For a long time now people in the know have been telling us that social media, along with SEO, should be factored into business websites. A recent study in the US by Ipsos OTX and Ipsos Global @dvisor showed that if big brands use social media, they are likely to get increased sales.The survey revealed that around 22% of internet users announced they would purchase from a brand name if that brand was ‘followed’ or ‘liked’ by one of their friends on a social networking site.The social media platform Facebook enables users to click ‘like’ on brands’ pages. These likes will show up on their friends’ news feeds. The study revealed that young people were more likely to make a purchase if they saw their friends had liked a specific brand. 23% of users who were under the age of 35 admitted that they would decide to buy from a specific brand just on the social endorsement of a friend.
More data revealed that 18% of women would purchase from a brand name based on whether that brand had likes or were followed on social network platforms. Almost as many men – 17% – said the same thing.
In light of this research, companies may want to think more about catering for consumers using social media marketing. As people reportedly spend an average of 90 minutes a day on social networking sites, there is a lot of influence to be gained from ‘liking’ a product or brand.