Marketers Are Upping Their Social Media Game – Are You Playing?
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Mon, Jul 04, 2011
We all know that social media use among all demographics is on the rise. Now more than ever, the idea of social media isn’t just for the under 25’s. How many of you have heard of a granny or uncle using platforms like Facebook to reach out to far flung relatives? At least 59% of Internet users admit to using one social media site, though we think this figure it probably much higher. And certainly, marketing departments are catching on to the fact that this is an area they need to target. Increasingly, marketers are reporting that they are having success in capturing new customers through the various social media platforms available to them.
Acquire Customers Through Social Media
According to eMarketer, a recent survey revealed that in 2011, 47% of businesses across the globe used social networks to acquire new customers in the first half of 2011. This is a huge leap from those that succeeded in 2010, with an average increase of 17.5% from that year. These increases were greatest in China and India, both emerging markets for social media, but the figures from the UK and the United States still boast an increase of 8-11%.
Having A Social Media Presence Isn’t’ Enough
These figures tie in with great results for revenue increases in companies that acquired customers using social media, compared to those that did not partake in social media marketing. Our opinion is that the most effective social media marketing campaigns are those that link in with more traditional marketing activities in an organization. Social media marketing should become as standard in a campaign as any other mediums such as print advertising – and once it is integrated, it can help to drive these other methods to further success.
Driving value from your social media activity means you need aim for more than just having a presence – acquiring customers through mediums like Facebook and Twitter demands a dedicated campaign team and process. As the above figures show, if you do it right, it will work for your revenue.
If you need some social media campaign advice, contact SiliconCloud today or register for our free social media evaluation.