Thankfully, with the dawn of online networking, catching up with loved ones, interacting with friends, learning about the latest updates and connecting with customer service is as easy as the click of a button. As of january 2018, there are 4. 02 billion internet users around the globe — that’s 53% of the world’s total population. Active social media users make up 3. audience 2 billion, or 42% of the population. These numbers alone prove that social media is here to stay, if not to flourish further. With such penetration, its significance to society cannot be ignored — especially in the marketing world.

11,520 if you’re like most business owners or marketers in the firearms, shooting and hunting industries, social media is still a bit of a mystery. A lot of marketers and business owners think that social media is a waste of time or are vague on how to effectively use it. Like all things we don’t understand, we typically just shrug it off. We know we have to have a facebook page—and maybe even a twitter account, but still we struggle to grasp the importance of social media and its use. Social media can be explained like this: social media is digital word-of-mouth.

Shutterstock social media can be a lot like social life: fun, demanding, confusing, awkward. And rewarding. As a rule, though--once we're out of high school--social doesn't dominate our lives. By the same token, most people believe there is value in social media, but need to manage the amount of time they invest in it. With the proliferation of social media channels, it can be tempting to throw up your hands and simply forget about the whole thing. Yet, as your mom told you long ago: picking up your toys and going home is really not the best way to handle the frustrations of social situations.

Investopedia / paige mclaughlin with over 80% of consumers reporting that social media—especially influencer content—significantly impacts buying decisions, marketers across industries are driving the evolution of social media marketing (smm) from a stand-alone tool to a multipronged source of marketing intelligence on an increasingly important—and growing—audience. Within 18 years, from 2004 (when myspace became the first social media site to reach one million users) to 2022, the dramatic growth of interactive digital channels took social media to levels that challenge even the reach of television and radio. By q1 of 2022, there were 4. 6 billion social media users globally—over 58% of the world’s population—an increase of over 10% in one year alone.

Though it's a relatively new medium, it's already hard to imagine life without social media — especially for marketing. Now an established business practice, social marketing communicates the latest information with audiences in real time. Brands continue to increase investments in social media content and headcount. It's no longer sufficient to simply maintain your social media presence: it's standard to actively engage consumers on multiple social platforms and build an identity on these channels. According to research from the salesforce "state of marketing" report, ​75% of marketing leaders see a direct return on investment from social. Successful brands have even created teams of social experts to carry out their social marketing programs, from creating content to engaging with an ever-present audience by answering questions and replying to feedback.

Tweeting in 280 Characters? Now You Can Do It, Too

Twitter is one of the older social media platforms, and it has 336 million monthly active twitter users. You can post photos and videos along with limited copy of 280 characters, but twitter is most known for its feed of real-time updates. Is the term “live-tweeting” ringing a bell now? twitter is also great for engaging new potential customers through its use of hashtags. seo Similar to instagram, you can search a hashtag and find other posts from consumers and businesses alike that have used that hashtag. This means that you can find consumers searching for something that your company offers and vice versa! for example, if you’re a car wash company….

Twitter Bot — or Not?

Facebook remains the most commonly used social media platform among marketers. 97% of b2c marketers surveyed by the social media examiner stated that they use the world's largest social network professionally. Among b2b marketers, facebook's reach is a little smaller, but at an adoption rate of 89% it is still the most important social platform. Interestingly, the use of social networks aside from facebook differs strongly depending on whether the respondents' focus is on b2c or b2b marketing. While twitter and linkedin are important to both groups, visual networks such as pinterest or instagram see higher usage among b2c marketers.

Social media comes in a variety of flavors. You’ve got the vanilla facebook, the bite-sized dessert that is twitter, the dish with the perfect presentation known as pinterest, the on-the-go instagram, and of course, the zero-calorie snapchat. These are just some of the platforms people are using today. There’s truly something for everyone, and that’s part of the appeal. There’s something beyond this, though—several characteristics that tie the whole concept together. Here’s the bottom line: there are universal truths about social media that made it so insanely popular. Here are five of those traits.

Facebook, instagram, twitter, and linkedin allow businesses to generate leads. You can use paid &/or organic tactics to boost clicks, and ultimately, sales. Video content, ad campaigns, free content, and email/sms opt-ins are some of the best strategies to get prospects into your pipeline. For example, running a giveaway campaign on facebook can help build both brand awareness & qualified prospects. Everything happens online, smm is measurable, quicker, and easier than tv & radio. Plus, for new businesses, it’s a great way to build a database of prospects. Increased visibility gives your business a platform to influence others & find new opportunities.

How Facebook’s Ad System Works

So you want to know how social media works? let’s talk the mechanics and let’s start with facebook. Facebook is run with what you call an algorithm. And the algorithm is always changing. Currently, facebook has re-prioritized their system to focus on engagement and networking. They want users to engage with one another. They want to help connect peers to peers vs serving consumers with lots of business information. Marketers identify this arena of the facebook newsfeed as real estate: it gives them access to potential buyers. Facebook is less concerned about the advertisers and more concerned with engaging the everyday consumer.

How Fiction Becomes Fact on Social Media

Did you know that 8 out of 10 people in the us have a social media profile? chances are your customers have a profile on facebook, twitter, instagram, and/or linkedin. Using social media marketing for small business is a way to connect with your customers, talk about products and services, and display your business information. It can help you bring in leads and provide a positive customer service experience. In today’s online world, using social media is one of the key tactics to take your digital presence to the next level. But as many small business owners have discovered, social media marketing for small business isn’t the same as posting on a personal profile.

Remember what we said earlier about the snowball effect of engagement? timing is a huge factor in determining how much engagement any piece of content gets. For example, posting when your audience is most likely to be active means that your posts are more likely to be seen and replied to. Based on our research, the best times to post on social media vary from network to network. That said, there’s no denying that timing has a significant impact on engagement rate. To ensure that you’re tapping into these times, a third-party social scheduling tool like sprout is a must-have.

Suggestion: humour and  entertainment are the main reasons people share content on social media. When you want to express your personality memes can get your point across with creativity. Fun fact: an internet meme is a concept or idea that spreads “virally” from one person to another via the internet. An internet meme could be anything from an image to an email or video file; however, the most common meme is an image of a person or animal with a funny or witty caption. Source: webopedia example: worcester-based business piston gin used this meme for new year!.

Social media marketing requires both strategy and creativity. While it may seem overwhelming, its importance cannot be overstated. It’s so important that around 92% of marketers use social media as part of their marketing efforts. In addition to that, 78% of salespeople engaged in social media are outselling their peers who aren’t. Plus, its benefits extend far beyond increasing sales. However, not all businesses are aware of the benefits of social media marketing. In fact, nearly 40% of small businesses don't use social media. Even more concerning is that an additional 16% are unlikely to use social media for business at all.

It is important to understand and appreciate the fact that social media and blogging are very closely related or connected. For that reason, it is important to employ both in tandem to achieve the best results possible when you are undertaking social media marketing. It is also important to recognize that even though liking and sharing of content generate leads, analytics and metrics are what matter the most you should monitor your social media pages to see how your marketing approach is working. What is viewed the most and by whom? that way you would be able to understand how to improve your strategy.