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Results of a Social Media Networking Survey

Today, social media marketing is top of mind. So companies ask me, “Should we incorporate social media networks into our marketing communications mix?” The answer depends on what a company wants to achieve (goals/objectives), and whether their target audiences use social networks. As a marketing communications consultant, I am always on the lookout for new data to offer informed recommendations. Here are the results of a recent survey I read.

CustomerThink published Social Media’s Role in Decision Making by Business Professionals (January 2010), which contains results of a survey completed by The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR).

The Sample

To ensure you draw correct conclusions for application to your target audience, here is the profile of the 356 survey respondents.

More than half of the respondents (58%) live in the United States
58% US; 15% UK; 14% Germany; 11% Canada; the remaining percentage is scattered across twenty-one countries

Half work for companies with <100 employees
49% <100 employees; 13% 10,000-49,999; 11% 50,000+; 8% 100-249; 8%1,000-4,999; 5% 250-499; 4% 5,000-9,999; 3% 500-999 (equals 101%)

Close split in roles: CxO/VP (41%); Director (24%); and Manager (24%)
23% CEO; 24% Director; 24% Manager; 9% VP; 9% Other CxO; the remaining 11% are labelled Individual Contributors

Close split in Decision Makers (47%) to Influencers (42%)
47% Final Decision Maker; 42% Participate in Identifying, Evaluating, and Selecting; 11% Do Research in Support of the Decision

Close gender split
54% male; 46% female

Majority (66%) are between 36 and 55 years old
37% 36-45 years of age; 29% 46-55; 18% 26-35; 12% 56-65; 3% 66+; 2% 20-25%

One-third described their organizations’ primary type of business as “Business Services”
33% Business Services; 14% Computer Products; 9% Non-profit; 8% Manufacturing/Production; 6% Education; and the following were all <5% Financial Services, Telecommunications, Government, Retail.

The Results

• 50% of respondents participate in 3 to 5 social networks
• 92% use LinkedIn; 51% Facebook; 41% Twitter
• 94% access social networks from a PC/MAC; 44% Mobile Device
• 40% visit social networks many times/day; 36% once/day
• Why are respondents accessing social networks?
  • Keep track of peers and colleagues (52% agree)
  • Access to thought leadership/information (44%)
  • Showcase self or company (43%)
  • Access to learning/professional development (41%)
  • Find out what others think of products, vendors, approaches (36%)
• What are the online steps respondents take to inform their decision making?
  • Search engines (75%) INTERNET
  • Visit company website (73%) INTERNET
  • Seek peer referral (42%) TRUSTED PERSONAL ADVISORS/OFFLINE & ONLINE
  • Read blogs (41%) | Read the company blog (21%) SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Gather opinions via social network (40%) | Query the Twitter channel (26%) SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Look up company on a social network (39%) SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Email in-person network (32%) SOCIAL MEDIA-RELATED
  • Participate in information session (31%) INTERNET
  • Outreach to company (19%)
  • Email company/subscribe to newsletter (19%)
  • Perform multimedia searches (14%)
• Three-quarters use social networks to support business decisions (48% lightly; 25% heavily; 23% a little; 4% not at all)
• Information from offline networks still has the highest levels of trust with a slight advantage over online (Offline 92% strongly/somewhat trust; Online 83% strongly/somewhat trust)

The Bottom Line

Keeping “the Sample” in mind, here are takeaways from this survey’s results.

LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are the big three social networks. It did not surprise me that 92% use LinkedIn as a professional social network. Nor did it surprise me that 41% use Twitter as a professional social network. It did surprise me that 51% of this audience use Facebook as a professional network. I will continue to hold the opinion that Facebook is more of a personal network than professional network—I'll need more data to change my perception.

Respondents see value in social networks. They appreciate the ability to reach out and connect with others to gain fresh insight, ideas, and actionable information.

Respondents gather decision-making data from social networks; however, offline networks remain the more “trusted” data.

One more thought: Make sure you take screen size and usability into consideration when launching a new website or blog (44% access social networks via a mobile device; e.g. Smartphone, Tablet).

Download Social Media’s Role in Decision Making by Business Professionals by The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR). Source: CustomerThink.

I invite you to add your thoughts via the comments field.

Crosby out.

Tags: social media networks, social media marketing, social networking, marketing communications mix, marketing communications consultant
 

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