Popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest attract some segments of the American population more than others, per results [pdf] from a new study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. While that’s not an earth-shattering revelation by any means, the results do offer some intriguing glimpses into which segments prefer which sites.
via Popular SocNet Sites Prove Appealing to Varying Demographics.
martphone penetration in the world’s top 19 digital markets is expected to double from 35.5% last year to an average of 71.7% in 2015, according to a new media forecast published by ZenithOptimedia. While tablet penetration in these markets will lag that figure, adoption should reach 13% by 2015, up from just 4.7% last year. That number should vary substantially among the different markets: recent reports have put tablet ownership in the US at about 25%.
via Smartphone Penetration in Top Digital Markets Set to Double by 2015.
Many small businesses are already using some form of content marketing to promote themselves—74% as of a January survey of US small businesses by BusinessBolts.com. It’s a tactic that must be paying off, because three-quarters of small businesses also said they planned to do more content marketing this year than last—and just 4% said they had no plans to do any content marketing at all.
via Small Businesses Bet Bigger on Content Marketing – eMarketer.
Social media marketing: got to do it, but is it really a revenue driver? That appears to be the perception, at least according to survey results [download page] from a newly-released Nectar Online Media study. Respondents were nearly universal in their belief that social media is important to their organization 94% and that it enhances awareness of their brand 92%. 8 in 10 also checked social off as a strategic imperative – mirroring results from a Facebook study last year in which 6 in 10 senior marketers said social was key to their company’s survival. But amidst all the importance assigned to social media marketing, the Nectar Online Media survey respondents the majority of whom have responsibility for or influence over their organization’s social media marketing were less enthusiastic about its ability to drive revenue, or even their ability to perform social media marketing successfully. Only 46% agreed or strongly agreed that social media drives revenue for their organization, and just 28% said their program was “best-in-class.”
via Execs More Convinced of Social as Strategic Priority Than as Revenue Driver.
A recent survey from the NPD Group found that computer users are increasingly turning to their smart devices to browse the web and access Facebook. New data from FreeWheel [download page] shows that professionally-produced online video viewing is also migrating from computers to devices such as smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. In Q4 2012, non-PC/Mac devices accounted for 12% of video views, per FreeWheel’s report, triple their share from Q1, and 6 times their share from a year earlier.
via Online Videos Increasingly Being Watched on Devices Other Than Computers.
64% of 18-24-year-olds want companies to respond to them when they talk about them online, according to [download page] a new e-book containing results from a survey by J.D. Power & Associates and NetBase. Older age groups mirror that sentiment, although just half of the 55+ group agree. While that suggests that in general, consumers want companies to respond to discussions about them online (generally referring to social media), separate results from the survey paint a more confusing picture.
via Millennials to Brands: Respond When You’re Being Spoken… About.
The tablet has become a leading device among users for many digital activities, including game playing, browsing and online shopping, but now it is even replacing the traditional computer for more keyboard-intensive tasks like emailing. Perion, a developer of email client software, surveyed 4,400 US iPad users on their emailing habits during the last six months of 2012 and found that the devices are becoming the preferred place to read and send emails.
The age of real-time marketing is nigh, according to a new report by eMarketer.Marketers are already well-versed in analyzing social media sentiment for clues to brand health, and most have the capability to respond to comments and complaints on social media.But more are now tapping the services of social analytics vendors, digital agencies and PR firms to also use social data for a variety of outbound marketing activities, according to the new eMarketer report, “Meeting the Need for Speed: How Social Analytics Support Real-Time Marketing.”
via Real-Time Marketing Grows in Importance as Social Analytics Improve – eMarketer.
B2B marketers around the world are trying a little bit of everything, according to a November survey by Eloqua, CMO.com and Software Advice. Nearly all B2B marketers surveyed reported maintaining email lists and doing search engine optimization (SEO), but most have experimented with nearly every marketing tactic listed in the poll, whether time-tested or cutting-edge—from trade shows, to telemarketing, to social media ads, to behavioral retargeting.
via Mix of Digital, Offline Tactics Yields High-Quality B2B Leads – eMarketer.
As you’ve probably discovered, there are people lurking all over the web who find great joy in humiliating and attacking others. This insightful infographic describes the inner workings of Internet trolls, explaining why they decide to spend their online time in attack mode. Tapping the expertise of psychologists and experts, it offers solid reasons why this scourge of the Internet continues.We all like to think that most people mean well, and are inherently good. Even if that’s true, the infographic shows us instances where even some good people can quickly turn bad, all because of a variety of situations related to mob behavior.