Considering the sheer scope and popularity of social media, it’s easy to see how it can be overwhelming. The best way to understand social media better is to keep up with recent studies. A little knowledge can go a long way towards increasing your social media savvy. If you have any aspirations towards using e-commerce either as an individual or by means of a small business, it’s imperative that you become familiar with social media trends. The more you know, the easier it is for you to use social media to your advantage.

It’s a jungle out there.

Here’s some recent studies that are essential reads in order to figure out what social media is all about today.

E-Marketer.com’s Study

This social media study declares that Google+ trumps Twitter, second only to Facebook in terms of Total US social account holders, according to a study done in March 2013. The study found that women are more likely to have Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram accounts than men. Also, and this speaks to the increasing popularity of mobile computing, about one-third of the respondents say that their smart phone or tablet is their preferred method of accessing their social accounts.

Social Media Examiner’s Report

According to Forbes, Social Media Examiner released their annual social media marketing report this past May, and the results are sobering to say the least. Eighty percent of marketers surveyed have no plans in the near future to use daily deal sites such as LivingSocial or Groupon. Considering how daily deal sites were the darlings of e-commerce for a while, that’s quite a drop. Social bookmarking site use among respondents has dropped sharply from 26% to a mere 10%. Forums and Geo-location sites (e.g. Foursquare) are also dropping. Furthermore, 67% of marketers surveyed plan on increasing their Twitter activities. Check this report out; the figures are fascinating.

MPA- The Association of Magazine Media Study

This fascinating study is available as a downloadable PDF, and deals with how magazine readers (traditional print and digital) are using social media. It should come as no surprise that magazine readers in the 18-34 range are highly connected users of social media. This demographic personally own a digital device and access multiple social platforms. Most favor Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter for their social media needs. Apparently, 56% of Twitter users and 65% of dedicated readers surveyed follow a magazine editor or columnist on Twitter. Also, 93% of the respondents have looked at a print magazine in the last 60 days, and 37% have read a digital edition. So much for print being dead.

National Investor Relations Institute Study

Let’s turn to the world of finance and investments. According to a study released by NIRI and the Corbin Perception Group LLC, a whopping 72% of Investor Relations professionals do not use social media for their work. The reason most often cited is a lack of interest from the investment community. But there’s apparently still hope, as 52% of the IR professionals surveyed intend to revisit the matter within the next year. Institutional investors skew slightly higher on the social media use, but are certainly not embracing it fully. An amazing 92% of institutional investors believe that information obtained from social media sites as only somewhat reliable or completely unreliable. Could this field perhaps be a ripe opportunity for the right people with the right ideas?

Check out the full content of these surveys, and see what the latest trends are. Success goes to the better informed, and having a finger on the pulse of the social media community is a valuable advantage.

About author:

John Terra has been freelancing since 1985, and his work has appeared in diverse places like Inc Magazine, Computer Shopper, The Nashua Telegraph, and numerous online sites focusing on various aspects of social media, including online reputation.

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