Consumers Open to Branding, Marketing Messages on Social Media Sites

November 5, 2009

Thirty-four percent of respondents to a recent survey have used search engines to find information on products, services or brands after seeing advertisements on social networking sites.

This was one of many findings from a new Performics and ROI Research study. The firms surveyed more than 3,000 U.S. consumers for the study, which was designed to determine how consumers use social networks in their daily lives and in relation to other media channels.

Additional findings from the study include the following:

30 percent of respondents learned about new products, services or brands from social networking sites;
32 percent of respondents said messages about printable coupons on social sites resonate with them;
28 percent of respondents said messages about sales or special deal notifications resonate with them;
46 percent of respondents say they would talk about or recommend products on Facebook;
44 percent of Twitter users have recommended products; and
36 percent of YouTube users say that they have gone to e-commerce sites after learning about brands on social network sites.

Thirty percent — about 1,000 respondents — said they don't use social networks. Of these respondents, 77 percent cited a lack of interest, 28 percent noted privacy concerns and 27 percent said they don't have the time. Thirteen percent said they don't “want all the connections.”