Is Social Media Important?
The relative importance of social media is important in making a decision to invest. There’s a long answer to the question and 4TM’s customer profiling exercise is essential in deciding whether a particular target customer can be effectively reached by a social media or social networking service.
The availability of a free UK television license for those aged 75+ might be best marketed somewhere other than Twitter or Bebo. Unless, of course, we’re trying to reach their children or grandchildren as a means of spreading the world.
Here’s a quick answer though; this related to the UK scene. The UK is the biggest user in Europe and growing fast. The US remains slightly ahead.
% of UK population reading / watching / listening to / using:
All Commercial TV: 85.5% (All Sky channels: 18.3%)
All Commercial Radio Stations: 62% (Classic FM: 11%)
Social Networks: 57%
All National Daily Newspapers: 56% (The Sun: 16.2%,Daily Telegraph: 4.2%)
All daily regional newspapers: 15.3%
Keep in mind that social media tends to be a more interactive experience than passive reading, listening or viewing. Many social media users will contribute content as well as read it, increasing their level of involvement. Social networks are now even available from mobile telephones.
Much is made of the influence of the “Sun” newspaper: politicians and marketers may well profit from looking at social media too.
Sources: NRS (Average Issue Readership), RAJAR (Weekly reach, Terrestrial / Sky), BARB (Weekly Reach), Comscore (Weekly reach - converted). Surveys use different sample sizes and are from Q4 2007 or Q1 / Q2 2008.
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Comments
Hi Steve.
I agree entirely; when we do work on Social Media Marketing, we must make sure it fits in with other forms of marketing. Advertising isn’t going to stop overnight; radio will continue to be very popular.
But these days I listen to Podcasts in my car, not commercial radio. I read Friendfeed more than I read the BBC web site. Most critically, social media needs an entirely new approach to marketing - indeed, it even redefines marketing.
Thanks for your comment.
Social media/networking is indeed important.
Tracking Tourism’s Travel 2.0 post suggests it is still only a part of the marketing mix.
For sure, it’s growing, and anyone that ignores it does so at their peril.