What do marketers feel about social media? Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner surveyed over 2,800 of them asking how they are using social media to grow and promote their businesses. (I’ve placed a link to this important survey at the end of this post.)
The result is “The 2014 Social Media Marketing Report.” In it, an incredible 97% of respondents say they use social media. 92% said that social media is important to their business.
What struck me is that only 11% of marketers have been using social media for more than 5 years but 44% have for 2 years or less. This is an amazing, fast moving tidal wave of social media use by business in just the last few years.
For my marketing community, the findings about content are the most interesting. Take a look at some with my comments.
“Tactics and Engagement are Top Areas Marketers Want to Master”
Some questions marketers might be asking themselves are: When you talk about engagement on social media, what kind of content gets shared and how do you write it. Plus, how do you get attention on social media with your posts? What are the best words for getting people to click onto your content?
“Blogging Holds the Top Spot for Future Plans”
68% of the respondents plan on increasing their use of blogging. That’s good because blogging is great for SEO, connecting with your audience, and establishing your authority.
Marketers will need to know where to start: How do you plan your blog, what subjects should you blog about, and where do you find the writers and the time to publish posts consistently? Most companies have lots to offer their communities, but consistent publishing demands planning, creativity, and execution. I’ll be posting more about all of this soon.
“Facebook and Linkedin Are the Two Most Important Social Networks for Marketers”
Facebook is the natural first choice. After all, most marketers are on Facebook anyway for personal content sharing and keeping up with friends and family.
But Linkedin is right up there, too, especially for B2B marketers. I’ve talked a bit about Linkedin and will blog more about it in future posts.
“Original Content is Most Important for Social Media Marketing”
58% of marketers believe in the importance of original content and 81% plan on increasing their use of original content. That means that they understand that their company’s expertise is what’s important for social media marketing. People will share what companies offer if it’s new, informative, and presented from a unique angle.
“64% Are Using Social Media for 6 Hours or More Weekly”
The beauty of social media is that its sites are for the most part free. The downside, however, is a significant time commitment. In fact, 37% of respondents reported spending 11 hours or more weekly on social media. This is where some outside help could come in handy.
“65% of Marketers Want to Learn More About Google+”
B2B marketers are also more interested in learning about Linkedin while B2C want to know more about Facebook. I post on Google+ but don’t find myself using it much. With so many marketers wanting to know more about it, look for more posts from me on the ins and outs of Google +. Do you use it often? Not very much? Let me know in the Comments section below.
My community can be assured that these are not irrelevant statistics, i.e. big companies that aren’t like you. The largest group that took the survey work for small businesses of 2–10 employees (34%). 19% were self-employed and 12% worked for companies of 11–25 people. Only 7% worked for companies of over 1,000+ people.
So this report is relevant to most American businesses today. Get it free here. Let me know what you think about it and how you are using social media in your business in the comments section below. I'm very interested in hearing from you.
Until next time,
Nick
Nick Burns is a Web writer specializing in persuasive copywriting and content marketing. Nick’s services include SEO Web writing, website information architecture, content marketing, consulting, and publishing. He provides clients a winning online strategy plus the content writing to make it work. You can contact Nick here.
