5 Spooky Statistics About Social Media You Need to Know

What should scare you more than ghosts and goblins this Halloween? Not knowing how influential (or detrimental) social media can be to your workplace. It’s impossible to ignore this method of communication, especially considering the workforce is only getting younger. And we all know how younger people communicate; hint: it’s not by calling your company hotline. Yes, it may be scary thinking of the potential time and resources needed to regularly monitor your brand on social media, but staying in a state of terror could only make things worse. Here are five spooky statistics about the current world of social media, and how you can face your fears without 

78% of people who complain to a brand via Twitter expect a response within an hour

Quite demanding these social media users are, aren’t they? While this seems a bit extreme, this statistic is true. When customers complain about their experience with a brand or a company – they expect a nearly immediate response when reaching out. Long gone are the days of customers calling a dedicated line to express their concerns. Their experience with your company, whether positive or negative, is written online for the world to see. And how you handle their criticism is also on display for potential customers.

While responding within an hour just isn’t realistic for many small businesses, do include a few moments throughout the day to check your mentions and respond appropriately. A good schedule that covers you for the most part is checking right when you get to work, before or after lunch, and again before you leave. If you have a dedicated marketing team responsible for social have them rotate responsibility on who should respond – which will ensure all hours are covered. 

89% of social media messages to brands go ignored

It’s scary to think that the majority of customers reaching out to brands are ghosted by the very companies they’re trying to reach. It may be tempting to go silent when customers complain, but this is the exact opposite of what you should be doing. This is a golden opportunity to reroute an opinion of your organization that may be headed south, and to show potential buyers how important having happy customers is to your company. 

96% of social users who discuss a brand via social do not follow that company page 

As if things weren’t difficult enough, you can’t just monitor your company Facebook page for comments and be on your merry way. People are most likely talking about your company, not following you and possibly not mentioning you in their posts. So what is an organization supposed to do? There are a few platforms out there to help you monitor mentions of your company by using keywords or your company name. This way you can respond to their concerns as opposed to them going unanswered. We use HubSpot’s social media monitoring, however Social Mention is a basic service for searching the social sphere for your company’s name which is free, and Mention is a cost-effective option for companies with a small team of people. 

81% of users say that Twitter impacts their purchasing decisions more than TV

It’s official, social media is more important at influencing decisions of consumers than traditional advertising methods. While this doesn’t mean social media is the only thing having impact on why people select certain brands over others, it still should prove to workplace leaders that your presence on social media could have a literal impact on your facility’s bottom line. 

46% of people will unfollow a brand on social for posting too many promotional messages

While you know your workplace or coworking space is awesome, and you want to share with the world how awesome you are, not everyone feels the same way. Social media users are bombarded with ads and promotional content hundreds of times per day. Be selective with posts that are purely promotional. You want to provide value first and foremost so when they do come looking for a workplace management company or a coworking space to set up shop at you’re an organization they already trust. Your regular appearance in their feed as something positive will continue to develop their opinion of you cognitively. While you can’t make the decision for them, staying top of mind will definitely help you push your way to the front of the list. 

Don’t let these statistics about social media spook you so much you’re scared to go near it! It’s all about trial and error, and it will take a while to get the hang of interacting with followers. Remember, your workplace can use social media as a valuable tool to connect, learn about and help your current and potential workforce or customers. Both parties win when it’s used correctly – and that’s just like candy in the trick-or-treat bag.