a phone? Do you know how much it helped you earn last year?  Again, you probably don't.  But do you doubt that without a phone, you wouldn’t have achieved the same results?  Both of these items serve a lot of supporting functions in your business that help you achieve great results and make more money.  You wouldn't get far without either!

I’m not asking you to take social media on faith.  There’s no need for that when there are so many statistics out there showing exactly what the potential of social really is.  There are also quite a few ways you can actually measure ROI (return on investment) from social media.  We'll talk more about those in another blog post though.

Should you be doing social??

Here are a few stats from a variety of sources that I hope will convince you just how important it has truly become.

Is your target audience represented here?

72% of all internet users are now active on social media

89% of 18-29 year olds use social media

72% of 30-49 year olds use social media

60% of 50 to 60 year olds are active on social media

USA citizens spend 16 minutes of every hour online

Google+ has reached over 359 million monthly active users (in less than three years)

Twitter has over 550 million registered users with 215 million active users each month

Pinterest has 20 million active monthly users

Instagram has 150 million active monthly users

*Source: Social Media Facts and Statistics

The fastest growing segment of social media users is now adults aged 45-54.  55% of this age group now have a profile on at least one social network. (State of Search)

23% of Facebook users check their accounts five or more times every day. (WordPress Hosting SEO)

80% of Faceook users prefer to connect with brands on Facebook. (WordPress Hosting SEO)

97% of business executives have used LinkedIn. (Search Engine Journal)

Nearly 40% of top executives say they check Twitter regularly. (WordPress Hosting SEO)

23% of top executives say they read blogs regularly. (WordPress Hosting SEO)

Is anyone really making sales with social media?

34% of marketers say they have generated leads using Twitter. (WordPress Hosting SEO)

93% of marketers use social media for business. (WordPress Hosting SEO)

Half of all social media users under age 35 follow their online friends’ product and service recommendations. (TECHi)

77% of buyers are more likely to buy from a company if its CEO uses social media.  (War of Words: Myth-Busting Social Media, SEO & Content Marketing)

47% of Americans say that Facebook has a greater impact on their purchasing behavior than any other social network. (State of Search)

67% of b2c marketers have generated leads through Facebook.  (War of Words: Myth-Busting Social Media, SEO & Content Marketing)

33% of milennial consumers are more likely to buy from a company if it has a Facebook page.  (War of Words: Myth-Busting Social Media, SEO & Content Marketing)

57% of marketers have acquired customers via their blogs, and 52% of consumers say blogs have impacted their purchasing decisions. (B2B Infographics)

70% of marketers say that content marketing has increased their brand awareness; 59% believe it supports sales growth; and 45% say it has reduced their advertising costs. (iMedia Connection)

Search produces quality traffic. SEO leads have a 14.6% sales close rate on average, compared to 1.7% for outbound leads (e.g., from direct mail or print advertising). (War of Words: Myth-Busting Social Media, SEO & Content Marketing)

52% of all marketers have found a customer via Facebook in 2013

B2B companies that blog generate 67% more leads than those who don't

43% of all marketers found a customer via LinkedIn

Source: 2014 marketing statistics

Isn’t this just a passing fad?

Three-fourths of marketers plan to increase strategic efforts on social media and social networking sites this year, with 68% also focusing more on SEO and 63% on blogs. (eMarketer)

21% of small businesses plan to increase spending on social media advertising this year.  (eMarketer)

92% of SEO practitioners say content creation is an effective SEO tactic, and 76% regularly invest in content creation. (B2B Infographics)

71% of marketers say that content marketing has helped inprove their site’s ranking in organic search, and 77% say it has increased website traffic. (iMedia Connection)

In 2014, marketing teams will spend $135 billion dollars on new digital marketing collateral

78% of CMOs think custom content is the future of marketing

Social media marketing budgets are expected to double in the next 5 years

Source: 2014 marketing statistics

Social media and relationship marketing produces so much more than just sales and numbers.  It produces so much more than just a simple click to your website or a visit to your store.  It has the amazing ability to generate a lifetime of goodwill for a business that can never be measured! It has the ability to create an endless supply of referrals and search engine visibility that is easier, more effective and less expensive than methods used in the past!  Well syndicated content and online profiles keep working and generating this goodwill and visibility long after you’ve stopped! They generate a layer of credibility, familiarity, respect and social proof that every business owner knows is mandatory before the first sale is ever made. 

Should you be doing social? That depends on how long you want to stay in business.  Businesses who choose not to participate will find their work harder and their results gradually dwindling as the competition discovers the value of social and establishes themselves as the industry expert. 

Social media is about so much more than just getting your next client.  It’s about helping you move into the next phase of your business.

How has social media benefitted your business? I'd love to hear about your results and hear what advice you have to offer other businesses who are still asking whether or not they should participate in social media marketing!