Originally posted on https://blog.yourdigitalagency.com.au/how-much-time-is-spent-on-social-media/

Do you often find yourself browsing your fave social media sites when you know you could be doing other things? You’re not alone.

According to recent studies, the average person spends 18% of their time online browsing social media sites. The most popular social media sites are the obvious platforms – Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

What this means for your business is that you can leverage the time spent on social media sites to increase engagement with your target audience. Post an interesting and informative link related to your niche even if this is something that is independent of your website.

Create an amazing blog entry for your website that makes it easy for people to share on their walls will help spread the word about your business and what it does. Whenever somebody shares your posts, you’re receiving free brand advertising!

Sharing things on Facebook and Twitter is the obvious way to tell people about information important to your niche, or your industry. YouTube videos doing the same will fare ever better. Videos are incredibly effective for creating that engaging content that can mean the difference between a high bounce rate and getting visitors who stick around for a while because they like what they see. YouTube is considered “social media” because it’s very easy to create brand-new videos and share or embed them on Facebook, Twitter and your own blog. By utilising video in your social media campaigns, potential customers see who you are and they can really see how your products and services work and get a feel for your business as a whole.

The fact is, your buying audience spends an enormous amount of time online, and a good percentage of that time is spent researching products and services, looking at reviews, and essentially seeking referrals from those they know and trust. Increasing your businesses social media presence will find your at the center of where your online audience “hangs out”, and is a natural fit for just about any businesses marketing plan.

By keeping your posts, images and videos relevant, entertaining, and informative, you’ll gain the greatest reach with your content. Utilizing social media platforms to the betterment of your bottom line is not difficult, but it does take consistency and a bit of knowledge regarding the different available platforms.

Hiring a social media manager can help shorten the learning curve for a business that feels overwhelmed with this task.