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On the behalf of The Council of PR Firms, VeraQuest conducted a survey among adults in the US to understand the reach and impact of social media and the degree to which brands benefit from utilizing the platform to create online communities and facilitate communication to create stronger connections with its customers.
Research Design Respondents were recruited from the uSamp panel (www.usamp.com). This panel has over 2 million members in the U.S. who have been recruited through a number of different panel enrollment campaigns. Panelists are required to double opt-in to ensure voluntary participation in the surveys they are invited to complete. Respondents receive points for the surveys they complete that can be accumulated and redeemed for a variety of products. Adult respondents were randomly selected from the uSamp panel to be generally proportional of the age, sex, region, race/ethnicity, income, and education strata of the U.S., based on Census proportions. Once selected, respondents were sent an invitation to a protected web-based survey which ensured that only the intended recipient could complete the survey, and that the survey could only be completed once. There were 1,515 respondents from the U.S. who were 18 or older who completed the survey. Quotas were established for the demographic groups (age, sex, income, education, race/ethnicity) to ensure sufficient diversity of the sample in proportions so that they would resemble that of the United States.
Research Design Computing Weights Since all samples can diverge from the intended population due to non-response bias and sampling bias, we also demographically weight the data. We use a common rim weighting technique (i.e. iterative proportional fitting) that adjusts sample proportions in order to resemble the proportions of the general U.S. population. By demographically weighting the data for key variables (age, sex, region of country, income, education, and race/ethnicity), we can examine experimental effects in the sample ‘as if’ it were randomly drawn from the U.S. population.
Research Design • Among total respondents, 82% report being a member of a social network site and 76% being Facebook members. • Results are shown across the following segments: • Total US adults (n = 1,515) • Member of social network (n = 1,243) • Members of Facebook (n=1,155) • Statistical Significance Testing: Stat testing completed at 90% confidence level. • In some instances, percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding.
Nearly every US adult (96%) report they pay attention to and are influenced by the messages of advertisers. Nearly a quarter (23%) report being heavily influenced. The amount of attention paid to the messages of advertisers and how much their brands influence Total Respondents base = 1515 Q501 Thinking about advertising in general, which of the following best describes the amount of attention you pay to the messages of advertisers and how much their brands influence you?
Facebook popularity far exceeds the other social network sites, with more than three quarters (76%) of online US adults reporting membership, followed by Twitter with 26% membership. Although 46% report having more than 100 friends on Facebook, about 3-in-10 (29%) report having fewer than 50 friends. Membership of social network sites Number of friends on Facebook Total Respondents base = 1515 Q502 Which of the following social network sites, if any, are you a member? Please select all that apply Q503 Approximately how many “friends” do you have on Facebook?.
Facebook friendship is apparently not cheap. About 6-in-10 adults would require at least $1,000 for them to sell their network of friends and 13% would require $1 million or more. Another 28% say they would not sell their network of friends for any amount. Worth of Facebook “friends” list Q504 Consider your network of friends and associates on Facebook. If someone offered to buy your network from you (for direct marketing, targeted advertising, etc.), about how much do you think it would be worth and that you would be willing to sell it for?
About 4-in-10 (39%) members of social networks report feeling more connected to their favorite brands/services due to the social networks association with these brands/services. How social networks might influence feelings about favorite brands and services Q505 Which statement best describes how social networks (e.g., Facebook, Twitter etc.), might influence how you feel about your favorite brands and services?
Other than purchasing or using the brand, US adults feel going to the company’s website is the most helpful (30%) way to gain better understanding of a favorite brand, followed by in-store visits (24%) and word of mouth (19%). Best way to obtain a thorough understanding of favorite brands Q506 Other than purchasing or using the brand, what do you think is the best way to obtain a thorough understanding of your favorite brands?
Interacting with brands through social networks increases loyalty for 84% of online US adults. Loyalty to brands interact with through social networks versus those don’t Q507 Which of the following best describes your connections to brands you interact with through social networks versus those you don’t?
A substantial portion of US adults belong to either an offline or online community. Community membership is greater online (67%) versus offline (63%), with the percentage of adults belonging to 6+ communities increasing from 9% offline to 17% online. Number of Offline Communities belong to Number of Online Communities belong to Q508 How many OFF-LINE communities do you belong to? (Please include religious communities, friendship groups, clubs, sports fantasy leagues, affinity groups, political affiliations, etc.) Q509 How many ON-LINE communities do you belong to? (Please include religious communities, friendship groups, , clubs, sports fantasy leagues, affinity groups, political affiliations, etc.)
More than half of US adults (52%) report they took action (good or bad) towards a company or product based on something they heard or read about. More communication means more results. Fifteen percent of US adults report a store or company reached out to them to be an advocate for their brand. In the past 3 months has a store or company reached out to you in any way to be part of a “brand ambassador” program Number of times in last month, inspired to take action towards a company or product based on something heard or read about Total Respondents base = 1515 Q510 To the best of your knowledge, how many times in the last month were you inspired to take some sort of action, either negative or positive, towards a company or product based on something you heard or read about? A positive response could include buying or recommending a specific brand/product and a negative response could include boycotting or making negative statements about a specific brand/product Q511 In the past 3 months has a store or company reached out to you in any way to be part of a “brand ambassador” program? A brand ambassador is an advocate of the brand or recommends the brand to others.
