Performics announced the release vertical reports which detail findings from “S-Net (The Impact of Social Media),” a report from ROI Research Inc. (www.roiresearch.com) sponsored by Performics. The S-Net vertical reports complement the full study released in June and highlight findings specific to eleven different industries: apparel, appliances, automotive, CPG, electronics, entertainment, financial services, healthcare/pharma, home furnishings, telecommunications and travel.
The S-Net vertical reports benchmark how buyers use social networking sites to get advice on what to purchase, give advice on companies/products and post content specific to various industries. In addition to analyzing each category, Performics and ROI Research also compared variables across industries. According to those surveyed, the most highly discussed verticals on social networks include automotive (61 percent), travel (60 percent) and entertainment (57 percent). When it comes to social networkers seeking or sharing recommendations on local retailers, home furnishing led all verticals, including automotive.
Each report contains a wide array of industry-specific findings, but some of the highlights include:
- Fifty-six percent of respondents are fans of appliance brands/retailers on Facebook
- Forty-nine percent of respondents discuss apparel on social networking sites to compare prices
- Forty-nine percent of respondents follow automotive brands/retailers on Twitter
- Twenty-three percent of respondents follow at least one travel company on either Facebook or Twitter
- Fifty-nine percent of respondents are at least somewhat interested in receiving new product announcements from financial services companies/brands on social networking sites
“Social networkers behave differently when interacting with their favorite jeans brand versus the manufacturer of that new hybrid car they’ve got their eye on,” said Daina Middleton, CEO of Performics. “Marketers can benefit by recognizing social networkers’ desire to participate with brands and keeping these behaviors in mind when setting strategies. Vertical-specific insights can help advertisers understand how their category fares in this new channel and the best ways to connect with their niche.”
Across verticals, respondents indicated that active participation with brands and other social networkers is more likely in some verticals than others. Highlights of the best-performing verticals for advice and feedback include:
- Forty-nine percent of respondents most often use social networking sites to seek advice on electronics purchases
- Thirty-eight percent of respondents most often use social networking sites to give advice about financial services and home furnishings companies/products
- Respondents use social networking sites to provide feedback to appliance brands/retailers (33 percent) more than any other vertical
- Users are most likely to make an automotive purchase (26 percent) as a result of a recommendation someone posted on a social networking site than any other vertical
S-Net (The Impact of Social Media), a report from ROI Research Inc., sponsored by Performics, used a 30-minute online survey to collect information from 3,000 U.S. respondents who access at least one social network regularly. Responses were compiled, analyzed and, trended against data in two waves in 2009 and 2010. The objective of this study was to determine how various segments of users participate with social networks in their daily lives, specifically with regard to the purchase process for different types of products and in relation to other media channels.
To request complimentary copies of the vertical reports from S-Net’s key findings, please contact Addie Reed at: areed@preturn.com.