In part one of this series, we shared with you some statistics that every business owner should know. You learned how an email campaign can nurture leads, and how to optimize your website for better customer response. Now let’s turn our attention to some important numbers regarding video and social media marketing.
Does your website include video? You might think video is unnecessary, or is only used by certain niche businesses, but in reality video can boost your website results no matter what type of business you own. Consider these statistics:
- Consumers spend an extra two minutes on websites that include video, as compared to websites that do not include video (Merchant Marketing Group)
- More than half of all online mobile traffic involves video (Merchant Marketing Group)
- When you include a video on landing pages, conversion rates increase as much as 86 percent (EyeView)
What can you learn from these facts? We know that the longer a visitor stays on your website, the more familiar with (and attached to) your brand they will become. It is also more likely that they will convert, or enter their contact information so that you can initiate future interactions. Video can help you accomplish these goals. And since mobile devices are growing in popularity, it makes sense to use the medium that most mobile users appear to prefer.
Many small business owners overlook the enormous marketing potential of social media sites. Yes, social media is a great place for sharing vacation photos and chatting with long-lost relatives… but consumers are increasingly using sites like LinkedIn and Facebook to research important decisions. Check out these statistics:
- 5 million investors worth $100,000 or more use social media to research financial opportunities (LinkedIn/Cogent Research “Social Media’s Growing Influence Among High Net Worth Investors”)
- Over 90 percent of high-net-worth investors actively use social media sites (LinkedIn/Cogent Research)
- In a study of financial professionals, 43 percent said their social media use led to a positive return on investment (American Century Investments)
- 79 percent of financial professionals said they had found new clients via social media (Putnam Investments)
What conclusions can we draw from this data? For starters, social media is serious business! Consumers aren’t just sharing pictures of their dinner on Facebook. They’re using social media to research major decisions regarding their investments, so it would be safe to bet that they are also using the medium to make other purchasing decisions.
Social media is the ideal way to connect your target audience to your brand, make yourself a household name, and maintain contact with clients. When you keep your business name at the forefront of their minds, repeat business and referrals increase. Kickstart your social media strategy, and watch your business grow!
