Be A Social Media Master: Eight Facebook Statistics that May Surprise You

Let’s face it, we’ve all done it. You log into to Facebook and notice that friend is bragging about the latest purchase she’s made and it piques your interest. In the next 24 hours, you find yourself researching that product, and in some cases, you’ll break down and buy it.

While a majority of us use Facebook to connect with friends and family, there’s a large segment of the social media giant’s population that is discovering how useful it can be to help make decisions on what they buy and when they’re buying it.

If you’ve ever had doubts about Facebook’s ability to help drive sales, take into consideration the following:

•  It’s NOT just for kids – Don’t be fooled into thinking social media is only being used by the younger generations. Roughly 28% of Facebook users are over the age of 55. This figure is growing every day – which means your audience on Facebook has the potential to grow into this market, too.
• There’s always an audience – About 3 out of 5 Facebook users are logging on more than once a day. That means that your posts and updates have the potential to be seen at any time of day. Finding the perfect frequency of posting can increase the visibility of your business page.
• It’s a great lead gen tool… REALLY! – One study has shown that social media has a 100% higher “lead-to-close” ratio than outbound marketing. That means that tools like Facebook are proven to be effective at generating worthwhile leads for businesses – more worthwhile leads than some forms of traditional marketing.
• Retail is the number one industry that acquires customers through social media – Facebook is the perfect outlet for retail businesses – especially online shopping opportunities. Are you taking advantage of this yet?
• Word of mouth marketing = sales! – Over 20% of Facebook users have made a purchase based on a  comments they’ve seen on Facebook. That means that opinions and testimonials matter. People share great experiences with products, which increases the likelihood that their network will buy those products, too.
• Don’t forget the weekends – Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days on Facebook for shares, comments, and other forms of engagement – so don’t ignore your Facebook page on the weekends! You could be missing out on huge possibilities.
• It Pays to Make Friends – 80% of friend requests are accepted. Don’t ignore that old high school contact just because they might not remember you. Say hi! This high percentage of acceptance means many people are looking to increase their network, which helps you increase your audience.
• Share Share Share! – Facebook users upload more than 255 MILLION photos to Facebook each day, and photos generate a huge amount of engagement with users. Don’t be left behind. Make sure you’re sharing details of your successes via photographs!

These are just a few key points to keep in mind when you’re using social media to build and share your business. Knowing your audience can help you increase the value of every post you share. Facebook can be an incredible business-building tool, if you use it correctly.

Have you used Facebook to match people to products yet? Which of these facts did you find most surprising? We want to know!

*Statistics provided by HubSpot Blog, Social Media Citizens, Media Crush, CIO.com