Sometimes intuition is not enough. There has been much discussion on the stagnation of social media use in Australia. That people are ‘dropping off’, ‘not interested’ and ‘leaving Facebook in droves’. The numbers tell a different story. Last week Sensis released their 2013 study on Australian social media use.
Social media usage continues to grow as does our love for mobile technology.
Key thoughts to ponder:
- More than three in five Australians now use social media.
- 67% of social media users, access it via a smart phone
- We have increased the amount of time we spend on social media.
- Smartphones and tablets have overtaken the laptop.
- One in five social media users report that they use social media to research products and services that they want to buy, up from 16% last year.
- 58% of those that use social media to research purchases reporting that their last research resulted in a purchase, up from 40% last year.
This is not to say that the tactics many organisations employ on social media channels are bringing them the results they are looking for. As social media use and understanding matures, so does the way they use these tools. Their palettes mature and become more refined, they can distinguish the quality from the crud. (How many Coolabah casks do we see around the barbie these days?) Building the capacity to deliver a long term strategy for stakeholder engagement will help you deliver this.
Greatest changes our clients have experienced over the past 12 months.
- The impact of LinkedIn on their business. Once seeming to offer little more than a handy electronic business card holder, the social tools that Linked In introduced to their platform in 2012 have now taken off and have provided these organisations with cost effective ways to develop B2B marketing strategies, build brand awareness amongst targeted groups and provide exposure to other opportunities.
- Organisations are still needing help to articulate their objectives about what their social media activities should deliver to justify their investment. Many are spending too much or too little on their social media investment and struggle to find a balance.
- Introducing a structured way to develop, manage and assess your interactions with your online community is the most cost effective and efficient way.
Below is an infographic detailing the key findings from the report.
*Full report can be found here.
