I just read the results of a poll that asked people if they believe social media affects their buying decisions.   According to the results 74% of those polled feel that social media does not affect their  decisions to about what they buy.   I strongly suspect that of this 74%, the majority simply do not realize how much social media is beginning to shape their buying decisions.

The statistic of those who are affected, but don’t realize it, would certainly be much harder to measure.  I certainly can’t prove it either.  I base my assertion on  observations of the discussions on facebook, and twitter.  I  factor in the belief that 80 to 90% of shoppers today begin their buying decision for anything by jumping on a search engine and researching their purchase on-line.  I also fold in the fact that social media is having an ever larger impact on the search results delivered by the most popular search engines.

When you factor it all in,  it is hard for me to believe that 74% of shoppers are actually unaffected by what is happening on social media.  What is much easier to believe is that many people will fail to recognize or choose not  to admit that they are affected.  I understand this completely.  I for one, would never admit that I was ever swayed by TV commercials.

Many of the business owners I speak with are beginning to recognize that a consistent and persistent social media presence is necessary.  The challenge for many is how to get it done when they are already fully busy.  If you know that you need a solid social media presence but can’t find the time, you might check with my friends at Social-Cindy.com.  Social-Cindy.com will work with your budget to design and maintain a best “bang for the buck” campaign for your business.

Sincerely,

[Web: Handyman]

Credit: Corey Mangold, GigaSavvy