A survey of small business owners by the Wall Street Journal and Vistage International has found that LinkedIn is not only the most commonly used social media tool by small businesses, but also the most positively perceived. Asked which social media tool had the greatest potential to help their firms, 41% of respondents chose LinkedIn, compared to 16% who pointed to YouTube, 14% to Facebook, and just 3% to Twitter. In fact, more CEOs chose LinkedIn than did Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest combined.

via Small Biz Owners Say LinkedIn Offers Them More Potential Than Facebook, Twitter.

Google’s stated mission is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” And recently it has extended that effort into the travel space, upending the online landscape for travel marketers, according to a new eMarketer report, “Travel Search Redefined: What Google’s Travel Content Means for Marketers.”

via Google’s Expanded Travel Info Revamps Marketer Landscape – eMarketer.

A recent study of QR code usage among consumers in the US, UK, Germany and France found that Americans were the most likely to have used the technology. According to the study of 2,000 Americans and 1,000 Europeans undertaken by Pitney Bowes, US consumers were more likely to report having scanned QR codes across every medium by which the codes were delivered.

For QR codes printed in magazines, nearly two out of five Americans between 18 to 24 years old and 36% of Americans between 25 to 34 years old reported having scanned one. In Germany, where usage was next highest, 27% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 23% of 25- to 34-year-olds had tried scanning barcodes in magazines.

via US Ahead of Western Europe in QR Code Usage – eMarketer.

Nearly 1 in 3 marketers plan to decrease their organization’s focus on newspapers this year, per results from a survey conducted by Aquent and the American Marketing Association AMA. In fact, traditional media occupied the top 6 areas slated for a decline in focus this year by respondents. Beyond newspapers, a significant proportion plan to shift their attention away from consumer magazines 28%, radio 24%, trade magazines 22%, and TV 21%.

via Marketers Say They’re Shifting Focus Away From Traditional Media.

Just 5% of American adults believe that companies should have the right to track their activities whenever they’re online, while an opposing 28% feel that companies should never be able to track their online behavior, per results from a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Microsoft. While that implies a negative sentiment towards online tracking, a majority 60% are ok with companies tracking them, but only if individuals give their permission. The remaining 8% are accepting only if it’s a value-based exchange, where the individual gets something in return.

via 3 in 10 Adults Say Companies Should Never Be Able to Track Their Online Activities.

Traditional media and online search engines are the most trusted general news information sources around the world, trusted by 58% of respondents to the “2013 Edelman Trust Barometer.” But trust is certainly not homogeneous, differing by age and country. For example, among 18-29-year-olds, search engines have the edge (61% vs. 59%), while traditional media gets the vote from the 65+ crowd (54% vs. 49%). Among all age groups, traditional media and online search engines are more trusted than hybrid media, social media, and owned media. Interestingly, younger respondents are generally more trusting of all media sources than their older counterparts.

via Traditional Media Trusted More Than Owned, Social Media For News Info.

Roughly 9 in 10 online adults in the US worry about their privacy online at least sometimes, details TRUSTe in its “2013 US Consumer Confidence Index.” Those privacy fears extend to a range of popular online activities, with a high proportion at least sometimes worried about their privacy when shopping online (89%), using social networks (87%), banking online (86%), using email (82%), and using mobile applications (77%). The study finds that concerns surrounding privacy on smartphones in particular is on the rise.

via Privacy Concerns Surround Popular Online Activities.

Nielsen has released a new report [download page] looking at consumer attitudes to new products, finding that 1 in 2 survey respondents from around the world are generally willing to switch to new brands. But, respondents – who were surveyed online – also displayed some caution, with 6 in 10 preferring to wait until a new innovation has proven itself before purchasing, and the same percentage preferring to buy new products from brands that they are familiar with.

via 1 in 2 Global Consumers Generally Open to Trying New Brands.

Less than half of travelers always (7.8%) or often (35.6%) stay at the same hotel brand, details Deloitte [pdf] in survey results released in January. The study, which looks at how travelers book hotel stays and the decision influencers behind those bookings, also finds that just 1 in 5 say that a loyalty program is a very important factor when choosing a hotel for business and/or leisure. Instead, ranking at the top of the list of very important factors is value for money/room rate, at 47% of respondents.

via Travelers Prove Not So Loyal to Hotel Brands.

A recent study of QR code usage among consumers in the US, UK, Germany and France found that Americans were the most likely to have used the technology. According to the study of 2,000 Americans and 1,000 Europeans undertaken by Pitney Bowes, US consumers were more likely to report having scanned QR codes across every medium by which the codes were delivered.For QR codes printed in magazines, nearly two out of five Americans between 18 to 24 years old and 36% of Americans between 25 to 34 years old reported having scanned one. In Germany, where usage was next highest, 27% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 23% of 25- to 34-year-olds had tried scanning barcodes in magazines.

via US Ahead of Western Europe in QR Code Usage – eMarketer.