Social Media Examiner published a very insightful report which delved into the way that social media marketing is being used by over 5,000 marketers to uncover which social media tactics are the most effective. They cover everything from social media, video, content marketing, Snapchat and more, as well as the challenges that social media marketers face.

The 56-page report is chock full of great information and worth reading the whole report, however, if you like short and sweet-here is a brief overview of their findings:

  • Video is essential! Pull out your iPhone and push the record button. 60% of marketers are already using video and more plan on increasing the use of this versatile platform.
  • Live video is HOT, HOT, HOT -using services like Facebook Live and Periscope (put learning how to do live video on your 2016 To-Do List)
  • Facebook and YouTube still hold the top social media spots and marketers continue to increase their use of these two social platforms
  • Ever heard of Snapchat? If your answer is no, it’s time to change that!-it is passing Twitter on the number of daily users and it’s growth is predicted to continue
  • Facebook is, by far, the most important social network! According to the report, 55% of marketers chose Facebook as their most important platform and plan on increasing their activity on Facebook. Wondering what came in second? LinkedIn with only 18%.
  • 86% of social marketers regularly use Facebook ads -WHOA-that is a big percentage! But it’s ease of use, ability to target your ideal customer/client and integration into the already popular platform make it a great ROI.

You can download a copy of the full report for free until June 10th. It’s totally worth the time to read through this report to understand how fellow marketers (professional and DIYers) are utilizing these great platforms to connect to clients and customers.