The Importance of Social Media Marketing

If it works for them, no one should stop marketing in the “traditional” ways.  However, for those who are not yet doing so, the following statistics show how important social media marketing has become over the past few years.  Since you are reading this, you obviously visit social networking sites.  If you are not yet using social network marketing, I must ask, why not? 

I have been using social media marketing for a couple years, but still, I was surprised by these figures.  Compiled from a variety of websites, you will see a list of stats below regarding marketing via social networking sites.  These statistics were gleaned from websites of Experian, HubSpot, Socialbakers, Syncapse, Compete, Twitter, American Express, Ipsos, and Nielsen.

·        On Facebook, 85% of fans of brands recommend them to others, compared to 60% of average users.

·        Of all the time spent on the internet in the U.S., 27% of that time is spent on social networking sites.

·        Among marketers, 74% say Facebook is an important source of their lead generation.

·        48% of women and 43% of men regularly check out a brand's social page.

·        Trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail and PPC’s produce about half the number of leads as social network marketing.

·        In 2013, 43% of all marketers have found a customer via LinkedIn; 52% of all marketers acquired a customer through Facebook; and 36% of all marketers found a customer through Twitter.

·        U.S. mobile internet time spent on social networking sites accounts for about 15% of the total time spent.

·        The conversion rate for social media leads are 13% higher than the average lead conversion rate.

·        When making a purchase decision, about 46% of online users refer to social media.

·        Brand posts on Facebook get half of their reach within 30 minutes of being posted.  

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My Pet Peeve

Like nearly everyone, I hate spam. According to an online article 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Email Spam Worldwide, “Roughly 130 billion spam emails are sent, worldwide, per day, accounting for roughly 70% of global emailing activity.” www.perimetec.com/7-Things-You-Didnt-Know-About-Email-Spam-Worldwide.php  What bothers me even more though are the many “facts” on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, social and network marketing sites and the like, or sent by email, where the poster just copied it from somewhere else without ever researching the supposed facts. In fact many are untrue or only partially true. We have all seen them. How about the one about why weddings are often held in June. The post states that is because people in centuries past didn’t bathe more than once a year, so they were married just past bath time. Oh yes, and the bride carries a bouquet to mask their odor. People pass on these posts, not realizing that not only did people bathe “way back then,” but they even had public bath houses. I saw one yesterday about how many mass murders were prevented by people who were carrying guns and stopped the shooters. I was curious about that, so I researched it, and although I only found information about a few of the ten or so incidents related in the post, in each situation, the description provided was either totally untrue or only partially true. During the United States General Election, emails and social networking sites were full of outrageous untrue stories about what one candidate or the other did. Unfortunately, people believe what they want to believe. So, the stories were reposted repeatedly and sent via email to everyone on their contact lists. I primarily rely on  snopes.com to determine the veracity of a post or email. Until I’ve checked it out myself, I will not forward “urban myths.” I’ve even seen outrageous posts that have “I checked this out myself on snopes.com” at the end. When I personally check it out though, around 90% of those posts turn out to be untrue. Millions – perhaps even billions of “normal” spam email is every month. In fact, only a very small percentage of email is NOT spam. According to an article published by the Information Security Office at the University of Texas at El Paso ( admin.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=64462 ), in the month of July 2012,”7,973,389 email messages. 6,476,110 of these messages were identified as Spam by our filters, 18,270 as Suspected Spam, and 391,374 as Marketing - Total of 6,494,380 (81.4%) Spam.” Imagine for a moment how much faster the Internet would be if these millions upon millions of spam were not sent. Imagine if you opened your email, and everything in your inbox was something you wanted or expected to be there. How much time would you be saving if you didn’t have to delete all that spam? How much more trustworthy would you find Facebook, et al if people did not share and pass along lies, half-truths and exaggerations without first verifying them? I love having email and the various forums and social networking sites. I do wish though that I didn’t have to filter all the spam (my email system does a lot of it) and read posts with a skeptical eye and research them to see if they are true. Would you join me in NOT forwarding emails and posts unless you are certain that the facts are true? ******************************* To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit joinxpresshealthcare.com . You can work from home and earn residual income. To learn how to Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and much more, please visit  ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance)

Networking in Less Traditional Ways

Most small business owners and those in network marketing know the conventional ways to network and make new business contacts.  Joining your local Chamber of Commerce, for instance, or joining any other group of  small business owners. 

Those entrepreneurs who achieve the most success use less common methods, find unique networking resources and often connect in very different ways.  It is a lifestyle change for the really great networkers, something they do every day, and always thinking of more creative ways to connect with people about their business. 

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If you’re open to trying some new ways to connect with people, there several easy ones. 

·        Local groups not involved in the “business world.”  Attend and participate in various community/civic board  and neighborhood meetings.   Get active in meetings and activities at your children’s school.  Becoming involved in this type of meeting can offer many opportunities to network with your neighbors and those who live and work in your area.

·        Wasting Time – We all know that no matter how well we plan our schedules, there will always be times when you have nothing to do but wait.  Instead of being bored and getting frustrated while waiting in a long line and your motor vehicles office, take advantage of this opportunity to chat with someone else in line.  It’s possible that the conversation can lead to an opportunity to mention your business.  If that happens, you just may find a customer or someone who would like to refer someone to you.

·        Don’t be Shy:  If you are normally not a very outgoing person, it is in your best interest to push yourself beyond your comfort zone and boldly start a conversation with people wherever you go.  When you’re in an airplane or on a bus, for instance, even standing in line at the grocery store are all great times to push yourself and talk to people around you.  It could well lead creating a new network. Connection. 

·        Talk to the Top:  Many small business owners limit their networking to others who own small business owners, or individuals they know.  That is, people in a similar level to themselves in the business world.  Have you ever considered approaching people with more “clout” in your industry?  If you find an opportunity to place your product or service to someone high up in a company who may benefit by it, do not waste the opportunity.  Once you’ve gotten your business’ message to one powerful person, it may just open doors for you with others.  This could lead to growth of your business more quickly.    

·        Media Marketing Outside the Norm:   We all realize the importance of social media marketing, but top networkers don’t limit themselves to Facebook fan pages or Twitter feeds.   Instead, they spend time regularly, often daily, participating in social communities relating to their fields and other networks directed more toward business than “friendships.”  Getting your name and that of your business out there, in as many places as possible, can be a very powerful way to create new contacts.