by: Allison Aurand
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on. With so many social media outlets competing for the attention of consumers, it can get tricky to identify the platform (or platforms) that most effectively promotes your business and generates leads.
Are you on Facebook? If not, you’re in the minority. Nearly three-quarters of adult internet users use Facebook, with 70% logging on daily (Pew Research Center, 2015). As a result, Facebook is the powerhouse of social media, with more than 1,130,000,000 daily active users (Statista, 2016). That represents a huge number of prospective customers. And whether they find your business through articles or posts on Facebook, or come to you through a search engine, your Facebook page can keep them active and engaged with the work you do, and inspiring their future construction project – with your company at the helm.
We sure hear a lot about Twitter lately. 23% of adult internet users use the service, but most are outside the US – nearly four times as many users internationally as compared to the United States (Pew Research Center, 2015). 140 characters may be too brief to share your company’s message, but it can be a great way to connect people to your site and share images of the work you do.
For all that it may not get the news media’s attention, Instagram is a strong presence in the social media world: more internet users are on Instagram than Twitter (28%), and nearly 60% visit Instagram daily (Pew Research Center, 2015). Over 95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram every day. Want to showcase your beautiful projects, and your shop and great employees? Instagram is the place to be!
Another force in the world of social media is Pinterest. Almost one-third of adult internet users visit Pinterest, with 100 million monthly active users (The New York Times, 2015). Share your inspiration and ideas to get these users engaged; they are more likely to spend more than any other social media user, spending about 50% more, on average, than other platforms’ users.
Other social media platforms include LinkedIn and Snapchat, as well as video services like YouTube and Vimeo. The latter two work very well if you’re planning to integrate video into your social media posts or on your website.
So what do all of these social media applications mean when it comes to marketing and lead generation?
By the numbers, from Social Media Examiner:
- 92% of marketers say social media is important to their business.
- 90% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their business.
66% of marketers see lead generation benefits with social media, with only about six hours investment per week.- More than 50% who’ve been using social media for at least two years report it helped improve sales.
How can you use your time on social media most efficiently?
There are several “bundling” services you can use; these are computer applications that allow you to send to many social media platforms simultaneously, cutting your time spent visiting every platform. Hootsuite and Buffer are just two such services that can cut your time with social media marketing efforts. Be careful though – what works on one platform may not translate well to another (Facebook to Twitter, for example). You can also focus your efforts on just a couple social media platforms and spend energy and resources on the social media that best demonstrates your craft and connects you to prospective customers beyond your website.
Elevating the design of timber structures
