A recent report has uncovered some rather surprising results, highlighting just how important it is for businesses to develop a successful social marketing strategy.
It is well known by SEO marketers and, more fundamentally, widely known in society that advice from friends is important. Nowhere else is this more the case than when making a purchase. However, the results of a Market Force study have shown that the content on company social networks is equally influential.
The study by the customer intelligence group showed that 81% of those polled claimed that advice from friends was key to their buying decisions. The same study showed that 78% of respondents were influenced by how companies presented themselves in the social sphere.
There were marked differences across the two countries though, with corporate social activity more influential in the States than in the UK. It shows that companies looking to stretch globally will need a different approach to online marketing in Merseyside than Manhattan.
Taking the body of results as a whole, 79% said they were more likely to ‘Like’ a company offering incentives and discounts on Facebook than those that did not, whilst 70% said they shared relevant company information as it was released.
Perhaps most tellingly, 28% said they were frequent sharers of social content from their preferred brands.
The research also showed that 86% of consumers engaged with restaurants, 75% with retailers, 65% with entertainment brands and 40% with travel firms.
Naturally, these results are subjective. However, what they clearly show is how successful SEO in the social arena is key to business success – perhaps more so than many would have previously credited.
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