Are people taking your cold calls to them? Is your direct mail generating enough response to make it profitable to do? Are you steadily getting in front of new prospects on a regular basis? If you are like most companies, the answer is a big “NO”. It’s not just the economy though; it is also the movement of change. The change that social media is bringing.
Here are some interesting statistics
Statistics on Social Media Users
- 33% visit social media sites to engage in product research before making a purchasing decision.
- 47% say social media sites influence their decision to purchase specific companies, services and brands.
- 26% of respondents changed their minds about purchasing a product after reading about it on a social media site.
Statistics on Online Users
- 91% say consumer reviews are the #1 aid to buying decisions.
- 87% trust a friend’s recommendation over a critic’s review.
- They are 3 times more likely to trust peer opinions over advertising for purchasing decisions.
- They feel that 1 word-of-mouth conversation has the impact of 200 TV ads.
IN SUMMARY
People are not listening to what you have to say without first listening to their trusted networks.
Social Media isn’t just for social fun
There has been a tremendous surge of businesses moving online to social media over the past several months. The advancements that Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn have made, along with the continuous release of new add-ons and plug-ins to enhance business performance and trackability is further testimony to the movement. Here is a breakdown of activities and how companies have been using social media.
- 81% Generated exposure for their business
- 61% Increased subscriber/traffic/opt-in list
- 56% Resulted in new business partnerships
- 52% Increased search engine rankings
- 48% Generated qualified leads
- 45% Reduced overall marketing expenses
- 35% Closed more business
It’s not surprising that the largest use, 81%, is to gain additional exposure (also known as impressions). That seems like an obvious use. But what are very surprising are the percentages that follow and the real business value they offer.
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