The popularity of social media is obvious but according to the Consumer Internet Barometer, a quarterly survey of 10,000 households, the pace at which it is gaining popularity is explosive. Recent result have shown that the number of people who go online that use social media sites has almost doubled (43%) compared to last year (27%). Not surprisingly the most popular social media sites are Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter.
According to their report the difference in Facebook still dominated the social media market with 78% of the survey participants using the platform. MySpace takes the number two spot with 42% of participants saying they use the site. LinkedIn gets only 17%. Twitter, on the other hand, may may come in last with only 10% market share but is enjoying being known as the social media site that “encourages closer connections.” Twitterers are apparently mostly using the site to connect with friends with other reasons such as updating their status and finding news being secondary.
Despite the fact that social media sites users primarily use them for personal reasons note that it is stilla powerful marketing tool. Anita Watkins, Senior Vice President at TNS, said, “Social media has transformed the way individuals connect and communicate with one another. Smart marketers are utilizing this behavior to their advantage by setting up online communities in which consumers can freely interact, discuss and debate issues around products, services and brands in a natural way. Companies are listening in to these conversations and harnessing the power of influencers to co-create their marketing strategies.”
