To achieve business results with social media marketing, you need to understand what your intended audience likes and dislikes. By understanding their motivations in engaging with your brand, you can tailor your social media strategy to ensure you’re delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time.

A recent Sprout Social study of over 1,000 social media users uncovered some interesting stats that can help improve your social media strategy – here are some of the key findings.

73% of people follow brands on social because they’re interested in the product or service

While most people primarily use social media to connect with friends and family, data suggests that they’re also very open to connecting with brands they’re interested in.

If you can showcase the value in what your brand has to offer, you’ll most likely attract a community interested in doing business with you.

46% of people will unfollow a brand that publishes too many promotional messages

Since it’s established that people will elect to follow brands they’re interested in on social media, almost half of people will unfollow that same brand if they publish too many salesy messages.

Your content strategy needs to be a mix of informative, entertaining and educational content, with a sprinkle of promotion. It’s ok to have sales-focused content, just don’t go overboard.

32% of people are annoyed when a brand tries to be funny

A little wit and humor are great, however, brands can come off as annoying when they try too hard to be funny.

Feel free to make fun observations or be silly when it fits your brand. If your brand tries too hard to be funny, you’ll likely see a backlash in the comments.

75% of people purchased something they saw on social media

While social media can sell products, driving awareness is what social media is great at.

A clear majority of people discover new brands and make purchasing decisions based on the content they consume on social media. Keep this in mind.

61% of users need to see something 2-4x before making a purchase

Despite popular belief, very few users click through and buy based on a social media post the first time they see it.

Consistency is key when trying to drive sales with social media – keep your content alive in the feeds through a proper posting and promoting schedule.

People who follow brands on social are 58% more likely to buy

If you can get people to connect with your brand and stick around, statistically they’re more likely to buy from you.

Through a comprehensive social media strategy, you can grow a community that has an interest in your brand that will drive business results.

Article was written by  Nathan Mendenhall of Social Media Today