Have You Gone Social Yet? Social Media Stats, Tips, and Must Do’s for 2014!

If you’re interested in expanding your social reach, make sure to read this article carefully. I’m going to be dropping some really beneficial links here, to sites that need to be bookmarked if you wanna learn as much as you can, and keep updated on social trends as they start. Social media is here to stay folks!

If you think social is just a bunch of “hubbub”, then just think of the global impact Yelp has had on the restaurant and service industry. Last thing you want is one too many bad reviews from “Yelpers” right​? But good reviews will get you lots of extra business from other Yelpers.

Now the Yelp motif has come full circle with the emergence of an entirely new world, based out of the online social scene.

The Big 5: Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Pinterest

If your company doesn’t have a defined social media presence, then you could be letting serious cash slip through your fingers. Here’s why: Facebook has over 1 Billion users; there are over 190 Million tweets tweeted every day; Flickr has over 3000 pictures uploaded to their server every minute (not a typo); there are over 490 unique YouTube visitors viewing videos every month! You can check out this link for even more staggering facts.

Pinterest is Gaining Marketshare

If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, or only think of it as a cool place to share photos, think again. People who actively use Pinterest have money. Think “soccer moms” who make their own significant income or have hubbies with deep pockets.

In fact, there are a number of Pinterest-related statistics that have been released as we’re nearing the end of 2013. One of which indicates that conversion rates for advertising campaigns run via Pinterest’s photo sharing site are 50% higher than on other social media sites, and that nearly 47% of all current Americans have made a purchases based on a Pinterest testimonial. (source)

Transport Your Business to 2014 and Beyond

While you do definitely need to become more social (pun intended), it’s important to identify where best to socialize in order to maximize your business reach. There are many factors that need to be explored, and some social media hotspots won’t offer your specific business any value.

Here’s a few guidelines to help develop a social media plan:

1. Don’t be a grandpa/grandma

Maybe you’ve been in business for years and years. If customers are clamoring around the doors before you open in the morning; word-of-mouth advertising is through the roof – etc., etc. – you might think this is all a waste of time. It’s not. Get onboard the social media train. If you’re not technical-savvy, or hate feeling trendy, just do it for the future of your business. Those who’ll take over when you’re done, for the person who buys your business from you later. Who knows what kind of value established social accounts will add to your business’s valuation 5, 10, 20 years from now?

2. Determine where your customers hang out

This is tricky. As mentioned earlier, Pinterest is known for its soccer moms, and for women aged 50 and under. So if your business caters to that demographic you don’t have to look far. Facebook has people from nearly every demo. Twitter is a fast-rising star in the social game, again with many age ranges being covered. YouTube is all-encompassing, getting more views from their audiences than all current cable television channels combined – on a global scale too! Flickr is known for its younger female demographic, typically teenagers and college students. Use this advice lightly though, as you do have to find what works for your business. Talk to business owners in your industry, along with your customers, family, etc. And TEST – then test some more.

3. Pick one or two and stick with them

Pick no more than two and put your focus on them. Social can be time consuming and you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. There’s always the possibility of outsourcing your social to a firm, or hiring dedicated staff to do your posting for you. However, you’ll still want to monitor what’s being said and done, so keep it small to start. Figure out what works and what’s worth your time before expanding into too many social circles at once.

4. Create good “business” profile

Your personal Facebook profile isn’t a great place to do your businesses advertising and updating. Facebook does put limitations on “business only” pages though, so you have to create a “page” from your personal profile in order to be able to have full access to their features through your business page. See this article to learn how to set up your business page without having your personal profile directly viewable from it. Make sure that whatever social avenue you decide on, you take the time to fill out a profile with all your information, including your business logo, phone number, physical address, website, and an appropriate picture (not “Kermit de Frog” okay?)

5. Monitor social activity yourself

If you’re doing all the posting, then this won’t be a problem. However, unless you’re completely trusting of the person who is doing them, try to set aside 20 minutes at the end of every day to quickly scan through your business’s social accounts to make sure nothing inappropriate or potentially inflammatory has been posted, unknowingly or otherwise.

Always keep in mind that many of the younger generation all the way to middle-agers use social media to determine whether they want to do business with you. They’ll look for reviews, see if you have a presence, etc. If you don’t, those same people may give their business to a company that does.

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Cover photo credit: Jason Howie