Over 30M Americans would rather buy brands advertised in Social Media

Over 30M Americans consider advertising a fair price to pay for using social media sites ad features and actually think to buy brands that advertise on social media.

This finding is part of a study realized by Knowledge Networks and MediaPost Communications, “The Faces of Social Media”. The study shows that a majority (59%) of social media users consider ads are a fair price to pay for social media sites and features, while 15% are more inclined to purchase from brands that advertise in this new media.

Also, people owning smartphones are more more receptive to advertisers’ messages, and an intersection exists with social media that is worth further marketing exploration. Ads within apps appeal to smartphone owners aged 13 to 54, 40% saying that ads they see while using their smartphones are usually relevant to their “needs and interests.”

The social media listening / targeting pool for marketers has also gotten more comprehensive.  Frequency of use of social media has grown in the past year, with 20% of the American population using it daily. Overall usage has increased, with 82 percent of the teen and adult population using social media, up from 69 percent in 2009, the study found.

“Marketers can expect more impact reaching social media users via mobile, based on these new findings,” said Chuck Martin, Director of the Center for Media Research at Media Post Communications. “As more people move to smartphones, there will be an increased opportunity for advertisers to improve their reach to consumers with increased relevance.”

The Faces of Social Media study comprised interviews with 2,242 people from KnowledgePanel, the Knowledge Networks online panel representative of the U.S. population.

MediaPost Communications is an integrated publishing and content company whose mission is to provide a complete array of resources for media, marketing and advertising professionals. Since 1996, Mediapost.com has been the largest and most influential site on the Internet for media executives, providing news, blogs and directories to help its community of more than 100,000 members better plan and buy both traditional and online advertising.

Knowledge Networks is passionate about research in marketing, media, health and social policy — collaborating closely with client teams throughout the research process, while applying rigor in everything we do.  The company specializes in innovative online research that consistently gives leaders in business, government, and academia the confidence to make important decisions.