The power of Social Media

Can you believe how much social media has changed our lives? In the past 10 years or so it has grown from nothing to what it is today, with millions of people connecting with friends, family and businesses from all over the world every day.
 
In fact a recent report found that there are over 14 million Australian’s on Facebook alone, not to mention other highly used sites such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google Plus. All of which continue to grow in users daily.

"There are over 14 millions Australian's on Facebook,
​yet only 33 per cent of businesses have a social media presence."

Interestingly there are still those who refrain from the peer pressure to be ‘on’ social media, not just those in the older age group either.
 
More interesting though is that many businesses are still not on social media. With so many customers using it, surprisingly only 33 per cent of businesses have a social media presence.
 
There are more large companies on social media than small to medium enterprises. Most of these businesses manage their online presence with people in jobs that weren’t evented invented until a few years ago.
 
These large businesses are posting regularly (up to 5 times a week) whilst creating benefits for their followers like discount offers and give-aways, coupons, product info, tips and advice.
 
Small businesses need to keep up with this trend and take advantage of the fact that so many of their customers and potential customers are in the space.

"Set up a Facebook account for your business, create a social media plan and post regularly.
​Mix up your posts with interesting and engaging content."

The best way to do this is to get started! Set up a Facebook account for your business, create a social media plan and post regularly. Mix up your posts with interesting and engaging content. Do what the big guys do and create special offers and discounts, post photos and videos, and don’t be scared of a little advertising.
 
Although Facebook has the biggest user base in Australia, YouTube has the second largest number of users. Linked In is growing, as is Instagram and Google Plus. Take advantage of these free networking sites and set up accounts with all of them.  It is easy to manage them all in one place and schedule your posts by using an online social media management tool such as Hootsuite. It’s free to use to manage up to three social media sites.
 
If you need help or advice to get your business on the social media bandwagon Out of the Box Consulting offers training programs tailored to suite your business requirements. Click here for more details and to book: Out of the Box Consulting - Social Media Training.
 
Information in this blog was sourced from the following online resources:
sensis.com.au
socialmedianews.com.au