Ever since social media started taking off, companies have been pushing social media marketing. But with all this hype, there are a lot of corporations claiming that it is not as effective as previously believed, and does not noticeably increase sales. Which leads to the question: is social media marketing really effective? Or is it just a shot in the dark?

Recently, an online publication called the Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce wrote up an article on the subject. In the article, they gave an informational list of the actual impact of social media marketing:

• Improved sales: It takes time to develop relationships that lead to sales. However, a large percentage of marketers who take the time find great results. For example, more than half of marketers who’ve been using social media for at least three years report that it has helped them improve sales. More than half who spend 6 or more hours per week find the same results and 74% of those who spend 40+ hours earn new business through their efforts. Conversely, 50% of all marketers taking this survey report social media have not helped them improve sales. This may be because they lack the needed tools to track sales.

• Increased exposure: With as little as 6 hours per week, Dean stressed that the vast majority of marketers indicated their social media efforts increased exposure for their businesses. Nearly all marketers who have been employing social media marketing for one year or longer report it generates exposure for their businesses.

• Grew business partnerships: The more time marketers invest in social media networking, the more business partnerships they gain. More than half of marketers who’ve invested at least 1 year in social media marketing report that new partnerships were gained. More than half of those investing as little as 6 hours per week in social media were able to build new partnerships. Marketers selling to other businesses were more likely to achieve this benefit than those selling to consumers.

• Generated leads: By spending as little as 6 hours per week, 66%+ of marketers see lead generation benefits with social media. More than half of marketers with at least one year of social media experience were generating leads with social platforms.

• Reduced marketing expenses: Nearly half of those who spend at least 6 hours per week on social media efforts saw a benefit of reduced marketing expenses. At least 57% of businesses with 10 or fewer employees agreed social media reduced marketing expenses, while only 40% of businesses with 1000 or more employees agreed.

• Improved search rankings: Improved search engine rankings were most prevalent among those who’ve been using social media for one year or longer, with 58%+ reporting a rise. At least 60% of those investing a minimum of 6 hours per week in social media marketing saw improvements in search engine rankings

• Increased traffic: A significant number of participants found that increased traffic occurred with as little as 6 hours per week invested in social media marketing. And those who’ve used social media for one year or more reported substantially better results reported benefits) compared with those with less experience.

• Provided marketplace insight: Kietzmann stressed that of those with at least one year of experience, 69% or more found social platforms provided marketplace insight; at least 74% of those spending at least six hours per week were more likely to gain marketplace insight.

• Developed loyal fans: B2C marketers were much more likely to develop a loyal fan base through social media than B2B marketers. Of those who have been using social media for at least 1 year, 69% found it useful for building a loyal fan base. Time invested makes a difference. Of those spending at least 6 hours a week, 78% found benefit compared to 56% of those spending 5 hours or fewer per week.

After looking at the facts, it’s obvious that social media is an asset to any company. Notably, the companies who did not find it to be effective had only been using it for a short amount of time. Gathering from the statistics above, social media takes a considerable amount of time to grow before its true effects are discernible. Even though the results may not be instantaneous, a few years time will reveal the benefits of strategic, persistent social media marketing. For companies that do not invest in social media, they are only hurting themselves.