The annual Yellow Social Media Report conducted by Sensis reports beauticians and hairdressers are leading the way in social media marketing.
The survey participants included 800 Australians aged above 14 and 1950 Australian businesses. Three fifths of small and medium sized businesses in the cultural, recreational and personal services sector use social media as a part of their marketing mix. This compares to the 37% across all sectors.
As an image-drive industry, it is natural for us to be present on social media, but four in five small businesses are blindly doing this without strategy or tracking plans. The survey found that only 24% actually have a social media plan in place.
“There’s a recognition in this sector of the advantage of social media. However, the research indicates many small and medium sized enterprises are missing opportunities to engage with customers and drive business growth because they are not planning,” said Kelly Brough, chief digital officer at Sensis.
A social media plan and strategic tracking is essential if your business is investing marketing dollars into these platforms. “Social media is increasingly driving consumer habits. Significantly, small and medium sized businesses that have embraced social media are more likely to report better performance and see increased sales and profitability.”
The survey also shows around 58% of internet users are aged between 50-64 and a third of those online also use social media.
More social media user findings include:
- One third of users leverage social media to find out more about businesses, 28% research products
- Two thirds of social media product searches result in purchase
- Half of users look for product information and advice
- 61% look for discounts, 51% look for giveaways, 40% look for coupons
- Two thirds of users look for reviews online
For more information visit http://about.sensis.com.au/