4 Social Media Facts As We Go Into Q4 2014

The start of Q4 2014 is just around the corner (Wed., Oct. 1). As we gear up for the next quarter, take a quick look at this list of four social media facts. Use these social media strategy tips to prepare you for the biggest and busiest retail season of the year. (But these social facts aren’t just for retail. Ideas for SaaS, small business, and B2B below, too!)

#1 Email Marketing Is Very Much Alive.

How alive? Well, email marketing has an ROI of 4,300%. KISSmetrics shares a few graphics and sources here, detailing the surprising boom and sustaining power of strategic email marketing.

As social media marketers, it’s easy to get tunnel vision, thinking that Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the only way to plug into an audience. At BuzzPlant, we love our social media, but we’re also the first to admit that social is only a sliver of all available digital channels (– not to mention other “offline” options like print and outdoor that still play important roles). Going into Q4, it’s time to take your email marketing seriously.

#2 Instagram Engagement Rates Surge.

Instagram has over 200 million users, and shows no sign of slowing down. If you’re not taking advantage of this platform, which has an engagement rate 15x higher than Facebook, then you may need to seriously evaluate your social media strategy. By the way, Instagram is not a retail/CPG-only marketing platform. Take a look at profiles like @generalelectric and @intel to see creative B2B social media strategies at work.

#3 Twitter Is ALL About Timing.

While there’s an art to timing your Tweets, that’s not the kind of timing I’m talking about. Perhaps the more important “timing” issue on Twitter is your response time. All year, I’ve been urging clients to prioritize becoming a first-responder. Brands who respond quickly on Twitter are the ones who will gain consumers’ respect (and dollars) in 2015. We’re already seeing this now, in 2014. Make sure your social media strategy for this quarter focuses on improving your response time.

#4 Social Sees Huge Growth On the Whole.

We’ve talked about a few specific platforms today: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and email marketing. But they aren’t the only ones growing; acceptance of social media on the whole is skyrocketing. Take a look at this graph from Jeff Bullas.

As the use of social continues to grow and expand in all demographics, maintaining a current social media strategy will be increasingly important for companies in all industries.

What Social Media Facts Do You See As Essential?

Any facts that you view as integral to your social media strategy for the coming quarter? Share them below, and we’ll discuss!

4 Social Media Facts As We Go Into Q4 2014