Six Social Media Marketing Facts You Need to Know Social media for business can be tricky to get right. How do people use different channels? What's the next big platform? And how do I make sure my content is relevant? User behaviours are constantly changing, so it means that companies have to adapt quickly.

By Carla Saliba Mar 16, 2017

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Social media for business can be tricky to get right. How do people use different channels? What's the next big platform? And how do I make sure my content is relevant? User behaviours are constantly changing, so it means that companies have to adapt quickly.

What's important to remember though, is that success lies in truly understanding your audience. Focus on getting to know them well, and stay up-to-date with changes and trends that are relevant to your business. Here are six social media facts and thoughts we find it useful to remember before we post, tweet or snap.

1. Social customer service drives revenue.

Replying to customer service requests on social is a great move for businesses. Consumers value a brand coming back to them on social, and will spend more as a result.

2. No image? No point.

While Instagram is a visual-first platform, everything from tweets to Facebook posts get a higher engagement rate if they include an image. See our guide to getting your social media truly visual here.

3. People don't read.

Social media users aren't engaging in long-form content as much as you think, so consider this when developing your content strategy.

4. But they are consuming more video than ever.

And it's not just on YouTube- consumers are watching over 100 million hours of video a day on Facebook alone. Check out our post on how to create awesome social videos.

**5. Young people are on all the platforms.**

What this means is: don't ignore the older social media channels.

6. The over-50s are getting onboard.

The demographic group age bracket 55-64 is the fastest growing demographic on social media, meaning there is huge opportunities for business wanting to attract older customers on social.

All images courtesy Infographic.ly.

Carla Saliba

Founder and CEO, infographic.ly

Carla Saliba is the founder of Infographic.ly, a data-design and visualization agency based in Dubai, supporting companies communicate data to its stakeholders clearly and effectively.

Since launching Infographic.ly in 2013, Carla’s unique ability to make sense of complex information has piqued the interest of global brands. Her list of clients includes MasterCard, TED, Reebok, and Mercedes-Benz, among others. Carla’s work has also been featured in international publications, such as Wired Magazine, and Entrepreneur, in which she regularly contributes on the subjects of business, design, start-up culture and leadership. Although a trained architect for over nine years, and a 17 year career in design-related disciplines, it was upon completing her Master in Business Design at Domus Academy in Milan that she discovered her passion for infographics and entrepreneurial ambition to launch her own agency.

Carla’s expertise has afforded her invitations to speak at international conferences, as well as train government and educational institutions across the GCC to build design capabilities in-house. Her work with translating information through design has gained the attention of Apple for which she delivered an inspiring and educating sessions for business professionals to delve into creativity as part of the ‘Today at Apple’ series. Carla also devotes her time to local initiatives she is passionate about. She sits on the board of Omneyat, and is a Responsible Leader Alumni for the BMW Foundation.