The power of social media

Social media can be a powerful marketing tool for all companies (big and small) and I have the stats to prove it!

I think it’s fair to say that we all know by now that social media is having a major impact on the global marketplace. The social phenomenon is still relatively new with no set marketing rules on how to best optimise your online social performance. Many companies are unsure of what path to take in order to reach consumers. Well, I have some interesting stats that could help to align your social strategy.

Social brand power

Social media is great for companies looking to sell their products/services and for those looking to increase their brand awareness. In the US, it was reported by Edison Research and Arbitron that 80% of social network users preferred to engage with brand on Facebook. Only 6% of users connected to brands using Twitter.

Social mobile power

The number of users accessing social media on their smartphones is growing at a rapid rate. According to comScore analysis, over half of US smartphone owners (50.9%) and 31.7% of European smartphone users accessed Facebook on their device in the three –month period ending June, 2011. Twitter had a smartphone audience of 12.5% in the US and 7.4% in Europe.

Social advice

On average 29% of consumers flock to social networks to seek buying advice according to ROI Research and Performics.

Social budget

SocialMedia Examiner found that seven in ten (71%) of marketers planned to increase their use of search engine optimisation (SEO) in the near future.

46% of social marketers were planning to increase their online efforts.

Social ad spend growth

The number of companies spending on Facebook ads is increasing at an astounding rate. According to IgnitionOne, Facebook ad spend of all clients grew 281% from Q2 2010 to Q2 2011. Impressively, ad impressions for all clients grew 200%.