3 Social Media Stats that will Inspire your ... - Business 2 Community

Unsure if social is still really worth the effort? Getting tired of all the talk of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter marketing? All this talk can be a little overwhelming. Like most of you, I too was growing a little tired of all the talk of the power of social that was until I came across a pretty cool post by Mike Lewis chalk full of super interesting stats courtesy of BostInno.com.

Did you know that ?more than 600 million people who own a mobile phone don?t own a toothbrush? pretty nuts, right? If little nuggets like that fail at reinvigorating your interest in social media, well then I?m not sure what will. So, it?s in that spirit that I?m going to offer up three super cool and inspiring social media stats and what they mean for marketers.

1) Nielsen estimates that social media and blogs reach 80% of all active US Internet Users

First, let?s start with the little fact that there are about 245 million active Internet users in the United States. This means that by having an active blog and social media effort you have a huge audience to tap ? about 196 million people in the US alone. So it?s pretty plain to see that if you are not actively optimizing your efforts here, you?re missing out a significant opportunity.

How to take advantage of this stat: If you have yet to do so, start a blog and get some social channels up and running. If in the past this has been met with some resistance by management, then use this stat to help prove your case! If you already have a blog and a social presence, then it?s time to locate your prospects. Try performing a social audit to find out which social platforms you are the most effective on, and which ones you have the largest audience with. Once you have identified which social media platforms you want to focus on, it?s important to develop a content strategy. Think about what themes make sense for your business. What non-promotional content will you share with your audience? Take some time to develop engaging, relevant, content themes and remember to stick with it. Results won?t happen overnight but if you?re persistent the rewards will be worth the wait.

2) 1 out of every 7 minutes spent online is spent on Facebook

Can you believe that? Pretty impressive. Lewis points out that ?other sources confirm the average Facebook visit is 20 minutes per user.? The takeaway here is pretty clear, ?Facebook welcomes a large and engaged audience. For marketers, this represents a prime opportunity to share your message with visitors, possible with more people per day than visit your own site,? says Lewis.

How to take advantage of this stat: The key to taking advantage of Facbeook is to have a high EdgeRank. EdgeRank is a Facebook algorithm tied to any post an individual or a brand makes. Demystifying the EdgeRank is a little complex so instead of bogging down this post with a lengthy explanation, you can learn more about EdgeRank here. In addition to mastering EdgeRank, it is important be actively posting daily and to encourage sharing. For example, try featuring clear and strong calls to action in your status updates.

3) 91% of social marketers see improved website traffic & 79% are generating more quality leads

This is the ideal stat for social marketers. Not only does this stat prove that their efforts helping generating more website traffic, but also more, high quality leads.

How to take advantage of this stat: Picasso had a saying, ?Good artists copy, great artists steal.? The key to becoming a great social media marketer is to look around at others who are doing it right. So, start by studying the leaders in your industry and category. Ask yourself ?How are they leveraging social to drive growth?? Then take those learnings and apply them to your programs. Be sure to take part in the conversation. Find discussions that are relevant to your company and take part in them. Lastly, try to interact creatively with your fans. For example, provide incentives to sign up for an email newsletter or run a contest asking for photos of customers using your product.

If these three stats don?t re-energize your team?s social efforts then I don?t know what will. So, go out there. The possibilities are endless. Share this information with your team and kill it with your next social media initiative.

Source: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/3-social-media-stats-that-will-inspire-your-marketing-team-0323897

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