8 Stats to Update Your Social Media Strategy

It is 2017 and the time for a strong social media strategy is here. And if you aren't already on social media, it's high time to log in and sign up for a website, Facebook, Twitter, and more. That's because the Internet and its many online communities is where a significant portion of your customers (and potential customers) are. And don't you want to be where your customers are? But crafting the right conversations takes some strategic planning. Consider the following statistics and how they can be applied to best shape your social media strategy this year:

1. Images are kind of a big deal on Facebook.  According to data collected by Buzzsumo from over 100 million Facebook updates covering a three month span, images boasted an incredible 2.3x more engagement than those without. In other words, every 'like' earned on a status update sans images could have earned at least two more with a simple image addition.
2. But even more so are videos.  Where text-only status updates reach 5.09% of your audience, links reach 9.32%, and photos reach 11.53%, videos secure the most reach at 12.17% of your total audience. Additionally, Facebook Page videos generate 16% more engagement per a status update than image posts. 
3. If you must text on Facebook, keep it at 40 characters.  While Facebook has a character limit of 63,206 characters on its status updates, for best effects you want to remember brevity. Specifically, 40 characters or less. Posts that stay within this range earn an average of 86% more engagement than longer text-only posts. 
4. Extend that count on Twitter.  For Twitter posts you can be a bit more verbose. Here, 100 characters or less is ideal for text-only posts. 
5. Put somebody in active charge of your business handle.  Part of the beauty of the Internet is how seamless it connects us. Of course, this has the side effect of having consumers being more demanding of business responses to their inquiries. 60% of buyers expect brand representatives to respond to their Twitter-based questions within the hour.
6. Don't discount LinkedIn.  This platform boasts 467 million members across over 200 countries, making it an ideal place for growing brands to distribute their content and make a global name for themselves.
7. Be consistent to earn an audience.  LinkedIn has found that organizations that make 20 posts a month can reach 60 percent of their unique niche audience. Of course, this should be your minimum aim. It's estimated that the site's best in class marketers post at least 3 to 4 posts per day. 
8. People love brand-led Pinterest accounts.  Finally, if you sell a product or an easily photographed service, do not forget to sign up for Pinterest. Users here love to follow a good, relevant brand account -- an incredible 83% of users report they would rather follow a brand than a celebrity. 

Now it's time to do more and be seen more with an active and engage social media strategy. Contact us to Jumpstart Your Inbound Marketing today.