It is now common to contact businesses digitally via social media, email, or contact forms. Social media has made it easier for people to visit a business’s site. A survey of 537 social-media users revealed that more than 80% click through to a website via social media. It is therefore important for businesses to have a consistent strategy on their websites and social media.

Websites and social media are the two most important digital marketing channels that businesses have access to – 81% use social media while 78% have a site.

Businesses recognize the importance of both websites and social media in reaching and appealing to customers. However, the two channels should be integrated. Customers should be able to reach businesses through their social media accounts.

Our findings

• People are more likely to contact a company via email (31%), social networks (21%), or a contact form on the company’s website (19%) when they have a general question. Chatbots are used by nine percent (9%) of people, although that number is rising.

• The way people contact companies varies by generation. Millennials prefer social media (26%) while baby boomers prefer to use the contact form on the company’s website (30%).

• 81% of people click through to a company’s website via social media. 21% click through at least once a day.

• Millennials (90%), are more likely than Generation Xers (80%), and baby boomers (61%) to click through to a company’s website via social media.

• Most people will visit a company’s site via social media if they see images or offers (27%) or promotions (25%)

• Images play a greater role in millennials clicking through to a website via social media (33%), than Generation Xers (21%), and baby boomers (12%).

• Promos and offers are especially important in driving baby boomers (38%), to visit a business website via social media – more than millennials (22%), or Generation Xers (29%).

People are most likely to contact businesses online.

There are many ways to reach a business, but the most common is online.

• Email (31%).
• Social media (21%).
• The contact form on the company’s website (19%)

It is easier to contact a company online than to call them, as only 16% of people prefer this method.

“People are more accustomed to digital channels,” stated Jeremy Durant (business principal, B2B agency Bop Design). People don’t use the telephone anymore. It is now considered disrespectful to make a call to someone by saying, “Hey, I want you to talk to me right now.” “Interrupt what you are doing.

People prefer to contact companies via email, social media, and on the company’s website than by calling.

Although only 9% of people will use chatbots to contact companies, their popularity may rise, unlike phone calls.

Mikel Bruce, founder, and CEO of TinyFrog Technologies in San Diego, said that live chat is a great way to enhance a business website. Live chat is a quick and simple way for customers to ask questions about products or services. It’s much easier than calling.

Experts predict that consumers will use chatbots to contact businesses more often and that calling will continue to fall in popularity.

LegalAdvice.com is an example of a website that answers legal questions and concerns. It only communicates online with customers.

LegalAdvice.com makes it easy to contact them via chatbot or a contact form.

David Reischer, CEO of LegalAdvice.com, stated that although there is a phone number listed on the website, it only says to submit your question online. “All communications with customers are 100% done over the internet.”

Customers will increasingly prefer to communicate with businesses digitally through email, social media, and contact forms. And more businesses like LegalAdvice.com will reduce the amount of time spent talking to customers over the phone.

Businesses need to make it easy to reach customers online.

Social Media Makes Millennials More Likely To Contact Businesses

Every generation has its preferred method of reaching out to businesses for general inquiries.

Email is a common way to contact companies across all generations. However, millennials (ages 18-34) prefer to contact businesses via social media while baby boomers (ages 55 and older) prefer to use the contact form on the company’s website.

26 percent of millennials use social media to contact businesses, compared with 20% of Generation Xers (ages 35-54) and 11% of baby boomers.

Because they are more familiar, younger generations will likely use social media to contact businesses.

Paul Regensburg, president of RainCastle Communications and creative director, said that millennials have become accustomed to social media. The company is a Boston-based branding agency and website design firm. It’s a more comfortable place for them. They use social media to get information.”

Social media is more popular with millennials than it was for older generations. This makes sense because they are more likely to contact companies via social media.

Baby Boomers prefer to contact businesses via contact forms

When contacting a business, baby boomers prefer to visit their website.

Three percent (30%) are more likely to use a contact page on a company website than 20% of Generation Xers or 15% of millennials.

Because they are less likely to share information with millennials, older generations prefer contact forms.

Regensburg stated that “younger generations are more skeptical than older generations and less trusting of what’s going on with their data.” They aren’t as willing to share their names and information. Baby boomers tend to come from a more traditional marketing and advertising industry where sharing their data was a way to get what they want. Data security is a growing concern.

The baby boomers are less likely to share their data. This is a result of traditional marketing and advertising where they used to share information such as their address for direct mailing or catalogs.

Businesses will need to reach millennials on social media and other digital channels to appeal to all generations, as they earn more purchasing power.

Mattress Cleaning Melbourne has customers from all walks of life, so it appeals to everyone.

Steve Steward, the owner, stated that his website was designed for older people. He said that it is easy for them to click through to a number in large text. It’s also high-tech enough to allow any teenager to book me online and not even have to say hello.

Mattress Cleaning Melbourne’s website allows people of all ages to contact the company and book an appointment. They can be reached via email, contact form, phone number, or chatbot. You can also contact the company via Facebook’s chatbot.

Mattress Cleaning Melbourne should be an example to other businesses and make it easy for customers to reach the business using the preferred method.

Social Media is the most popular way for people to click through businesses’ websites

Businesses should integrate their websites and social media accounts. Most consumers will click through to a company’s website via social media.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of people visit business websites via social media.

One-tenth (11%) of people click through to a website for a business multiple times per day, and 21% at most once per day.

Businesses can use social media to increase brand awareness and traffic to their websites.

Mike Sayenko, the owner of Sayenko Design in Seattle, stated that “one of the primary goals of most websites is to create brand awareness.” It keeps you in front of your customers’ minds.

Social media allows consumers to share content and encourages them to visit the company’s website.

Durant stated that social media can be used to take blog and news content you create for your website and make it more accessible to a wider audience. Social media puts your thought leadership content in front of the right audience and drives them to the website.

Social media is an extension of a company’s website. Businesses should use it for content promotion, which encourages their followers to visit their website.

On-location Tours is an example of a company that offers tours to places where movies and TV shows were shot. It uses social media to get its customers to visit its website.

On-location tours can also be discovered via social media.

Jake Sussman, Miami Digital Marketing Coordinator, stated that tickets are the final requirement to run our small business. Therefore, all links must link back to our website. It doesn’t matter if you search for “what’s filming New York” on Google or follow the hashtag #SexandtheCity on Instagram, potential customers must see that we offer interactive tours on the subjects they stumble upon.

On Location, Tours uses Social Media to reach new customers. Customers can visit the website for more information.

Customers should be able to easily click through to businesses’ websites via social media.

Social Media Makes it More Common for Millennials to Click through to a Business Website.

More millennials visit websites by clicking links on social media than the older generations.

Nearly 90% of millennials (90%) click through a website to a business via social media, compared with 80% of Generation Xers or 61% of boomers.

Millennials click through to a company’s website more often than older generations – 61% do so at minimum once per week, which is significantly higher than Generation Xers (39%), and baby boomers (22%).

Because millennials are more likely to use social media, they tend to click through to a company website via social media than the older generation.

Durant stated that millennials are more comfortable being targeted via social media. Durant said that millennials are more comfortable being targeted by businesses. However, there are still many older people who are uncomfortable with targeted ads and are less likely to click on them.

Millennials are less hesitant when they click on a website via an advertisement or any other content from a business on social media.

Promos and images persuade people to click through to a business’s website on social media

People will click through to a website of a company from social media using different types of content, but images and offers are the most popular.

Most people will visit a website via social media if they see images or offers (27%) or promotions (25%)

A promotion or offer can make people feel happier. A $10 coupon resulted in an increase of oxytocin levels by 38% and 11% higher happiness among those who received it.

Durant stated that people like deals and are more likely to buy if there are a deadline and cost savings. It’s a way for people to quickly make purchasing decisions because they feel urgency when there’s an offer that’s only a few days old.

People are attracted to promotions and offer that save money. They also encourage them to shop on the company’s site.

Because images are visually appealing, they can influence people to click on a company’s site via social media.

Bruce stated that images persuade more consumers because they are visually appealing. “It is hard to get an emotional reaction to content with only text. Strong imagery is needed to grab their attention as consumers are used to scanning and scrolling content.

People are drawn to images as they scroll through social networks, which encourages them to visit the company’s site.

To encourage people to visit your website, businesses should share a variety of social media.

Images encourage younger generations to visit a business’s website

Different content encourages different age groups on social media to visit a company website.

Images have a greater impact on millennials (33%), than Generation Xers (21%), and baby boomers (12%)

Millennials are more inclined to look for information visually.

Regensburg stated that younger audiences are more focused on their image. They don’t read as much and need information quickly. Images convey the information they require quickly and simply.

Images make it easy for millennials to understand what a company has to offer in a concise, easy-to-understand manner that encourages them to click on a website to find out more.

Images are a way to connect with millennials and make them feel more connected to brands.

Sweet Reads Box is an example of a subscription that offers a novel, tea and treat each month. It relies heavily upon imagery from its social media channels to reach users.

Images on social media can draw potential customers to your company’s posts.

Kerrie Hansler, the founder of Sweet Reads Box, stated that clear photography and images can help showcase products and grab viewers’ attention while they scroll through social media. Images draw people in and, when combined with engaging text, make it easier for people to interact with posts.”

Sweet Reads Box makes use of imagery on social media to attract people and encourage them to visit its website.

If they don’t see the content of a business’s website, people won’t visit it via social media. Images are important to grab people’s attention via social media, especially for millennials.

Older generations are more likely to visit a business’s website because of offers and promotions

Baby boomers are more inclined to click through to a company’s website via social media if they see a deal.

Baby boomers (38%) are more affected by promotions than Generation Xers (29%), and millennials (22%).

Because millennials value transparency and open pricing, promotions are less likely to get them to click on a website.

Durant stated that younger generations tend to be skeptical about promotions and time-sensitive deals. They want simple, straightforward ways to do business that don’t make them feel manipulated or swindled. These promotions make them think the price was artificially inflated and that it has been brought down to control behavior.

The older generations grew up in traditional advertising when the main selling point was deals and sales.

Regensburg stated that responding to promotions and offers is part of how advertising and marketing have worked historically. “Promotions used to be big in advertising. That’s why they’re still used to it.”

Older generations are reminded of traditional advertising through promotions and offers.

Coral Community Federal Credit Union, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has found that promotions and offers often encourage its followers to click through from social media.

Coral Community Federal Credit Union’s members love discounts.

Christina Disbrow, social media manager at the credit union, stated that promotions are some of our most popular posts and get clicks to their website. Promotions work because they offer something that people are interested in.

After clicking through to the website, Disbrow ensures that people can find the promotion easily with Disbrow.

She stated that she didn’t want the promotion to lose momentum or interest. Therefore, it was important to make the information search easy.

Coral Community Federal Credit Union makes finding discounts on social media easy – something that is very important to its customers who use the discounts for a clickthrough to its website.

Businesses should listen to customers when posting on social media

When deciding how to promote their website on social media, businesses must pay close attention to customers.

Durant stated that if you target millennials with promotional offers, it may not resonate as well as a more direct sales approach.

To create a successful social media strategy and website, businesses must be aware of the demographics of their customers.

Social media helps businesses create a successful website

To make it simple for customers to reach them via email, social media, or contact forms, businesses must have a strong digital strategy.

Businesses need to create content that encourages customers to visit their sites via social media. These usually take the form of images and offers, but businesses must listen to their customers to create the most compelling content.

Social media is a common tool that people use in their daily lives. This also holds for interacting with businesses.

To reach as many customers as possible, businesses should have a consistent website and social media strategy.