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Facebook rules Australia's social media scene
By Jessica Kennedy on 25 May 2011 Source
Facebook is king of Australia’s social media scene with 97% of social-media users and 60% of all internet users using the site but businesses are only spending 5% of their total marketing budgets on social media, new research reveals.
The research by Sensis and the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association has revealed that 62% of Australian internet users use social-media while only 14% of small businesses, 25% of medium-sized and 50% of large businesses have a social media presence.
The study also found that 12% of social-networking users use social-media to research products with 36% of searches resulting in a purchase with clothes the most commonly searched goods (42%) followed by electrical goods (39%) and furniture (28%).
But the study found that blogs and reviews play a large-part of the decision making process with 63% of social-networkers reading an average of six online reviews before buying an item.
More than half of social-media users are interested in finding out discounts businesses can offer (57%), followed by receiving invitations to events (41%) and product information (41%).
Simon Betschel, group manager of emerging business and innovation at Sensis, said: “With so many people using social media, it’s clear there are huge opportunities for brands to connect with current and potential customers, but businesses need to be careful in how they interact with people via these sites.”
“Although catching up with friends and family, sharing photos and coordinating social events continue to be the main reasons people use social media, there are increasingly more opportunities for brands and businesses to use this space.”
Sensis and AIMIA surveyed over 800 consumers and 1,944 Australian businesses as part of the study.
