Industry Statistics

There have been a number of studies spotlighting the latest in word of mouth.

Why Social Media Marketing works:

• According to a global Nielsen survey of 26,486 Internet users in 47 markets, consumer recommendations are the most credible form of advertising among 78% of the study's respondents. (Nielsen, "Word-of-Mouth the Most Powerful Selling Tool")
• Online social network users were three times more likely to trust their peers' opinions over advertising when making purchase decisions. ("Social Networking Sites: Defining Advertising Opportunities in a Competitive Landscape," Jupiter Research, March 2007)
• Consumers trust friends above experts when it comes to product recommendations (65% trust friends, 27% trust experts, 8% trust celebrities). (Yankelovich)
• "Person like themselves" still most trusted source for information about a company and, therefore, products. (Edelman Trust Barometer, November 2007)
• Trust in "a person like me" has tripled, from 20% to 68% from 2004 to 2006. (Edelman Trust Barometer)
• 86.9% of respondents said they would trust a friend's recommendation over a review by a critic, while 83.8% said they would trust user reviews over a critic. (Marketing Sherpa, July 2007)
• Recommendations from family and friends trump all other consumer touch points when it comes to influencing purchases, according to new data from Publicis media network ZenithOptimedia. (AdAge, April, 2008)
• Adult Internet users surveyed chose recommendations from friends as the one type of promotion they consider most worthwhile. (DoubleClick)
• Recommendation is the number one reason for choosing a particular site. (Royal Mails Home Shopping Tracker Study 2007)
• 91% of moms prefer brands that other moms have recommended. (Marketing VOX, October 2006)
• 91% of US adults regularly or occasionally seek advice about products or services. (BIGresearch)
• Review users noted that reviews generated by fellow consumers had a greater influence than those generated by professionals. (comScore/The Kelsey Group, October 2007)
• 68% of online marketers believe "media is in big trouble and will lose dollars to user-generated content." (iMedia Connection, February 2008)
• 81% of marketers surveyed say that their social media spending will meet or exceed their traditional advertising spending within the next 5 years. (TWI Surveys/Society for New Communications Research, November 2007)
• 75% of people don't believe that companies tell the truth in advertisements. (Yankelovich)
• 67% of moms would rather talk to a peer than hear from a celebrity about products. (Marketing VOX, October 2006)
• 26% of search results link to user-generated content. (Nielsen BuzzMetrics)