Are you still wondering just how to integrate social media into your marketing mix?
“While marketers understand the importance of managing their brands online, there’s still uncertainty as to the proper weight to put behind digital media channels, especially social media, to optimize return on investment,” says Chip Lister, Managing Director of Radius GMR.
A new study from Radius Global Market Research (Radius GMR) may be able to shed some light on this question – they asked consumers how they use online and social media as they consider purchases within a number of key product categories.
Online Resources
Consumers turn to online resources most often for big ticket and emotional purchases:
- 76% for travel
- 73% electronics
- 67% automobiles
- 66% baby care equipment
- 64% household appliances
Social networking
Social networking is most often used when purchasing
- 39% baby care equipment
- 35% electronics
- 28% automobiles
- 23% toys and games
- 23% household appliances
No Social Media Influence
This study says consumers don’t seem to pay much attention to social media when purchasing these items
- personal care categories – makeup/personal care
- home care products
- OTC pharmaceuticals
- beverages
- packaged foods
I can see the home care products and OTC pharmaceuticals. But I bet Coke and Pepsi wouldn’t agree with that finding. And why is Starbucks so often hailed as the #1 social media company in the US then?
Moms and Social Media
No big surprise here – the study found that moms are heavy social media users.
“From our survey results it appears that mothers tend to seek out via social media the opinion of other mothers and are influenced by them fairly often.”
Before Purchase or After?
One interesting finding is that while most people are likely to utilize online sources before making a purchase vs. sharing information about their experience with the product after purchase, women buying personal care and makeup products are more likely to gather or share information after purchasing than they are while making a purchase.
Influencers in Social Media
If your business is in the categories that are affected by social media building relationships with bloggers who also tweet and pin can be an effective way to reach your audience when they are considering a purchase.
Radius’s study surveyed U.S. households in the fourth quarter of 2012. The firm’s proprietary Know More™ internet panel represents over 3.4 million households, with over 6 million consumers in the U.S. and over 1.5 million consumers in Canada, the U.K. and Europe, Australia and Scandinavia.
