Studies

Twitter is a real-time social network, so it is a naturally good fit as an emergency communication tool. But just how are we actually using it to share information in times of trouble?

A study from North Carolina State University explores how people used Twitter during the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan, finding that Twitter doesn’t really change what we communicate but it certainly increases the speed at which we do it.
Read more

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

A new UK survey says that social networks are responsible for our need to exact revenge on our enemies.
Read more

Based on the latest referral traffic and active user statistics, Pinterest has moved above LinkedIn as the third most-popular social network in the world – the daily number of Pinterest users has risen by 145 percent since January 1, 2012.

But where Pinterest is really making waves is as a source of referral traffic, notably in the e-commerce sector – a new study has revealed that buyers referred from Pinterest are not only 10 percent more likely to buy than those sent from other social channels, but they spend twice as much.

Read more

A new study has revealed a shocking disconnect in how businesses are using social media to liaise with customers, respond to feedback and manage complaints.

Almost two in five companies (39 percent) do not track their social media responses at all, and more than half (55 percent) ignore all customer feedback on Twitter and Facebook, largely because they have no process in place to respond.

Read more

What do women want?

Ah, the age-old question. And the answer, of course, is everything. Or is it? Back in March, we took a look at research from NetBase that analysed the things that men and women say that they want according to their posts on social media sites, noting that the study reached an interesting conclusion. Namely, that both genders mostly want the exact same things – ice cream, cars and pizza – albeit in a different order of preference.

Read more

Stay on target.

Stay on target.

Heinous haircut and irritatingly whiney voice aside, that philosophy worked for Luke Skywalker (although less so for Porkins – may he rest in peace). And, according to new research, staying on target on Twitter might be the key to success, certainly if you define that metric by how attractive you are to prospective followers.

Read more

A new study suggests that social networks like Twitter are closely linked to how our brain operates. When we tweet about our super-delicious lunch, our newest tech gadget purchase or how we’re so sick of having to wait in this link, our brains feel a rush of pleasure, much like when we get money or eat food.
Read more

Enterprise companies have to deal with the balance between happy employees who get to update their statuses on their lunch breaks, and enhancing productivity by blocking Facebook and Twitter altogether. And according to a recent report, companies are targeting Facebook while silently accepting that their employees are going to tweet.
Read more

A new study has revealed that while an alarming nine out of ten Americans (93 percent) say that companies fail to exceed their customer service expectations, those that use social media for support, while far more vocal, wield greater influence and are likely to spend substantially more.

In their third Global Customer Service Barometer, American Express explored customer attitudes and preferences towards consumer service in the U.S. and ten other countries, and noted that almost one in five customers (17 percent) had used social media at least once in the past 12 months to obtain a service response. While a minority, this group of consumers is actively engaged and vocal about the brands they choose and the service that they receive, but are loyal to businesses that exceed their expectations – social media users are willing to pay a 21 percent premium on brands that deliver great service, compared to just 11 percent for those who do not use social media.

Read more

For the first time in the history of mobile apps, smartphone owners now spend as much time using social networking apps such as Twitter and Facebook as they do playing games, reveals a new study.

In Q1 2012, users logged an average of 24 minutes per day using social networking apps on their phones, up from 15 minutes per day a year ago. Gaming app usage also registered at 24 minutes, but this is down a single minute from 2011. This is a big deal, as games had led all app categories for 40 months, since tracking began back in 2008.

Read more