Blog #13 Businesses NEED to be Active on Social Media

   The article I am blogging about is titled, Businesses Need to be Active on Social Media written by Jodie Perry. This article starts out by saying the age of social media is upon us, is your company effectively using social media? Are you with the times? The article states that each year, hundreds of millions of people are logging on to social media, that is such a huge amount that companies need to desperately tap into. Half of all online adults 65 and over use Facebook which represents 31% of all seniors. Half of the internet using young adults (18-29) use Instagram and half of all Instagram users use the site daily. Pinterest is dominated by females, 42% female to 13% male. The facts only intensify the need that companies need to be on social media. It is critical not only because it allows you to reach your target audience more effectively but it allows you to communicate with your consumers which can hugely increase your chances for exposure and sales. 
   
   The article then goes into five things you can do to help your company get started with social media. The first step is to start somewhere. It may be extremely overwhelming to see all of the platforms that are available for social media. You need to buckle down and choose the platform that is best for your company and start by creating an account. Facebook has the most users, so if you do not know where to start, Facebook is the best bet. The second step is to Be Visual.   Photos, Videos and visuals will not only capture the attention of your followers  but will help create a visual element to your companies stories. Consumers do not and will not read a post with all words, they need something to catch their eye. The third step is to block out time on your calender.You need to be consistent when posting on social media, if you are going to post each day then make sure each and every day there is a post waiting. If you schedule your postings in advance it will be easy to manage your time and most platforms can even allow you to schedule postings on their page so that you do not even have to be on the site. The fourth step is to be interactive. The whole point of social media is to create that channel to interact with your consumers. Engage with them, comment when they post something funny. Show that you are a real person and have a personality. The last and final step is to follow best practices. Follow companies that have good social  media activity to learn not only what they do, but what works and what doesn't. It gives you good recon and helps you learn what posts work best with your company. 

   This article relates to our social media marketing class because it shows how important social media is in today's growing digital market. You need to be on your A-Game and show that you are willing to go with the times. You also need to be on social media to interact with your consumers. Many customers will go to social media now if they have a positive or negative experience and it is important for you to be there for your consumers to keep them coming back. 

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/money/2015/04/19/businesses-need-active-social-media/25715193/