Why using facebook is essential for your business

If Facebook were a country it would be the third largest country in the world. It currently holds over 500 million active users and the average user spends nearly an hour a day on the site.

[success]Have we got your attention yet?[/success]

There isn’t a single reason why your business shouldn’t be involved on all the major social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and the list goes on. Advertising used to mean that the more money you paid, the more advertising you got. But times have changed and generation Y isn’t buying it. The majority of people don’t trust advertisements they see. And why should they? Instead of bombarding potential consumers with ads, you can communicate with a target audience, specific to you and your business, for free.

Even better is the fact that nearly all social media is mobile (thanks, smart phones!). With over 80% of social media being conducted via mobile devices, your target audience is quite literally always trying to find you. The best example of this is Twitter. Brand recognition, networking with other businesses, and simultaneously reaching over 5 million people around the globe is just the tip of the iceberg in benefits of having an active Twitter account for your business. The key word here being active; if you’re one of the many businesses that creates a Twitter account, forgets about it, and wonders why business hasn’t picked up – you need to get tweeting – ASAP. Studies have found that businesses without active social media accounts actually experience up 6% of loss in sales while companies that participate in the Twitter-sphere are likely to see an 18% increase in their sales. Simply put, if you’re not online, you’re losing money.

[success]Social Media is word of mouth on steroids, with a six pack of RedBull, and whatever Lance Armstrong was on.[/success]

65% of people trust the opinions of their friends which they’ve obtained from the multitude of social networking apps available. Where to get the best gourmet hotdog in the city, which boutiques sell designer clothing for cheap, why one yoga studio is better than the one right next to it, which movies are worth seeing…see where this is going? Out of that original group of people, 81% are likely to purchase the product or service that was recommended to them via social media sites.

The influential power of social media combined with the sheer speed of today’s information sharing will show practically instant results to your business. To put it all into perspective, consider this: it took nearly 40 years for radio to reach 50 million listeners. Television reached that same number of viewers in less than half that time within an impressive 13 years. The internet on the other hand? A very fast, very effective, and very explosive 4 years for 50 million users worldwide to get online. Facebook alone brought in 200 million users within 12 months of its launch! Think that’s fast? It’s just started. Social media usage is growing 50-60% on average per year and there’s no evidence that shows it’ll slow down anytime soon.

The best part about living in the age of information is that having a huge budget for advertising isn’t a priority anymore. What’s more important is getting out there and engaging your audience to communicate with you. People are telling you what they want, so listen up! Invest in a crash course on social media, invent some new keyword rich hashtags, and take the potential your business has into your own hands. Find out more with DevelopAWeb E-Books and may we be the first say: Welcome to the Facebook Nation.