Here are some mind numbing facts to get you good and going folks!

• Roughly 400 million tweets are sent out daily
• 72% of adult active internet users use at least one type of social media network
• 4 billion videos are viewed every day on YouTube
• Social media advertising spend in the US stood at US$6.2 billion by end of 2013, accounting for 13.9% of online advertising
• This is expected to keep northwards, at 24% and further up to reach an astronomical figure of US$19.4 billion by 2018
• Seven out of ten marketers expect their companies to increase spending on social media in 2015

Social media cannot be stopped. It is here to stay and it will keep an upward swing for years to come. It is and has become the favored means of communication today. Businesses are slowly warming up to the explosive properties of social media. Even though the top players may keep changing as with the recent news that Instagram has overtaken Twitter in active users, social media is a solid, reasonable and fast method to connect with the new age prospect.

Why social media matters today-more than ever

Given the fact that social media is everywhere, including mobiles, it is easy to overlook the power it yields. Only just a couple of years back, a designation such as a social media analyst/specialist would have been unheard of. Today it is a career choice and a good one at that! Getting on the social media train is not as easy as you or me opening a facebook account! It takes a lot more than that. Social listening is one interesting aspect of that. Social media needs to be monitored, analyzed and updates need to be timed and well thought out.

HAVE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA? TALK TO US TODAY!

If you are skeptical yet about the immense reach and scope of social media, here is a set of points that give you the true scale of proceedings on the social network.

• [tweetable]70% of marketers have been successful gaining new customers via social networks[/tweetable]
• [tweetable]71% of social media users access these via mobile devices to social networks[/tweetable]
• [tweetable]34% of marketers have been able to sell successfully via Twitter[/tweetable]
• [tweetable]88% of the enterprises (B2C) use social media to do content marketing[/tweetable]
• [tweetable]53% of people on Twitter recommend products in their tweets[/tweetable]
• [tweetable]93% of shopper’s buying decisions are influenced by social media[/tweetable]
• 53% of small businesses use social media as an engagement tool for providing 2-way conversation customer support
• 189 MILLION OF FACEBOOK’S USERS ARE “MOBILE ONLY” There are probably more users accessing Facebook from mobile devices than you thought.
• 80% of small businesses use social media websites for monitoring and collecting information about competitors to their businesses
• [tweetable]15% of customers use social media websites to search for local businesses. This is biggest advantage to local and small businesses/[tweetable]
• 23% of Facebook users access their accounts, at least, 5 times a day
• Facebook, Twitter and G+ are the most used 3 platforms for business and marketers.

Social media was in a tremendous growth spurt in 2013-14. 2015 will be the year it matures and clear marketing strategies for social selling will gain prominence. To gain customer confidence, it has become essential to be seen on at least a couple of social networks today. Customers have evolved into trusting brands that have a presence online. If your business is still hesitant on going the social way, the stats given above should suffice to ensure that you get out there today and create and implement a good, strong and interactive social media strategy.

SOURCES

http://postcron.com/en/blog/social-media-trends-2014/

Social Media Marketing Industry Report

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/databook-q1-2014-social-media-advertising-spend-in-the-us-2014-07-17
http://mashable.com/2014/04/23/social-media-marketing-facts/
http://thoughtreach.com/facts-about-social-media-marketing-for-small-businesses/
http://www.fastcompany.com/3021749/work-smart/10-surprising-social-media-statistics-that-will-make-you-rethink-your-social-stra
http://www.dcmarketingpro.com/blog/bid/351376/Social-Media-Marketing-10-Facts-You-Need-to-Know