Social media and its benefits for travel agents has been quite the topic of interest for agents and readers at Travel Agent as of late, from Michael Browne's column on the business of social media or Ruthanne Terrero's sharing of success stories on Facebook. So when we read about a recent study of social media usage by market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies, we wanted to share the information as we keep the conversation going.
According to the report, consumers who are Facebook fans and Twitter followers of a particular company are more likely to not only recommend it to others, but they are also more likely to buy from those brands than they were before becoming fans/followers. The study of 1,504 adults (ages 18 and over) found that 60 percent of Facebook fans and 79 percent of Twitter followers are more likely to recommend those brands since becoming a fan or follower. In addition, 51 percent of Facebook fans and 67 percent of Twitter followers are more likely to buy the brands they follow or are a fan of. The study also uncovered perceptions among consumers that those brands not engaging in social media are out of touch.
“While social media is not the silver bullet that some pundits claim it to be, it is an extremely important and relatively low cost touch point that has a direct impact on sales and positive word of mouth,” said Josh Mendelsohn a vice president at Chadwick Martin Bailey. “Companies not actively engaging are missing a huge opportunity and are saying something to consumers – intentionally or unintentionally- about how willing they are to engage on consumers’ terms.”
Visit www.cmbinfo.com or www.imoderate.com.