Social Media 201
Social media is defined as “a new way of marketing where a company has a two-way conversation about itself.”
Here are some interesting statistics to consider when implementing this crucial business mechanism:
- Only 14% of people actually believe what you say about yourself (advertising and marketing messages) therefore instead of focusing on company motives, commercials should serve as mini-movies that entertain people so they will associate that feeling with your brand. Here's a great example.
- 80% of people listen to other customers, even strangers, instead of what a company says about itself. People look at star ratings and read other people’s reviews on Amazon.com before buying a book, Imdb.com before watching a film, and Yelp.com before eating at a restaurant.
- Wednesday is the peak day for sharing via social media.
- Social media is talking about your company no matter how big or small it is.
- Just like the camera magnifies flaws by a factor of 10, negative consumer feedback is emphasized 10 times online.
- Likewise, customers who had positive experiences can become social media evangelists for your brand.
- 77% of Fortune global 100 companies use Twitter.
- Videos are added to the web at a much more rapid pace than text.
- People who create content (blogs, videos, photos, reviews, etc.) are the most influential people on the web.
- When other people share your stuff, you have “made it” in the world of social media.
- Most people look in the upper left region of their Google searches, which means you should strive to have your web and advertising placements in that section. Views drop by about 60% in the other regions of search page results.
- Google wants fresh content, so the more you update, the higher your rankings will be.
- Peak sharing occurs around 9:30am Eastern Time.
- 75% of clicks on a share will happen within the first day that the content is shared.
- Don’t bombard your social media followers with sales tactics - that will drive them away. A good rule of thumb is that for every 9 pieces of good content you provide, you can post one blatant marketing message.
- Define a clear social media tone (are you funny, serious, informative, sarcastic, etc.?) and then be consistent in that tone.
- Create lists - Top 10 lists, How-to lists, etc. - they are easy for people to follow and share, and easy for search engines to categorize.
- A great site where you can check out your social media reputation is Socialmention.com. Source: http://www.addthis.com/blog/2011/10/11/happy-birthday-addthis/#.TsFDafSa-Eo
