Social networking has little branding influence on consumers, survey finds
Author: Jenna Weiner
October 8, 2009

Social networking sites are not necessarily more effective than traditional marketing platforms such as custom printing and newspaper ads in increasing brand awareness and improving public opinion, a new survey found.

The survey, sponsored by WorkPlace Media, found that 96 percent of consumers reported no change in their opinion of a brand if the brand was not present on a social networking site.

Conversely, 88 percent of respondents said that a brand's presence on a social networking site did not change their opinion of the brand.

Furthermore, 11 percent of social networkers reported following a brand through social networking websites.

"When it comes to influencing brand perception and purchase decisions, the data shows that social networking still has a long way to go." said Stephanie Molnar, CEO of WorkPlace Media. "Most of our meaningful recommendations continue to be old-fashioned."

When it comes to targeting workers, social networking websites may not be the best method, the survey also found.

Fifty-five percent of workers reported having at least one social networking account, while 43 percent of those respondents access it at work. When they did, they did not stay long - 78 percent reported accessing the sites for 30 minutes or less each day.

However, many small businesses are still maintaining their social networking profiles - a recent MarketingSherpa survey found that three-quarters of business owners have profiles on professional or social networking sites.