One-quarter Of “Women of Social Media” Prefer Socializing Online Rather Than In-person

Women appear to have adapted to social media  quickly and easily. Whether connecting with friends and family, recommending brands,  shopping, posting product reviews or sharing everything from business advice to recipes,  it’s clear women have embraced a variety of social media platforms.

Seeking to identify how to tap into the online female market even more effectively, PR firm Weber Shandwick in partnership with KRC Research surveyed 2,000 North American women, with an emphasis on those seen as “digital influencers.”

“No successful brand these days can be without a social media engagement plan,” explains Weber Shandwick’s Director of Digital Engagement Marcy Massura. “Nor can any marketer ignore the strength – in number and influence – of women who use social media.”

Just how large and influential is this group of social media savvy women?  Take a look at these numbers: 

Taylor Swift And Keds: A Match Made In Heaven?

If you live on the moon, there’s some chance you don’t know about Taylor Swift.

But if there’s a ten-year-old girl on the moon with you, you’re no doubt well-acquainted with America’s (and the world’s) latest sweetheart.

At least, that’s what Keds—a classic sneaker brand launched in 1916—is betting on. Swift is the new face of their latest campaign, an effort to target tween- and teen-aged girls with one of their most beloved idols.

The hub of the campaign is at Bravehearts.com, but social media platforms from Pinterest to Facebook to Twitter host much of the content. On Twitter, for instance, fans can commune with the hashtag, “#bravemoment” (a switch, by the way, from the initial “#braveheart”—still showing up in Google—which tangled participants up in conversation about Mel Gibson’s kilt-clad warrior movie).

The Bravehearts site offers a host of content suggestions and conversation starters for each of the different platforms, inviting “brave girls” to share their stories and hopes and challenges with one another—all under the doe-eyed watchful gaze of Swift herself.

The pairing makes sense on many different levels:

What Marketers Can Learn From CES

One of the biggest tech conferences in the world, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), was in full swing last month, January 8-11, in Las Vegas.

Gadgets, devices and electronics from the practical (smart appliances that send text messages when the laundry is done) to the quirky (an iMusic BodyRhythm massager controlled by an iOS device) were on display, and an estimated 150,000 were in attendance to see them unveiled.

Some are arguing that in today’s rapidly evolving tech world, the relevance of CES is fading. Granted, big names like Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft didn’t even make it to this year’s event, preferring, it seems, their own product launches. Still, CES 2013 drew a record-breaking crowd and created what appeared to be non-stop publicity for the constant parade of new “must-see” electronics.

What can marketers learn from the success of this year’s CES? Here’s my short list of the key take-aways:

Social Media And Voting

2012 was another banner year for social media. “Old stand-bys” like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube continued to gain traction, while newer platforms like Pinterest and Instagram proved there’s still room at the table for social sharing networks, provided they’re easy-to-use, innovative . . . and fun.

Looking back, what was the top social media story of the year? I’d have to say, the role that social media played in the presidential election is number one for me. I was fascinated by the ways voters (and the campaigns, themselves) used social media versus other forms of communication to discuss, debate or try to influence friends and followers on the merits or weaknesses of the candidates.

Pew Internet conducted research on this very topic, and released the results earlier this fall.  A few days before the election, more than one thousand registered voters were asked if and how they shared information with others regarding whom they were voting for, and whether or not they urged others to choose one candidate over the other.  About three-fourths (74 percent) of the registered voters polled indicated they had done at least one of those things, or both . . .  and a significant amount of this political discussion took place on social media.

Nearly one in three stated they had been encouraged to vote for a specific candidate via social media, and 20 percent of voters admitted that they had used social media to encourage someone else to do so.  Generational differences persisted, however. For example, nearly half (45 percent) of the registered voters under age 30 stated they had been urged to vote for a particular candidate via social media, and more than one-third in that same demographic said they had encouraged others to do so.  When the same two questions were posed to adults between the ages of 50 and 64, the percentages dropped to 27 and 16, respectively.

Are either Democrats or Republicans more vocal on social media?

Not really. According to this study, 25 percent of Obama supporters and 20 percent of Romney supporters stated they posted their presidential preference on sites such as Facebook or Twitter, a difference that the researchers felt was not statistically significant. In fact, even when looking at other forms of communication, such as face-to-face or phone conversations, email and texting, the pro-Obama and pro-Romney camps were farily evenly matched.  One notable exception was the 18 to 24 year olds, who were “considerably more likely” in face-to-face discussions to favor Obama.

The study also found that:

New Report Questions Legitimacy of Social Media Comments on Controversial Health Topics

Earlier this month, I wrote about a Gartner study that predicted by 2014, as much as 15 percent of all social media reviews online will be paid for, rather than voluntarily submitted by satisfied customers.

Now, new research suggests the problem of illegitimate posts may be even more widespread. According to this new study, more than one-third of all social media comments on certain controversial topics may actually be generated from artificial sources such as “pay-per-click” sites, “content farms,” “robot” responders and others with a financial interest in the debate.

KDPaine & Partners recently analyzed more than 300,000 tweets, comments and posts about three health topics that have been generating a high volume of online buzz: childhood vaccinations, genetically modified foods (GMOs) and the use of high fructose corn syrup. The results of the analysis are somewhat startling, and they certainly cast a shadow on how reliably social media platforms truly reflect the opinions of valid, independent consumers.

Among the findings: