By now you know what social media is, what it’s used for, and have a general concept of what a “tweet” is. If you don’t, you’ve probably been living under a rock. While most of you should know the bare minimum about social media, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are using it. So, we are going to help convince you why your company should be on social media and your first steps to making that happen.
Why Should We Be on Social Media?
We’re going to start out with answering the question the naysayers love to ask: “Why would I want to do that?”
- Your customers are on social media
The people that keep your business “in business” are everywhere on social media. No matter the demographic of your clientele, there is a social site out there for them. Even if you are B2B focused, you need to remember that businesses are made up of people who can advocate for your brand to their company. - Your competition is on social media
Now you really need to join! Yes, your competition is also on social media and you always want to be doing what they’re doing – and doing it better. If you’re one of the few industries whose competition is not on social media, then this is the perfect opportunity to get a giant leap ahead and claim that arena. - It is the #1 online activity
The top activity on the web used to be email, but those days are long-gone. According to Statista and Mashable, the number one online activity is now social networking. Since people are spending so much of their time on social media sites, why not use that to your advantage?
How Do I Get Management on Board?
This is where things get tough. Some companies have the unfortunate obstacle of convincing their upper-level management to embrace the social media game and maybe even put a few marketing dollars toward it. We recommend scheduling a meeting with the stakeholders of your company and presenting your social media plan and how you expect it to help the company. During this meeting, consider showing Erik Qualman’s #Socialnomics 2014 YouTube video. This video offers amazing social media statistics including the following:
- Facebook has the 3rd largest population in the world behind China and India
- Every second 2 new members join LinkedIn
- 53% of people on Twitter recommend products in their tweets
- 93% of shoppers’ buying decisions are influenced by social media
I’m in. What now?
We’re glad you’re on board! Now it is time to start thinking about which sites you want to join and what your strategy will be. Our next blog will offer 5 steps for creating and improving your social media strategy, but for now, we’ve gathered a list of the top 7 social media sites you may be considering.
According to The Social Media Hat, these are the monthly active users for the 7 most popular social media sites as of May 2014.
- Facebook – 1.28 Billion
- YouTube – 1 Billion
- Google+ – 540 Million
- Twitter – 255 Million
- Instagram – 200 Million
- LinkedIn – 187 Million
- Pinterest – 70 Million
Stay tuned for our next blog which will help you create and improve your social media strategy in 5 simple steps. If you need any assistance with social media management, please contact Informatics Inc.
photo credit: Elias Bizannes via flickr cc
