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14 Stats to Inform Your 2014 Social Marketing Strategy

As 2013 draws to a close, brand marketers and social media strategists have the opportunity to reflect on learnings from the past year.  While no single industry statistic should stand alone in informing future plans and strategies, a broader snapshot of social network trends, social consumer behaviors and brand social media results can help inform the big picture of social going into 2014.

 

Here are 14 statistics and trends from 2013 to inform your 2014 social marketing strategy. 

Growth, Usage and Trends of Social Networks

1.) Facebook users spend 6.35 hours each month on the social network via their desktop
When it comes to sheer usage, Facebookstill reigns supreme, accounting for almost twice as much time spent monthly by users on the social network over Google. And while mobile usage is on the rise, the majority of this time is still via a desktop experience. (Facebook)

 

2.) Instagram has more than 150 million active users
Now a part of the Facebook family, Instagram has surged in growth and has more than 150 million active users. One third of that numbergrew in the last 6 month time period, underscoring the growing interest in visual content creation and consumption. (Instagram)

3.) 15% of Internet users are on Pinterest 
Nearly one in every 6 people who use the Internet are on Pinterest. What’s more? These users are well educated and 18% have an annual income of $75,000 or more. (Pew)

4.) Tumblr and Pinterest outperform Twitter and LinkedIn when it comes to share of time spent, in minutes
They may not have as large a user base as giants Twitter and LinkedIn, but visually-focused social networks Tumblr and Pinterest win out for time spent on their sites in comparison. (ComScore)

Social Consumer behavior

5.) 33% of consumers cite social networks as a way they discover new brands, products or services 
One in three consumers are discovering new brands and products via social networks. That may not lead to direct attribution on the brand side, yet, but it’s as indicator that brand awareness and reputation are powerful in the social consumer lifecycle. (eMarketer)

6.) 60% of LinkedIn users have clicked on an ad on the site 
2013 has raised much discussion on the effectiveness of social advertising. If LinkedIn’s advertising performance is any type of indicator, relevant social advertising is going beyond awareness building through impressions and driving action. (lab42)

7.) 100% of business decision-makers use social media for work purposes
Social networks are huge, but does that mean they are being used for business purposes? Forrester Research confirmed this year that, yes, statistically every business decision maker is both using social media and doing so in part for some type work purpose.(Forrester Research Inc)

8.) 47% of Internet users share photos or video they found online
Active usage is great in understanding where people spend time, but understanding consumer actions is an even more meaningful way to get insight. Pew reported in 2013 that nearly half of all Internet users share multimedia they discovered somewhere online. The learning here? Resonate with your consumers’ interests, and they will share and propagate your content.(Pew)

9.) 25% of consumers who complain about products on Facebook or Twitter expect a response within 1 hour
Listening without action is no longer an option for social brands. The expectations of consumers have shifted to make brand responses a mandate. A non-response now risks a disappointed customer, at the least, and a negative brand perception. (American Express Open Forum)

Brand Intentions and Results

10.) 91% of executives are planning a more programmatic approach to audience segmentation in the next two years
Two trends are highlighted here: the rise of audience segmentation and the intent to scale social media through a programmatic approach. 2014 will likely bring with it more, personalized content and a strong concentration of building internal infrastructure to make this strategy repeatable and successful. (eMarketer)

11.) 70% of marketers say that content marketing has increased their brand awareness
Content marketing is on the rise for a very important reason: social is an always-on medium and it requires compelling content to consistently reach and resonate with audience members. The good news? iMedia reports that brands are seeing positive results as it pertains to content raising brand awareness. (iMedia)

12.) 65% of marketers cited an increased social media ad budget in their 2013 plans
To advertise on social, or not advertise on social is no longer the question. Two out of three marketers planned to increase their social advertising budget in 2013. And with greater stringency placed on Newsfeed placement, this number will likely rise in 2014 for marketers to reach their intended audiences. (Nielsen)

13.) 79% of Marketers have integrated social media into their traditional marketing activities
2013 solidified the year of social media earning a seat in the integrated marketing mix. Going beyond Paid, Owned and Earned social, brands are now actively integrating social with traditional marketing and creating a full view of social’s integration within CRM systems.  (Social Media Examiner Industry Report)

14.) Pinterest drives twice the website referral traffic of Twitter, LinkedIn and Google – combined
Conversions are a marketer’s best friend. As it pertains to social media, Pinterest proved its power in driving users from the social network directly to corporate websites, second only to Facebook. (Shareaholic)

 

* A bonus stat and parting thought – social media is the top driver for relationship building
52 percent of enterprise brands say social media is the top driver for relationship building/ brand engagement, more than twice as much as email, and quadruple that of corporate websites. Why is this significant? Marketers are realizing and embracing the inherent value of social media – building relationships – and working to create programs that deliver great experiences. The impact: happier, more loyal customers and increased awareness and demand. (Spredfast)

Happy Holidays and best of luck in your 2014 social media planning.  We can’t wait to see how your social brand strategies evolve in the next 12 months.

Authored by:

Jordan Slabaugh

Jordan Viator Slabaugh is the Director of Social Media at Spredfast where she leads the company's social strategy, execution and interactive marketing, as well as consults with clients on using social media to help achieve social business goals.

New Statistics Highlight the Power of Social Media Marketing

Posted by Monica Romeri 

Social media is essential for marketing success in the current business world.  Your company may not even be taken a company seriously without a presence on the big four social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.  However, simply maintaining social media accounts for your business is not sufficient.  Winning social media marketing requires commitment, strategy, deep industry insight, genuine engagement and clever social content curation.  Producing a great deal of original, highly shareable content, genuinely and consistently conversing with industry influencers and building a significant social following could garner you a reputation as a thought leader and amplified exposure and brand recognition for your company.

With the current marketing landscape, it is critical to invest the necessary time and resources to building and maintaining a top-notch social presence for your company.  Strategic social media marketing calls for serious dedication and organization.  There are a wide variety of social resources and tools, which can simply and streamline social content curation—social sharing—and the promotion of your original content on all your social networks, including HootSuite, Klout and Topsy.  Start taking advantage of social media management tools, because they can save you time and increase the effectiveness of your content and social reach.

Social media is here to stay, and its influence continues to increase.  If you have not already gone social, now is the time to adapt.  Neglect social media marketing at your own peril.  Excellent content creation is the foundation of high-quality social media marketing.  Without top-notch, original content, social media success will elude you.  Engage a wide social audience to dramatically increase website traffic and social lead generation and conversion.  If you are still on the fence about the value of social media, these new statistics from HubSpot should help sway you: 

17 New Social Media Statistics 

1. 27% of total US internet time is spent on social networking sites. (Source: Experian)

2.  15% of total US mobile internet time is spent on social networking sites. (Source: Experian) 

3.  Social media produces almost double the marketing leads of trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail or PPC. (Source: HubSpot) 

4.  Social lead conversion rates are 13% higher than the average lead conversion rate. (Source: HubSpot) 

5.  21% of marketers say that social media has become more important to their company over the past 6 months. (Source: HubSpot) 

6.  74% of all marketers say Facebook is important to their lead generation strategies. (Source: HubSpot) 

7.  Companies that generate more than 1,000 Facebook likes also receive nearly 1,400 website visits daily. (Source: HubSpot) 

8.  52% of all marketers have found a customer via Facebook in 2013. (Source: HubSpot) 

9.  On Facebook, brand posts achieve 50% of their reach within 30 minutes. (Source: Socialbakers) 

10.  85% of fans of brands on Facebook recommend brands to others, compared to 60% of average users. (Source: Syncapse) 

11.  43% of all marketers have found a customer on LinkedIn in 2013. (Source: HubSpot) 

12.  36% of all marketers have found a customer on Twitter in 2013. (Source:HubSpot) 

13.  59% of Twitter users have visited B2B tech brand sites, compared to only 40% for the average internet population. (Source: Compete and Twitter) 

14.  25% of consumers who complain about products on Facebook or Twitter expect a response within 1 hour. (Source: American Express) 

15.  Women are more likely than men to regularly check out a brand's social page (women: 48%; men: 43%). (Source: Ipsos) 

16.  23% of marketers are investing in blogging and social media this year—a 9% increase from 2012. (Source: HubSpot) 

17.  Approximately 46% of online users rely on social media, when making a purchase decision. (Source: Nielsen) 

 

Posted in: Challenges In Agri-Food & Supply Chain

15 Stats Brands Should Know About Millennials

Saya Weissman

Like all new generations, millennials are often misunderstood. The rap on them is they’re serial oversharers in constant need of acknowledgment and feedback.

And, of course, some of that is true. But it’s just as true that this newest generation is an optimistic bunch who are trying to make the best of the economic climate and tough job market.

Here are 15 interesting stats about the coveted class of consumers who are also your employees.

There are about 79 million millennials in the U.S., versus the 48 million Generation Xers (born between 1965 and 1980). (ComScore)

Millennials will make up 50 percent of the U.S. workforce by 2030. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

23 percent of companies reported having heavy contact with parents of millennial employees. (Collegiate Employment Research Institute)

4 percent of employers involved reported parents attended their children’s job interviews. (CERI)

31 percent of employers involved reported parents submitted resumes on behalf of their offspring. (CERI)

27 percent of millennials are self-employed. (The Millennial Generation Research Review)

80 percent of millennials sleep with their phones next to their beds. (The Millennial Generation Research Review)

Millennials send about 20 texts per day. (Pew Social Trends)

15 percent of millennials, versus 7 percent of Gen Xers at a similar stage of life, said having a high-paying career is important. (The Millennial Generation Research Review)

The purchasing power of millennials is estimated to be $170 billion per year. (ComScore)

Millennial unemployment rate in January 2013 increased to the highest rate recorded for this demographic to 13.1 percent versus the national average of 7.1 percent. (U.S. Department of Labor.)

56 percent of millennials think technology helps people use their time more efficiently. (Pew Social Trends)

14 percent of millennials use Twitter. (Pew Social Trends)

31 percent of millennials said they earn enough money to lead the kind of life they want, versus 46 percent of Gen Xers. (Pew Social Trends)

41 percent of millennials have no landline at home and rely on their cellphones for communication. (Pew Social Trends)