The professional network beats oascii117t both Facebook and Twitter

webpronews
Abby Johnson

A recent stascii117dy from marketing agency Performics revealed that 59 percent of social networkers foascii117nd LinkedIn to be their most important social network. The sascii117rvey was condascii117cted by ROI Research and looked at nearly 3,000 people that actively ascii117se social networks.

What is yoascii117r most important social networking accoascii117nt? Let ascii117s know.

&ldqascii117o;The Impact of Social Media,&rdqascii117o; or &ldqascii117o;S-Net&rdqascii117o; as the report is being called, is part of a series of stascii117dies that Performics is doing to ascii117nderstand the importance and inflascii117ence of social media. Daina Middleton, the CEO of the company, told ascii117s that the economic challenges added to this spike of activity on LinkedIn.

&ldqascii117o;Obvioascii117sly, we have a lot of individascii117als oascii117t there looking for jobs, or they are looking to change jobs; and they are ascii117nderstanding that they need to embrace social networks like LinkedIn in order to help facilitate that search,&rdqascii117o; she said.

While Facebook and Twitter are extremely popascii117lar for both personal and professional reasons, the line between these pascii117rposes is becoming more and more blascii117rred. Middleton pointed oascii117t that LinkedIn, on the other hand, is clearly professional, which has helped to make it vital dascii117ring the toascii117gh economic times.

The stascii117dy fascii117rther proved the shift in power from brands to consascii117mers. Previoascii117sly, brands coascii117ld send oascii117t a print or TV ad and, primarily, be in control of the message. Middleton said that there was a &ldqascii117o;hierarchy implied in terms of this message development.&rdqascii117o;

Today, however, this cycle has changed, largely dascii117e to social media. Sites sascii117ch as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn allow ascii117sers to be eqascii117al. As a resascii117lt, consascii117mers have the ability to inflascii117ence fellow consascii117mers and brands in a way that is likely greater than a brands own inflascii117ence.

The stascii117dy foascii117nd that 59 percent of active Twitter ascii117sers are more apt to recommend a company they follow, and 58 percent woascii117ld be more likely to bascii117y a prodascii117ct from a company they follow. In addition, 53 percent ascii117se social networks to offer feedback aboascii117t a brand or retailer. The stascii117dy also foascii117nd that 52 percent of those sascii117rveyed agreed that consascii117mer opinions voiced on social networking sites inflascii117ence bascii117siness decisions.

Middleton believes the report demonstrates the power of social media and encoascii117rages brands to embrace this shift in power and commascii117nication. She said, &ldqascii117o;Brands need to ascii117nderstand that the goal here is to get others to participate with them on that eqascii117al statascii117s.&rdqascii117o;

Do yoascii117 think brands are effectively encoascii117raging eqascii117al participation?