Why Social Media Really Is Worth Your Time

It pays off in actual business, not just buzz, says a new survey. And the more time you use it for (and the more experienced you become), the better the results.

Forget the endless speculation about whether and how and how much money social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn can make. The key question is: Can they show you the money?

The answer appears to be yes, according to a new report. One in three business owners say that social media helps them to close business. That percentage may yet improve – 74 percent of small business owners who were early adopters, and have been using social media for years, say it’s helped them close business.

What’s more, a resounding 85 percent of those surveyed say that the platform has created buzz for their businesses. (For the record, 91 percent of all respondents use social media.)

Other benefits (in the order in which they ranked): The medium increases web traffic and opens opportunities to build new partnerships. More than half of respondants said social media generates good sales leads. And a couple of fringe benefit: Some three-quarters (73 percent) reported a significant rise in search engine rankings, which feeds exposure. Nearly half (48 percent) said social media reduced their overall marketing expenses (up from 35 percent in the 2009 survey).

WDDinc perspective: WDDinc has embraced the concept and implementation of social media; blogs, Twitter and Facebook are now part of our marketing and networking processes. With the help of our business partner, SmallBox (www.smallboxweb.com), we have also focused our SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts and find ourselves at the top of Google search results for software development firms.