More than half the population is on Facebook!
Every business should have a website, regardless of industry, product or service. Whether it’s a full blown e-commerce website (online shop), booking system, online product / service brochure or just to display contact information, a website is still the most effective online tool to attract new and engage with existing customers.
Social Media has certainly changed the landscape of the web but despite recent statistics* showing continued growth, I don’t believe it will replace websites any time soon. I do believe however, that every business should utilise both to maximise the benefits of each.
Recent Facebook figures reveal that 53.82% of New Zealand’s population is on Facebook, compared with around 55% of Australia and a similar percentage for the USA (53.97%).
Whilst NZ & AU’s population is obviously a lot smaller than the US, and therefore the market much smaller, it shows that we’re as keen and eager to participate in the online space as the leaders. Admittedly, when you cast an eye over the most popular NZ pages on Facebook, the top 100 are the usual suspects; big brands, TV shows and celebrities. But this doesn’t change the fact that existing and potentially new customers are using it daily to search out and “like” their favourite pages – businesses, brands & service providers as well as all of the non-commercial stuff. That represents a big opportunity for increased exposure to a whole new community for your brand, company or product.
Of 2,288,460 users from NZ, the largest age group of users is currently in the 18-24 and the 25-34 age range, each with around 537,000 users or 23% each, followed by users in the age range of 35 – 44 (17%), 45 – 54 (13%) and users aged 55+ making up the rest (24%). Of these users 55% are female and 45% are male. In terms of usage, some figures are mind-blowing: As at Oct 2012 ther are 1 billion global users and it is claimed these users uploaded a record 1.1 billion photos during the 48 hours over New Year’s Day and Eve!**
In the last 6 months, Facebook added around 18,000 new sign ups each month from New Zealand and around 145,000 each month from Australia (adding to the AU total of almost 12million). It’s not surprising that Auckland and Sydney represent the two largest connected cities in the Southern Hemisphere, with 68% and 61% of the respective totals.
Come to the party – eat cake
What does this mean for your business? Quite simply opportunity to grow your “fanbase” and engage with your clients in a truly transparent way. Facebook certainly requires more than a “set and forget” mentality – it demands careful strategy and daily involvement in order to attract and retain users, generate interest, referrals for your products or services or event.
If you’re not at the party, you’ll miss out on the cake! The good news is, there are many ways to – not just join the party – but make a grand entrance too – have your cake and eat it! Purple Dog can help you to maximise and take advantage of all that Facebook – and social media in general – has to offer. Get in touch with us for an obligation free chat.
*Source: www.socialbakers.com
**Source: www.techcrunch.com
