Social has become an integral part of the marketing mix. But do marketers avidly use social in their career and in their personal lives? Direct Marketing News asked readers to give us a view into their “social” lives. About 100 respondents shared their opinions on which social networks they prefer, how social benefits their career, and brands and personalities that get it right on social. Here are their top responses:
The social network marketers use most:
In their business life/career: LinkedIn
As a marketing channel: Facebook
In their personal life: Facebook
Which brands that you “like” on Facebook, get it right?
Oreos Starbucks
Purina Modcloth
PGA Golf Ford Mustang
Coca-Cola White House| Black Market
Pop-Tarts Dominos Pizza
Target Ticketmaster
Hard Rock Carhartt
Dos Equis Zappos
Who’s your favorite Twitter personality?
Brian Solis, digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist
Stephen Colbert, political satirist and host of The Colbert Report
Graham Norton, comedian and host of The Graham Norton Show
Michelle Collins, comedian and writer
Deepak Chopra, holistic health pundit
Shaq, basketball great
Jeff Probst, game show host and host of The Jeff Probst Show
Torty Craig, St. Louis Cardinal Allen Craig’s pet tortoise (with more than 26,000 followers)
Jimmy Fallon, comedian, actor, and host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Mark Schaefer, consultant and author of Return on Influence
Oprah Winfrey, media mogul, talk show host, and actress
Brendan Brady, character on Hollyoaks
Which social networks are overrated in terms of marketing?
Facebook 46.7%
Google+ 44.0%
Instagram 48.0%
Pinterest 38.7%
Twitter 36.0%
Which one is most overrated in terms of marketing?
Online communities
72% participate in a topic- or industry-specific online community for their business life/career
27% participate in a topic- or industry-specific online community in your personal life
26% respondents whose companies host a topic- or industry-specific online community open to all constituents (customers, prospects, analysts, press)
16% respondents whose companies host an invitation-only topic- or industry-specific online community
64% respondents whose companies don’t host an online community
How much time do you spend in the social realm each day?
Less than an hour 1-3 hours 4 or more hours
For work 46% 46% .6%
For pleasure 52% 35% .9%
What’s the greatest benefit of using social channels in your business life/career?
37.8% Staying connected with colleagues and industry associates
27.0% Staying abreast of hot topics and trends
16.2% Networking
10.8% Staying abreast of what’s important to colleagues and associates
5.4% Having an opportunity to share your expertise
2.7% Staying aware of job opportunities
