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Survey Says Business Spending More Time With Social Media Marketing

Businesses are spending more time on social media according to Re:NEW Michigan's latest social media survey.

The majority of respondents, over 30 percent (30.7), said their business spends between one and three hours with social media per week. In October 2010, this percentage was only 16.2, while the majority of respondents had said their business used social media less than one hour per week.

Every six months, the Ann Arbor marketing and public relations firm, Eiler Communications, measures changes in social media use. The April 2011 survey was distributed to over 900 businesses and individuals. Compared to results in October 2010, April 2010 and December 2008, the results of April 2011's survey indicate social media marketing and online content gathering is still on the rise. The following is a summary of results.

* The majority of respondents continue to use electronic online news outlets as their primary source of information. For the majority of respondents, ease of use, convenience and anytime access were the selling points for their primary source of information.
* LinkedIn (81.5 percent), Facebook (71 percent), Blogs (52.6 percent), YouTube (52.6 percent) and Twitter (47.3 percent) continue to be the most used social media sites for businesses.
* Only 23 percent of respondents say social media has replaced other forms of marketing but 33.3 percent of respondents say social media has augmented existing traditional marketing techniques.
* The number of respondents who don't use any social media measuring tools has decreased from 36.5 percent in October 2010 to 15.7 percent in April 2011. It appears that these people now use Google Analytics, as 71 percent said they use it. This is a 22.3 percent increase from October 2010.
* Despite its rise in popularity, some respondents are reluctant to incorporate social media strategies. Their greatest concerns about social media marketing had to do with the quality and integrity of the information, the time required to use social media properly, as well as control over the messages.

Re:NEW Michigan is a trademark of Eiler Communications (www.eilerpr.com), which periodically surveys a sample of businesses, healthcare and educational institutions, governmental and non-profit leaders on various topics of broad interest especially related to marketing.

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