{"id":97146,"date":"2017-09-25T12:36:38","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T11:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/?p=97146"},"modified":"2017-09-25T12:34:33","modified_gmt":"2017-09-25T11:34:33","slug":"businesses-use-social-media-2017-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/social-media-marketing\/social-media-strategy\/businesses-use-social-media-2017-report\/","title":{"rendered":"How businesses use social media: 2017 report"},"content":{"rendered":"

344 social media managers confirm that social media positively\u00a0influencers revenue and sales<\/h2>\n

Social media is everywhere and is vastly expanding - but what effect do the various social platforms have on a company's brand awareness, engagement, revenue, and sales?<\/p>\n

Because of the range of platforms available it can be difficult\u00a0to know where to start, what platforms your target\u00a0audience is using, and what content to share to increase engagement.<\/p>\n

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\n \n Social media marketing strategy guide\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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Download Paid Member Resource \u2013 Social Media Strategy Guide <\/strong><\/p>\n

Understand how to best use social media in your marketing strategy as an individual or as a business.<\/p>\n

Access the Social media marketing strategy guide<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/p>\n

Smart Insights partnered up with Clutch<\/a>, a service which helps businesses make B2B buying decisions, to find out what and how social media is being used in marketing and its effects on content distribution.<\/p>\n

You can view the full free report<\/a> here.<\/p>\n

Over half of those surveyed (52%) said that social media has positively\u00a0influenced revenue and sales.<\/p>\n

It is expected that as social media ages the number of companies that view social media as a positive influence will increase.<\/p>\n

What are the leading social platforms?<\/h3>\n

It was reported that Facebook (89%) and LinkedIn (83%) are the most valued social media platforms to use, which is no surprise as Facebook has the largest user rate and LinkedIn has been created with B2B objectives and aims in mind, making it a perfect platform to generate leads and increase conversion.<\/p>\n

Facebook has a wide range of users globally, making it a perfect platform for companies to target their desired customer. With features like groups, pages and 'likes' it can also bring together a group of users with similar\u00a0interests making it much easier for brands to target a larger audience all with their desired personas.<\/p>\n

\"social-media-platforms-businesses-value\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

Instagram is a great platform for companies and brands that rely heavily on visuals and storytelling to increase engagement, generate leads and convert potential customers. National Geographic is a perfect example of this, with high-definition images and long captions to help increase their followers' emotions<\/p>\n

\"national<\/a><\/p>\n

Other social media platforms that are popular include Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram. However, platforms such as Google+, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Reddit remain low in value.<\/p>\n

Pinterest, a visuals\u00a0board, can give the same content to target audiences as Instagram (a more popular social platform), and with the integration of stories and filters on Instagram and Facebook it has rendered Snapchat's trademark media platform obsolete in the eyes of many businesses. However, Snapchat remains the social platform teenagers spend the most time on<\/a>, making it a valuable asset to your marketing strategy if your brand's target audience is Generation Z.<\/p>\n

What content engages customers?<\/h3>\n

With users scrolling through 300 feet of content per day<\/a>, Kat Hahn from Facebook suggests how brands can stand out, in a way that reflects the way users consume content on social media:<\/p>\n