Here are some fast facts on why social media is important as a marketing tool:

• As of March, 2019, 3.2 billion people are social media users – approximately 42% of the population.
• The average user spends 2 hours and 22 minutes a day on a social media channel.
• 73% of marketers believe social media has been a “very effective” or “somewhat effective” marketing tool
• 54 % of browsers use social media to research products
• 71% of consumers who have a positive experience with a brand are likely to recommend it on social media
• 80% of social media consumption is on mobile devices

Below are some helpful Tips and Tricks to help you optimize your social media marketing efforts:

• Decide which social media platforms are best for your business. Please note, Keystroke currently promotes on Facebook, LinkedIn Youtube, Vimeo, and Twitter.
  • Facebook: The world’s most popular social media network with more than 2.32 billion monthly users as of the first quarter of 2019, enjoys the largest number of regular users with 1.45 billion people on average logging in. 68% of US adults are Facebook users. The average user spends 1400 minutes per month on this platform. It is the most appealing network in terms of reach, with peak traffic hours occurring mid-week between 1 to 3pm. For more, check out our definitive Facebook marketing guide for business.
  • Instagram: Instagram, a graphic, visual-based channel, has 500 million daily active users and 25 million businesses with profiles as of December 2018. Approximately 80% of all Instagram users follow a business on Instagram. Successful marketing in this channel is based in large part on the aesthetic appeal of the content shared. The best time to post on Instagram is Thursday between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. in your respective time zone. Related: How to Use Instagram for Business: A Complete Guide for Marketers.
  • LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the world’s largest social networking site for professionals with more than 610 members and 303 million active monthly users as of May 2019. The average user only spends 17 minutes per month in LinkedIn. Learn how to put the platform to work for your business with this comprehensive LinkedIn marketing guide.
  • Twitter: Twitter has over 326 million monthly users as of Q1 2019 and is known for its brevity or microblogging with a 280-character tweet limit. This essential guide to Twitter marketing will help get you use Twitter to reach your target markets. 
  • Snapchat: Snapchat has over 203 million daily users spending an average of 25-30 minutes per day in the channel as of July 2019. 90% are 13-24 years old. Click here for a guide to using Snapchat for business.
  • YouTube: An excellent resource for brands who have the resources to take advantage of the popularity of online videos. Learn more about using the platform with by reading about Ways to Promote Your YouTube Channel.
  • Pinterest: Pinterest is channel comprised of 291 million monthly active users searching to find ideas for all parts of their lives. As of Q2 2019, there were 175 billion ideas on Pinterest making it ideal for driving action, such as a purchase or a visit to your website. Learn more in our comprehensive guide to using Pinterest for business.
• Log into your social media accounts, follow people and be social. Building a following requires interaction. Subscribe to feeds, leave thoughtful and professional comments on blogs, share posts. 
• Facebook more readily promotes posts from pages with regular activity. Populating your Facebook page with posts, videos and links will increase your exposure. Such links can readily be found by searching topics related to your niche. Ensure your page is updated frequently to reflect your corporate strategy and values. 
• Facebook allows you to use funds to boost posts, better enabling you to target specific audiences
• Look at social pages from those in your industry (including your competitors) to discover insights about appealing to prospects and setting yourself apart. 
• Use free tools like Canva or PicMonkey to update and edit photos on your social media platforms. Canva offers templates. Free, high quality digital stock photos can be found at Life of Pix. For other tools, check out our Marketing Resources list.