Some 72pc of social media users update their platforms from home with 17pc updating on the move, and surprisingly only 11pc update from work, a new survey on behalf of the Nokia Digital Media Awards which take place this Friday claims.
As part of the Awards the role of social media is recognised in the whole digital media arena and there are a number of categories where the clever use of social media has been the main decision making factor in choosing a winner.
Three out of four people connect to their favourite social media platform daily and not surprisingly Facebook was the most popular platform with 77pc of respondents declaring that this is the platform they use most. Twitter came in a very low second with only 7pc of the 1,000 people questioned declaring it as their most used social media platform.
“We found these statistics very interesting and were surprised by the low percentage of people updating from work,” Tracey Carney, event organiser of the Nokia DMAs stated.
“It gives businesses wishing to connect with their market through social media a guide as to the language, content, style, tone used and also the scheduling of communications.
“Also interesting from a business point of view is that 59pc of social media users quote keeping in touch with friends and family as their main reason for using social media tools. From the survey it is obvious that most users of social media have not embraced the platforms for business reasons so far.”
She continued: “Twitter users are still in the ‘Early Adapter’ mode in Ireland but we see it growing more and more now that established traditional media titles such as RTE and TV3 are using the platform to communicate their messages, as are individual journalists and broadcasters, politicians, home grown celebrities and sports stars. But there is huge scope for businesses to capitalise on this vacuum.”
The rise and rise of smartphones
Another interesting fact arising from the survey results was the number of people using social media to communicate with friends and family living abroad. 28pc of respondents said that social media platforms were the main point of contact for them with Skype coming second at 26pc – both far more than the traditional communication tools of phone calls or text.
The use of mobile devices for communicating through social media channels continues to grow with 35pc of people questioned stated this was their main form of accessing social media platforms.
As this figure continues to grow, it will create more and more challenges for Advertisers wishing to access consumers through social media sites. Tracey stated “This is particularly the case with Facebook, at present Facebook advertisers are not reaching 35pc of their market through advertising, and as the number of people accessing social media platforms from their phones continues to grow this will have to be addressed if they want to see advertising revenue grow.”
The Nokia Digital Media Awards take place this Friday.
