Social Media: User Data and Business Insight

The most recent social media statistics show that social networking platforms are not only dominating web use and social interaction but—more importantly—increasing numbers of users are in that luxury-goods sweet spot: women who are either affluent or aspirational. 

A wise coffee company once said, “America Runs on Dunkin”. We disagree: America runs on technology. And, especially, women with disposable income run on technology. To illustrate, let’s look at each of the top platforms individually.

Facebook

Facebook, of course, continues to be the most dominant social media site on the web.

·      According to the cnn.com, as of March 2012 Facebook has exceeded over 900 million active users.

·      Of all these Facebook users, 31% check in every day.

·      A majority of Facebook users earn more than $50,000 per year:

o   47% make between $50,000-99,999

o   11% make over $100,000

Readwriteweb.com says that Facebook has “two basic social needs: the need to belong and the need for self-presentation.” With that in mind, it’s up to the individual how they can make that page more personal.

·      This is why many people on the site will “Like” pages from their favorite shopping store to their favorite actor/actress.

According to Wildfire’s Why Social Marketing Will Deliver A Positive ROI for Your Brand (click to download file) these are the “3 phases of social media.”

·      Users become fans

·      Fans engage with the brand through their News Feed

·      They become familiar with the brand they are more likely to connect by buying a product or advocating for it.

o   Washington University did a study on brand familiarity and stated, “when consumers are exposed to an ad for an unfamiliar brand, they are more likely to have a goal of learning about and forming an accurate impression of the brand.”

Twitter

Twitter continues to grow and, today, has about 200 million active users. Who are those users?

·      53% women (according to Palatnikfactor.com)

·      The majority of users are Caucasian, between the ages of 18-34.

·      Twitter users are financially comfortable:

o   37% earn between $50,000-99,999

o   10% earn over $100,000

Pinterest

With 10.4 million users, Pinterest is Twitter’s closest competitor in terms of use and activity.

·      Pinterest users range from the ages 25-54

·      80% majority of users are women.

·      Annual income of Pinterest users:

o   46% make between $50,000-99,999

o   7% make over $100,000

Why is Pinterest so popular? Because pictures are worth more than 140 words, apparently.

Foursquare

Foursquare is location-based outreach; and targeted to local businesses. Foursquare.com says that it “makes the real world easier to use. We build tools that help you keep up with friends, discover what’s nearby, save money and unlock deals.” This application allows people to check-in to a business while those who are connected can see where the individual has checked in.

Who are the users for Foursquare?

·      There are 20 million users worldwide.

·      Rooster.com says that foursquare consists of the majority of 63% females

·      36% users are between the ages of 35-49.

So, armed with all this data, we ask: how are you utilizing social media to harness its marketing potential?