More and more we are seeing that online social networks are beginning to reflect networks which have formed in reality. In real life networks the most successful and fruitful business relationships (and relationships in general) are those which have been introduced via social referral.
Social proof is hugely valuable and essential for any business to build a strong client base. Would you better to a cold call or a referral? My guess would be referral. This will sound like I’m stating the obvious, but the best way (and only way really) to increase the return you get from social networking is to be social. Like with most real life relationships, the more effort you put in, the more you will receive. The more and better you engage with social users, the more they will be aware of your brand and turn into customers.
Here are some statistics which highlight the importance of engagement between brand and social users:
- 81% of customers reach out to friends and family members on social networking sites for advice before purchasing products.
- 85% of customers expect businesses to be active on social media.
- 51% of people who like brands on Facebook say they’re likely to buy a product after liking them.
- After a brand engages with a prospect, 36% of people prompted to purchase, 20% of people prompted to recommend that brand, 3% changed their impression of that brand, 8% changed their awareness of the brand.
Source: http://www.vocus.com/blog/essential-stats-social-media-marketing/
We can see from these statistics that we as consumers expect to see brands engaging with people online, however companies are not always as passionate with their social media engagement as they are with their offline efforts. Social media is a great tool and it should be utilised to its full potential. Start talking to your followers and they may turn into lifelong customers!