Sensis® Social Media Report - What Australian people and businesses are doing with social media

Sensis® Social Media Report Sensis® Social Media Report What Australian people and businesses are doing with social media May 2011 Developed in association with 1 Sensis® Social Media Report Table of contents FOREWORD ExEcutivE SummaRy mEthODOlOgy SEctiOn 1: thE gEnERal public anD SOcial mEDia Internet access Social networking site usage Social networking site usage by age and gender Social networking site usage by location Reasons for not using social media Reasons for not using social media – verbatim comments Social networking sites used Social networking sites used by location Frequency of using social networking sites Time spent of social networking sites Number of friends, contacts or followers Number of friends, contacts or followers by location Number of Twitter accounts followed Devices used to access social media Where are social networking sites used? Reasons for using social networking sites Types of products or services researched on social networking sites Last search occasion Brands or businesses followed on Twitter Social networking groups associated with businesses or brands What do customers want from businesses or brands followed? Advertising on social networking sites Group buying sites usage Frequency of use and time spent on group buying sites Provision of online ratings Use of online reviews or blogs Posting of online reviews or blogs Use and posting of online reviews or blogs by location SEctiOn 2: auStRalian buSinESSES anD SOcial mEDia Use of social media - summary Use of social media by business category (small/medium) Use of social media by location (small/medium) Business investment in social media Percentage of marketing budget allocated to social media Uses of social media Who is responsible for a business’ social media presence? How is traffic driven to a business’ social media presence? Expectations for the next 12 months abOut SEnSiS abOut aimia Table of content 3 4 7 8 9 10 10 11 11 12 13 13 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 20 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 30 31 32 32 33 34 34 35 36 36 2 Sensis® Social Media Report Foreword In only a few short years, the rise of social media has created a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour. Today, 62% of Australian internet users use a variety of social media platforms, with many visiting every day and most at least a few times a week. Clearly, social networking meets a core human need for contact, community and comment. For the consumer, social media is the total package – communications, applications, community, entertainment, shopping and advertising all rolled in to one. And for many, it’s easy to use. Yet most small to medium sized businesses, and half of Australia’s large businesses surveyed don’t have a social media presence. Australian businesses need to be alive to the opportunities and challenges of engaging with consumers and customers in this very different environment. Businesses should also be monitoring, responding and looking at proactive strategies to manage the way their business is presented and reviewed online. AIMIA is delighted to partner with Sensis in the development and distribution of the Sensis Social Media Report. As well as providing further insight into the rapid changes in consumer behaviour being wrought by social media platforms, this report gives Australian businesses, small, medium and large, a range of compelling reasons for joining the social media revolution. John butterworth CEO AIMIA 3 Sensis® Social Media Report Executive Summary Get on board the revolution Throughout the decades The Beatles, T-Rex, Transvision Vamp, Arrested Development and various others have sung about ‘revolution’. Gen Y delivered one: social media. As the ultimate form of expression, social media is now an undeniable force in modern-day communication. And it has businesses everywhere scratching their heads wondering how best to use it to engage with consumers. Sensis, in conjunction with the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association, surveyed 803 Australian consumers and 1,944 Australian businesses to get the real story on how social media channels are being used. For the purposes of this report, the term social media refers to: • Social networking websites, specifically Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and MySpace • Online blogs and online rating and review mechanisms • Group buying websites including Cudo, Scoopon, Spreets, Jump On It, Living Social, Zoupon, eBay, Catch of the Day, Zazz, Daily Deals, Stardeals and Deals Direct. The surveys discovered that while 62% of online Australians use social media, only 14% of small businesses, 25% of medium-sized businesses and 50% of large businesses have a social media presence. The findings detailed in this report aim to help Australian businesses to make more informed decisions about how to use these channels to engage with consumers. Australians and social media The consumer survey found that 62% of internet users have a presence on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn. Facebook dominates the social media space, capturing 97% of social networking users and 60% of all internet users. It is used by more than 90% of social media users from both sexes and by all age groups, with average users spending more than five hours a week on the site. The vast number of people using social media indicates a huge opportunity for brands to connect with people, but marketers should respect how people view their social media interactions. The top reasons people use social media are catching up with friends and family, sharing photos or videos, and coordinating social events. Many consumers take no notice of advertising on social networking sites. While only 12% of social media users said they use social networks for researching products, 36% said that the last time they used social media to research a product or service resulted in a purchase. Notably, 70% of those purchases were online. The types of products and services most commonly researched on social networking sites are clothing/fashion, electrical goods, furniture/things for the home, computers/software and music. 4 Sensis® Social Media Report There is a clear opportunity to build consumer relationships and sales via social media. The most important factor is how that connection is made. Social media users are most interested in what businesses can give them in the form of discounts (57%), giveaways (45%), invitations to events (41%) and product information (41%). Blogs and reviews have a notable influence on buying decisions, with 63% of social media users reading reviews before making a purchase decision. On average, people read six reviews before making a decision. However, only 24% of online users post blogs or reviews, so reaching that 24% of ‘influencers’ is key for marketers. The majority of social media users (64%) don’t follow any brands or businesses on Twitter, suggesting that marketers need to carefully plan their Twitter strategy so it connects with their audience. Some interesting social media usage patterns emerge across the different states. South Australian and Western Australian social media users use it an average of 11 times a week compared to 14.8 times for Tasmanians, who have the highest levels of usage. South Australian social media users have the lowest average number of social networking ‘friends’ with 143 compared to 241 for Victoria and 235 for NSW. Tasmanians are by far the most likely to follow a social networking group associated with a brand or business, with 39% of Tasmanian social media users saying they do so. The next most likely is New South Wales (22%) and Victoria (23%). Tasmanians are also the most likely to post a review or blog (37%), followed by the Northern Territory (28%). The likelihood of respondents reading a review or blog was much more consistent, ranging between 61% and 69% across all states and territories. Group buying is an increasingly compelling option for marketers, with 12% of social media users now accessing group buying sites. Surprisingly, 40-49 year olds are most likely to use them. Usage is relatively low in South Australia, Tasmania and the Territories. Cudo is the most commonly accessed group buying site followed by Scoopon, Spreets and Jump on It. Australian businesses and social media Small, medium and large businesses will maintain or increase their expenditure on a social media presence in the coming year and most expect a return on their investment through increased sales. South Australia has the lowest number of businesses using social media (11%). Queensland and ACT have the highest, at 20%. Large companies have been seeing the benefits of engaging in social media through more direct and open relationships with customers, faster marketplace responses and increased efficiency around marketing, customer service and product development. Small-to-medium sized businesses have been lagging behind, although this seems to be changing. In the past year there’s been more social media ‘experimentation’ and we can expect to see uptake increase in the next six to 12 months as more businesses realise the need to be actively involved in this space where people are spending more and more of their time online. Most businesses investing in social media are unaware of the amount they’ve invested, and don’t measure the return on their investment. Social media usually attracts less than 5% of total marketing budget, with the majority of businesses expected to spend the same or more on social media in the next 12 months. 5 ... - tailieumienphi.vn