Nearly two-thirds (64%) of online consumers use social media, and among them over one-third (34%) say they have used social media as an outlet to rant or rave about a company, brand, or product, according to a Harris Poll.
Nearly two in five online adults (38%) say they aim to influence others when expressing their preferences online, and nearly one-half (46%) say they can be brutally honest on the Internet.
Online consumers age 18-34 are less hesitant to voice their opinions: 51% say they can be brutally honest on the Internet, compared with 41% of those age 45-54 and 40% of those 55+.
In addition, 44% of those age 18-34 say they have used social media as an outlet to rant or rave about a company, brand, or product—much more so than those 55+ (16%).
Looking for real, hard data that can help you match social media tools and tactics to your marketing goals? The State of Social Media Marketing, a 240-page original research report from MarketingProfs, gives you the inside scoop on how 5,140 marketing pros are using social media to create winning campaigns, measure ROI, and reach audiences in new and exciting ways.
Sharing Information, by Age
Among consumers who use social media, roughly one-quarter say they reveal their dissatisfaction with companies, brands, or products (26%); talk about companies, brands or products they like (23%); and give product reviews and recommendations (19%) via those channels.
In addition, most social media users (84%) reveal information about themselves via those channels, with many sharing updates about their life (43%), what they are currently doing (36%), and places they are going (31%).
All age groups who use social media are nearly equally likely to share their dissatisfaction with a company, brand or product via social media: 25% of those age 18-34, 26% of those 35-44, 25% of those 45-54, and 29% of those age 55+.
That finding is despite the fact that online consumers age 55+ are less likely to use social media overall (43%) than younger consumers age 18-34 (78%), those age 35-44 (71%), and those age 45-54 (59%).
What People Say Matters
Some 45% of consumers who use social media say reviews about a particular company, brand, or product from friends or people they follow on social networking websites influence them a great deal or a fair amount—nearly the same percentage of online consumers who say reviews in newspaper or magazine articles influence them (46%).
Among adults who use social media, those age 45-54 are less likely (28%) than younger consumers age 18-24 (41%) to say they are influenced by reviews on blogs or message boards—and significantly less likely to say they are influenced by reviews from celebrities, 8% vs. 17%.
About the data: Findings are from the Harris Poll, conducted online, April 28-30, 2010, among 2,131 US adults ages 18+.
