Power of Social Media Marketing Continues to Grow
Pin ItSocial media showed glimpses of its true power in 2011, and not just in making the Honey Badger and Rebecca Black household names. Or in making John Bon Jovi a monthly obituary.
Some of the biggest news stories of the year, like the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street movements, found their genesis on social media sites. The collective strength of millions of individuals, communicating, and linked together with common purpose, is a powerful force.
Businesses need to take note of the increased connectivity going on online, and take advantage of it by ramping up your social media marketing. Similar to the explosive growth of business websites in the previous decade, the time has now arrived when brands must have a presence on Facebook and Twitter. Why would you want to miss out on the opportunity for millions of contacts? Your customers simply expect it, so if your business hasn’t created an online presence beyond your website, it’s time get going.
Google+ also launched in 2011, and is a relatively new service to consider, but one to watch in 2012. They have seen significant growth in recent months, and if they find a way to monetize their system (they are currently integrating posts with search results), they could pose a serious challenge to Facebook.
The proliferation of smart phones is making mobile optimized sites increasingly more important, and that trend will continue in 2012. At least 38% of people accessing the web now are connecting with their smart phone. That’s over one-third, and the ratio will continue to grow! Your customers need to be able to access your information and products when they are thinking about buying, and that includes when they search for you on their handheld devices.
New marketing channels are continuing to grow – your business needs to adapt and grow with them.