Facebook Buys WhatsApp for $19 Billion Dollars

Facebook just bought WhatsApp for $19 Billion Dollars.

The WhatsApp deal involves some $4 billion in cash, and another $12 billion worth of Facebook stock up front – that equals $16 billion, in case you don’t have a calculator in front of you. WhatsApp’s founders and employees will also receive another $3 billion in Facebook shares over the next four years, bringing the total cost of the acquisition to $19 billion. The deal has been confirmed in documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Clouts, 2014).

Here are some interesting statistics about WhatsApp.

Couts, A. (February 19, 2014). Facebook buys WhatsApp for $19 billion – yes, billion. Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/facebook-buy-whatsapp-16-billion/#ixzz2tqyf3uT9 

Singh, A.R. (February 20, 2014). Facebook buys WhatsApp for &19 billion, but why? Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/avtar-ram-singh/2193266/facebook-buys-whatsapp-19bn-why

Free Twitter Monitoring & Search Tools

TweetReach

A Twitter analytics tool that provides monitoring reports about hashtags, topics, brand names, Twitter accounts or URLs. The reports provide in-depth social metrics on reach, exposure, tweets and contributors. TweetReach is a simple way to monitor a hashtag, brand, or keyword on Twitter.

TwazzUp

A real-time Twitter analytics tool that also covers Google news. It will highlight the influencers in your topic area, their tweets, other tweets on the topic and also the most retweeted links. 

Topsy

A Twitter search and analytics tool that allows you to search Twitter for topics, influencers and much more.

Steve Rayson an author on Social Media Today reviewed each of these and here is what he recommends:

Researching a hashtag – If I am at an event and I want to gauge the Twitter activity I use TweetReach to see the activity, the reach and who the key contributors are.

Searching for Tweets on a specific subject – I use Topsy as my search engine. I filter by time period and frequently by content, for example if I want to see shared videos on a topic. I also see who the influencers are in the time period I am interested in.

Overview of current activity in a topic area – I like to use TwazzUp to see the current tweets, influencers, tweets by influencers and recently shared links. The dashboard layout works very well to provide an overview of current activity. 

10 Reasons Why You Need to Improve Your Social Media Customer Service

  • 57% of customers think that a brand’s customer service response time should be the same on the weekdays and weekends.
  • 32% of customers said that they expect a response from a brand within 30 minutes.
  • 53% of people who engage with a brand on Twitter expect a response in 1 hour or less.
  • 72% of customers said that they expect a response from a brand within an hour if they have a question or complaint.
  • 38% of people reported having negative sentiments towards a brand who didn’t give them a timely response to their customer service issue on social media.
  • 40% of customers who weren’t able to get their issue resolved ended up calling the company.
  • 36% of customers said that they were able to get their issue resolved quickly.
  • 62% of brands are replying to questions and comments on social media in 2013 opposed to 30% in 2012.
  • 24 hours was the average Facebook response time of the Top 100 U.S. Retailers.
  • 11 hours and 15 minutes was the average Twitter response time of the Top 100 U.S. Retailers.

Top 5 Way to Generate Leads Using Social Media

1. Connect with Your Target Audience

There are millions of people who are active on the social media websites on a regular basis. Hence, using social media can help you to remain connected with them and market your products and services in the best possible way.

2. Status Updates Should Be Posted Strategically

Ensure that you post the updates during the time of the day that can help you get the maximum impressions. Only then you will be able to point out which period is providing you with the maximum benefit. 

3. Posting Graphical Representations: The Best Way to Connect

Post infographics as well as visual ads to connect with the audience. Set up Google Analytics to ensure that you can convert the leads driven by social media into profitable business.

4. Adding High-Quality Content with a User-friendly Form to Collect Leads

This form will help you collect leads, so that you can approach them at a later stage. However, the content that you provide needs to be of the best quality. It will…also help your website rank high on search engine results.

5. Adding Attractive and Hyperlinked Banners to Social Media Pages

You should hyperlink the banners to your company’s website. It will help to increase traffic to your website and, in turn, will ensure increased lead generation.

Authored by:
William Johnson