Every business owner knows that being on social media has become part and parcel of marketing and branding in the digital world, but how important is it really? We’ve pulled out the most important stats from the Sensis Social Media Report 2017 to reveal the growing importance of being active on social media.
Customers on social media
How many of us are on social media?
79% of all Australians are on social media, this is up from 69% last year. Broken down 96% of 30-39 year old’s are on social media and 86% of 40-49 year old’s are checking in online.
Where do we like to get social?
Facebook takes the lead with 95% of social media users on Facebook. Instagram rose from having 31% to 46% of users in the last year. Snapchat also grew from having 22% to 40% of the social market, however, LinkedIn saw a drop down from 24% to 18%.
How often are we on social, and what are we doing on social media?
56% of social users check in on social media over 5 times a day, with 59% of us checking social media daily.
- 80% of 30-39 year old’s are on social media daily
- 61% of 40-49 year old’s are on social media daily
- 40% of 50-64 year old’s are on social media daily
- 23% of 65+ are on social media daily
Most of us are on social media to catch up with family and friends, however, 43% are also on there to watch videos. 37% of social users use it to get info and current news, 18% use social to follow or find out about a particular brand and 16% follow brands for access to promotions.
In fact, an average of 24% of social media users follow a brand on Facebook, when broken down:
- 41% of 30-39 year old’s follow a brand;
- 28% of 40-49 year old’s follow a brand;
- 19% of 50-64 year old’s follow a brand;
- 9% of 65+ follow a brand
How long do we spend on social media?
The average time spent on social media varies according to the platform. Users spend an average of:
- 32 minutes on Snapchat;
- 28.1 minutes on Twitter;
- 26.9 minutes on Instagram;
- 23.2 minutes on Facebook;
- 11 minutes on LinkedIn
How do we feel about advertising on social media?
Overall, as consumers, we are not too bothered by advertising on social media, we are actually becoming more favourable towards it in comparison to last year.
- 30% of people are happy to see ads on social media
- 43% click on ads on social media to find out more
- 27% like seeing sponsored ads from businesses they follow
- 41% will inspect a brand’s social media presence before making an online purchase if they have not purchased from their website before
Business on social media
Overall, less than half of small and medium-sized businesses have a social media presence (47%). This may be due to the fact that 22% of small businesses and 4% of medium businesses do not understand social media. Of those businesses who do have a social media presence, 9 out of 10 small business have Facebook, while 87% of medium-sized business have Facebook. Medium businesses are more likely to have an Instagram account (39%) over their small business counterparts (19%).
58% of businesses in the communication, property and business services sector and 66% of cultural, recreational and personal services are on social media. Both industries are above average for businesses being on social.
Leading reasons for using social media for business
These are the top 5 reasons for business having a presence and using social media.
1. Advertise and promote the business.
2. Act as avenue for contact and interaction with consumers.
3. Drive new business.
4. Create awareness for the brand.
5. Promote sales or special offers.
Where are businesses advertising?
Businesses are advertising across the board on the various social media platforms.
- 84% advertise on Facebook12% advertise on LinkedIn
- 12% advertise on LinkedIn
- 11% advertise on Instagram
- 9% advertise on Twitter
- 2% advertise on Snapchat
Even though we are seeing businesses pushing their efforts into having a social media presence, only 42% of small and medium businesses have a strategic plan for their social media marketing. With the lack of strategy, over 1 in 5 businesses said they would be spending more budget on social media in the coming year.
Need help with your digital marketing?
Chronicle Republic Communications is a boutique Sydney marketing consultancy for real estate, property and interiors professionals. We specialise in social media, content marketing, email marketing, blogging, search engine optimisation, social media advertising and much more!
If you are looking for social media for real estate, property or interior design our digital marketing experts can help you bring your brand’s story to life.
