I just wrote a lengthy article for a client about social media successes in the insurance industry, and it drove home a lot of important points with me. I am a social media devotee--I know that social media drives traffic, builds brands, and increases the bottom line. What this assignment had me do was prove those things so that the client understood them and could communicate them to others.
When I took the assignment, I did not expect to be able to point out exact metrics that proved the success of social media for marketing businesses. Oh, but I was wrong! It seems there are now many different forms of analytics for social media, and that they do prove the effectiveness of social media campaigns.
Take a look at some of the statistics gleaned from three different surveys of social media users between 2009 and 2011:
- Social media users revenue grew at 19% vs. non-SM users 6%
- Client base of SM users grew at 21% vs. non-SM users
- 61% of LinkedIn users gained a client through SM
- 35% of Facebook users gained a client
- 47% of blog owners gained a client
- 36% overall gained clients through a social network.
Pretty impressive results, don't you think? Add to these actual bottom line results the fact that you are consistently building an online presence and a brand for yourself and your company, and using Social Media for marketing is no longer optional. If you are not engaging with your customers and potential clients where they are interacting, you are missing a lot of business!
Many businesses say that they have not gotten involved in social media because it is too complicated. I believe these business owners must have been approached by a smooth-talking salesman that threw everything at them at once, and confused them. Taken in bits and pieces, it really is a simple system. You publish content, you share it, and you respond when someone speaks to you.
Business owners and managers-- if you have not embraced Social Media, you can quickly and easily increase your brand building and presence, customer service, and revenues by becoming fully engaged in the process. Yes, it is time-consuming, but many of the tasks involved can be outsourced.
Denise Gabbard blogs about many business topics, including SEO, social media, and technology, like the latest printers and the best ink cartridge and best place to buy Epson ink.