the power of social networking for women research

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Connecting women to your brand through social media

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The Power of Social Networking For Women Study - July 2009

The Power of Social Networking

For Women Research Study

Not long ago social networking was still in the early stages of the innovationadoption curve, primarily used by teenagers and young adults. Now SocialNetworking has been woven into the fabric of everyday life and beyond thepurview of the young. It has gained enough momentum to move further alongthe curve into new segments of users. We would like to share with you ourexploration into how pervasive Social Networking has become for women.

Copyright 2009 ShesConnected Multimedia Corp.


July 2009


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The Power of Social Networking forWomen: A compilation of primary andsecondary research

Social Marketing to WomenVolume 1

July 2009

Research Topics Overview of Social Networking

Importance of women in Social Networks

Implications for advertisers and agencies

Evaluating social marketing research

Who the report is written for: Online Advertisers

Brand Managers

Agencies

Benefits of this report: Provides an overview of the social media landscape

Provides insights and recommendations to

advertisers and agencies that market or areconsidering marketing on Social Networks

Provide a perspective on market research used for

social media decisions

Contents

3 About ShesConnected

3 Purpose of study3 Methodology used4 Executive summary5 Overview of Social Networks7 Women and Social Media7 Results of primary research8 Demographic profile of respondents

Age

Ethnicity

Relationship status

Number of children

Work status Education

12 Attitudes and behaviors of women on

Social Networks Hours spent online

Number of Social Networks you belong to

Features used online

Frequency of using features

Importance of online activities

Social Networks they have joined

Frequency of using Social Networks

How they found about the Social Network they joined

Why they joined

Number of groups they have joined or started

Types of groups they have joined or started

Number of friends or connections

Concerns about Social Networks

Most important tools or features on a Social Network

How long they have been using Social Networks

How proficient they are on Social Networks

Comfort with various means of Social Network revenue

32 Key findings

33 Footnotes

34

Harvesting insights from social media35 Brief market research tutorial

36 Authors


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Who we areShesConnected Multimedia Corp. - connecting women to our clients brands

ShesConnected Multimedia is a unique social media agency designed to leverage the power of Social Networking

and social media to engage women in meaningful and relevant ways. ShesConnected combines agency expertise

with an online community of women to deliver gender-smart marketing. ShesConnected is made up of the following

capabilities:

Social Media Agency (www.shesconnectedmultimedia.com)

Social Network for Women (www.shesconnected.com)

Women Bloggers and Twitter Network (www.shesconnectednetwork.com)

We use market research, analytics, and modeling to craft highly viral social media strategies and programs targeted

to women.

This unique approach is the reason why leading organizations turn to ShesConnected for their social mediasolutions. Our team of strategists, account directors, community managers, analyst, designers, writers, and

developers are highly trained and experienced in social media as well as marketing to women. Whether you are

looking for a social media strategy, or how to integrate social media into your marketing mix; ShesConnected has the

expertise you need for creating vibrant online communities.

Methodology

We conducted an online research study among women and tapped into the knowledge of the ShesConnectedMultimedia Corporate staff. We have also drawn from numerous secondary research resources such as the US

Census Bureau data, Forrester, and other published third-party research to explore what types of women are using

Social Networks, how and why they use them, and which features are important to them. We used a viral

approach to recruitment and, where possible, have compared the results against published research data that

utilized traditional sampling techniques intended to yield results projectable to the total female population.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide key insights that

will allow advertisers and agencies to develop more

effective social media marketing strategies, campaigns

and programs. Marketers often find conflicting

information in published research when evaluatingopportunities in social media. This paper is a compilation

of primary research, published secondary data, and

insights from our experienced staff and advisors who

specialize in marketing to women through Social

Networks.

Social media includes social media sites, blogs, andsocial media applications/widgets.


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ShesConnected Multimedia designed and fielded this research study in April/May 2009. The research consisted of

an online survey completed by 711 women, recruited through a combination of e-mail invitations to ShesConnected

registered members, links posted on Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups (related to marketing and/or women), and

Twitter.

The survey invitation encouraged the recipient to recruit female friends, colleagues, and/or significant others to

complete the survey. No incentive was offered.

Executive Summary

Time spent on Social Networks is increasing as consumers spend less time on leisure activities that cost money1.

Three-quarters of US online adults use social technologies and adoption is expected to further increase during the

recession2. Women are engaging with Social Media and Social Networks faster than any other demographic. They

have discovered the power of Social Media and Social Network as:

a way of promoting their businesses

a way of connecting with other women with similar interests and passions

the new way to organize their activities, manages groups, and stay in touch with friends

As the classic slogan for Oldsmobile goes, This is not your fathers Oldsmobile, the juxtaposition for today is, This

is not your teenagers Social Network. 53% of online women use Social Networks at least weekly and the rate of

Social Network adoption in the past year has been especially strong among older women.

So what are the implications for advertisers, marketers, and social networks? In a word; OPPORTUNITY! Women

are one of the most important demographics to advertisers. Advertisers know that in order to be successful, you have

to follow the money. And the money is in the purses of the women who are spending their time on Social Networks.

Women control up to 85% of all household expenditures. They outnumber men online, and are spending a significant

amount of time on Social Networks.

Is this opportunity being taken advantage of? In our opinion it isnt. According to IABs 2008 Internet Advertising

Report, U.S advertisers spend $23.4 billion in online advertising in 2008. Their report did not break out advertising

spend on Social Networks. However, eMarketer estimates that $1.56 billion was spent on Social Networks in 2008.

That represents 6.7% of online advertising spent. While the amount of advertising spend on Social Networks grew

an estimated 70% from 2007, it still disproportionately small when you look at the reach and engagement levels that

Social Networks enjoy.

We believe the primary reason that Advertisers are under-spending on Social Networks can best be explained by

looking at the context of what has happened with Social Networks over the last few years. MySpace launched as an

online data storage and sharing site in August 2003, morphing into a true Social Networking site in 2004. Facebook

launched in February 2004 at Harvard University. Both sites focused exclusively on the youth market for the first fewyears building up critical mass before moving to an older demographic.


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In the early years Advertisers had several problems with Social Networks;

it was unproven marketing medium

given the nature of user-generated content and a focus on a younger demographic, many advertisers were leery

of advertising on the sites

there were concerns from both the Social Networks and the Advertisers on the use and receptivity of advertising

on these sites

there was little in the way of true infrastructure to support targeted or behavioral based advertising

there were concerns about the effectiveness of traditional display advertising on Social Networks, and

traditional performance metrics such as monthly uniques, page views, and click-through rates are not

comprehensive enough to measure the true effectiveness of social media

Many of these problems have been or are being resolved. We believe that Advertisers, Marketers, and Social

Networks are working aggressively to find the right formula for engaging consumers through social media. The result

will be increased spending and new innovative approaches to marketing on Social Networks.

Overview of Social NetworksNews about the explosive growth of social media is everywhere. Marketers are struggling to understand how best

to leverage social media tools in achieving their marketing objectives. They question how they will measure ROI in

order to justify expenditures, how to evaluate and/or conduct market research on Social Networks, and what the

potential impact would be of directly engaging with consumers in dialogue.

A longitudinal study of the use of social media in corporations indicates its usage with the Inc. 500 nearly doubled

over a 12-month period3.

An estimated 53% of marketers expect to increase spending on social media, with expenditures on Social

Networking components slated as the area most likely to be increased4. Undoubtedly we will see further increase in

usage by consumers in 2009.

Since social media provides an opportunity to engage in Social Network communities, it also allows the marketer to

build relationships by adding value to those communities. For this to be accomplished, marketers need to identify and

evaluate the unique characteristics of each Social Network community in order to gauge fit.


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Usage By Type of Social Media

Message/Bulletin Boards

Social Networking

Online Video

Blogging

Wikis

Podcasting

Dont Use Any

2007

33%

27%

24%

19%

17%

11%

43%

2008

35%

49%

45%

39%

27%

21%

23%

We have invested

heavily in social media at

our company. We believe

in the power of online

communities to help

uncover insights;

generate and validate

new product, service,

and business-model

concepts; and most

important, create the

necessar conversations

that spark a new idea wecan develop and

introduce across the

globe.5

Social Media in the Inc. 500: The First

Longitudinal Study.

As for any other element in the marketing mix, marketers want to

have the ability to track and measure the effectiveness of social

media. As recent as May 2009, the IAB released a white paper with

recommendations on social media ad metrics, but up to now there

has been no standardization of metrics to track effectiveness of

social media or across social media. Currently there is no

standardization of user IDs. This hampers the ability to track and

measure social media as well as frustrates consumers who must log

into each individual site. Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! are

working together on a shared identity system called OpenID6.

Concerns about data privacy and security are also significant factors in the evolution of OpenID. The ability to

measure ROI will continue to evolve as technology evolves.

Social media is also evolving from just being a place to socialize with friends and family. Its becoming a hub for

sharing information and providing personal opinions and perspectives. Netpop Research reported that 76% of US

broadband users (105 million) are active contributors to social media7. The typical Social Networker in the U.S. can

be identified as a single employed woman between the age 18-39 who:

Connects weekly with an average of 18 people one-on-one and 110 people one-to many

Spends a significant amount of time on Social Networking sites (U.S. Social Networking sites minutes per session

has almost doubled over the past year (83% in April 2009 versus April 2008)8

Uses multiple modes to communicate and stay in touch (IMs, texts, blogs and micro blogs) Is more likely to shop and spend more online than their non-contributing peers ($101/mo vs. $80/mo)

Chooses to shop with retailers that allow for customer care experiences to be shared online at nearly 75%9


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Women and Social MediaWomen outnumber men on most Social Networks.10

There is a disparity between the genders in terms of

their attitudes, behaviors, and needs. Publishedresearch from Rapleaf, a company that collects and

analyzes publicly available data from the Internet,

reports that although men spend as much or more time

online overall, women far outpace the men on usage of

social media (The Social Media Gender Gap

BusinessWeek May 19, 2008).

Studies have also found significant differences in the

online activity patterns between men and women11.

Men have a greater tendency to use the internet for

functional tasks (get information or download) whereas

women use the internet in a richer and more engagingway (employ Social Networks for information, maintain/

strengthen family connections, sharing news)12.

According to a recent university study, the success of

a Facebook application depends upon whether the

social network member is male or female. Applications

are passed to friends only if there is a perceived value.

Although both genders want novelty and rarity, women

seek applications to faciliate self-expression whereas

men seek those that facilitate competition.13

In addition to Social Network sites, blogs are a

powerful source of purchase influence for women.

Women who read and/or post to blogs are far more

motivated by the desire to get information and seek

advice/recommendations than are female social

networkers in general. They are also significantly more

likely to make a purchase decision based on customer

experiences reported on blogs. 14

In a blog written by Liana Evans (http://www.semclub-

house.com), she observes that there is a definite

difference in how men and women utilize, share,

communicate and move around in social media.

Women converse and share more. They want to talk

about their experiences or express their feelings

whether they are raving about a product or pissed off

about the service they receive. Men are less

expressive. Its rare you see a man gushing about the

brand new suit he picked up.

Results of Primary ResearchThe following are the results of the primary research

conducted by ShesConnected. In addition to

gathering information on women involved in socialmedia, the research also gave us the opportunity to

explore the implications of recruiting respondents for a

market research survey using viral techniques as

compared to standard recruiting using a nationally

representative online panel (when possible).

Using the viral recruitment technique (versus a random

sample of online users) resulted in older, more highly

educated respondents versus female Social Network

network users in general. The survey results for the

ShesConnected research more closely resemble those

of heavy or core Social Network users.


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Age: Please tell us your age

Key findings/insightsAs the classic slogan for Oldsmobile goes, This is not

your fathers Oldsmobile, the juxtaposition for today is,

This is not your teenagers Social Network. The rate

of Social Network adoption in the past year has been

especially strong among older women. We found that

women over 40 years of age accounted for 53% of

female core users. In a recent study, Facebook found

one of their fastest growing segments are women over

55, up 175% in the last 120 days. Women comprise

56% of Facebooks audience, up from 54% late last

year.15

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers andSocial NetworksAdvertisers have struggled with how to effectively

advertise on Social Networks. Looking at the

evolution of Social Networks, this makes sense.

MySpace launched as an online data storage and

sharing site in August 2003, morphing into a true Social

Networking site in 2004. Facebook launched in

February 2004. Both sites focused exclusively on the

youth market for the first few years building up critical

mass before moving to an older demographic.

In the early years advertisers had several problems

with Social Networks, 1) it was unproven, 2) given the

nature of user-generated content and a focus on a

younger demographic, many advertisers were leery of

Age of the core female

Social Networker

advertising on the sites, 3) there were concerns from

both the Social Networks and the advertisers on the

use receptivity of advertising on these sites, and finally

4) there was little in the way of true infrastructure to

support targeted or behavioral based advertising.

Very few would debate the viability of Social Networks

today. Through critical mass, Social Networks have

gone mainstream and have resonated with an

important demographic -- those who control the

household purse strings. Women control over 85% of

household spending. Advertisers know they must

engage this powerful target demographic in a way that

is relevant, meaningful, insightful served up to her

when and where she wants it.

Marketers continue to struggle with a media vehiclethat lacks conventional media metrics, a well-defined

ROI, and reduced control over how and where their

brand is portrayed. That said, they know it is an

increasingly important part of the internet and will

increase their marketing expenditures on these sites.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity: Please tell us which best describes you

Key insights/finding

There was an over-representation of white/caucasiansamong the core Social Network users as compared to

the general online population (85% vs. 72%)16 and

the US population at large (66%)17 .

Black/African American respondents represented 4% of


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Number of children

Children: Do you have children?

Key insights/findings

Over half (55%) of core Social Network users havechildren. The average core user has two children in the

household, comparable to the U.S. population.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers andSocial NetworksMarital status and presence of children in the

household will impact the interests and needs of the

target core user. While these are strong influencers,

marketers should consider other profile characteristics

that attracted members to join a Social Network and

determine whether the network provides the optimal

environment for the brand.

our core user respondents, well below incidence

among online users (11%)18 and the US population

(13%)19 .

Asian women represented 5% of our core user

respondents, similar to incidence among online users

overall (6%)20 and in the total U.S. population (4%)7.

Self-identified Hispanics were the most

under-represented among core Social Network users.

Only 2% reported using Social Networking sites,

significantly below incidence among online users

overall (11%)21 and the U.S. population (15%)22 .

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers andSocial Networks

Caucasion women were over-represented amongcore social media users. We would expect ethnicity to

realign to more closely reflect the online population at

large as adoption of Social Networking continues to

grow.

A benefit of social media is the ability to target specific

social communities based on their member profiles

and interests. As Social Networks expand and become

more diverse, niche targeting will become more

prevalent and effective.

Relationship Status

Relationship Status: Please tell us yourrelationship status

Key insights/findingsThe majority of core Social Network users are married

(59%). Single women represented 29% of core users

and 12% are divorced. Single core users skewed

heavily toward those aged 21-25 (81% vs. 29% for all

age groups).


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Work Status Education

Work Status: Please tell us your work status...

Key insights/findingsAlmost half (47%) of core users reported working full

time for someone else, and over a third (36%)reported being self employed. Self employed core

users skewed heavily towards those aged 41-45.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers andSocial NetworksAccording to the Small Business Administration study

on Womens Business Ownership, Women

entrepreneurs are among the fastest growing groups of

business owners. These women tend to be older and

better educated than wage and salary-earning working

women23.

Through qualitative research we conducted on Social

Networks, women use Social Networks to

promote their businesses, to build business

relationships through networking, and to promote their

personal brand. Women are using Blogs, micro-blogs

(such as Twitter), and Social Networking sites to build

PR for their businesses and themselves.

For example, Visa launched The Visa Business

Network on Facebook to connect small business users

and to help them promote their businesses to a larger

community. (http://mashable.com/2008/07/23/corpo-

rate-social-media/)

Education Status: Please tell us your level ofeducation level achieved.


Core Social Network users tend to be highly educated,with 23% having earned a Masters, PhD, or other

advanced degree (vs. 8%24 nationally). Also

over-represented versus the U.S. population are those

with a Bachelors degree (41% vs.15% U.S. pop)25.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers andSocial NetworksHighly educated women will likely have low tolerance

for poorly designed or executed marketing campaigns.

It is vital that marketers communicate and interact with

these core user/influencers in an intelligent,

respectful manner. The use of social applicationsdesigned specifically for this target audience should

increase engagement.


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ATTITUDES AND

BEHAVIOR OF WOMEN

ON SOCIAL NETWORKS


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Numbers of hours spent on the Internet per day

Question: On average, how many hours per day do you spend on the internet for personal use and for work orbusiness?

Key insights/findingsHalf (49%) of core Social Network users average 1-2 hours per day on the internet for personal reasons; a third

(33%) report spending more than 3 hours per day.

Almost half (48%) report being online for 5 or more hours per day for business. When looking at internet use for work

or business, 20% are online 3-4 hours per day.

Almost half of female core users who use the Internet for business are considered heavy users, online for 5 or more

hours a day.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksWomen are spending a significant amount of time online each day. A deeper look at their activities reveals that the

line between work and personal use is blurring. When spending time on Social Networking sites, women easily

co-mingle work and personal activities. Self employed women tend to spend more time online than other women for

both work and personal use. This may be in part due to the lack of constraints to access Social Networks during

working hours.


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Number of Social Networks you belong to?

Question: How many Social Networks have you joined/belong to?

Key insights/findingsOver two-thirds (67%) of core Social Network users belong to 3 networks; half belong to 4 or more. Based on

previous focus groups conducted by ShesConnected, the predominant reason given for joining multiple sites was no

one site meets all of my needs or interests.

Women perceive the broad categories of Social Networks to be:

Business or professionally-oriented sites

Sites for reconnecting with old friends and staying in touch with current friends

Sites that cater to special interests or hobbies

Sites that keep me updated (there is a distinction made between sites having professional editorial versus

consumer-generated content, with a preference for the latter)

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksAs the number of Social Network sites proliferate and people become overwhelmed with the number of choices and

time required for upkeep, Social Networks with the greatest number of members will thrive. This consolidation will

mean smaller networks will be unable to remain viable unless they offer a unique value proposition.

Marketers should maintain a presence in the largest networks, but should consider leveraging the power of niche

Social Network sites. Smaller niche sites provide an opportunity to have a greater presence and to tailorcommunications to the specific needs of the member base. Any marketing tactics customized to the site should

support the overall brand position.

One example of how an advertiser utilized social media is Fujifilm. They launched a Social Network to build a

community of photo enthusiasts around its newest camera. (http://mashable.com/2008/07/23/corporate-social-me-

dia/)


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Features Used Online

Question: Which of the following activities have you done online?

Key insights/findingsCore Social Network users are engaged in a greater variety of Social Network activities than other network users.

The incidence of starting a blog was exceedingly high, likely a reflection of the education level and social media

involvement of these core users. Although incidence was lower for RSS feed subscriptions and downloading

podcasts, these may be excellent vehicles to reach early adopters or influencers.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksWomen seem to be very proficient at using most of the features of a Social Network. Advertisers and marketers have

an opportunity to integrate marketing tactics into the fabric of the features giving them many more opportunities to

engage women than they have through traditional display advertising. We believe that many of these activities will

lend themselves to promotional-based tactics for the advertiser. Advertisers would be well served to not make such

tactics intrusive and should closely monitor engagement levels and continually gauge consumer receptivity.


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Frequency of Using Features

Question: How frequently do you do the following activities?

Key insights/findingsFrequent and deep engagement is the core theme here. The top four activities on a daily/weekly basis are:

Viewing profiles 81%

Reading blogs 71%

Watching video 65%

Leaving comments 51%

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksBy having a presence in the most popular activities on Social Networks, marketers have an opportunity to increase

both the number and quality of consumer touch points. It is important that marketing tactics and communications fit

contextually with what the viewer is doing.

There are many potential approaches to leveraging the popularity of certain features. Some examples of

marketing tactics:

1. Viewing profiles: sponsor voting widget to highlight the best profiles

2. Reading blogs: nurture relationships with influential bloggers to promote your products or services

3. Watching video: sponsor contest for best video produced that features product

4. Leaving comments: opportunity to become part of the conversation not to overtly promote your product, but to

provide value to the Social Network community.


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For example, Starbucks started MyStarbucksIdea so that customers can submit ideas for the company which are

then voted on by other users, the best of which will be implemented by the company.

(http://mashable.com/2008/07/23/corporate-social-media/)

Its funny I didnt even know what

social networks were two years ago.

Now I cant imagine not using my

networks. I use them for everything


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Importance of Various Online Activities

Question:How important are the following activities to you?

Key insights/findingsThe following activities are considered to be somewhat or very important:

The ability to create and edit a profile 82%

Uploading pictures 80%

Reading blogs 76%

Viewing profiles 74%

Frequency is closely related to the importance of the activity, with some notable (and understandable) exceptions:

the ability to create/edit a profile and writing blogs.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksAdvertisers and marketers have an opportunity to partner with Social Networks to develop campaigns that follow and

are integrated into the core users most prevalent/important activities. One should not underestimate the power of

brand presence. According to Bill Moran in the classic marketing article Brand Presence and the Perceptual Frame,26presence is the lubricator which simply facilitates sales by reducing the mental friction in the consumers

decision-making process.

The most successful tactics will be promotional in nature as these can be far more effective than a banner ad in

creating brand presence. Although creating and editing a profile is not a frequent activity, its importance gives the

marketer an opportunity to add value in a memorable way.


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An example would be to sponsor tools, backgrounds, images, features, and widgets to enhance the profilers

creativity or status. This promotion could be further extended to include sponsored voting for favorite profiles and

publicity to highlight the winners.

For example, Dell leverages a variety of social media platforms for customer engagement, including an island in the

virtual world of Second Life. (http://mashable.com/2008/07/23/corporate-social-media/)

Social Networks are the most

efficient way for me to stay in

touch with what is going on. I use

them to promote my business, stay

in touch with friends and keep up

to date with what is important


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Membership in Specific Social Networks

Question:Which of the following Social Networks do you belong to?

Key insights/findingsOut of the top 20 sites listed in our survey, Facebook dominated with 83% core user members, followed closely by

LinkedIn with 73%. Incidence of Twitter membership was exceedingly high (55% vs. 5% as reported by Harris

Interactive). High incidence of membership across Social Networks is a reflection of the level of core user

involvement and the method of recruitment used.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksSocial media requires more thoughtfulness. Marketers cannot just push out their message. They need to think of the

context in which users experience marketing tactics. Once large Social Networking sites hit critical mass, the

members fragment into special interest groups. This provides the marketers with the opportunity to focus efforts on

the popular groups and tailor the messaging and tactics to match each groups focus.

The most effective marketing campaigns for adaptation to social media are those broad enough to fit the particulars

of different sites. For example, the Dove campaign The Many Faces of Beauty could have included a Put your best

face forward profile contest on a business-focused network around the idea of the importance offirst impressions.

Winner would get a make-over for themselves as well as for their website. On personal-focused networks, the

campaign would be adapted to a community cause such as helping under-privileged kids develop a positive self

image.


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Frequency of Visiting a Social Networks

Question: How frequently do you visit a Social Network site?

Key insights/findingsAbout 6 in 10 of these core users are visiting Social Network sites multiple times each day, with a total of 73%

visiting at least once daily. Not only have these sites captured a huge number of subscribers in a relatively short

period of times, they have also driven a level of unprecedented engagement. Email is the only other application that

drives more frequent usage.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksThe implications are profound; users of Social Networks are finding such high utility in these sites that they are

becoming a central component of their lives online. Marketers need to focus on how best to provide value to the

community. A deeper look into Social Network behaviors and attitudes will help guide decisions related to the

development and placement of specific marketing tactics.

Email offers the opportunity for ad placement but ads are difficult to contextualize. Social networks are increasingly

replacing or augmenting email communications and have the advantage of being able to customize ads that have

relevance to the general context of the group.

An example would be postings or inbox messages considered valuable enough to pass along to a friend.

Information sent by a friend is more likely to be opened and read.


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Source of Discovering Social Networking Sites

Question:How did you find out about the Social Network site(s) you visit or belong to?

Key insights/findingsAt the risk of stating the obvious, Social Networks are by their very nature viral. Adoption is being accomplished

primarily by word of mouth. Whether it is a friend, co-worker, or family member, women are being driven to sites

predominately through people they know.

In addition, with the massive amount of media attention these sites have received it is hard to imagine someone not

being aware of Social Networking. Surfing the web was a leading source of discovering Social Networks (45%). We

believe that a large percentage of those discovering Social Networking sites by surfing the web were initially

prompted to look at the sites by something they read or heard about in the media.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksWith the great success of Social Networking sites, marketers must figure out how to integrate themselves into the

social fabric of the web. This has challenged marketers on many levels but there are many potential approaches to

consider:

Develop a fan page to drive engagement and collect data

Create promotions with links into the fan page to increase traffic

Integrate offline and online marketing with web addresses on packaging and advertising, contests that require

codes be entered in the website or fan page

Sponsor groups or entire sections of a site

Sponsor newsletters

Create excitement and entertain with content, contests, special offers, and promotions

Post links to popular websites on fan page and request they host links to your fan page

For example, Jeep connects with customers via a community page with links to photos on Flickr, the companys

MySpace and Facebook pages and a list of enthusiast groups. (http://mashable.com/2008/07/23/corporate-social-

media/)


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Importance of visiting/belonging to a Social Networking site

Question:Why do you visit or belong to a Social Networking site, and how important are these?

Key insights/findingsWhether it be for business or personal use, interactions with others is the primary motivation for participating in

Social Networks. Business activities such as networking and promotions are the most highly valued benefits of Social

Networks. On the personal side, keeping in touch with friends, family, and group members is an important benefit.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksSocial networks are most valued for facilitating communications. Marketers can join in the conversation if they avoid

direct sales pitches and instead become a contributing member of the community. Through an understanding of

community needs, marketing efforts can focus on informing and facilitating activities of the highest perceived value,

such as:

Helping professionals network by developing marketing tactics to help give exposure

Facilitating reconnections with a widget Whatever happened to.

Promoting businesses through sponsoring voting for best in category

Facilitating communications of group activities through RSS feeds

For example, HSBC built the HSBC Business Network to connect entrepreneurs using blogs, videos and forums.

(http://mashable.com/2008/07/23/corporate-social-media/)


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Number of groups joined or started

Question:How many groups have you joined or started?

Key insights/findingsEven among this core Social Network user group, starting a network community group is reserved for influencers

(56% of core users). The average number of groups joined is 2-5, but there are a sizeable number of core users that

belong to more than 10 groups (29%).

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksCore users actively start and participate in groups. Social Network groups are a great venue to have meaningful

dialogue about brands, product or service experiences, and upcoming products. Marketers should find ways to help

people create and join groups by way of widgets or links.

Group creators are likely to be top influencers. Careful nurturing of a respectful, mutually beneficial relationship could

lead to brand advocacy and/or support of your marketing efforts.

For example, Yamaha (UK) empowered their community members by providing them tools to create Social Networks

within their branded environment. (http://mashable.com/2008/07/23/corporate-social-media/comments)


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Total Number of friends or connections

Question:How many connections or friends do you have on the networks you belong to?

Key insights/findingsAccording to a study by Rapleaf, women have an average of 62 online friends with 70% having between 1 and 50

friends. Our research skewed towards a higher number of connections, which reflects the behaviors of a core user

group.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social Networks

Those with friends and influence are attractive targets for advertisers.Their influence can best be leveraged by

providing something of value for viral distribution. Caution should be taken in not attempting to overuse their

influence as it could have a negative impact on both the brand and the influencer.

Some bloggers use their online real estate to drive revenue at the expense of the reader. Too many advertisers on

a page can lead to a loss in credibility and overpower the content. Google analytics can provide metrics on specific

sites, which can be a useful tool in selecting where to focus efforts. Examples of social media metrics are unique

visitors, cost per unique visitor, page views, visits, return visits, interaction rate, time spent, video install, and relevant

actions taken.


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Concerns about using Social Networks

Question:What concerns do you have regarding Social Networks and how important are those concerns to you?


Consistent with other published research, privacy is one of the top concerns about using Social Networks. The nextmost prevalent concern is the time one needs in order to keep up with network communications.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksAside from respecting the privacy and safeguarding the security of network members, marketers must be

respectful of their time. Keep communications brief and ensure any requirements placed on the network members

will be to their benefit. While sophisticated network members do not shy away from innovative applications with

some complexity, they appreciate opportunities to save time and effort. Sponsored applications to streamline their

network activities such as the ability to get screen information would likely be well received. Marketers should stay

away from marketing tactics that require time-consuming involvement and focus instead on those with high value and

potential for viral distribution.


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Most Important Tools or Features on a Social Network

Question: Which tools or features are most important on a Social Network?

Key insights/findingsTools to provide the ability to set levels of privacy and security are the most important features to core users. These

features are even more important than the core functions of belonging to a Social Network, such as posting

comments/photos and inviting friends to join your network.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksGiven that privacy and security are at the top of the list of core user needs, marketers must carefully gauge and

monitor any communications they have with the target group. Social media efforts could potentially work against the

marketer if mishandled. Marketers should carefully research the practices of Social Networks they are considering

and avoid those that do not honor member confidentiality.


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Length of Time Have Used Social Networking Sites

Question: How long have you been using Social Networking Sites?

Key insights/findingsIf 45% of core Social Network users have belonged to a Social Network for less than two years, there is still

significant growth on the horizon.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksMarketers may be entering into an environment where members are familiar and comfortable with the way things are

being done. On the other hand, members may be ready for novelty an excellent opportunity for the marketer to be

noticed. New activities/approaches should be pre-tested so as not to have the effort backfire and cause more harm

than good.


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Perceptions of Proficiency with Social Networking

Question: How proficient are you at using Social Networks?

Key insights/findingsCore Social Network users tend to be confident in their Social Networking abilities.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksMarketers should find ways to help core users to stay ahead of the curve by introducing new applications and

providing updated, useful information. It is best not to shy away from widgets and applications with some complexity.

Users are increasingly more sophisticated and may become alienated if communications and functionality is

dumbed down.


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Comfort with Various Means of Social Network Revenue

Question: Social Networks have several ways to make money. What is your comfort level for each of thesemethods?

Key insights/findingsCore Social Network users understand the need for Social Networks to support themselves through advertising but

are not willing to have their data sold or be charged a subscription fee to access the site.

Implications for Advertisers/Marketers and Social NetworksSocial networks need to look to advertising revenue to be profitable. Potential products or services for sale on the

site should be optional for members and not a requirement for site access. Advertisers should strive for engaging

and useful communications on the site so that it is viewed as an enhancement to the community rather than a painful

requirement.


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Women are one of the fastest growing segments on Social Networks with 53% of online women use

Social Networks at least weekly. We believe this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

The adoption of Social Networks by older women is especially strong. The largest age group in our core

user survey was women over 50 years of age.

They are highly educated, with 23% of respondents having a Masters, PHD, or other advanced degree

(vs. 8% Nationally).

Over a third report they are in business for themselves. They spend a significant amount of time online

each day with 49% reporting they spend 1 2 hours per day for personal use and 48% reporting they

spend 5 or more hours per day online for work.

They belong to multiple Social Networks with 48% reporting they belong to four or more Social Networks.

The top 5 reasons they belong to Social Networks are:

Network professionally Stay up-to-date with friends

Stay up-to-date with groups they belong to

Promote their business

Research products or services

They visit Social Networks frequently with 59% visiting Social Networking sites multiple times per day,

14% reporting at least once per day, and 14% reporting several times per week.

They are highly engaged and comfortable with the technology. The most popular activities are:

Viewing video

Reading blogs

Posting photos Writing in blogs

Posting comments

The have a lot of connections/friends with 83% reporting they have 50 or more connections or friends.

They join and/or start a large number of groups with 28% reporting they belong to more than 10 groups,

with business related groups being the most popular group they join or start.

Safeguarding personal privacy is the number one concern for women using Social Networks.

Key Findings


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1. The Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Mary-lands Robert H. Smith School of Business Changing ConsumerPriorities in Tough Times. Consumer Technology Pulse: ResearchResults (March 2009)http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/news/releases/2009/pdfs_docs/WhitePaperTechPulse.pdf

2. Craig McLurg, Inside WebTrends Engage 2009WebTrends Announcments (April 8, 2009):http://www.webanalyticsworld.net/2009_04_01_archive.html

3. Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D. and Eric Mattson, Social Media inthe Inc. 500: The First Longitudinal Study (Center for MarketingResearch at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth July 11,2008)http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesresearch/blogstudy5.pdf

4. Brian Morrissey, Social Media Outlay Still Small Forresterfindsthat marketers still relegate efforts to the sidelines, 2009http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3ie-2b23ab2b6e7cd34591a961df87dc4eb (March 16, 2009)

5. G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitn, Dive into SocialMedia Now Business Week, May 2009http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/may2009/ca20090512_532970.htm (May 12, 2009)

6. David Recordon, A Social Web Intro at the Internet IdentityWorkshop 2009http://www.slideshare.net/daveman692/a-social-web-intro-at-the-internet-identity-workshop

7. Cate Riegner, Media Shifts to Social Media NetpopResearch LLC 2009 Social Media Report,http://www.slideshare.net/Netpop/netpop-connect-media-shifts-to-social-2009 p. 13.

8. Nielson Wire, Time Spent on Facebook up 700%, but MySpaceStill Tops for Video, June 2, 2009http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/time-spent-on-facebook-up-700-but-myspace-still-tops-for-video/

9. Raging Analytics, Make Online Shopping a SocialExperience, October 13, 2008,http://www.raginganalytics.com/blog/tag/online-retailer/

10. Richard MacManus, Study: Women Outnumber Men on MostSocial Networks, July 29, 2008http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_networks_women_outnumber_men.php

11. Chris V. Thangham, Women Outnumber Men onFacebook, MySpace, Bebo and other social networks, DigitalJournal, July 30, 2008http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/258009

12. Gord Hotchkiss, Human Hardware: Men and WomenMarch21, 2008http://searchengineland.com/human-hardware-men-and-wom-en-13614

13. Rebekah Russell-Bennett and Dr Larry Neale, What value dousers derive from social networking applications?, QueenslandUniversity of Technology, June 17, 2009http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=5725

14. Susan Wright and Elisa Camahort Page, 2009 Women andSocial Media Study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass PartnersMay 29, 2009 p 18, and p 22

15. Justin Smith, Fastest Growing Demographic, Women over55 www.insidefacebook.com, February 2, 2009http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/02/02/fastest-growing-demographic-on-facebook-women-over-55/

16. Kathleen Clark, Atelier Report, March 5, 2008http://www.atelier-us.com/internet-usage/article/leveling-the-us-online-population

17. 2007 US Census Report,http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html




21. ComScore Press Release, U.S. Hispanic Internet AudienceGrowth Outpaces Total U.S. Online Population by 50 Percent,April 16, 2009http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/4/U.S._Hispanic_Internet_Audience_Growth


23. Darrene Hackler, Ellen Harpel, and Heike Mayer, Small Busi-ness Research Summary, Human Capital and Womens BusinessOwnership, April 2008

24. 2000 US Census report on Education attainment forwomen. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_QTP20&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U

25. IBIT

26. Journal of Advertising Research, Vol 30, No. 5,October/November 1990

Footnotes


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Social media provides an opportunity for marketers to gather valuable insights without formal market research.

On the most basic level, monitoring posts and discussions can give you a sense of the breadth of issuesrelated to your brand, company and category. Niche networks and forums provide an opportunity to expand

beyond the most popular Social Networks and explore unique issues and needs.

On www.sherpablog.com (Market Research via Social Media, Adam Sutton, 4/17/09), there are four main

categories of information that can involve mining social media:

1. Brand monitoring What consumers are saying about their companies and their competitors

2. Trend analysis Current trends in a market and where the market is heading

3. Customer information Information about current and potential customers as well as best language to use

when communicating to customers

4. Unmet needs Collect information about what products consumers wish they had

On www.sociableblog.com, there was a blog posted (April 29, 2009) on 100 tips and tools to research the

social web. The following are just a sampling of the tools, sites, alerts, and tips offered in the posting:

Set up alerts: Use various services to track industry keywords and/or other relevant information.

Set up feeds: Save time by setting up an RSS feed that will collect news for you

Sign up for Delicious (the biggest collection of bookmarks online) and Digg (highlights top news across the

web)

Explore tools to monitor popularity of keywords and conduct power searches

Harvesting Insights from Social Media


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With the rapid growth of Social Networks, it is

important that the marketer have the ability toevaluate market research so as not to bemisinformed in making decisions. The following arekey considerations in judging the quality of researchon social media:

Defining the populationOne of the first steps in designing a market research

study is to define the population you would like to

generalize to. For this study, the population would be

women who have joined at least one Social Network.

Creating the Sampling FrameThe design of the sample is based on the goal of

getting the best representation of your population as

possible. For some populations, this can be a

challenge in terms of accessibility, incidence, and

cost. Other considerations in designing the sample

frame include the size of the sample and the level of

precision desired.

Types of Sampling MethodsProbability sampling allows one to generalize the

results of a survey to the population at large. There

are many different types of probability or random

sampling but they all share the common

characteristic of giving each person in your

population an equal probability of being chosen.

Statistical tests (such as significance, margin of error,

etc.) are only valid for results drawn from a

probability sampling frame.

Non-probability sampling does not involve random

selection.

Creating the questionnaireThe way questions are worded in a survey can havea profound impact on the results. Data quality is also

directly related to questionnaire length, the flow, the

complexity of the tasks required, whether an

incentive was offered, and how engaged the

respondent is with the entire survey experience.

Considerations in analysis andreporting of dataAccording to The Art and Science of Interpreting

Market Research (DVL Smith/JH Fletcher, 2004),

there are eight broad areas one should consider in

determining to what degree compensation is required

when interpreting market research:

Could the context in which the research was

conducted have affected responses?

Was the research design fit-to-purpose?

Was the sample representative of the target

audience?

Was the most appropriate data collection method

use?

How natural was the dialogue with the

respondent?

Were the questions asked neutral and unbiased?

Was the study professionally executed?

Have the study results been presented (or put

in the public domain) from a neutral standpoint,

or in a way that might seek to advance aparticular position?

Brief Market Research Tutorial


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Authors

Contact Information

ShesConnected

Properties

Cathy HarrisonVP, Market Research

Cathy is responsible for leading the market research

efforts for ShesConnected Multimedia Corp. She

has over 20 years of experience in both quantitative

and qualitative research techniques across a broad

range of industries. She is dedicated to the pursuit

of actionable consumer insights using cost-effective

and creative research solutions. Prior to joiningShesConnected, Cathy worked at Bose Corporation,

The Response Center, Wrangler, Young & Rubicam,

and The Advertising Research Foundation.

[email protected]

617-674-2169 ext 289

Mark GrindelandCo-founder & CEO

Mark is co-founder and CEO of ShesConnected

Multimedia Corp., and has been exclusively focused

in Social Media since 2007. His unique skill set

encompasses Advertising, Mobile, and Social Media

at executive levels. With over 25 years of experience

working with some of the worlds leading consumer

brands he is well equipped to provide strategicleadership in the ever changing media landscape.

Mark was a co-founder of m-Qube Inc. the premier

provider of mobile messaging and data solutions

in North America. He was also the Chief Executive

Officer, Wunderman Cato Johnson - Europe, Middle

East, and Africa region. Prior to that Mark was a

Senior Vice President at Digitas.

[email protected]

617-674-2169 ext. 200

ShesConnected Multimedia Corp - Boston

2 Woodstock Drive,

Framingham, MA 01701

Tel: 617-674-2169

Fax: 617-674-2469

www.shesconnected.com

www.shesconnectedmultimedia.com

ShesConnected Multimedia Corp - Toronto

40 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 502

Toronto, ON M4P 3A2

Tel: 416-761-4071

Fax: 416-761-4073

the power of social networking for women research

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