Why Businesses Need Social Media

It’s not a fad. It’s not going away. Social Media is here to stay.

Say it with me. social-media-meme

Businesses need to have a social media voice and there’s one simple answer as to why: It’s a numbers game. Businesses want more profit and more profit comes from more customers. The customers are out there and it’s up to the business to connect with them.

An infographic published in May 2012 had a simple breakdown of the number of social media users. These numbers have increased since the publication but we’ll use them for some perspective. 

•     Facebook: 901 Million Users 
•     Twitter: 555 Million Users
•     Google +: 170 Million Users
•     LinkedIn: 150 Million Users

Knowing the size of these global audiences, the question should be: Why are businesses NOT using social media?  Social media gives businesses the ability to connect to billions of users and that is just not available with traditional media.

Now let’s review how influential social media is on buying decisions of the consumer. 

•     Consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals (Hubspot)
•     15.1  million refer to social media before making purchase decisions (Knowledge Networks)
•     74% of consumers rely on social networks to guide purchase decisions (Sprout Social)
•     81% of US indicated that friends’ social media posts directly influenced their purchase decision (Forbes)

The companies that are using social media are seeing success with their presence. As Social Media Examiner reported in their 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report

•     85% of businesses report experiencing more exposure to their business after going social
•     69% increased traffic to their site
•     55% improved search engine results
•     40% improved sales

The numbers don’t lie. Social media is influential, it’s generating traffic and leads, and improving search engine results. The important thing to remember is it’s here to stay. Remember? It’s not a fad. It’s not going away. Social Media is here to stay. In fact, it’s only going to get bigger. Social media experts predict social media marketing is no longer optional but instead a necessity. Social media is your friend and can generate a lot of success for your company if it’s done right.