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1. 7 Social Media Trends for Consumers New Research | Social Media Ex... http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-social-media-trends-for-consume...
socialmediaexaminer.com http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-social-media-trends-for-consumers-new-research/
By Patricia Redsicker
Published January 16, 2013
Are you wondering what the changing social trends are for consumers?
If so, look no further.
In Nielsen and McKinsey’s Social Media Report, consumers were surveyed to discover how
they use social networks.
Here are seven key findings from that report.
#1: More Time Invested in Mobile
The survey found that consumers are increasingly looking to their smartphones and
tablets to access social media.
While the PC is still the most widely used device when it comes to social media consumption, the study found that
time spent on mobile apps and mobile websites accounted for a 63% increase (compared to 2011) in total time
spent.
Additionally, 43% of users said they use smartphones to access social media, while 16% connect using a tablet.
Key Takeaway: When it comes to
consuming social content, it’s all
about mobile. For marketers, that
means that mobile has to be your top
content priority this year.
If you haven’t done so already, here
are some ideas to get you started:
#2: Pinterest Usage Continues
to Rise
Pinterest continues to experience
exponential growth since its launch in
2011. The platform had the highest
increase in audience and time spent
of any social network across all
devices such as PC, mobile web and
apps.
In addition, a May 2012 Harvard
Business Review article titled,
“Moving customers from pinning to
purchase,” states that:
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2. 7 Social Media Trends for Consumers New Research | Social Media Ex... http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-social-media-trends-for-consume...
“Pinterest users reported a
surprisingly high correlation
between pinning and
subsequent purchasing: more
than 1 in 5 Pinterest users
has pinned an item that they
later purchased. In the social
world, this is a high Mobile and particularly apps are where people are spending their social networking time.
conversion rate.”
Key Takeaway: As a marketer,
remember that product
photography is more important than
ever when trying to persuade
Pinterest shoppers to pin and buy
your hottest-looking items.
Capitalize on their shopping
experience and make your profile as
creative and visually engaging as
possible.
Also, don’t forget to engage with
people who have pinned your items
to see if you could nudge them into
buying something!
#3: Social Networking
Generates Positive Sentiments
One of the most interesting findings in
this survey was that 76% of
participants said they experienced
positive feelings after engaging in
social networking.
Some of the words used to describe
how they felt were: informed,
energized, excited, connected and
amused. However, 21% reported Pinterest continues to be the most popular social networking site on the Internet.
negative sentiments after social
networking; examples are
overwhelmed, anxious and wasted time. 24% remained neutral.
Key Takeaway: Social media is
saturated with sentiment-rich data.
Every update, tweet, blog comment or
online review is a critical source of data
that can inform your CRM program. As
a marketer, you should be very
interested in gathering and analyzing
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sentiment data to see if your social
messages are producing the
desirable outcomes you’re looking
for.
#4: Twitter Drives Social TV
Twitter has emerged as the most
powerful driver of ‘social TV’
interaction. That means when people
are watching the Super Bowl, American
Idol or the elections, they are
Consumers generally feel good after engaging in social media.
simultaneously using Twitter to share
their thoughts and experiences with
friends.
In June 2012, a third of active Twitter users tweeted about TV-related content, which was up from 26% at the
beginning of the year.
Key Takeaway: Social TV is still a new concept for marketers. However, considering that an average of 43 minutes
are spent each day watching TV (HubSpot), and that many of those viewers are then sharing their experiences
online, marketers should find ways to align any TV advertising with their online strategies (e.g., incorporating
hashtags or tweetable sound bites in their TV commercials). This prolongs the conversation about brands beyond
the TV, while allowing for extended word-of-mouth marketing.
#5: Social Care is the New Customer Care
Social care is a way for companies to provide regular customer service through social media platforms. The study
revealed that one in three social media users prefers social care to contacting a company by phone.
Consumers use a variety of channels for social care. For example, they are most likely to comment or ask a
question about a company’s products or services on the company’s Facebook page (29%), on their own personal
Facebook profile (28%), on official company blogs (15%), on Twitter (personal handle – no mention of company,
14%) and on Twitter (company’s handle, 13%).
Key Takeaway: Social media has conditioned consumers to get immediate feedback. As a marketer, the risk of
failing to meet such high expectations is not just losing customers, but having negative comments about your brand
blasted around the user’s network and their friends’ networks. If you can get social care right, you will create a
wide gap between your brand and your competition.
#6: Mixed Feelings about Social Ads
Another interesting finding was how people react to social ads. While 33% of people surveyed find ads on social
networks to be annoying, 26% are more likely to pay attention to an ad posted by a friend.
Generally a Like is the most common action taken after seeing a social ad (26%), followed by a share (15%) and a
product purchase (14%). As far as demographics go, the study found that Asian-American consumers were the
most likely to respond positively to social ads, while white consumers were the most likely to be turned off by social
media advertising.
Key Takeaway: Because advertising on social media is more annoying than other digital areas, marketers should
proceed with caution and make sure their ads are highly relevant and targeted. On the bright side, many people
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4. 7 Social Media Trends for Consumers New Research | Social Media Ex... http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-social-media-trends-for-consume...
don’t mind social ads if they’re
tailored to suit personal tastes and
interests. This presents a great
opportunity for marketers to raise
brand visibility.
#7: Social Listening a Key
Consumer Activity
Social media is transforming the way
consumers around the globe make
purchasing decisions. Consumers
are using social media to listen and
learn about other consumers’
experiences (70%); find more
information about brands, products
and services (65%); and compliment
brands (53%).
Key takeaway: We tend to think of
social listening as something only
marketers and research analysts do.
However, it’s interesting to see that
consumers are also active listeners.
This is an opportunity for marketers
to educate consumers through
compelling content, improve
customer experiences (using social
care) and maintain strong
customer relationships to uphold a
positive brand image.
Tweeting while watching TV is becoming a very popular social phenomenon.
Your Turn
What do you think? Which of
these trends did you find most
enlightening? Please share your
thoughts and comments in the box
below.
Image from iStockPhoto.
Tags: market research, mobile marketing, online
strategy, patricia redsicker, pinterest marketing,
Research, social ad, social care, social listening,
social media marketing, social media trend,
social network, social networking, social tv
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5. 7 Social Media Trends for Consumers New Research | Social Media Ex... http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-social-media-trends-for-consume...
Social care is transforming the way brands respond to customers.
A lot of people find social ads annoying, especially if the ads are not relevant to them. Image
source: iStockphoto.
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6. 7 Social Media Trends for Consumers New Research | Social Media Ex... http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-social-media-trends-for-consume...
Most social media users are listening to other people's experiences.
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