Social media best practices that help increase sales

Today, seven out of 10 Americans use social media to share information, find entertainment, and engage with businesses (Pew Research Center, 2017). Social media have become an important information source for Millennials; yet, Baby Boomers and Generation Xers are significantly increasing their use of Facebook and other social media platforms. Among social media platforms, Facebook remains the most popular with almost 80 percent of online adults, followed by Instagram (32 percent), Pinterest (31 percent), LinkedIn (29 percent), and Twitter (24 percent).

Social media influences how Americans purchase products and services, so it is proving to be a powerful — and inexpensive — marketing tool. Businesses can use social media to increase their online exposure, attract new customers, highlight new products or services, hear what customers and potential customers say, and (most importantly) build relationships.

Given the popularity and convenience of social media, we would expect that green industry business are actively engaging customers through Facebook and other platforms. However, the 2016 Small Business Marketing Trends Report found that many U.S. businesses are not using social media for their marketing activities. Reasons may include that business owners perceive that social media is time consuming and confusing, or they simply do not understand how to use it.

This publication highlights the profile of green industry businesses using social media and provides social media best practices to manage your social network platforms more effectively.