Social Marketing requires much more than an occasional Facebook post.

Today, the term Facebook is commonly used as a generic term for social media marketing. For example, “Does your company utilize the web for building client relationships online?” Answer: “Yes, we have had a Facebook Page for several years.”
While this is understandable, seeing that Facebook boasts over 1.25 billion active users, it is also critical to understand that the social media landscape reaches far beyond the pages of Facebook.

Following are recent statistics (July 2014) on the average time spent and page views for the most popular social media sites:

• YouTube 3:47 and 2.99 page views
• Google+ 3:08 and 2.45 page views
• Facebook 2:07 and 2.03 page views
• Twitter 2:03 and 2.15 page views
• Pinterest 1:04 and 1.71 page views

Each of these sites has vastly different demographics in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, geography and relevance. The main key for business is to understand where your specific audience hangs out. For the most effective marketing strategy, a blended approach across several social media channels will often yield the best results.

Word of mouth has always been the best form of advertising. Some business owners use this as an excuse for not caring about getting involved in the social landscape. If you are part of this group, you may want to consider the following statistics:
Ninety-six percent of adults have introduced a new business to a friend by word of mouth. The much bigger point is, what happens after the person receives that valuable form of referral?

The most popular factors influencing word of mouth referrals include:

1. The referrer matters most.
2. The website of the company referred.
3. Client/Customer reviews online.
4. A current Facebook Page.
5. A LinkedIn Profile.
6. Twitter profile and other social media content.

I think we could agree that there is a lot more to successful social marketing than simply setting up a social media account and adding a post here and there.
Broad visibility, current, useful content will lead to increased engagement and an increase in customer satisfaction.
Ultimately, the most important aspect is more profits to the bottom line.

*Social Marketing is a form of communicating with local consumers in your own neighborhood,
who are interested in what business services you provide.