Social Media Examiner (SME) recently published their 2017 Social Media Marketing Report to learn what businesses are doing effectively and what they want to do better, both in B2C and B2B. We read the 50-page report so we could share with our niche publishing audience.
It’s great for niche media that SME didn’t just poll the great big companies. Of the 5,700 marketers they surveyed, over 60% were either small companies (2-10 employees) or self-employed.
Some results were more obvious than others: Visuals, blogging, videos— everyone plans to do more of that.
A quick summary of some of SME’s other significant findings:
92% of those surveyed said social marketing was important to their business. Here’s what’s working:
- Visuals are essential: 85% of marketers use visuals in their marketing and 73% plan on increasing their use.
- Live video is hot, hot, hot: 61% of marketers plan on using live video services such as Facebook Live and Periscope, and 69% want to learn more.
- Instagram is on a growth trajectory: Currently, 54% of marketers are using Instagram, yet 63% plan on increasing their Instagram activities and 71% of marketers want to learn more.
A platform comparison: (changes since 2016)
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram were the top four platforms used by marketers, with Facebook leading the pack. Other platforms paled in comparison.
What’s up?
- Facebook rose from 93% to 94%
- Instagram jumped from 44% to 54% (Interesting)
- Snapchat rose from 5% to 7%
What’s down?
- Twitter declined from 76% to 68%
- LinkedIn dropped from 67% to 56%
- YouTube declined from 53% to 45%
- Pinterest dropped from 40% to 30%
We get that everyone loves FB, but does it really work?
Facebook continues to dominate–with mixed results. It is the most important social network for marketers by a long shot. Yet only 42% of marketers feel like their Facebook efforts are working, a decrease from 46%. Do you think FB works best for just B2C? For the first time in the history of the study, Facebook passed LinkedIn as the most important platform for B2B marketers.
How much time should niche publishers spend on social media?
A significant 64% of marketers are using social media for 6 hours or more and 41% for 11 hours or more weekly. The most commonly used types of content are:
- Visual images 85%
- Blogging 66%
- Video 57%
- Live video 28%
- Podcasting 8% (Area of opportunity?)
So what do social marketers want to learn MORE about?
Finally, it’s no surprise that tactics and engagement are top areas companies want to master. Social marketers always want to know more about the most effective ways to engage their audience. Building online revenue and audience remain top priorities for niche publishers as well. You can read the full report here: SME’s 2017 Social Media Marketing Report
P.S. It’s worth it to your business (and its growth) to stay ahead of the social media marketing curve. Join us at the 2017 Niche Digital Summit in Chicago, Sept. 25-27, 2017 for strategies and tactics that drive digital revenue — just for niche publishers!
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About this blogger: Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Niche Media. A former sales director and corporate marketing hack, she has now found nirvana in writing and wrangling quality content. Diana is a food, wine, art and SF Giants enthusiast…who sometimes gets carried away.
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Niche Media has the best events, education, and training in media! Our super niched-out events & content give target-audience publishers in the B2C, hobbyist, B2B, city & regional, and association markets the tools they need to build revenue, audience, and more.
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