If you are marketing to women and are not yet fully engaged in blogs and social networks, take note of the latest BlogHer-iVillage 2010 Social Media Matters Study.
73% of online women are now active social media users, engaging weekly or more often with top social media platforms. Social media is playing an increasingly important role in the everyday lives of Americans, particularly when it comes to getting advice on consumer products with many consulting blogs or message boards before making purchases.
Some of the key findings of this study caught my attention:
- Blogs are second only to Internet search as the preferred media source for product purchasing information for BlogHer Network users. Second only to search – wow! That should get you fired up to get all your news and information visible in search and push blogger outreach to the top of your list of “must master” this year. Getting results with women bloggers is a skill. And despite many webinars and articles to the contrary, it is not ‘just like media relations.’
- Message boards/forums are second only to conversations with friends and family as the preferred source of product purchasing information for iVillage community users
- Among the iVillage community, 73% say that they are sharing topics on message boards/forums that they would not share on social networks. Of those, Relationships (61%), Health (45%) and Work-related (39%) issues were the top topics they would not share on social networks. So don’t discount the sometimes considered old-hat message boards and forums.
“The study confirms that social networks are a key place to capture women’s attention on the path to purchase,” said Jodi Kahn, Executive Vice President, iVillage. “The days of relying on one source for information are over. Online peer-to-peer advice on message boards has increasingly become one of the most valuable sources for product recommendations. Marketers cannot afford to overlook this captive audience.”
Getting results in social media takes education and constant research. Is social media training on your list of to-do’s for 2010?
