Older Consumers Use the Web to Research Products More Than Younger Consumers

42% of social media users who are 45 years and older are likely to use online channels to research products. This is significantly more than among younger users. Source: Social Media Reality Check

Facebook is the Most Popular Social Media Space for Consumers

Facebook is the most popular social media space for consumer social media users (77%), followed by YouTube (65%) and MySpace (20%). This influences the social networks you focus on. Source: Social Media Reality Check

Consumers are Using Social Media to Engage with Organizations

63% of consumers rely on social media to keep up-to-date on news and information; 40% are using it to engage with organizations. This has implications for your customer service strategy. Source: Social Media Reality Check

Social Media is More Credible Than Advertising

Save your advertising budget - 31% of users agree that social media is more credible than advertising. Source: Social Media Reality Check

61% of Users Turn to Social Media When Researching Purchases

61% of social media users turn to social media when researching purchases. Source: Social Media Reality Check

49% of Social Media Users Employ Social Media at Least Once a Day

Did you know that 49% of consumer social media users employ social media at least once a day? This has implications for how often you should be posting new content on social media sites.
Source: Social Media Reality Check

45% of Online Canadian Consumers Join Social Networks

Did you know that 45% of online Canadian consumers join social networks compared to 33% in the U.S.? This has implications for your Canadian marketing strategy and budget decisions. Source: Forrester.com

Majority of Canadians Used the Internet in 2007

94% of Canadians had access to the internet on their home computers during 2007.
88% had high-speed internet connections in 2007.

In BC internet use was among the highest in Canada, with 83% of people aged 16 and older in Victoria and 78% in Vancouver going online in 2007.

73% or 19.2 million Canadians aged 16 and older surfed the internet in 2007.

96% of Canadians aged 16-24 went online vs. 29% of Canadian seniors in 2007.

(Source: Adpages April 2009 quoting Statistics Canada, CTAM Canada, CRTC Broadcasting Policy Monitoring Report).

How Canadians Feel About Sharing Credit Card Info Online

The majority of NGen and Gen X feel safe about sharing and using credit card information; Boomers & Canadians 65+ are significantly less confident (only 46% of Boomers, 39% of 65+ feel safe).

(Source: Delvinia Interactive)

Newspaper Readers Actively Respond to Newspaper Ads

In 2007, Google commissioned a research study that showed newspaper readers respond to print ads by going online. Of note is that 56% of the target market researched or purchased at least one product after seeing it in their paper. The numbers also show that of the 67% of respondents who researched online, 47% started with the product’s website and 31% actually began their research by using a search engine. If someone searched your product name or generic product name, does you website come up on the first page of results?

(Source: Google: Research Study Illustrates How Newspaper Drives Online Behavior)

Canadians Spend 43 Hours Per Month Online

According to comScore Media Metrix Canada, Canadians are engaged online users. The average Canadian spends close to 43 hours per month online, consuming about 4,000 page views per month. This is much more than users from other countries.

23 Million Internet Users in 2007

The internet is truly a mass medium. According to comScore Media Metrix Canada, Canadian digital users topped 23 million in June 2007, up from 22 million the previous year.

2008: UK internet ad spending surpasses TV

Reuters reports that in 2008 Internet ad spending will surpasses TV ad spending in the U.K to become the #1 advertising medium.

Where do you spend your ad dollars?

(Source: UK Online ad spending to overtake TV this year.)

Spending on “Alternative” Media on the Increase

According to PQ Media’s Alternative Media Forecast: 2008-2012, “Spending on alternative media [i.e., new media or digital media] hit $73.43 billion in 2007, a 22% increase over the previous year, and will continue to grow.”

How much of your marketing budget goes towards promotion through new media?

(Source: Advertising Age, April 30, 2008)

9 Out of 10 Consumers Abandon Transactions

9 out of 10 consumers experience issues that cause them to abandon online transactions. These failures are mostly due to technical and functional issues which are easily addressable.

Are you losing business online?

(Source: One Degree, March 27, 2008)

On the Internet Everyone Can Hear You Complain

In September 2007, a San Francisco start-up called Get Satisfaction launched a site for customer service complaints and company responses. Since September 2007, people have posted complaints or comments regarding 2,000 companies, and 40 percent of the companies have answered. Only 40% responded. Why? I bet it’s because most companies do not track what is being said about them online. They have no idea that people are posting negative things about their products or service. (Source: The New York Times)

Are you thinking about online PR and reputation management?

Do you know what people are saying about you?

The Internet Has Changed Business

Imagine your day without the Internet.

The Internet has changed the way every single business operates, sells, markets and is perceived. We email. We Google. We watch online videos. We text our friends. We share advice, opinions, photos and anything else of interest via digital means.

Do you know what people are saying about you onlline? Google yourself.

Traffic to Online Video Sites Has Doubled

48% of internet users have been to video-sharing sites such as YouTube and the daily traffic to such sites on a typical day has doubled in the past year.

Are you using online video effectively?

(Source: Pew Internet, January 1, 2008 )

We Seek Out Information Online First

58% of people chose the Internet when they’re seeking to address a problem.

The Internet was the #1 choice, followed by Professional Advisors (53%), Friends and Family Members (45%), and Newspapers, Magazines and Books (36%)

(Source: Pew Internet, Feb. 6, 2008).

How Well Is Your Web Site Performing?

97 percent of all businesses are leaving money on the table because they are invisible in search results.

Do you know how well your website is performing?

Online Influences Offline Purchases

60% to 80% of offline buying decisions are influenced and informed by online research.
(Source: JC Williams Group, January 2008)