How Social Media Use In 2018 Will Increase Sales

June 13, 2018

Social media has become a more important part of a business’ success. Here is a stat to put social media use into perspective. According to Pew Research’s Social Media Use in 2018, 88% of 18- to 29-year-olds indicate that they use any form of social media. That share falls to 78% among those ages 30 to 49, to 64% among those ages 50 to 64 and to 37% among Americans 65 and older. When it comes to platform usage, Facebook and YouTube dominate the landscape.

Along with being the most popular social media site, Facebook users also visit the site with high levels of frequency. Fully 74% of Facebook users say they visit the site daily, with around half (51%) saying they do several times a day.

Americans ages 18 to 24 are substantially more likely to use platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter even when compared with those in their mid- to late-20s. These differences are especially notable when it comes to Snapchat: 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds are Snapchat users, but that share falls to 54% among those ages 25 to 29.

So why are we going over all this data?

Recently, a Raleigh, N.C.-based Reveal Mobile Inc., a company that measures foot traffic through smartphone app use, recently looked at social-media events at Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s and Wendy’s and matched that to location-based data.

“We looked at these campaigns that were running for Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s and McDonald’s to see if foot traffic was increasing or decreasing while they were happening,” said Matthew Davis, Reveal Mobile’s chief marketing officer, in an interview.

Reveal’s analysis found that company-initiated campaigns tended to sustain traffic longer and more effectively than the organic, sizzling-hot social-media events, Davis explained.

This is huge.

Have you ever wondered if your social media campaigns have been adding to the bottom line? Or, wondered if social media would help your business? Well, the answer is a definitive YES.

Based on the data from both reports, we can infer that by creating targeted and consistent social media campaigns, foot traffic to your restaurant will increase. And with more foot traffic comes more sales.

Our action-item to you is: pick one or two social media channels and make an effort to consistently run marketing campaigns through. It could be posting instructional videos about how to make a popular drink, post photos of happy hour specials/deals of the week or the release of a new menu item. Just do something.

Keep your followers and customers engaged. In turn, you will learn what they react to and like the most. It is a slow process, but one that brings long lasting benefits to your business.

Curious about how Custom Business Solutions can help your company? Check out their Northstar POS system and its capabilities to power and improve your restaurant!