A recent report from  Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate found that social media friends and followers ‘feel more inclined to purchase from the brands they are fans of’.  The highlights of the report were:

• More than one-half of Facebook fans said they are more likely to make a purchase for at least a few brands, and 67% of Twitter followers reported the same.
• Why were fans members of sites? Among Facebook fans, the top reasons were being a customer (49%) and to show support (42%), with discounts and promotions coming in third (40%). Another 34% simply said it was fun and entertaining to become a fan.
• On Twitter, being a customer won out (51%), with discounts (44%) and fun (42%) rounding out the top three.

Ever thought about running a promotion on Facebook?

Did you realise Facebook has guidelines regarding promotions?

You can read them here http://www.facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php

It is important to do so to ensure you are complying with the regulations.

An article in ReadWriteWeb recently highlighted the changing demographics in one social media platform: Facebook.

Summary: “ College and high school users have declined in absolute number by 20% and 15% respectively in a mere six months, according to estimates Facebook provides to advertisers  that were archived for tracking by an outside firm. Facebook users aged 55 and over have skyrocketed from under 1 million to nearly six million in the same time period. There are more Facebook users over 55 years old today than there are high school students using the site”

The graphic below demonstrates the shift that has occurred.

Out take: For those that are marketing products aimed at the older demographic don’t dismiss social media platforms as only appealing to the young.  These platforms should be utilised to talk to that segment that:

(a) have time for social networking

(b) may have physical ailments and hence the platform has great appeal

(c) many of them probably started out on the platform to communicate with family members overseas but saw additional benefits along the way.

Are you dismissing the appeal of social media for this demographic? It might just be time to take another look.

Article of relevance:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/health/02face.html