by Dr. R. Kay Green | Featured Contributor
We can’t deny it. It’s everywhere we go, it’s everything we see. It’s social media and it symbolizes where we are as a society: Interconnected…and it is here to stay.
Social media is a marketers’ dream. It allow your audience to watch you – as a brand – develop, grow, and evolve. Many of your most loyal fans and followers are engaged in your lives and businesses through social media.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or corporation, social media provides multiple no-cost platforms to connect with your target audience. They follow your companies, your brands, your experiences, through the good times and the bad times. Your audience gets to know you, like you, and build trusting relationships with you.
The most recent facts on social media indicate that not only is social media the latest, greatest phenomenon; but, it is also predicted to remain a part of our lives for decades to come. How do we know this to be true? Let’s consider the most recent facts on social media:
- FACT: Currently, marketers allocate 7.6% of their budgets to social media. CMOs expect that number to reach 18.8% in the next five years. (Source: CMO Survey)
- FACT: Marketers spend an average of 4-6 hours a week on social media. (Source: Social Media Examiner )
- FACT: 79% of Marketers have integrated social media into their traditional marketing activities (Source: SocialMediaToday)
- FACT: Social media is the top driver for relationship building (Source: SocialMediaToday)
- FACT: 37% of brands would like to use social media engagement to create customer-tailored marketing campaigns. (Source: Social Media Today)
- FACT: 33% of consumers cite social networks as a way they discover new brands, products or services (Source: SocialMediaToday)
- FACT: Facebook users spend 6.35 hours each month on the social network via their desktop (Source: SocialMediaToday)
- FACT: Instagram has more than 150 million active users (Source: SocialMediaToday)
- FACT: 15% of Internet users are on Pinterest (Source: SocialMediaToday)
- FACT: 25% of consumers who complain about products on Facebook or Twitter expect a response within 1 hour. Peer Influence + Bad Reviews = Brand Killer. (Source: SocialMediaToday)
- FACT: 51% of the top 20% of B2B marketers generating leads through social media use social sharing tools, compared to the industry average of 39%. (Source: Aberdeen)
The Takeaway? If you are not active on social media, you are missing a world of opportunity for engagement and connectivity in your market, both domestically and globally. The key word here is Opportunity. Plain and simple, social media is EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE.
If you are currently active and visible on social media, strive to make your brand more relevant than ever before. The key word here is Engagement. Try new platforms and new ways of engaging your audience…they will follow.
Social media is about being SOCIAL. Have fun with it, be creative, engaging, and connected. Remember, always communicate your message clearly, consistently, and constantly.
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Dr. R. Kay Green – Marketing Expert from RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. from Atlanta, GA.
Dr. R. Kay Green is the CEO/President of RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. With over 190,000+ Twitter followers, 35,000+ Facebook Likes, and the Top 1% LinkedIn profile designation, Dr. Kay, a self-motivated trailblazer, is the Quintessential “New-Age” Professional Woman, and PhD Marketing Pro. She earned a Doctorate of Business Administration in Marketing, and has completed PhD coursework in Leadership and Organization Change. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Management, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, and an Associate of Arts in Marketing Management.
She is affiliated with several prestigious universities and has instructed over 350 courses online. A popular speaker on Marketing and Business topics, Dr. Green is currently featured on Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Black News, The Network Journal, Business Review USA, Digital Journal, College View, Business New Hampshire Magazine, Bay State Banner, Reader’s Circle, North Dallas Gazette, Harlem News, Top News Today, One News Page, NE Informer, Women in Business PR News, Consumer News Today, Women PR News, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Daily Herald, The Miami Herald, and Book News Articles.
Dr. R. Kay Green is the CEO/President of RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. With over 190,000+ Twitter followers, 35,000+ Facebook Likes, and the Top 1% LinkedIn profile designation, Dr. Kay, a self-motivated trailblazer, is the Quintessential “New-Age” Professional Woman, and PhD Marketing Pro. She earned a Doctorate of Business Administration in Marketing, and has completed PhD coursework in Leadership and Organization Change. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Management, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, and an Associate of Arts in Marketing Management.
She is affiliated with several prestigious universities and has instructed over 350 courses online. A popular speaker on Marketing and Business topics, Dr. Green is currently featured on Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Black News, The Network Journal, Business Review USA, Digital Journal, College View, Business New Hampshire Magazine, Bay State Banner, Reader’s Circle, North Dallas Gazette, Harlem News, Top News Today, One News Page, NE Informer, Women in Business PR News, Consumer News Today, Women PR News, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Daily Herald, The Miami Herald, and Book News Articles.
