Tim Lorang is now retired and not accepting new clients.

olde_typewriter1.jpg

Tim Lorang Blog

The Social Media Habit

Posted by Timothy Lorang on Mon, Jun 06, 2011 @ 10:00 AM

Frequent Social Networksers use smartphones resized 600The Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and Multimedia Study 2011: The Social Habit II has been out for over a week and most people are now familiar with some of the highlights of the study such as:

  • Social Media now reaches the majority of Americans 12+, with 52% having a profile on one or more social networks.
  • This figure is driven largely by Facebook, which is now used by over half (51%) of Americans 12+.
  • Twitter is as familiar to Americans as Facebook (with 92% and 93% familiarity, respectively); however, Twitter usage stands at 8% of Americans 12+
  • Approximately 46 million Americans 12+ now check their social media sites and services several times every day.

The study is packed full of information and statistics that many of us will be pulling apart and analyzing for weeks to come. A lot of it should not be too surprising. Internet access has been moving upward over the past decade from 55% in 2000 to 88% today with 86% having access to broadband at home. Facebook is driving the acceptance of social media and far out strips all other social networking platforms with online profiles by 51% of Americans.

The information that I find most fascinating is buried deeper in the report where a few statistics jump out at me.

  • The number of Frequent Social Networkers (use social networking sites “several times per day”) is about 46 million.
  • 64% of Frequent Social Networkers would rather give up TV then their Smartphone
  • Frequent Social Networkers are nearly three times more likely to use Twitter
  • 43% of Frequent Social Networkers, as opposed to 25% of all social network users, are plugged in to brands and companies on Social Networks
  • Frequent Social Networkers are more likely to be “Out-of-Home” consumers than total population
  • Facebook is the leading Social Network for influencing buying decisions.

One of the problems with statistics is there are so many ways you can interpret what they really mean but these statistics suggest that the trend is growing. The highest number of frequent users is between the age of 12 and 34 and as that group ages the total number of people using social networks is going to rise. The take away from this quick overview for any business is:

  • Establish a Facebook page
  • Establish a Twitter account
  • Start paying attention

What is your take on this report? Are the numbers still too low to really pay attention to social media? For example 49% of the American population DOESN’T have a Facebook account. There are only 20 million Twitter users in the U.S. Have we reached the tipping point for social media or do we still have a way to go?

Image Media Partners helps companies with social media and inbound marking. If you would like an analysis of your social media marketing plan please contact us.

Photo Credit: LGEPR, flickr creative commons

Free Analysis of your Inbound MarketingDownload the Professional On-line Profile slide show

Topics: Social Media