Social media has undergone quite a bit of change in the last year, and the recently published ‘State of Social Media: The Social Media Report 2012’ from NM Incite and Nielsen reveals some interesting statistics that should not be ignored.
In the last year, social media has evolved and proliferated considerably. In nearly all aspects of both business and every day life, social media has become fully integrated. The 2012 Social Media Report from statistical bureaus NM Incite and Nielsen highlights how these changes have manifested.
Below are a the four most notable changes from a business perspective, and some explanations as to how these changes should affect decision-making when it comes to social media strategies for your business.
1. The Impact of Social Media on Marketing
It is no secret at this point that social media plays a major role when it comes to marketing. The report makes that clear early on with three key statements. First, it highlights the importance of word-of-mouth when it comes to consumers’ decision: “Social media enables consumers to generate and tap into the opinions of an exponentially larger universe.” (2) Essentially, this relates to the term coined by social media expert Erik Qualman, ‘world-of-mouth’. People no longer need to use friends and acquaintances as resources when it comes to purchasing a product. Review sites, blogs and microblogs (i.e. Twitter) allow prospective buyers to seek out first-hand reviews of a product from anywhere in the world before making their decision. Consumer are now more informed than ever, and brands’ hihglights and flaws are no longer relegated to individual client experiences.
This relates closely to a second point made with regards to social media’s effect on marketing: “Social media is transforming the way that consumers across the globe make purchase decision.” (2) The report deems this phenomenon, ‘Hyper-Informed Consumers’. As noted above, there is no shortage of information on new and existing products as a result of social media. Therefore, consumers are able to research every aspect of a product before making a final decision.
Lastly, the report notes an aspect that we continually stress as one of the cornerstones of proper social media marketing: Engagement. In fact, the report focuses in particular on an issue we constantly stress: “Though roughly one-third of social media users find ads on social networking sites more annoying than other types of Internet advertisements, research suggest that there are opportunities for marketers to engage with consumers via social media.” (2) The statistics clearly show that aggressive, self-promotional marketing via social media can hinder a consumer’s decision to buy, but the opportunity to engage directly with consumers is made available in a way that had previously never existed.
2. Mobile is on the Rise
Apps and mobile media were in the spotlight when it came to social media in the last year. The image below shows just how many more people are accessing brands via their mobile devices.
It would be hard to suggest that these numbers are not significant. In a single year, the number of people accessing the mobile web and mobile apps increased over 80%. This upward trend suggests that we can see continued growth when it comes to mobile being a driving force behind social marketing. And this is something marketers should keep in mind when devising strategies for clients. Mobile is not to be ignored! It should also be noted that when it comes to spending time online, people tend to spend it on social networking sites. With regards to mobile, 30% of time spent on mobile web is spent on social media.
Furthermore, in the last year, the amount of time consumers spent on social apps increased by 76% – time spent on apps now accounts for more than a third of social networking time. Effectively, if you or your client are not engaging with the mobile audience, then there is an entirely untapped market of millions engaging with competitors who are.
3. The Unprecedented Growth of Pinterest
Pinterest is quickly becoming one of the most popular social networking sites, and its business uses are growing every day. With the introduction of business pages a few months ago, and the subtle yet powerful business capabilities Pinterest has to offer, we can expect to see its use in business increase even further. Below are a few key statistics about the demographics using the photo sharing social media network, and a graph showing the shocking growth of Pinterest’s popularity in the last year.
In the coming year, Pinterest will certainly continue to evolve and grow, and this unprecedented level of growth in its incipience suggests that it will become even more of a powerful business tool in the coming year.
4. Social Care: Customer Service Through Social Media
According to the report, one third of social media users say they prefer social care over conventional telephone-based customer service. What is social care exactly? Social care is is customer service via social media. Effectively, it is using social media – a very public sphere – to deal with customer complaints, questions, comments and any other client interaction. While some companies use social care in a manner that is simply directing clients to call a customer service line, those using it correctly are engaging with clients on social media in real time as an issue arises.
This does two things. First, it creates a public sphere in which leads can see how you deal with your clients. And second, it provides a degree of control over what is said about your brand and how it is perceived. If you simply bury your head in the sand when an issue arises, it remains on social media networks for anyone to see, and not engaging as a crisis takes place can be devastating. Considering the fact that the findings show that 47% of social media users engage in Social Care, not taking advantage of the potential it has to offer can be quite detrimental to the public perception of your brand.
You can access the full report here. There is plenty of useful information available to marketers in the report, and we thought the points above were some of the highlights. We would love to know what you think other key takeaways might be, so please share with us in the comments below or on Twitter!