Social media – Inbound marketing in 2019

The importance of  “social media marketing“-also known as “inbound marketing” is no longer debated and it is predicted to be the hot trend in 2019. Most businesses can not deny the great power of social media channel and use social media marketing as one of the key points in their marketing strategy.

As statistics in the report of social media examiner in 2018, social media marketing is more and more highly evaluated by marketers. The survey has shown that 86% of marketers accepted that social media channels are indispensable for their business. The social media marketing has undeniable benefits, namely: increased traffic, develop brand loyalty, increased conversion rates, higher brand authority, decrease marketing cost, improve customer insights…

As surveys in 2018, Americans spend 87 minutes on average on social media.

Of which:

• Facebook is still dominating social media channels and keeps growing with 1,26 billion users, 1,23 billion monthly active users on average, 945 million monthly active mobile users on average. Facebook utilization is also highest in North America -account for 59% of all Internet users while Google+ only gains 15% and Twitter 25%.

• The second position belongs to Google+ at just over 50%, with Facebook still leading at 70%. Keep in mind that a Google+ account is compulsory whenever a person creates a new Gmail account. This boosts the account ownership stats. But no other social network has Google’s web assets leverage. Read more on how important Google+ is for Your Business and how it has a major impact on search engine results for your biz.

• YouTube is more popular than cable television: YouTube draws more adults than any cable network. In the United States, the number of people who watch television has fallen behind the number of people who watch YouTube on a regular basis. It claimed that televised content is undergoing a decline while online watching of the video is on the incline. Many companies have taken advantage of this by releasing their advertisement or marketing campaigns on YouTube first before they debut on TV. Take any of the 2014 Super Bowl XLVIII ads (like Budweiser) that were released on YouTube before the big game and were rewarded with triple YouTube views.

• LinkedIn is still the largest professional business network and continues to grow but not at the pace of Pinterest, Google+ or Twitter.

• Pinterest is the fastest growing social channel right now. The visual web is driving the rise of Pinterest and Tumblr with growth rates of 88% and 74% respectively over the last 12 months. Pinterest is also one of the dominating referral sources for organic traffic, which is good for high search rankings.

Some social media networks have more active user-base than others. Statistical research has shown that more than 95% of Facebook users log into their account every day while for Twitter is 60% and for LinkedIn is 30%. What are two key factors driving social media in 2018 and 2019

According to the Global Web Index study, it is:

• Mobile – the number of people accessing the Internet via a mobile phone increased by 60.3% to 818.4 million in the last 2 years. In the USA, there are now 101 million daily mobile users. Facebook’s 101 million US daily mobile users make up a whopping 78% of its 128 million daily US users.
• Older user adoption – On Twitter, the 55-64 year age segment is the fastest growing demographic with 79% growth rate since 2012. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook’s and Google+’s networks are the 45 to 54 year age segment at 46% and 56% respectively. So maybe that’s the reason your parents and grandparents aren’t visiting that much anymore — they are too busy on Facebook and Twitter!

However, besides the great benefits of social media marketing, there are also challenges that businesses have to encounter in using social media, some of them are:
– Lack of time
– Inability to measure the value
– Difficulty in integrating social media with other business activities
– Lack of budget

I absolutely agree with this and hear it first hand from many of my customers. But these challenges can be overcome, if social media is planned and done strategically!

Social Media Channels – Which one to Choose??

Business owners should pay attention to which social media channels help them reach their goals with relevant audiences, whether that’s generating sales or greater visibility. Below are the most popular and recommended ones:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Linkedin
Google+
Instagram
StumbleUpon and Digg social bookmarking
SlideShare presentation sharing

Below are some tips for generating great online content to feed your social media networks!

Integrate!
Social media is not an end unto itself. It MUST be integrated and work hand-in-hand with all your other marketing and PR initiatives which should be continued to reach all your marketing touch points and your ultimate success. These can include:

• Email Marketing and growing your email list
• Search engine optimization
• Event marketing (speaking and networking)
• Direct Mail
• Online ads (Google Adwords)
• Print display ads
• Sponsorships
• Mobile Marketing
• Radio/TV Ads

Sharing is Caring!

I know this sounds basic, but make sure your website, blog and email newsletter include social “share” buttons which is easily visible for people to share your content on ALL their social networks.

Add your social network links on your email signature.

So, What Will Social Media Do For Your Business?

Making social media a priority for your business will allow your business to:

• 1. Be found!
• 2. Establish a stronger brand
• 3. Increased sales
• 4. Share expertise and knowledge
• 5. Delve into the wisdom of customers
• 6. Interact and gain valuable customer feedback
• 7. Free advertising: satisfied customers talk positively about your company, this is the strongest word-of-mouth-marketing
• 8. Build a community