A study carried out by Sensis shows how consumers are using social networks. Here are some of the findings:
- 12% research products they’re interested in purchasing
- 11% follow brands in hopes of receiving special offers
- 12% research travel offers or holiday destinations
- 15% follow or search for information on specific brands
Of course, most people are using the social networks for personal reasons, but you should pay attention to these numbers. They seem small, but what they tell me is that people are on the social networks for personal reasons, but while they are there they are also using their time to research consumer opportunities.
So what industries are represented?
- Clothing/fashion = 42% consumer researchers
- Electrical goods = 39%
- Home furnishings = 28%
- Computers = 21%
- Music = 19%
I’m actually surprised that music is so far down the list, but you can understand that clothing and fashion are so high because we’re talking about social networks where a large percentage of the time is spent on personal business.
How can small businesses use this information? Obviously, if you are in the clothing or fashion industry, then it looks good for you. But no matter what industry you’re in, if you can leverage social networks to place your brand in front of the people interested in your type of products, then you stand a reasonable chance of securing new business.
Although these numbers do represent some percentage of the population on the look out for products, I’m not sure if that necessarily merits specifically going out to social media to sell your product. People will read straight through that. Instead, in my personal opinion, it should be used more as a branding tool. Get out there and talk to people. Once they trust you, you can start posting some specials, deals, and new products. At that point they’ll be more inclined to get into your product as opposed to coming straight out with a sales pitch. What do you think?