Social Media Is Important. Period.

Everyone keeps yapping about social media. Share. Share. Share. Get your name out there. Many people wonder is it really worth it? Do I really need to putz around on Tumblr? The answer is a definitive yes! Social media is a quick and easy form of free advertising. Mike Jones offers some great statistics that will help you understand just how important social media is to the success of your business. Online shopping has changed the consumer market. “80% of US adults shop online.” Facebook and Pinterest are just a couple major social media sites that can make or break a business. “In sampling revenue data from some of the e-commerce sites that Science [Mike Jones’s company] has incubated, we discovered that the value of each social traffic transaction is higher than that of e-mail and search traffic.” Emails and search engine traffic is important, but studies show that social media traffic is where the money is. Furthermore, some social media sites are better at stirring up business. “We…discovered that some social media sites are better than others at converting social traffic into monetary transactions. Comparing Facebook to Pinterest, the two largest social media sites to date, the driver of higher transaction value is Pinterest.” But, why is Pinterest so useful? “Pinterest has captured a lot of media attention recently as a driver of traffic to e-commerce sites. BizRate’s study revealed that 70% of Pinterest users use the site to ‘get inspiration on what to buy.’ Monetate found that referral traffic from Pinterest was up 2535% year over year and now makes 26% of all social traffic, compared to 1% at the end of 2011.” Pinterest and other forms of social media can be useful in generating new business. While Pinterest itself is not making a ton of money it is making beaucoups of money for those who chose to use the sight to promote their products and businesses. Here are some solid tips on using social media to boost your sales:

• Popularity is important even after you’ve graduated from high school. Prioritize social media sites based on popularity. The more people that visit Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, the more opportunity for your business to be seen. The less popular sites can still be useful, but put your initial efforts into tackling the big boys.

• Graphics are more important than ever! There is a reason that Instagram is so well liked. People like pictures. We live in a society that is dominated by images. Attention spans have…oh look…squirrel. I meant, attention spans are far shorter in the digital world. We have a plethora of information and pretty pictures a click away. Use graphics to beef up your appeal.

• New sites can also be hidden gems waiting to boost your sales! Just because a social media site isn’t a Pinterest or Facebook YET, doesn’t mean that they won’t be. Broaden your horizons and always be on the look out for the next big social media site.

• Audience is one of the biggest things to keep in mind when scouting out what social media sites will work best for your business. Different social media sites appeal to different clientele. Pay attention to these difference and make your presence known on the sites that have an audience that will be open to your company.