FrogDog Releases Results of Three-Year Longitudinal Study on Social Media Trends

Oct 01, 2012

FrogDog has released the results of a three-year national longitudinal research study on social media. The study shows how social media use has changed over time.

Highlights from the study:

• Facebook continues to be the dominant social media platform for every social media purpose—spreading marketing messages, business networking, connecting with friends and family, keeping abreast of the news, and finding sources of entertainment—according to 80 percent of respondents.
• For entertainment, Facebook remains king, with 78 percent of respondents spending their leisure time on the social media giant. YouTube (at 55 percent) remains the second destination respondents for entertainment. Facebook and YouTube have not lost any footing in this category; both received almost identical numbers in 2011.
• Twitter is relevant when delivering marketing for 60 percent of respondents; however, Twitter usage is declining.
• LinkedIn has emerged as the leading social media platform for professional networking, with 77 percent of respondents preferring LinkedIn over Facebook, at 48 percent. Additionally, LinkedIn has increased as a destination for information over the past three years, moving up almost 15 percent since 2010.

FrogDog’s survey also revealed several emerging social media platforms that garner a mention for use in reaching customers and clients, including YouTube, Pinterest, and Tumblr.

Also, by comparing results from prior years, the firm determined that social media platforms have become more relevant in all forms of business communications with clients and customers.

FrogDog CEO Leslie Farnsworth said, “I felt certain we would see a year-over-year increase in the number of companies with formal social media strategies. Instead, the percentage stayed relatively flat in 2010 and 2011, at 38 percent and 36 percent, and only increased to 58 percent in 2012. I’m surprised it’s still only at 58 percent. Developing these strategies is critical.”

For additional results from the survey and further analysis, including charts and graphs, read FrogDog’s 2012 Social Media Survey Results.