How social drives business growth – and business decisions
Europe’s most influential businesses have a new way of doing business following the global economic downturn. And it’s called social media.
New research from LinkedIn and Join the Dots proves that decision-makers in large and medium-sized European businesses (those with annual revenues of £4 million or €5 million) see social media as fundamental to doing business –and as a crucial driver of growth. Social is used to acquire new customers, generate leads, deliver content to a range of different audiences and generate advocacy and word of mouth; but also to inform all manner of business decisions, to listen to market trends, to source talent and to deliver customer service. And it’s rated as highly effective by over two-thirds of decision makers in all of these areas.
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1. Priming The Economic Engine:
How social drives business growth and
business decisions
2. DEFINING
medium/large
businesses
(annual revenue)
Medium
£4M to £24.9M GBP
Large
Over £25M GBP
decision makers in medium and large
businesses surveyed across the U.K.
2
This report explores the way in which
medium and large businesses in the
U.K. make use of social media.
300
3. Medium and large businesses are
a highly attractive audience, and
social media offers a unique
opportunity to engage with them
4. The majority of medium and large businesses in the
U.K. are experiencing widespread growth…
Have experienced an
increase in total
revenue over the
past year
Have experienced an
increase in customer/client
numbers over the past year
Have experienced an
increase in overall
profitability over the
past year
69%
64%62%
4Base: 300 medium/large businesses
5. GROWTH
Increase in overall revenue
compared to last year
54%32%
14%
NON-GROWTH
Decrease/No change in
overall revenue YoY
HYPER GROWTH
Significant increase in overall
revenue YoY
5
68% of medium and large businesses in the UK have
experienced growth in the past 12 months
Base: 300 medium/large businesses
6. 6
Social media adoption is well penetrated and usage
is maturing
Base: 300 medium/large businesses
81%
of medium and
large
businesses
currently use
social media
5%
plan to use
social media in
the future
7. 7
60%
Say they will increase
their spend on social
media in the future
50%
Say they will increase
their spend on social
media in the future
…which is linked to an increase in social media spend
Base: 206 medium/large businesses
experiencing revenue growth
61%of those experiencing
hyper-growth have
increased their spend on
social media advertising
in the past year
48%of those experiencing
growth have increased
their spend on social
media advertising in the
past year
8. % reporting that social media spend
contributed to revenue growth
8
Hyper Growth
37%
Over a third of businesses reporting revenue growth
attribute this to increased spend on social media...
Base: 206 medium/large businesses experiencing revenue growth
Growth
37%
9. Reported motivations for using social media
9
88%
81%
79%
88%
81%
84%
…while those companies experiencing hyper-growth
are more likely to use social media specifically to
drive growth.
Build Awareness Increase Sales Drive Growth
Base: 206 medium/large businesses experiencing revenue growth
Businesses experiencing
revenue growth
Businesses experiencing
revenue hyper-growth
KEY
10. 10
Social media networks used
67% 32%
of hyper-growth companies
currently use LinkedIn
67%
Two-thirds of these businesses are currently
using LinkedIn.
73% 69%
Medium Businesses are significantly more likely vs. Large Businesses
Large Businesses are significantly more likely vs. Medium Businesses
Base: 278 social media users
76%
11. Use social media to build awareness
Use social media to increase sales
Use social media to drive business growth
89%
Social media is mainly used to build awareness,
increase sales and drive business growth
Base: 300 medium/large businesses 11
81%
79%
12. 12
Medium and Large business use social media to deliver
content and maintain their company’s presence
Base: 300 medium/large businesses
Top 5 uses of social media:
Medium Businesses
1
2
3
4
5
Deliver content and
new information
Maintain a
company presence
Generate word-of-
mouth about my
company
Promotional
purposes and to
provide deals
41%
42%
48%
48%
49%
Advertise to help
increase awareness
13. 13
Social media is seen as an important resource for
marketing and vital for the future of businesses
Base: 300 medium/large businesses
70%
say social media is important for marketing
their company
65%
see social media as essential for the future
of their company
56%
say social media is important for gaining and
retaining customers
14. 14
The #1challenge facing businesses in today’s market
is attracting new customers
58%
say social media is
a vital resource for
getting new
customers
Retaining current customers 23%
23%
24%
28%
29%
31%
21%
16%
Finding and hiring good employees
Reduce costs
Managing cash flow
Increasing profit margin
Attracting new customers
Keeping up with technology
Finding content on how I can
improve my business
15. 15
Social media is seen as an effective channel for marketing and driving
business...along with impacting operational efficiencies and sourcing
Base: 264 social media users who access for specific business purposes
% reporting that social media is effective for…
Customer service
support/ handle
complaints/retain
customers
68%
CUSTOMER
SERVICE
53%
FIND
VENDORS
Find vendors or
companies that can
help my company
75%
RECRUIT
Find and source new
employees
Deliver content and new
information about my
company
78%
CONTENT
DELIVERY
78%
DRIVING
AWARENESS
Maintain a company
presence and identity
16. Social media (and LinkedIn in particular)
is highly influential for medium/large
businesses when choosing a financial
services provider
16
17. have used social media
for finance-related
reasons
73%
Top 5 uses of social media for
financial purposes
17
Around three quarters of
medium/large businesses
use social media for
financial purposes….
Base: 278 social media users
1
2
3
4
5
Keep up-to-date on
financial trends
Gather preliminary
financial information
Seek advice on a
financial
decision
Evaluate or re-
think a previous
financial decision
Recommend
a financial
product to others
15%
18%
35%
23%
41%
18. 18
Openness to receiving financial content
and information on social media sites
48% 33%
of hyper-growth businesses are receptive to
receiving financial content on LinkedIn
53%
35%
…and businesses are more open to receiving financial
information from LinkedIn than any other network.
Base: 300 medium/large businesses
29%
19. 19
CREDIBILITY
55% agree that LinkedIn allows them to
build credibility.
CONNECTION
63% agree that LinkedIn lets them connect
with vendors or potential partners.
CONTEXT
57% agree that LinkedIn provides a relevant
context to promote and advertise their company.
COMMUNITY
58% agree that LinkedIn provides access to a broader
community of other companies to seek opinions.
This may be due to LinkedIn effectively providing
businesses with the 4Cs…
Base: 185 LinkedIn users
Medium Businesses are significantly more likely vs. Large Businesses
Large Businesses are significantly more likely vs. Medium Businesses
72%
20. 20
...which offers a valuable resource across different
activities in the value chain.
Marketing & Sales
Sourcing
Open
Innovation
Customer
Service
21. 21
In total, 61% of LinkedIn users took action after
exploring content on the platform…
Top 6 actions as a result of exploring content on LinkedIn
Base: 185 LinkedIn users
22. 22
% who actioned a response after receiving
information on each network
61% 38%47%
…with LinkedIn more effective than competitors at
driving business behaviour.
Base: 185 LinkedIn users; 203 Facebook users; 192 Twitter users; 90 Google+ users
54%
23. 23
Path to Purchase
DISCOVERY
Gather info / stay up-
to-date
CONSIDERATION
Seek advice/info to make a
purchase
DRIVEN TO ACTION ON
LINKEDIN
(Any action)
75%
Among business who use social media for both
discovery and consideration, 75% were driven to take
action from content they read on LinkedIn
Base: 185 LinkedIn users
24. 24
DISCOVERY
Gather info / stay up-
to-date
CONSIDERATION
Seek advice/info to make a
purchase
DRIVEN TO PURCHASE
ON LINKEDIN
(Insurance policy and/or
investment product)
38%
…and 38% made a purchase based on information
received through the network.
Base: 185 LinkedIn users
Path to Purchase
25. 22%
19%
18%
18%
18%
49%
46%
44%
42%
38%
Top 5 types of financial content expected on social media
Providing information in-line with consumer needs is
likely to drive further exploration of branded content…
New product information
Company background
Market and economic commentary
Industry news / strategy information
Finance events
Base: 300 medium/large businesses
Information actually
received through
social media
Information expected to
be received through
social media
KEY
25
26. Most valued content types among businesses
experiencing hyper growth
News and financial articles drive the most value for
businesses in hyper business growth
News/articles about other companies (77%)
Industry specific articles (72%)
Testimonials/ reviews from customers (70%)
Information on financial products/services (70%)
Base: 300 medium/large businesses 26
27. Build your followers
Encourage referrals and
recommendations
Provide real-time
assistance
Build community
Publish thought
leadership
LIKE
▪
SHARE
▪
COMMENTFOLLOW INMAIL
SPONSOR
UPDATE
27
GROUPS
…which allows us to build relationships with
businesses through various touch points on LinkedIn.
28. Nearly all business with revenues over £4M use
social media.
Business use social media for marketing as well as
operational efficiencies
Around three quarters already use social media for
financial purposes
Business are more open to receiving financial
content on LinkedIn than any other social media site
38% opened a financial account after using LinkedIn
for both discovery and consideration
Summary of key findings
1
2
3
4
5
29. v
Best practices for marketers
29
Enable learning throughout each phase of the purchase path
Fulfill un-met content needs
Target hyper-growth companies
Provide resources for the entire business value chain
Build your credibility by facilitating open dialogue with these businesses
Notas del editor
150 Medium Businesses
150 Large Businesses
Who answered our survey?
Individuals who own or who are currently employed in a senior role in a businesses with a total annual revenue of over £4million GBP
The business had to currently make use of social media or plan to use it in the future
Had to be the primary decision maker or have a strong level of influence over financial decisions in their business
Had to make financial decisions that influenced the entire business or their division/business unit
Q9. For each of the following statements, please indicate whether your business has increased, decreased or stayed the same this year compared to last year?
No significant differences between medium/large businesses.
Q5. Number of employees (TOTAL SAMPLE)
1 - 10 2%
11 - 50 13%
51 - 200 24%
201 - 500 16%
501 - 1,000 11%
1,001 - 5,000 14%
5,001 - 10,000 8%
10,001+ 13%
Q9. For each of the following statements, please indicate whether your business has increased, decreased or stayed the same this year compared to last year?
No significant differences between medium/large businesses
Medium Businesses: Hyper Growth 12%; Growth 53%; Non-Growth 35%
Large Businesses: Hyper Growth 17%; Growth 55%; Non-Growth 28%
10% of medium businesses and 8% of large businesses report a decline in revenue.
Q7. How long has your company been using social media?
Data taken from Confirmit based on all respondents (including those screened)
N.B. Businesses not currently using or not planning to use social media were excluded from the survey.
N.B. Base size includes those who answered the question and subsequently were screened; hence the large base. We know these respondents own/are employed by a medium/large business but they may or may not be decision makers for financial purposes – although you would still expect them to know if their company has a social media presence.
Based on all data
Medium Businesses: 78% use social media, 7% plan to use, 15% don’t use/don’t plan to use
Large Businesses: 82% use social media, 5% plan to use, 13% don’t use/don’t plan to use
Based on main sample (i.e. excluding those who do not use social media)
93% of medium businesses in our sample use social media, and 7% plan to use in the future.
93% of large businesses in our sample use social media, and 7% plan to use in the future.
Q7a. FULL BREAKDOWN
Just getting started 7%
Less than 12 months 9%
1-3 years 43%
More than 3 years 33%
Do not currently, but plan to use social media in the future 7%
Do not currently, and not planning to use social media in the future 0%
Q13. For the following marketing activities, can you please indicate if your spend has increased, decreased, or stayed the same this year compared to last year?
Q14. And on which of these marketing activities do you plan to increase spend in the future?
N.B. Q13a vs Q9 (Increased and significantly increased combined manually)
N.B. Q14a vs Q9 (Increased and significantly increased combined manually)
60% of businesses experiencing hyper-growth had increased their spend on social media in the past year, compared to 48% of those experiencing ‘standard’ growth. Furthermore 60% of hyper-growth businesses suggest that they will increase spend on social media in the future (compared to 50% of ‘standard’ growth businesses).
Q12a. Which of the following forms of advertising would you say has contributed to the growth that your business has experienced over the past year?
32% of medium businesses experiencing revenue growth attribute this to social media spend
43% of large businesses experiencing revenue growth attribute this to social media spend
Revenue growth was also attributed to a number of other factors, with medium businesses significantly more likely to attribute revenue growth to spend on email marketing (48% vs. 34%), while large businesses were significantly more likely to attribute revenue growth to offline ad spend (31% vs 15%). Spend on events was widely attributed to revenue growth for both medium (39%) and large (48%) businesses.
LinkedIn users whose business experienced revenue growth were less likely to attribute this to spend on social media (39%) in comparison to Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ (all 49%). However, this is indicative only, as we are unsure as to which social media network the respondent has actually advertised on (i.e. may use both LinkedIn and Twitter, but has only advertised on Twitter).
Q19. Which of the following reasons describe why you currently/plan to use social media for your company?
Q19 (q14) vs. Q9
Q21. Which of the following social media websites does your company use?
Q21 (q16)
Other social media networks used:
Foursquare = 6%
Yelp = 5%
Other = 2%
Large businesses are significantly more likely than medium businesses to use Twitter (76% vs. 62%). No other significant differences by company size.
There is less difference between the top social media providers amongst those businesses reporting hyper-growth; Twitter = 69%; Facebook = 67%, LinkedIn = 67%, Google+ = 40%. As the proportion of hyper-growth companies using LinkedIn is no different to all businesses combined, there may be particular opportunities to target hyper-growth businesses as they are more likely to use social media (98% vs. 93% for the total sample) and also make use of a greater number of networks (3.07 vs. 2.73 for the total sample).
Q23. REASONS FOR USING LINKEDIN (FULL BREAKDOWN) – Medium businesses significantly more likely to use LinkedIn to network with other business professionals (48% vs. 32%); no other significant differences between medium/large businesses.
To connect with other professionals 51%
To maintain a business/professional identity 45%
To find new potential employees 41%
To network with other business professionals 40%
To promote and market my company 29%
To read relevant news and articles related to my company's business/industry 29%
To advertise my company on LinkedIn 28%
To find new customers 27%
To research competitors 27%
Follow LinkedIn influencers 24%
To find new business partners 23%
Use status updates to promote my company 22%
Post free company updates to followers 18%
Send and receive InMail 16%
Post status updates 16%
To find new vendors/suppliers 16%
Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups, etc.) 15%
Paying to promote my company updates on LinkedIn (i.e. sponsored updates) 8%
Other 1%
Do not plan to use LinkedIn 1%
Q19. Which of the following reasons describe why you currently/plan to use social media for your company?
Q19 (q14) (and vs. HQ2)
Large businesses significantly more likely to use social media to understand what other people are saying about their company on social media (31% vs. 20%); for customer service support/handle complaints (31% vs. 18%); and to access a network of peers to ask questions or get recommendations (33% vs. 23%).
Medium businesses significantly more likely to use social media to advertise to help increase awareness of their company, products and services (55% vs. 41%)
TOP 5 REASONS FOR MEDIUM BUSINESSES
Advertise to help increase awareness of my company, products, and services 55%
Deliver content and new information about my company 46%
Maintain a company presence and identity (company or fan page) 45%
Promotional purposes and to provide deals 43%
Advertise to generate new leads 40%
TOP 5 REASONS FOR LARGE BUSINESSES
Deliver content and new information about my company 53%
Maintain a company presence and identity (company or fan page) 50%
Generate word-of-mouth about my company 45%
Advertise to help increase awareness of my company, products, and services 41%
Advertise to convert existing customers and increase sales for my company 41%
FULL BREAKDOWN (MEDIUM/LARGE BUSINESSES COMBINED)
Deliver content and new information about my company 49%
Advertise to help increase awareness of my company, products, and services 48%
Maintain a company presence and identity (company or fan page) 48%
Generate word-of-mouth about my company 42%
Promotional purposes and to provide deals 41%
Advertise to generate new leads 39%
Advertise to convert existing customers and increase sales for my company 36%
Obtain learnings, insights, or best practices 31%
Find and source new employees/hires 31%
Obtain ratings and reviews about my company and/or products and services 28%
Access a network of peers to ask questions or get recommendations 28%
Find information and opinions to answer my questions 25%
Find vendors or companies that can help my company 25%
Understand what other people are saying about their company on social media 25%
Customer service support/handle complaints/retain customers 24%
Learn from experts in my industry 20%
Other 1%
None of the above 6%
Q19. Which of the following reasons describe why you currently/plan to use social media for your company?
Q19 (q14) (and vs. HQ2)
Large businesses significantly more likely to use social media to understand what other people are saying about their company on social media (31% vs. 20%); for customer service support/handle complaints (31% vs. 18%); and to access a network of peers to ask questions or get recommendations (33% vs. 23%).
Medium businesses significantly more likely to use social media to advertise to help increase awareness of their company, products and services (55% vs. 41%)
TOP 5 REASONS FOR MEDIUM BUSINESSES
Advertise to help increase awareness of my company, products, and services 55%
Deliver content and new information about my company 46%
Maintain a company presence and identity (company or fan page) 45%
Promotional purposes and to provide deals 43%
Advertise to generate new leads 40%
TOP 5 REASONS FOR LARGE BUSINESSES
Deliver content and new information about my company 53%
Maintain a company presence and identity (company or fan page) 50%
Generate word-of-mouth about my company 45%
Advertise to help increase awareness of my company, products, and services 41%
Advertise to convert existing customers and increase sales for my company 41%
FULL BREAKDOWN (MEDIUM/LARGE BUSINESSES COMBINED)
Deliver content and new information about my company 49%
Advertise to help increase awareness of my company, products, and services 48%
Maintain a company presence and identity (company or fan page) 48%
Generate word-of-mouth about my company 42%
Promotional purposes and to provide deals 41%
Advertise to generate new leads 39%
Advertise to convert existing customers and increase sales for my company 36%
Obtain learnings, insights, or best practices 31%
Find and source new employees/hires 31%
Obtain ratings and reviews about my company and/or products and services 28%
Access a network of peers to ask questions or get recommendations 28%
Find information and opinions to answer my questions 25%
Find vendors or companies that can help my company 25%
Understand what other people are saying about their company on social media 25%
Customer service support/handle complaints/retain customers 24%
Learn from experts in my industry 20%
Other 1%
None of the above 6%
Q18. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about social media?
No sig differences between medium/large businesses
FULL BREAKDOWN (% agreeing with each statement)
Having my company presence on social media is important 70%
Social media is important for marketing my company 70%
I see social media as essential for the future of my company 65%
Using social media for my company helps/will help me to stay ahead of the game 58%
Social media is important for getting new customers 58%
Social media is important for retaining existing customers 54%
Social media helps my company source and hire new employees 52%
Social media helps to empower employees 49%
Social media helps/will help manage my company more productively 42%
Q16. We would like to better understand the range of challenges you face as a financial decision maker or influencer. Please rank order the top 5 challenges for your company over the next 12 months.
No significant differences between medium/large businesses.
TOP BUSINESSES CHALLENGES FACED (% ranking each challenge in first position)
Attracting new customers 31%
Increasing profit margins 29%
Managing cash flow 28%
Reducing costs 24%
Retaining current customers 23%
Finding and hiring good employees 23%
Finding answers to my questions about how I can improve my company's business 21%
Understanding how social media can impact my business 16%
Keeping up with technology 16%
Getting credit/financing/access to funding for my company 15%
Learning how my company is doing relative to competitors 15%
Training, motivating, and retaining employees 15%
Understanding how to work within government regulations 13%
Finding and implementing time-saving solutions or processes 13%
Efficiently managing business operations and back office work 12%
Marketing and advertising effectively 10%
Q20. Of the following reasons you indicated why you use social media for your company, please indicate how effective social media was in achieving these objectives?
Large businesses significantly more likely to find social media effective for advertising to increase awareness (84% vs. 66%); and to maintain a company presence/identity (86% vs. 70%)
FULL BREAKDOWN
Maintain a company presence and identity (company or fan page) 78%
Deliver content and new information about my company 78%
Find and source new employees/hires 75%
Advertise to help increase awareness of my company, products, and services 74%
Find information and opinions to answer my questions 69%
Generate word-of-mouth about my company 68%
Customer service support/handle complaints/retain customers 68%
Access a network of peers to ask questions or get recommendations 68%
Obtain learnings, insights, or best practices 67%
Understand what other people are saying about their company on social media 66%
Advertise to convert existing customers and increase sales for my company 63%
Promotional purposes and to provide deals 62%
Obtain ratings and reviews about my company and/or products and services 62%
Learn from experts in my industry 61%
Advertise to generate new leads 59%
Find vendors or companies that can help my company 53%
Q31. For which of the following purposes have you turned to social media?
No significant differences between medium/large businesses
Medium businesses: 68% use social media for financial purposes
Large businesses: 78% use social media for financial purposes
Q28. How open are you to receiving financial content and information from companies you do business with on the following media sites/services?
Other networks:
Living Social = 14%
Yelp = 13%
Other = 10%
No significant differences between medium/large businesses
LinkedIn was also the most popular network amongst hyper-growth businesses, with these businesses more open to receiving financial content from any social media provider (LinkedIn 53%; Twitter 49%; Facebook 47%; Google+ 42%; Living Social 33%; Foursquare 30%; Yelp 28%; Pinterest 28%).
Q24. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about LinkedIn, as they relate to your use of social media for your company?
Medium Businesses: Credibility 59%; Connection 72%; Context 62%; Community 65%
Large Businesses: Credibility 51%; Connection 55%; Context 52%; Community 52%
Medium businesses also more likely to suggest that LinkedIn provides a trusted channel for information directly from other companies (54% vs. 38%)
FULL BREAKDOWN (% of respondents who agree/strongly agree with each statement)
Allows me to connect with vendors or other companies 63%
Allows me to connect with current customers 59%
Provides access to a broader network of other companies to ask questions or seek opinions/recommendations 58%
Allows me to identify the credentials/expertise of potential partners (e.g. vendors, business partners) 57%
Provides a relevant context for me to promote and advertise my company 57%
Allows me to connect and generate leads with potential new customers 55%
Allows me to build credibility 55%
Provides a relevant context to do business 53%
Provides opportunities to learn from experts or thought leaders 51%
Allows me to share thought leadership articles and stories 51%
Provides insights, information and opinions that are relevant to my needs 49%
Gives me opportunities to learn about experiences, success stories or best practices from other companies 48%
Is a trusted channel for me to conduct business 46%
Provides a trusted channel for information directly from other companies 45%
Provides opportunities to influence customers into purchasing my company's products or services 45%
Allows me to be more productive and successful in my company 44%
Helps me to be more successful in my company's business 42%
Provides opportunities for my company to retain customers in the long term 42%
Sourcing - Allows me to identify the CREDIBILITY and expertise of potential partners and CONNECT with vendors or other companies
Open Innovation - Provides access to a broader COMMUNITY of other companies and thought leaders to seek opinions/recommendations
Marketing and Sales - Allows me to build CREDIBILITY and provides a relevant CONTEXT for me to promote and advertise my company
Customer Service - Allows me to CONNECT with current customers
Q33. On which social media sites have any of the following actions ever occurred as a result of your hearing or reading something on social media?
Large businesses significantly more likely to purchase an insurance policy based on information received on LinkedIn (13% vs. 2%). No other significant differences between medium/large businesses.
FULL BREAKDOWN OF ACTIONS ON LINKEDIN
Learned about a financial company/institution I/my company was not previously aware of 31%
Shared information about financial trends, products/policies/solutions, or financial institutions/ companies 24%
Learned of a financial product/policy or account type I/my company was not previously aware of 23%
Conducted additional research on a financial product/policy or account type 23%
Asked a financial professional for additional information about a financial product/policy or account type 20%
Contacted a financial representative 18%
Opened a new financial account 13%
Discussed a financial product/policy or account type with a family member, friend, or colleague 11%
Closed a financial account my company previously owned 10%
Purchased an investment product 10%
Purchased an insurance policy 8%
Other 2%
None of the above 39%
Q33. On which social media sites have any of the following actions ever occurred as a result of your hearing or reading something on social media?
Q33 (q27) and vs. Q9
There may be opportunities to better connect with hyper-growth business in order to drive greater action through the content available on LinkedIn. Hyper-growth companies are less likely to use social media for ‘Discovery’ purposes (50% vs 60% amongst those experiencing ‘standard’ revenue growth), and providing them with more information in-line with their needs may encourage them to explore content and drive action.
FULL BREAKDOWN (* indicates low base) - % who actioned a response after receiving information through the network
Living Social 89%*
Yelp 71%*
Foursquare 65%*
LinkedIn 61%
Google+ 54%
Facebook 47%
Pinterest 40%*
Twitter 38%
Q33. On which social media sites have any of the following actions ever occurred as a result of your hearing or reading something on social media?
Q33 (q27) vs. Use of social media for financial purposes (2)
Discovery (55% use social media for financial ‘Discovery’ purposes)
Use social media to gather preliminary information or/and
Stay up-to-date on financial trends/ products/ companies
Consideration (35% use social media for financial ‘Consideration’ purposes)
Use social to seek advice or gather info to make a financial decision or/and
evaluate or re-think a financial decision
Q33. On which social media sites have any of the following actions ever occurred as a result of your hearing or reading something on social media?
Q33 (q27) vs. Use of social media for financial purposes (2)
Discovery (55% use social media for financial ‘Discovery’ purposes)
Use social media to gather preliminary information or/and
Stay up-to-date on financial trends/ products/ companies
Consideration (35% use social media for financial ‘Consideration’ purposes)
Use social to seek advice or gather info to make a financial decision or/and
evaluate or re-think a financial decision
Q29. If a financial services company were to use social media, what types of information would you expect to receive from it for your company?
Q30. Which, if any, of the following do you recall receiving from your financial service provider(s) via social media?
Hyper-growth companies expect to receive similar information to any other companies, but tend be open to receiving a greater amount of information from social media providers. The most valuable types of information on social media for them (based on Q27) is news/articles about other companies (77%); industry specific news/articles (72%); testimonials/reviews/opinions from customers or clients (70%); and information on products/services (70%).
Q29. FULL BREAKDOWN OF INFORMATION EXPECTED TO BE RECEIVED
Medium businesses significantly more likely to respond as ‘None of the above’ (10% vs. 3%).
New product information 49%
Company background 46%
Market and economic commentary 44%
Industry news / strategy information 42%
Finance events 38%
Best practices, how-to guides, checklists 36%
Networking opportunities 35%
Product performance updates 34%
Expert ratings, reviews or testimonials 33%
Thought leadership articles and stories 31%
Customer stories and case studies 31%
New innovation and technology developments (e.g. managing an app, etc.) 28%
Peer ratings, reviews or testimonials 27%
Readily sharable marketing materials (e.g. printable brochures, etc.) 23%
Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups etc.) 20%
Other 0%
None of the above 7%
Q30. FULL BREAKDOWN OF INFORMATION ACTUALLY RECEIVED
Respondents from large businesses significantly more likely to recall receiving market and economic commentary (23% vs. 13%)
New product information 22%
Company background 19%
Market and economic commentary 18%
Finance events 18%
Industry news / strategy information 18%
Customer stories and case studies 15%
Networking opportunities 15%
Best practices, how-to guides, checklists 14%
Expert ratings, reviews or testimonials 14%
Thought leadership articles and stories 13%
Product performance updates 13%
New innovation and technology developments (e.g. managing an app, etc.) 11%
Readily sharable marketing materials (e.g. printable brochures, etc.) 10%
Peer ratings, reviews or testimonials 10%
Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups etc.) 9%
Other 0%
None of the above 38%
Q27. MOST VALUABLE INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA
No significant differences between medium/large businesses.
Industry specific news/articles 63%
Information on products/services 62%
Testimonials/reviews/opinions from customers or clients 59%
News/articles about other companies 58%
Testimonials/reviews/opinions from industry experts 55%
Industry research/white papers 54%
Case studies from other companies 54%
Best practices guides from other companies 53%
First hand success stories from other companies 50%
Testimonials/opinions from other companies 50%
Helpful tips and tools from companies via emails 42%
Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups etc.) 41%
Information about courses or classes 40%
Helpful tips and tools from companies via display ads 39%
Q29. If a financial services company were to use social media, what types of information would you expect to receive from it for your company?
Q30. Which, if any, of the following do you recall receiving from your financial service provider(s) via social media?
Hyper-growth companies expect to receive similar information to any other companies, but tend be open to receiving a greater amount of information from social media providers. The most valuable types of information on social media for them (based on Q27) is news/articles about other companies (77%); industry specific news/articles (72%); testimonials/reviews/opinions from customers or clients (70%); and information on products/services (70%).
Q29. FULL BREAKDOWN OF INFORMATION EXPECTED TO BE RECEIVED
Medium businesses significantly more likely to respond as ‘None of the above’ (10% vs. 3%).
New product information 49%
Company background 46%
Market and economic commentary 44%
Industry news / strategy information 42%
Finance events 38%
Best practices, how-to guides, checklists 36%
Networking opportunities 35%
Product performance updates 34%
Expert ratings, reviews or testimonials 33%
Thought leadership articles and stories 31%
Customer stories and case studies 31%
New innovation and technology developments (e.g. managing an app, etc.) 28%
Peer ratings, reviews or testimonials 27%
Readily sharable marketing materials (e.g. printable brochures, etc.) 23%
Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups etc.) 20%
Other 0%
None of the above 7%
Q30. FULL BREAKDOWN OF INFORMATION ACTUALLY RECEIVED
Respondents from large businesses significantly more likely to recall receiving market and economic commentary (23% vs. 13%)
New product information 22%
Company background 19%
Market and economic commentary 18%
Finance events 18%
Industry news / strategy information 18%
Customer stories and case studies 15%
Networking opportunities 15%
Best practices, how-to guides, checklists 14%
Expert ratings, reviews or testimonials 14%
Thought leadership articles and stories 13%
Product performance updates 13%
New innovation and technology developments (e.g. managing an app, etc.) 11%
Readily sharable marketing materials (e.g. printable brochures, etc.) 10%
Peer ratings, reviews or testimonials 10%
Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups etc.) 9%
Other 0%
None of the above 38%
Q27. MOST VALUABLE INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA
No significant differences between medium/large businesses.
Industry specific news/articles 63%
Information on products/services 62%
Testimonials/reviews/opinions from customers or clients 59%
News/articles about other companies 58%
Testimonials/reviews/opinions from industry experts 55%
Industry research/white papers 54%
Case studies from other companies 54%
Best practices guides from other companies 53%
First hand success stories from other companies 50%
Testimonials/opinions from other companies 50%
Helpful tips and tools from companies via emails 42%
Crowd-sourced learning (e.g. discussion forums, communities, groups etc.) 41%
Information about courses or classes 40%
Helpful tips and tools from companies via display ads 39%
Hyper-growth companies expect to receive similar information to any other companies, but tend be open to receiving a greater amount of information from social media providers. The most valuable types of information on social media for them (based on Q27) is news/articles about other companies (77%); industry specific news/articles (72%); testimonials/reviews/opinions from customers or clients (70%); and information on products/services (70%).