10 Facts to Consider for your Social Media Strategy in 2017

We all know how important your social media strategy is for your business nowadays. It’s a crucial element for any company looking to create a meaningful and engaging marketing campaign. We’ve compiled a quick list of 10 interesting facts about social media and marketing, all of which can be taken into consideration when creating your own social media strategy.

1. 87% of marketers want to start creating video content for their social media.

It’s time to get on the band wagon and create video content, as video marketing is due to hit a peak in 2017.

The four main channels that marketers are looking to add to their marketing stack in 2017 are Facebook Video (30%), YouTube (28%), Instagram (26%) and Snapchat (22%); all of which are heavily video based. 

(www.Inbound.org - What 12,000+ of the Worlds Best Marketers Think About the Future of Social Media)

2. 93% of marketers still use Facebook as their top marketing channel

While many people think Facebook is dying out, marketers still see it as a crucial channel to have as part of their marketing strategy. In fact, 91% of marketers still invest in Facebook Adverts, and see Facebook Video as a top priority for 2017, so don’t dismiss it just yet.

(www.Inbound.org - What 12,000+ of the Worlds Best Marketers Think About the Future of Social Media)

3. Only 7% of companies have decreased their social media marketing budget

Clearly, many marketers are still unsure how to create business value through social media. In fact, 42% see defining ROI and measurement as one of their top three challenges.

(www.Inbound.org - What 12,000+ of the Worlds Best Marketers Think About the Future of Social Media)

4. 85% of businesses use social media for brand awareness

Another 71% use social media for community engagement, and 61% use it for content distribution. This, interestingly, shows that businesses are using social media to engage and interact with their audience, rather than just to promote themselves. 

(www.Inbound.org - What 12,000+ of the Worlds Best Marketers Think About the Future of Social Media)

5. 73% of organisations take an inbound approach to marketing

This leaves 24% of organisations being outbound and, worryingly, 3% as not sure. 

(HubSpot, State of Inbound 2016 report) 

6. 28% of companies say social selling is their top sales priority 

Social selling is a priority for salespeople in 2016 more than ever. With a 6% increase from 2015, this will most probably see further growth in 2017.

(HubSpot, State of Inbound 2016 report)

7. 61% of organisations believe their marketing strategies are effective

Unfortunately, 39% don’t think their marketing strategies are effective. Of those companies that say that their marketing strategy is effective, 67% claim that inbound practices provide the highest quality of leads to their sales team. 

So to get the best leads, spend time ensuring that your marketing strategy is as effective as possible. 

(HubSpot, State of Inbound 2016 report)

8. 9% of companies in EMEA think Facebook is the best channel for connecting with prospects

Across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, only a small percentage of companies see Facebook as the best channel to use. The most popular channel is telephone, which is preferred by 36%. Twitter is also surprisingly unpopular, with only 1% preferring this channel across North America, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Europe.

(HubSpot, State of Inbound 2016 report)

9. 13% of outbound marketers think social media is overrated

Interestingly, 11% of inbound marketers think the same! Paid advertising (like print, outdoor, etc.) is considered the most overrated marketing channel by both outbound and inbound marketers. 

(HubSpot, State of Inbound 2016 report)

10. The most popular social media channel for professional purposes is LinkedIn (80%) 

Facebook comes in second with 73%, but ranks first by a staggering 92% when it comes to the best social media channel for personal purposes.

Twitter ranks as the second best channel for personal use with 60%.

LinkedIn is considered to be the best platform for professional reasons across most geographical locations, except for Latin America which ranks Facebook higher by 5%.

(HubSpot, State of Inbound 2016 report)

Creating a social marketing strategy for 2017

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. Make sure your social media management is helping not damaging your brand by reading our post "How to boost your brand reputation with social media management"