Blogs are more influential than social networks in shaping consumers’ opinions and purchase decisions, according to Technorati’s 2013 Digital Influence Report.
Even so, brands seem to be investing more on other social channels, particularly Facebook, than on blogging.
Below, additional findings from the 2013 Digital Influence Report, based on surveys conducted among 1,200 consumers, 150 top brand marketers, and 6,000 digital influencers.
When making decisions about what to buy, consumers rank blogs as the third most influential digital resource (31.1%), behind retail sites (56%) and brand sites (34%).
However, social networks do play a role in influencing purchases: 30.8% of consumers surveyed cite Facebook as an influential source, 27% cite YouTube, 27% cite LinkedIn, and 20% cite Google+.
Why Consumers Follow Brands
Consumers engage with brands via social networking sites for various reasons:
- Facebook users tend to “like” brands to learn about products and services (56%), keep up with brand-related activities (52%), and for sweepstakes and promos (48%); some 32% interact with brands to provide feedback.
- Twitter users follower brands mostly to keep up with brand activities (57%) and learn about products and services (47%); some 27% do so to provide feedback.
- YouTube users engage with brands mostly to learn about products and services (61%), keep up with brand-related activities (41%), and provide feedback (23%).
- Pinterest users follow brands primarily to learn about products and services (56%), keep up with brand activities (35%), and for sweepstakes/promos (28%).
- Instagram users follow brands to keep up with brand-related activities (41%), learn more about products and services (39%), and make purchases (27%).
Smaller Communities Have More Influence
Consumers agree the value of online communities comes from sharing information and ideas and not necessarily from the size of a community: 54% say smaller communities have greater influence on a topic than larger ones.
Digital and Social Media Spend
Overall, top brands are spending three quarters of their digital budget on display advertising (41%), search (19%), and video content (14%).