above the fold (social media)

There are some undeniable new statistics that came out of Crowdspring last week that further defines the concrete, measurable impact social media is having on small businesses all over the country.

Though 75% of businesses are experimenting in some capacity with social media platforms -- primarily Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin -- many small businesses are also seeing actual returns. 

Here are the latest stats from Crowdspring: 

• The number of people visiting social media sites has increased a whopping 24% since this time last year. 

• Almost half of small businesses have successfully connected with new customers through social networks. 

Meanwhile... 

• Only 28% of larger companies are having noticeable success and 36% of medium-sized businesses.

And here are some truly sobering numbers for businesses using social media to connect to their markets: 

• 51% of Facebook users and 64% of Twitter users are more likely to buy the brands they are a fan of, or follow. And Facebook alone takes the lead among small, medium and large businesses in driving web traffic, sales leads and customer recommendations. 

• 65% of business owners using social media said it helped them stay engaged with current customers. 

• 52% of businesses said they became more aware of their company in their market. 

• 61% said they gained new customers. 

What you should be doing about these statistics: 

Since a reported 75% of small businesses maintain some type of social media presence, you probably don't need to be convinced of its potential to be very valuable to your business. In fact, you're probably all set up on Facebook and you might even be tweeting. But how your business engages over those channels makes can make the difference in seeing some of the above-mentioned results or not.

The smaller percentages of businesses reporting actual gains from Facebook and Twitter are most likely dedicating resources to engage with their customers over social media. This takes a commitment, time and manpower that many small businesses just don't have but need. Our digital department sees it every day. 

The most important part is knowing that setting up a profile is the easiest and the most minimal part of the process. Being successful over social media takes work every day. Many of our clients find relying on an agency in an ongoing consultative or management capacity can give them the social edge that leads to seeing real return. 

If you're looking for advice on what social media services can do for your small business, we'd love to help. Contact us and we'll answer your questions about how social media might impact your business. And please let us know in the comments below what your experience with social media has been thus far. Feel like getting social with us? We're @iexposure on Twitter and here on Facebook. 

Image by eldh and licensed by Creative Commons. 

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