1. business and industrial
2. advertising and marketing
3. public relations

45% 42% 65% 20%
of Australian social
users access social at
least once a day
95%
of Australian social
media users use
Facebook
Australian social users
have an average of
258
fans or followers
use social while
watching TV
of Australians
use social media
May 2013
Yellow Social
Media Report
TM
What Australian people and businesses are doing
with social media
35% 67% 7
The typical Australian
Facebooker spends
more than
of regional SME’s
have a social media
presence
use social media to
research products and
services
of Australian social
users access social
sites on a smartphone
hours
25%
of social media
users follow brands
on site a week
82% 60% 30% 51%
of small business social
accounts are run by
the owner or manager
of the business
of large businesses
update their social
media every day
The average investment
for a small business
using social is
29%
13.7%
of their marketing
budget
of small businesses
have no strategy to
drive traffic to their
social media presence
of Australian small
businesses use social
media
of large businesses
measure social media
ROI
Copyright 2013 Sensis®.
Developed in association with the Australian Interactive Media Association (AIMIA)
Yellow Social Media Report
TM
Contents
Foreword3
Reasons for using social media
35
Reasons for using social media (Trends)
36
Reasons for using social media (Age and gender)
37
Types of products or services researched on social media
38
Methodology6
Last search occasion
39
Section 1:
The General Public And Social media
Social media and brands
40
7
What consumers want from businesses they follow? 41
Internet Access
8
What consumers want
from businesses they follow on Facebook and Twitter
42
Social media usage
9
Executive Summary 4
Executive summary 5
Advertising on social media 43
Social media usage (age, gender and location)
10
Provision of online ratings (Age, gender and location)
44
Social media usage (time of day)
11
Provision of online ratings 45
Reasons for not using social media
13
Types of products/services rated 46
Social media sites used
14
Use of online reviews or blogs 47
Social media sites used (Age, gender and location)
15
Posting of online reviews or blogs 49
Social media sites we’ve stopped using
16
Frequency of using social media
17
Section 2:
Australian Businesses And Social media
52
Frequency of using Facebook
18
Business use of social media (Summary)
53
Time spent on social media
19
Business use of social media by sector (SME)
54
Views on time spent on social media
20
Business use of social media by location (SME) 55
Number of friends, contacts or followers
21
Uses of social media
56
Number of friends, contacts and followers by location
22
Advertising on social media
57
Who is responsible for a business’ social media presence? 58
Social media management in large businesses
59
How often businesses update their social media
60
How is traffic driven to a business’ social media presence?
61
Business investment in social media 62
Percentage of marketing budget allocated to social media
63
How businesses measure the
success of social media investments
64
How businesses measure the
success of social media investment (Measures)
65
Expectations for the next 12 months
66
Social media and business performance in Australian SMEs
68
Percentage of friends, contacts or followers seen
face-to-face in the past year (Age, gender and location)
23
Number of Twitter accounts followed
24
Devices and applications used to access social media
25
Devices and applications used
to access social media (Trends)
26
Places where social media is used
27
Places where social media is used (Trends)
28
Places where social media is used (Age, gender and location) 29
Places where social media is used in the home
30
Places where social media is
used in the home (Age, gender and location)
31
TV and social media use
32
TV and social media use (Genre)
33
TV and social media use (Age and gender)
34
Yellow Social Media Report | Contents
TM
2
Foreword
The popularity of social media amongst Australian consumers is an undisputed fact with a growing majority of us
actively engaging with social media on a regular basis.
While business use of social media continues to grow, there still
remains a sizeable gap between the social media strategies of
Australian businesses and the corresponding behaviour of a large
number of their customers with only 30% of small businesses and
47% of medium-sized businesses having a social media presence.
The third edition of the YellowTM Social Media Report continues
to provide a fascinating insight into the relentless march of
social media into the hearts, minds and wallets of the Australian
consumer. This dramatic and ever shifting change in consumer
behaviour builds a compelling case for Australian businesses of
all sizes to invest much more in developing social media strategies,
that allow them to reach their customers in ways that didn’t exist a
decade ago.
The report covers the full spectrum of the social media environment
in Australia and reveals new patterns of usage and behaviour,
particularly the impact of mobile devices on social media. In the
past year, for the first time, the use of smartphones to access
social media has overtaken laptops and desktop computers as the
preferred platform for social media activity.
Notably the report reveals that tablet usage also grew strongly
from 18% last year to 35% this year and provides new data on the
shopping habits of the social media consumer further allowing
businesses to refine their approach to social media and their
customers.
However consumer concerns about security and privacy are
also on the rise making it imperative that businesses understand
how social media is creating a new relationship between buyer
and seller.
AIMIA is again delighted to partner with Yellow Pages® in the
development and distribution of the YellowTM Social Media Report.
John Butterworth
Chief Executive Officer
AIMIA
Yellow Social Media Report | Foreword
TM
3
Executive Summary
Australians are getting socially mobile
Over the past year we have seen the social media usage of Australians increase, both in the proportion of the
population that uses social media, and also in the intensity with which Australians are using it. Australians have
been strong adopters of social media, and these trends have grown in most areas.
In particular, the impact of mobile devices on social media has
intensified in the past year. For the first time we’ve seen the
proportion of people using smartphones to access social media
surpassing the proportion accessing social media from a laptop
computer. For mobile users, the nature of their social media
experience has become critical, with users significantly favouring
access through mobile applications rather than websites.
The surveys discovered that while 65% of online Australians use
social media, only 30% of small businesses and 47% of mediumsized businesses have a social media presence, potentially
missing a significant opportunity for their businesses to connect
with potential customers and deepen their relationships with their
existing customers.
Sensis®, in conjunction with the Australian Interactive Media
Industry Association (AIMIA), surveyed 932 Australian consumers
and 1,959 Australian businesses to get the real story on how social
media channels are being used. Significantly, small and medium
businesses that had embraced social media were more likely to
report better business performance, being more likely to report
increased sales, profitability and employment than those without a
social media presence. They were also more likely to be confident,
and pursuing growth strategies in their businesses.
For the purposes of this report, the term social media refers to:
• Social media networking websites, including Facebook,
Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest
• Online blogs and online rating and review mechanisms
The findings detailed in this report aim to help Australian
businesses to make more informed decisions about how to use
these channels to engage with consumers.
Yellow Social Media Report | Executive Summary
TM
Australians and social media
The consumer survey found that 65% of internet users have a
presence on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or
LinkedIn. Facebook dominates the social media space, capturing
95% of social media users. On average, Facebook users spend
more than seven hours a week on the site.
The increasing number of consumers using social media presents
a huge opportunity for brands to connect with people, but
marketers should respect how people view their social media
interactions. The top reasons people use social media remain
catching up with friends and family, sharing photos or videos, and
coordinating social media events. However approximately one
in four are using social media for commercial purposes, to follow
their favourite brands, research purchases and to access offers
and promotions.
Consumers are keen to connect with businesses on social media,
but they want to do it on their terms. While many consumers report
taking no notice of advertising on social media, around three in
ten do pay some attention. The majority of consumers report that
they ignore sponsored posts on social media from businesses that
they don’t follow, however are more receptive to receiving posts
from businesses they follow. This emphasises the importance for
businesses to actively build their following to get the best return
from their social media investment.
Another key feature of the report in 2013 has been its impact on
the path to purchase. One in five social media users report that
they use social media to research products and services that
they want to buy, up from 16% last year. Most notably though,
the link between social media and purchasing has continued to
strengthen, with 58% of those that use social media to research
purchases reporting that their last research resulted in a purchase,
up from 40% last year. Of those purchases, only half were made
online, highlighting the importance of social media for “bricks and
mortar” stores.
4
Executive summary
There is a clear opportunity to build consumer relationships and
sales via social media. The most important factor is how that
connection is made. Social media users are most interested in
what businesses can give them in the form of discounts (66%),
giveaways (56%), product information (49%), tips and advice (48%)
and coupons (44%). All of these have increased in the past year.
of three employees and an average of 16, demonstrating the
large emphasis that some organisations are currently placing on
social media. Large businesses were likely to have social media
policies for staff, and the majority had social media training. While
small businesses mostly update their social media weekly, large
businesses are more likely to be doing it on a daily basis.
Blogs and reviews have a notable influence on buying decisions,
with 74% of social media users reading reviews before making
a purchase decision, increasing from 68% last year. On average,
people read four reviews before making a decision. However, only
28% of online users post blogs or reviews, so reaching that 28%
of ‘influencers’ remains a key goal for marketers, with this metric
having increased over the past year. However with only 34% of
users following brands on Facebook, and 32% following brands
on Twitter, marketers will need to carefully plan their social media
strategy so it connects with their audience.
However a sizeable proportion of businesses investing in social
media are unaware of the actual amount they’ve invested, and
don’t measure the return on their investment. Despite this they
do have a good feel for whether their social media has been
successful, with most measuring it by the number of connections
they have.
Australian businesses and social media
While the proportion of SMEs that had a social media presence
was below the proportion of consumers using it, it has continued
to grow in the past year. The proportion of small businesses with a
presence increased from 27% to 30% with increases also recorded
for medium businesses. As with consumers, Facebook was the
dominant form of social media presence for businesses.
SMEs in the cultural, recreational and personal services sectors
were most likely to have a social media presence (60%), compared
to only 17% of transport and storage SMEs. Social media presence
varied less by location than by industry, however the highest
proportion of SMEs with a social media presence was in Western
Australia (34%) with the lowest in the Northern Territory (23%).
Despite the increased usage of social media by businesses,
average social media spends dropped over the past year, with
small businesses that use social media spending on average
$1,970, compared to $11,780 for medium businesses and over
$79,710 for large businesses. However, the falls in social media
spend was more aligned with drops in marketing budgets overall,
and there was little change in the proportion of the marketing
budget that social media accounted for. Large businesses were
likely to have invested in structures for social media, with a median
Yellow Social Media Report | Executive Summary
TM
Despite the investment in social media, almost three in ten small
businesses have no strategy to drive traffic to their sites. The most
popular method across all business sizes was to put links to
social media on the business website. Almost a quarter of large
businesses reported paying for advertising on other websites to
drive traffic to their sites, with this being the second top strategy
that businesses were using, despite consumers reporting that they
would mostly ignore this.
Despite the lack of strategic direction behind many businesses’
social media presence, it remains a key area of growth. A sizeable
proportion of businesses are expecting to spend more on social
media in the coming year, with few expecting to decrease spends.
At the larger end of the business scale, some of this will come at
the expense of other marketing activities, mainly print advertising,
but many businesses are not planning to cut other budget areas
to increase their social media activities, indicating a belief that they
will make a return on the additional investment.
With social media becoming more intensive in our lives, businesses
need to carefully examine consumer behaviours in this area, to
increase the return on their investment and drive business growth
by strategically using social media to connect with existing and
new customers.
5
Methodology
This report contains the results of research conducted by Sweeney Research between
February and April 2013.
Consumer survey
The research consisted of a telephone survey among 932
randomly selected respondents across Australia. Quotas were
applied to provide for adequate representations in each age group
and both genders. Quotas were also applied on location to ensure
coverage across metropolitan and regional areas in each State
and Territory. The interview fieldwork was conducted in March/
early April 2013. The data was weighted by age and gender within
location so that the results are reflective of the actual Australian
population. Sample sizes by age and gender are shown below.
Sample size - consumer
Total
Male
Female
14 to 19 years of age
76
39
37
20 to 29 years of age
92
43
49
30 to 39 years of age
119
45
74
40 to 49 years of age
157
71
86
50 to 64 years of age
242
116
126
65 plus years of age
246
103
143
Total
932
417
515
Business survey
The findings for small businesses (1 to 19 employees) and
medium‑sized businesses (20 to 199 employees) come from
additional questions included in the March 2013 Sensis® Business
Index. These findings are based on interviews with some 1,809
SME proprietors from across Australia. Quotas are applied on
business size, business type and location to ensure that the sample
is reflective of the actual business population across Australia.
Interviews were conducted in the period 24 January to
12 February 2013.
The findings for large business (200+ employees) are based on a
separate survey conducted among 150 marketing decision-makers
in large businesses. Quotas were again applied to ensure an
adequate representation across the various regions of Australia.
Quotas were again applied to ensure an adequate representation
across the various regions of Australia. Interviewing for this survey
was conducted in April 2013. Total sample sizes by business size
are shown in the table below.
Sample size - Business
Number of employees
Sample
Industry
Sample
1 to 2 employees
674
Manufacturing
264
2 to 4 employees
273
Building/construction
195
5 to 9 employees
273
Wholesale trade
168
10 to 19 employees
196
Total small businesses
1416
Retail trade
300
20 to 99 employees
338
Transport and storage
113
100 to 199 employees
55
Communication, property and business services
363
Total medium businesses
393
Finance and insurance
79
200 to 999 employees
87
Health and community services
174
1000+ employees
63
Cultural, recreational and personal services
176
Total large business
150
Accommodation, cafes and restaurants
127
Grand total
1959
Grand total
1959
Yellow Social Media Report | Methodology
TM
6
37% 42% 41% 95%
of users access
social media first
thing in the morning
of users access social
media last thing
before bed
11% 7
The typical Australian
Facebooker spends
more than
of female social media
users use Pinterest
hours
on site a week
Australian social users
have an average of
258
fans or followers.
44%
of 14-19 year old
social media users
use Instagram
of Australian social
media users are on
Facebook
27% 34%
of Australian social
users intend to
increase time spent
on social this year
is the number of social
users that access
social media at work
Section 1
The general public
and social media
use social media
in the bedroom
Copyright 2013 Sensis®.
Developed in association with the Australian Interactive Media Association (AIMIA)
20% 67% 6%
only
use social media to
research products and
services
of Australian users
access social sites on
a smartphone
of social media
users engage with
Government on social
sites.
25%
have given online
ratings and reviews
45% 15% 94% 42%
of Australian social
users access social at
least once
a day
of Australian social
media users are on
Google+
use social to catch up
with family and friends
use social while
watching TV
Internet Access
All but 14% of the weighted sample use the internet and qualified for the survey. Internet usage is near‑universal
across all age groups until we reach 65+ where it drops to 60%.
Frequency of internet use in Australia
How
often do you
access the
internet?
44%
32%
6%
3%
1%
1%
14%
More than five times a day
Everyday
Most days
A few times a day
About once a week
Less often than weekly
Never
Proportion that access the internet by age and gender
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
100%
98%
99%
97%
91% 82% 86%
84%
60%
14–19
20–29
30–39
40–49
50–64
of Males access
the internet
65+
of Females access
the internet
of Australians
access the internet
Years of age
Base: All contacts (932) Q. How often, if at all, do you access the Internet – either on a computer or on your mobile phone or other devices such as an iPad or iPod Touch?
Proportion that access the internet by location
Internet usage showed small variations around the states and territories, with the lowest level of usage in Western
Australia, where internet usage was at 81%.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
86%
NSW
89%
VIC
84%
QLD
85%
SA
81%
WA
87%
TAS
State/Territory
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
96%
NT
95%
ACT
88% 80%
of people in
metropolitan areas
access the internet
of people in regional
areas access the
internet
8
Social media usage
Among Internet users, some 65% use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn, up from 62%
last year. Some 45% use social media networking at least every day, up from 36%, with 17% using it more than five
times a day, reflecting the increase of intensity of social media networking in the daily lives of Australians.
Frequency of using social media
17%
28%
5%
6%
4%
5%
35%
How
often do you
use social
media?
More than five times a day
Everyday
Most days
A few times a week
About once a week
Less often than weekly
Never
50
45%
40
38%
36%
30
38%
35%
30%
20
100%
10
10%
8%
4%
0
2011
2012 2013
At least once a day
2011
2012 2013
Most days
2011
9%
9%
6%
5%
2012 2013
A few times a week
6%
4%
2011
6%
4%
2012 2013
2011
5%
2012 2013
About once a week Less often than weekly
2011
2012 2013
Never
Frequency of using social media – Trends
45% 17%
of internet users use
social media every day
access sites more
than 5 times per day
Base: All Internet users (800) Q. How often, if at all, do you use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
9
Social media usage
(Age, gender and location)
Females are more likely than males to use social media and are also more likely to be frequent users. There are
more significant variations by age group – almost all of those aged under 40 (87%) use social media, with the
majority using everyday. Those aged over 40 are substantially less likely to be users overall. Those in regional
areas are slightly more likely to use social media, and are more frequent in their use.
Frequency of using social media by age and gender
Frequency of using
social media
Total
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
At least once a day
45%
44%
47%
72%
76%
66%
42%
28%
10%
Most days
5%
4%
5%
8%
3%
5%
5%
6%
2%
A few times a week
6%
6%
6%
8%
5%
6%
9%
5%
2%
About once a week
4%
3%
4%
4%
4%
3%
7%
2%
3%
Less often than weekly
5%
5%
6%
0%
0%
6%
3%
11%
7%
35%
38%
32%
8%
13%
15%
34%
48%
76%
Never
Frequency of using social media by location
Frequency of using
social media
Total
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Metro
Regional
At least once a day
45%
48%
42%
45%
54%
46%
40%
53%
44%
44%
51%
Most days
5%
3%
7%
4%
3%
6%
4%
8%
3%
5%
5%
A few times a week
6%
5%
9%
2%
7%
6%
8%
6%
0%
6%
5%
About once a week
4%
3%
3%
4%
5%
6%
8%
9%
3%
4%
4%
Less often than weekly
5%
7%
4%
6%
3%
1%
6%
10%
6%
6%
3%
35%
34%
26%
37%
28%
35%
34%
15%
44%
36%
32%
Never
Base: All Internet users (800) Q. How often, if at all, do you use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn ?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
10
Social media usage
(time of day)
Australians tend to access social media all throughout the day, with 37% of social media users checking their
networks first thing in the morning and 42% just before bed. The evening was the most popular time to check out
networks, with 53% reporting usage after work. Females were more likely to use social media first thing in the
morning and last thing before bed, while men were more likely than women to access social media during work
and after work/in the evening.
Frequency of using social media network
6:30 am
60%
7:30 am
9:00 am
10:30 am
1:00 pm
6:30 pm
10:30 pm
53%
50%
40%
42%
37%
30%
20%
16%
10%
0
First thing in
the morning
Commuting
22%
22%
Breaks
Lunchtime
12%
During Work
After work/in Last thing before
the evening
I go to bed
2013
When we use social media
6:30 am
70%
7:30 am
9:00 am
10:30 am
1:00 pm
6:30 pm
10:30 pm
63%
60%
53%
50%
40%
33%
30%
40%
37%
25%
20%
16% 16%
10%
0
First thing in
the morning
Commuting
22%
25%
42%
22%
12%
N/A
During Work
Breaks
Lunchtime
After work/in Last thing before
the evening
I go to bed
2012 2013
When we use social media – Trends
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
11
Social media usage
by time of day
(Age, gender and location)
Frequency of using social media by age and gender
When we socially network
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
First thing in the morning
34%
39%
27%
35%
44%
43%
27%
48%
Commuting
16%
16%
22%
20%
14%
17%
12%
1%
During work
15%
9%
9%
8%
13%
19%
12%
6%
Breaks
21%
22%
23%
32%
22%
20%
16%
8%
Lunchtime
23%
22%
19%
24%
24%
20%
19%
33%
After work/in the evening
57%
50%
47%
66%
54%
55%
52%
27%
Last thing before I go to bed
36%
47%
41%
39%
46%
51%
30%
48%
Frequency of using social media by location
When we socially network
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Metro
Regional
First thing in the morning
37%
30%
37%
52%
45%
24%
28%
20%
36%
40%
Commuting
20%
14%
12%
24%
9%
6%
14%
22%
19%
5%
During work
16%
11%
10%
11%
8%
5%
12%
13%
13%
7%
Breaks
17%
23%
27%
27%
17%
29%
19%
28%
22%
20%
Lunchtime
22%
20%
24%
28%
20%
11%
18%
39%
24%
18%
After work/in the evening
52%
46%
58%
57%
66%
49%
57%
60%
55%
49%
Last thing before I go to bed
39%
45%
41%
52%
39%
37%
41%
35%
42%
42%
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. When do you most commonly look at your social media?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
12
Reasons for not
using social media
The charts below summarise reasons that Australians are not using social media, showing that a lack of interest/
appeal continues to be the primary reason. However, this reason has fallen from 58% last year to 50% this year.
Security and privacy concerns were the second most frequent reason for not using social media, rising from 18%
last year to 22% this year. At a lower level, there were also concerns about the time it takes, people not agreeing
with the concept of social media and not understanding how to use it.
Reasons for not using social media
50
60
50%
50
40
58%
50%
40
30
30%
30
20
22%
20
18%
10
10%
10%
0
Not interested/
doesn’t appeal
Security/
privacy
concerns
15%
10
11%
0
22%
Too time
consuming/not
enough time
Don’t
agree
with it
Don’t know
how/ not
computer savvy
2012
2013
2012
Not interested/
doesn’t appeal
Reasons we don’t use social media
2013
Security/
privacy
concerns
2012
11%
2013
9% 10%
2012
2013
10%
5%
2012
2013
Too time
Don’t agree
Don’t know
consuming/not
with it
how/ not
enough time
computer savvy
Reasons we don’t use social media – trends
Reasons for not using social media - verbatim comments
“Too distracting,
I can’t be
bothered.”
Female
(40-49 years)
“I have a limited
number of
contacts, so I just
use email.”
Male
(65+ years)
“Don’t know how
to use the
privacy settings”
“I don’t have
time for it.”
Female
(50-64 years)
“Heard bad
things about it,
in the paper.”
Female
(50-64 years)
“Too much
insignificant
chatter”
Male
(65+ years)
Male
(50-64 years)
“I work in
government”
Male
(40-49 years)
“Because of the
pain it causes
people - people
write something
then regret it
Male
later.”
(40-49 years)
“I think people
make things up
on these sites.”
Female
(40-49 years)
“Don’t
understand how
they work.”
Male
(40-49 years)
Base: Non users of social media (298) Q. Why don’t you use social media?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
13
Social media sites used
Facebook continues to dominate as the most popular social media site, being used by 95% of social media
networking participants, down slightly from 97% last year. Facebook is used by a slightly higher proportion of
female users with strong usage by those in their 20s and 30s. LinkedIn was the next most popular platform,
being used by 20% of social media users, up from 16% last year. LinkedIn usage was higher amongst men and
particularly high in the ACT. Instagram usage was strongest amongst the younger age demographics, with usage
dropping significantly for those over 30. Twitter was used by 15% of social media users, up from 14% last year, and
Google+ was used by 15%, up from 8%, with usage higher amongst older Australians. Pinterest usage, at 7% of
social media users, was mainly restricted to female-users.
Social media used
100
100
95%
90
90
80
97% 97% 95%
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
40
40
30
30
20
20%
10
20
16%
15%
15%
7%
0
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter
Google+
16%
10
Pinterest
0
9%
2011
2012
2013
Facebook
Social networking sites used
20%
2011
14% 15%
8%
2012
2013
2011
LinkedIn
2012
2013
Twitter
Social networking sites used – Trends
95% 17% 20% 15%
of Australian social
media users use
Facebook
of female social
media users are on
Instagram
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
of Australian social
media users use
LinkedIn
of Australian
social media users
are on Google+
14
Social media sites used
(Age, gender and location)
Social media sites used by gender and age
Social media sites used
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
Facebook
92%
98%
94%
99%
99%
91%
95%
86%
LinkedIn
25%
15%
1%
21%
17%
32%
26%
17%
Instagram
15%
17%
41%
30%
13%
4%
4%
0%
Twitter
19%
12%
7%
18%
15%
20%
17%
12%
Google+
15%
15%
10%
7%
18%
18%
15%
32%
Pinterest
1%
11%
4%
7%
5%
11%
8%
4%
Social media sites used by location
Social media sites used
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Metro
Regional
Facebook
94%
97%
96%
95%
94%
95%
96%
95%
95%
97%
LinkedIn
27%
20%
15%
20%
9%
8%
2%
30%
23%
9%
Instagram
16%
20%
17%
9%
13%
13%
7%
15%
17%
15%
Twitter
18%
17%
13%
11%
11%
14%
3%
30%
18%
8%
Google+
21%
13%
13%
13%
8%
18%
4%
19%
16%
13%
Pinterest
10%
6%
7%
3%
2%
7%
3%
0%
7%
6%
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. Which of these social media do you use?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
15
Social media sites
we’ve stopped using
Despite solid growth in social media usage, there continued to be underlying shifts between sites. 12% of
Australian social media users reported that they had stopped using some sites during the past year, down from
13% last year. Of those Australians who said they’ve dropped a social media site, 45% reported they had stopped
using Twitter.
Sites Australians stopped using in the past year
50
45%
40
30
20
18%
10
12%
12%
MySpace
LinkedIn
9%
0
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
Which sites Australians stopped using in the past year
Base: Stopped using a social media channel in the past year (49) Q. Over the past year, have you stopped using any social media networking channels?
Of the people who have
dropped a social media
site in the past year
while
stopped using Twitter
dropped Facebook
and
45% 18% 12% 12%
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
dropped LinkedIn
stopped using MySpace
16
Frequency of
using social media
On average, Facebook users use the site around 24 times a week, up from 21 times a week in 2012.
Average Twitter usage is 13 times a week, dropping from 23 times a week last year, while LinkedIn users reported
using the site over 8 times a week on average, up from 5 times a week in 2012.
Number of times used per week
Site
Number of times used per week
Proportion
who use
Under 1
1 to 2
3 to 5
6 to 10
11 to 19
20+
Average times
used per week
Facebook
95%
3%
15%
13%
22%
11%
34%
24
LinkedIn
20%
8%
48%
12%
15%
7%
7%
8
Twitter
15%
15%
27%
14%
23%
3%
14%
13
Average number of times used per week - Trends
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
2011
2012
2013
16
21
24
2011
2012
2013
8
5
8
2011
2012
2013
23 23 13
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. In a typical week, how many times would you use Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
17
Frequency of
using Facebook
The charts below look at the average usage frequency for Facebook in more detail. Usage frequency peaks at
more than 30 times a week for those in their 20s and is higher in South Australia and Tasmania.
Average number of times Facebook is used per week by age and gender
40
30
33
28
24
20
23
25
24
23
16
10
10
0
Total
Male
Female
14 to 19
20 to 29
30 to 39
40 to 49
50 to 64
65+
Average number of times Facebook is used per week
Average number of times Facebook is used per week by location
Total
26
23
37
20
24
25
22
Metropolitan
24
Regional
15
25
37
Base: Users of Facebook (479) Q. In a typical week, how many times would you use Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
18
Time spent on social media
On average, Facebook users spend around 18 minutes on the site each time they access it, similar to last year’s
findings. If the average time spent is multiplied by the average number of usage occasions, the typical user would
spend more than 7 hours per week on the site, an additional hour a week compared to last year. LinkedIn, Twitter
and MySpace users tend to spend less time when logged on to these sites, averaging around 9 to 10 minutes per
visit respectively.
Time spent per visit
Site
Proportion
who use
Average time spent per visit
Up to 2
minutes
3 to 5
minutes
6 to 10
minutes
11 to 15
minutes
16 to 30
minutes
Over 30
minutes
Average
time (min)
Facebook
95%
8%
18%
24%
15%
17%
17%
18
LinkedIn
20%
15%
33%
21%
14%
8%
4%
10
Twitter
15%
21%
29%
19%
10%
7%
5%
9
Average time spent per visit – Trends
Facebook
2011
2012
21
LinkedIn
2011
13
Twitter
min
min
2011
11
min
18
2013
min
18
2012
2013
9
10
2012
2013
9
9
min
min
min
min
min
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. And roughly how long would you spend each time you use Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
19
Views on time
spent on social media
Overall, Australians were more likely to feel that they had increased the time they spent on social media compared
to last year. Overall, two in three felt that the time they spent on social media was about right, but three in ten
felt they spent too much time on it. Most were expecting to spend the same amount of time in the coming year,
however slightly more were looking to decrease than increase the time they spent on social media.
Change in time spent on social media over the past year
Total
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
Increased
27%
27%
27%
25%
18%
32%
21%
38%
30%
Decreased
21%
21%
21%
43%
22%
19%
19%
12%
11%
About the same
51%
51%
51%
32%
59%
49%
59%
49%
59%
Perception of time spent on social media
Total
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
About right
66%
67%
64%
49%
57%
66%
71%
78%
77%
Too much
30%
27%
31%
50%
41%
26%
24%
13%
22%
4%
5%
4%
1%
2%
8%
4%
8%
0%
Not enough
Expectations for time spent on social media
Total
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
Increase
13%
15%
11%
2%
9%
10%
15%
29%
11%
Decrease
19%
21%
17%
47%
22%
19%
8%
4%
15%
About the same
67%
64%
71%
51%
69%
68%
76%
68%
74%
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. Compared to last year, have you increased, decreased or spent about the same amount of time using social media? Q. When you think about the amount of time you
currently spend on social media, do you feel it is…? Q. And looking at the next twelve months, compared to the last year, do you think you will be increasing, decreasing or spending around the same amount of
time using social media?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
20
Number of friends,
contacts or followers
Across all social media users, the average number of friends, contact or followers in 2013 was 258, an increase
of 31 on average over the past year. Approximately half of all social media users report having more than 100
contacts in their network. Females reported fewer contacts than males, but the big difference was across age
groups varying from 48 for the 65+ to 453 for the 14-19 year olds.
Number of friends, contacts or followers
Total
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
Up to 20
10%
8%
11%
1%
2%
3%
7%
22%
50%
21 to 50
16%
19%
14%
2%
2%
20%
26%
25%
19%
51 to 100
14%
16%
13%
9%
11%
13%
24%
15%
5%
101 to 200
15%
11%
18%
8%
12%
23%
18%
11%
10%
Over 200
35%
41%
31%
63%
66%
30%
17%
17%
4%
Don’t know
10%
5%
14%
17%
7%
10%
8%
9%
12%
Average
258
304
221
453
366
200
250
146
48
Average number of friends, contacts or followers – Trends
Total
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
Average 2011
217
209
224
353
257
209
127
155
117
Average 2012
227
246
211
464
338
212
115
76
64
Average 2013
258
304
221
453
366
200
250
146
48
Average number of friends, contacts or followers by age and gender
14-19 years
20-29 years
30-39 years
Male
453 366 200 304
40-49 years
50-64 years
65+
Female
250 146 48 221
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
21
Number of friends, contacts
and followers by location
Average number of friends, followers or contacts by location
179
309
230
372
184
308
Total
Metropolitan
186
398
Regional
258 259 257
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
22
Percentage of friends, contacts or
followers seen face-to-face in the past year
(Age, gender and location)
While Australian social media users have, on average, 258 friends and followers, they have seen less than half
of them face to face in the past year. Women were slightly more likely to have seen their virtual contacts in person
in the past year. It was either the youngest or oldest social media users that were most likely to have seem their
social media contacts in real life in the past year, with 65% of those aged 14-19 most likely to have seen their social
media contacts in person, followed by 60% of those aged 65 and above. Victorians were the most likely to have
seen their social media friends in real life in the past year.
Some 5% of Australians reported having a social media presence for an identity that was not their own, with no
significant changes in this proportion in the past year. Mostly these were businesses (2%), however 1% reported
having a social media presence for a child or a pet or an association or sporting team.
Percentage of friends, contacts or followers seen face-to-face in the past year by age and gender
70
60
65%
60%
50
47%
40
49%
44%
49%
30
41%
41%
20 to 29
30 to 39
38%
20
10
0
Total
Male
Female
14 to 19
40 to 49
50 to 64
65+
Number of friends, contacts or followers seen face to face in the past year - age and gender
Percentage of friends, contacts or followers seen face-to-face in the past year by location
60
50
54%
47%
40
30
42%
48%
42%
47%
42%
44%
43%
Tasmania
NT
ACT
46%
50%
20
10
0
Total
NSW
Victoria
Queensland
SA
WA
Metropolitan Regional
Number of friends, contacts or followers seen face to face in the past year - location
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. What percentage of your social media networking contacts would you have seen in person over the past twelve months?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
23
Number of Twitter
accounts followed
On average, Twitter users follow 116 accounts, up from 83 accounts in 2012 and 35 accounts in 2011. Almost a
quarter of Twitter users do not tweet at all, with three in ten tweeting less than once a week, compared to the 14%
that tweet at least once a day.
Number of Twitter accounts followed
How
many Twitter
accounts
do you
follow?
18%
4%
18%
14%
39%
6%
Up to 5
Australians follow
an average of
6 to 10
116
11 to 20
21 to 50
Over 50
Twitter accounts
Don’t know
Base: Users of Twitter (73) Q. Approximately how many Twitter accounts do you follow?
Number of Twitter accounts followed – Trends
Twitter
2011
2012
2013
35
83
116
How often do you tweet on average?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
More than 5 times a day
Everyday
A few times a week
About once a week
Less than once a week
Do not tweet at all
2%
12%
15%
17%
30%
24%
Base: Users of Twitter (73) Q. How often do you tweet on average?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
24
Devices and applications
used to access social media
For the first time smartphones are the most popular device to access social media with. In the past year, the
number of social users accessing sites on their smartphone has grown from 53% to 67%, while those accessing it
on a laptop dropped from 69% last year to 64% this year. Using a desktop computer to access social media also
fell from 54% last year to 46% this year. Tablet usage also grew strongly from 18% last year to 35% this year. Mobile
devices were the most popular in every age category under 50, with desktop computers still being the main device
for social media for those aged over 50.
For those Australians that access social media on mobile devices, accessing through the social media platform’s
mobile application was the most popular means of access, with 69% of users using the app, compared to only
19% that used the website and 12% that used both the app and the website to access their social media platforms.
Devices used to access social media by age and gender
Devices used to access
social media
Total
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
Smartphone
67%
69%
66%
80%
86%
77%
66%
41%
20%
Laptop
computer
64%
62%
65%
79%
69%
67%
61%
56%
33%
Desktop
computer
46%
51%
42%
29%
36%
42%
49%
62%
82%
Tablet
35%
38%
33%
15%
29%
43%
49%
38%
25%
5%
4%
5%
4%
8%
5%
5%
0%
1%
iPod Touch
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
25
Devices and applications
used to access social media
11 34%
12 53%
2011 2012 2013
13 67%
4% 18% 35%
Smartphone
11 12 13
5% 6% 5%
iPod
Touch
Tablet
(Trends)
Desktop
2011 2012 2013
Laptop
2011 2012 2013
60% 54% 46%
50% 69% 64%
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. What devices do you use to access social media network sites?
How mobile users access social media
How mobile users access
social media
Total
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
App
69%
64%
73%
78%
80%
65%
67%
53%
50%
Mobile Website
19%
22%
16%
15%
12%
20%
15%
36%
35%
Both
12%
14%
11%
7%
8%
15%
19%
11%
14%
Base: Users of social media on mobile devices (360) Q. What devices do you use to access social media network sites?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
26
Places where
social media is used
Most Australians (96%) access social media at home, most often in the living room, and frequently in the bedroom
and study. Accessing social media in the home has been relatively stable at a near saturation level in recent years,
however growth has been seen in the proportion accessing social media at other locations. Some 34% of users
access sites at work, up from 30% in 2012 and 22% in 2011. Increases were also seen in the proportion of social
media users that access social media on public transport, restaurants, bars and parties, at sporting events, in the
car and at school.
With use at home nearly universal, it’s interesting to look at the different places in the home people are using social
media. The lounge/living room was the room in which social media was accessed most frequently, however there
has been an increase in intensity of use in most rooms. The only room reporting a decline in social media usage
has been the study, with solid increases in other rooms. And while both genders were equally likely to access
social media in the bedroom, males were more than twice as likely to report accessing social media in the toilet
(9% for males, compared to 4% for females).
Places where social media is used
Places where
social media
is used
2013
Bar/Party
Home
Work
Transport
96% 34% 32%
Sport
Car
School
26% 19% 18% 13%
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
27
Places where
social media is used
(Trends)
Places where social media is used
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
97%
98%
96%
22%
30%
34%
10%
29%
32%
11%
22%
26%
8%
17%
19%
10%
16%
18%
10%
12%
13%
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
70
80
90
100
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
Home
Work
Transport
Bar/Party
Sporting Event
Car
School/Uni
28
Places where
social media is used
(Age, gender and location)
Places where social media is used by gender and age
Places where
social media is used
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
At home
94%
97%
99%
95%
90%
98%
97%
100%
At work
43%
27%
32%
41%
36%
39%
34%
4%
On public
transport
36%
29%
59%
49%
33%
22%
11%
8%
Restaurants,
bars, parties
26%
25%
36%
32%
30%
25%
10%
11%
At sporting events
24%
15%
43%
23%
17%
16%
10%
0%
In the car
16%
20%
39%
21%
18%
17%
3%
8%
At school
or college
13%
13%
41%
27%
4%
3%
0%
0%
Places where social media is used by location
Places where
social media is used
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Metro
Regional
At home
91%
98%
99%
96%
100%
100%
88%
92%
95%
98%
At work
43%
44%
22%
20%
22%
30%
30%
44%
34%
34%
On public
transport
36%
43%
25%
26%
22%
14%
8%
28%
35%
2%
Restaurants,
bars, parties
29%
36%
17%
16%
18%
16%
16%
27%
25%
28%
At sporting events
16%
30%
19%
11%
11%
11%
6%
11%
19%
21%
In the car
16%
23%
17%
19%
18%
19%
7%
15%
15%
27%
At school
or college
5%
22%
12%
8%
20%
7%
10%
3%
12%
15%
Base: All social media users (502) Q. Where do you use social media – either on your computer or mobile device?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
29
Places where social
media is used in the home
Places where
social media
is used in the
home
2013
Lounge
Bed
Study
66% 44% 36%
Kitchen
Bathroom
Toilet
21% 7%
6%
Places where social media is used in the home – Trends
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
48%
58%
66%
31%
41%
44%
47%
43%
36%
11%
16%
21%
4%
5%
7%
N/A
5%
6%
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
100
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
Lounge
Bedroom
Study
Kitchen
Bathroom
Toilet
30
Places where social
media is used in the home
(Age, gender and location)
Places were social media is used in the home by gender and age
Places where social media
is used in the home
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
Lounge/
living room
64%
68%
65%
60%
85%
77%
475
42%
Bedroom
44%
44%
81%
71%
33%
34%
19%
19%
Study
40%
33%
25%
30%
29%
31%
58%
59%
Kitchen
17%
24%
27%
23%
23%
24%
13%
4%
Bathroom
10%
6%
8%
14%
8%
8%
0%
0%
Toilet
9%
4%
4%
11%
7%
9%
2%
0%
Places were social media is used in the home by location
Places where social media
is used in the home
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Metro
Regional
Lounge/
living room
70%
64%
65%
55%
69%
72%
71%
58%
65%
70%
Bedroom
39%
45%
47%
44%
54%
41%
37%
46%
46%
39%
Study
39%
32%
41%
44%
26%
25%
23%
35%
37%
34%
Kitchen
21%
22%
19%
19%
23%
20%
7%
20%
23%
15%
Bathroom
1%
13%
10%
8%
9%
5%
6%
9%
7%
10%
Toilet
1%
9%
6%
7%
13%
5%
4%
9%
6%
6%
Base: Users of social media sites at home (487) Q. Where would you normally use these sites at home? In which rooms of the house?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
31
TV and social media use
Over four in ten social media users said they use social media while watching TV. Social media networking while
watching TV was higher amongst females, and was much more favoured by younger age groups. Reality TV was
most popular genre for social media networking, having increased from 31% last year to 38% this year, pipping
news and current affairs for first position. Three in ten of those that used social media while watching television
reported discussing the programs on social media while they were on, and very few reported that it decreased
their enjoyment of the program, with most saying that it either had no impact or increased their enjoyment.
Proportion that use social media while watching TV
70
60
62%
50
53%
40
46%
42%
42%
37%
30
44%
23%
20
10
12%
0
Total
Male
Female
14 to 19
20 to 29
30 to 39
40 to 49
50 to 64
65+
Proportion that use social media while watching TV
Base: All social media users (502) Q. Do you use social media when you watch TV?
42% 38% 40%
of social media users
use social media while
watching TV
use social media
while watching
reality TV
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
said it increased
their enjoyment of the
show
32
TV and social media use
(Genre)
TV genres favoured while social media networking
Reality TV
shows
News and
current
affairs
Dramas
2012
2013
31%
38%
2012
2013
Sport
Comedy
shows
42% 37%
2012
2013
2012
2013
27% 26%
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
2013
31%
35%
2012
2013
39% 33%
Documentaries
28% 31%
Movies
2012
2012
2013
22% 21%
Soaps
2012
2013
23% 19%
33
TV and social media use
(Age and gender)
Who discusses TV programs on social media while watching?
40
35
37%
30
30%
25
33%
32%
32%
30%
28%
24%
20
20%
15
10
5
0
Total
Male
Female
14 to 19
20 to 29
30 to 39
40 to 49
50 to 64
65+
Who discusses TV program on social media while watching it
Impact of social media on enjoyment of TV shows
Impact of
social media
on enjoyment
of TV shows
Increases my
enjoyment
Decreases my
enjoyment
40% 3%
No impact on
my enjoyment
57%
Base: Users of social media while watching TV (205) Q. Which types of shows do you mainly use social media whilst watching? Q. Do you discuss TV on social media during the program? Q. Does discussing a
TV program on social media during the program change your enjoyment of the program?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
34
Reasons for using
social media
The most common reason nominated for using social media is ‘catching up with friends or family’.
Photo or video sharing remains the second highest use, while a high proportion also uses social media to
coordinate shared activities, find out about entertainment events and find information on news and current affairs.
Using social media to follow brands and businesses and researching products or services you might want to buy
were the top commercial uses. On average, social media users nominated 3.6 different uses, similar to last year.
Younger age groups were more likely to use social media for a larger number of different reasons.
Reasons for using social media
Reasons for using social media
2011
2012
2013
To catch up with family and friends
93%
94%
94%
To share photographs or videos
56%
51%
47%
To co-ordinate parties or other shared activities
32%
33%
29%
To get information on news and current events
n/a
27%
29%
To follow or find out about particular brands or businesses in general
15%
22%
25%
To find out about entertainment events
26%
23%
24%
To play games
24%
18%
21%
To research products/services you might want to buy
12%
16%
20%
To follow particular brands to access offers/promotions
11%
18%
15%
To find people with the same interests
14%
13%
14%
To research holiday destinations or travel offers
12%
13%
13%
To meet new friends
18%
14%
10%
To follow celebrities
6%
9%
9%
To provide reviews/write blogs about products you have bought
6%
6%
8%
Because of pressure from family/friends to use them
n/a
11%
7%
To engage with a Government representative or department
5%
7%
6%
To find potential dates
n/a
3%
5%
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
35
Reasons for
using social media
(Trends)
Average number of reasons people use social media
6.0
5.5
5.0
5.2
4.5
4.8
4.7
4.4
4.3
4.0
4.0
3.5
3.7
3.7
3.6
3.8
3.6
3.7
3.6
3.5
3.4
3.3
3.0
3.4
3.3
3.0
2.8
2.5
2.8
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.7
2.0
2.3
2.2
1.5
Total
Male
Female
14 to 19
20 to 29
30 to 39
40 to 49
50 to 64
2013
2012
2011
2013
2012
2011
2013
2012
2011
2013
2012
2011
2013
2012
2011
2013
2012
2011
2013
2012
2011
2013
2012
2011
0
2013
2011
0.5
2012
1.0
65+
Average number of reasons people use social media
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. For what reasons do you use social media? Remember, we are talking about sites such as Facebook or Twitter and not the Internet in general. For which of these reasons do
you use these types of sites?
94% 21% 20%
use social media to
catch up with family
and friends
use social media to
play games
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
use it to research
products and services
36
Reasons for using
social media
(Age and gender)
In the following table, we compare reasons for use across genders and age groups. Females tend to nominate
catching up with family and friends more frequently than males – with men more likely than women to nominate
getting information on news and current affairs, finding people with the same interests, meeting new friends and
writing reviews. Younger age groups are more likely to use social media to share photos, co-ordinate parties and
activities, find out about entertainment events and find potential dates.
Reasons for using social media by age and gender
Reasons for using social media
Male
Female
14-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
To catch up with family and friends
90%
97%
99%
96%
95%
91%
95%
78%
To share photographs or videos
48%
46%
65%
58%
47%
34%
44%
24%
To co-ordinate parties or
other shared activities
28%
30%
49%
54%
23%
22%
11%
11%
To get information on news
and current events
36%
24%
34%
37%
23%
28%
32%
24%
To follow or find out about particular
brands or businesses in general
26%
25%
37%
24%
20%
27%
24%
23%
To find out about entertainment events
26%
22%
44%
35%
20%
16%
16%
6%
To play games
21%
21%
35%
24%
20%
17%
16%
12%
To research products/services
you might want to buy
20%
19%
24%
18%
20%
20%
18%
19%
To follow particular
brands to access offers/promotions
13%
17%
27%
21%
10%
11%
17%
1%
To find people with the same interests
20%
10%
19%
10%
8%
14%
23%
13%
To research holiday destinations or travel offers
13%
13%
9%
10%
14%
14%
19%
9%
To meet new friends
15%
5%
26%
7%
9%
5%
6%
4%
To follow celebrities
9%
8%
21%
15%
6%
2%
3%
6%
To provide reviews/write
blogs about products you have bought
13%
5%
3%
5%
7%
16%
10%
11%
Because of pressure from
family/friends to use them
7%
7%
7%
6%
8%
7%
5%
18%
To engage with a Government
representative or department
6%
7%
0%
4%
4%
9%
13%
8%
To find potential dates
7%
2%
12%
3%
4%
5%
3%
0%
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. For what reasons do you use social media? Remember, we are talking about sites such as Facebook or Twitter and not the Internet in general. For which of these reasons do
you use these types of sites?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
37
Types of products or services
researched on social media
While many social media activities have remained relatively consistent in the past few years, there has been solid
growth in the proportion of social media users that are researching products and services. The 20% who use social
media for researching products or services were asked which particular items they had looked for on social media
sites. Fashion and electrical goods topped the list, followed by computers, cosmetics and fragrance and music.
Products or services researched on social media
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
42%
53%
44%
39%
20%
21%
21%
20%
21%
4%
22%
20%
19%
32%
19%
9%
10%
15%
28%
17%
11%
100
0
2011
Fashion
2012
2013
2011
Electrical goods
2012
2013
2011
Computer
2012
2013
2011
Cosmetics
2012
2013
2011
Music
2012
2013
2011
Computer games
2012
2013
2011
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
8%
14%
9%
4%
14%
8%
NA
NA
7%
7%
6%
7%
NA
NA
5%
5%
5%
4%
100
2011
Software
2012
2013
2011
Videos
2012
2013
2011
Food
2012
2013
2011
Car
2012
2013
2011
Children
2012
2013
2011
Books
2012
2013
Homewares
2012
2013
Base: Use social media to research products or services (95) Q. You mentioned that you use social media to research products or services you might want to buy? What types of products or services would you
mainly look for?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
38
Last search occasion
The research also looked at the last time people used social media to research something they wanted to buy and
found that clothing, appliances, eating and travel related products and services were most mentioned as the last
search occasion on social media. Some 67% of searches were solely conducted on a computer and 23% solely
on a mobile device. Some 7% searched using both of these options. Overall some 58% of searches resulted in
a purchase, of which 50% were made online. The proportion of research made on social media that results in a
purchase has been increasing in recent years, from 36% in 2011, to 40% in 2012 and 58% this year.
What was looked for on last search occasion?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2011
2012
2013
79%
62%
67%
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Fashion
5%
Home
17%
Electrical
4%
Cosmetics
7%
Dining
4%
Computer
6%
Travel
4%
Children
6%
Cars
3%
Entertainment
6%
Special
Interest
5%
Music
Mobile
8%
8%
7%
10
21%
How was that research conducted?
Computer
0
6%
18%
23%
10%
Other
Research on social media leading to a purchase
Research on
social lead to
a purchase
The resulting
purchase was
made online
2011
2012
2013
36% 40% 58%
2011
2012
2013
70% 72% 50%
Base: Ever research products/services on social media (95) Q. Thinking about the last time you used social media to research something you might want to buy, what type of product or service were you
looking for? Q. Did you do that research on a computer or a mobile device? Q. Did that research lead to a purchase? Was that purchase made online?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
39
Social media and brands
35% of social media users follow social media networking groups associated with businesses or brands. There
was little difference between genders and the likelihood of following a social media networking group associated
with a brand, however younger users are more likely to follow brands, with 14-19 year olds are the most avid
followers in this category. Metropolitan social media users were more likely to follow brands than those living in
regional areas.
Proportion that follow brands or businesses
2011
2012
2013
Total
20%
25%
35%
Male
15%
25%
35%
Female
23%
25%
36%
14 to 19
30%
35%
63%
20 to 29
20%
32%
42%
30 to 39
23%
38%
31%
40 to 49
8%
17%
31%
50 to 64
22%
14%
23%
7%
17%
16%
65+
Proportion that follow brands or businesses by location
50
40
44%
42%
35%
30
37%
38%
38%
32%
29%
24%
20
24%
26%
10
0
Total
NSW
Victoria
Queensland
SA
WA
Tasmania
NT
ACT
Metropolitan Regional
Follows a social networking group associated with a particular brand or business
Base: All social media networking users (502) Q. Do you follow any social media networking group associated with any particular business or brand?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
40
What consumers want from
businesses they follow
Discounts are the most commonly wanted items required from businesses or brands followed on social media,
and has been steadily increasing over the past two years. Giveaways, product information, tips/advice and
coupons are also sought by a sizeable proportion of followers.
What do consumers want from businesses or brands that they follow?
90
57%
64%
66%
45%
54%
56%
41%
48%
49%
36%
41%
44%
NA
41%
48%
100
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
0
10
20
30
40
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
50
60
70
80
90
41%
38%
38%
NA%
30%
32%
32%
31%
34%
32%
30%
35%
100
2011
2012
2013
Event
invitations
80
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
Industry
info
70
Feedback
forums
60
Company
info
50
Discounts
40
Giveaways
30
Product
info
20
Coupons
10
Tips/advice
0
Base: Users of social media (502) Q. Which of these things would you like to get from businesses or brands you might follow on social media?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
41
Businesses and Brands
followed on Facebook and Twitter
Among the Facebook users in the sample, 34% follow brands or businesses on Facebook. The most commonly
followed categories are fashion, sporting clubs and work-related sites.
Types of brands/businesses followed on Facebook
40
40%
30
25%
20
14%
10
13%
8%
7%
0
Fashion/
clothing
Sporting
clubs
Work/
profession related
Electronics/
technology
Health and
beauty
6%
Restaurants/
bars/food related
5%
Music
related
Travel
related
Types of brands/businesses followed on Facebook
All other responses less than 5%
Base: Use Facebook (479) Q. Do you follow any particular brand or businesses in Facebook? Q. What type of brands or businesses do you like to follow?
Types of brands/businesses followed on Twitter
Among the Twitter users in the sample, 32% follow brands or businesses on Twitter. The most commonly followed
categories are sporting clubs, electronics, technology and professionals.
50
46%
40
42%
37%
30
20
10
12%
7%
8%
0
Fashion/
clothing
Sporting
clubs
Work/
profession related
Electronics/
technology
Telco
providers
Restaurants/
bars/food related
5%
Travel
related
Types of brands/businesses followed on Twitter
Base: Use Twitter (73) Q. Do you follow any particular brand or businesses in Twitter? Q. What type of brands or businesses do you like to follow?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
42
Advertising on social media
While more are likely to agree that they’re happy to see advertising on social media, over half claim to take no
notice of ads they see. 36% sometimes click on ads to find out more, up from 29% last year. While 84% of social
media users ignore sponsored posts from businesses they don’t follow, 28% report that they like sponsored posts
from businesses they do follow.
Attitudes towards advertising on social media network sites
I’m quite
happy to see
ads on social
networking
sites
I sometimes
click on ads I
see on social
network sites
to find out
more
I ignore
sponsored posts
from businesses
I don’t follow
46%
33%
22%
36%
58%
6%
9%
7%
84%
I take no
notice of the
ads on social
networking
sites
I like
sponsored posts
from businesses
I follow on social
networks
I’m turned off
by brands or
companies that
advertise on
social network
sites
57%
31%
12%
28%
51%
21%
29%
47%
24%
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Base: Users of social media (502). How do you feel about businesses or brands advertising on social media. Do you agree or disagree (or have no opinion
either way) with the following statements?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
43
Provision of online ratings
(Age, gender and location)
25% of social media users do or have provided online ratings. On average, those who have provided ratings
gave 13 ratings in the previous year. Accommodation, restaurants/bars, stores, movies and mobile apps were
most commonly rated.
Proportion who have provided ratings and reviews online by age and gender
Proportion who have provided ratings and reviews online
2011
2012
2013
Total
27%
24%
25%
Male
28%
29%
29%
Female
26%
19%
21%
14 to 19
27%
22%
23%
20 to 29
24%
28%
15%
30 to 39
26%
22%
31%
40 to 49
28%
18%
25%
50 to 64
31%
27%
27%
65+
24%
23%
27%
Proportion who have provided ratings and reviews online by location
Total
25%
35%
24%
Metropolitan
23%
20%
Regional
21%
29%
25%
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
28%
25%
20%
44
Provision of online ratings
Number of ratings provided last year
How
many times
have you
given an
online rating
this year?
1%
72%
15%
7%
3%
1%
1%
None
Up to 10
11 to 20
21 to 50
51 to 100
Over 100
Don’t know
Number of ratings provided last year by age and gender
20
20
18
15
13
10
15
14
11
11
10
5
6
0
Total
Male
Female
14 to 19
20 to 29
30 to 39
40 to 49
50 to 64
65+
Average number of ratings provided last year
Base: Ever provide online ratings (201) Q Now some questions on online ratings – where you go on to a company’s website to rate a particular product, service or entertainment by giving it a score out of 10 or a
star rating of some kind. Do you ever provide these types of online ratings? Q. And, in the last year, how many times do you think you would have provided an online rating?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
45
Types of products/
services rated
Types of products and services rated
Types of
products and
services rated by
Australian social
media users
Hotels/
Motels
Restaurants
27% 22%
Stores
Movies
19% 16%
Mobile apps
Cars/
rental
Books
11% 8%
7%
Tourism/
travel
Health
White goods/
kitchen
appliances
6%
6%
5%
Financial
institutions
Telecomms
Clothing/
fashion
5%
5%
5%
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
Base: Ever provide online ratings (201) Q. For what types of
products or services have you provided online ratings?
(All other responses less than 5%)
46
Use of online reviews or blogs
74% of all social media users have read/do read online reviews or blogs, up six percentage points in the past year
– with 20-29 year olds the most likely to do so. On average, users would expect to read 4 reviews before making a
purchase decision.
Proportion who have read online reviews or blogs by age and gender
Proportion who have read online reviews or blogs
2011
2012
2013
Total
63%
68%
74%
Male
65%
73%
77%
Female
61%
64%
71%
14 to 19
62%
60%
71%
20 to 29
75%
80%
80%
30 to 39
65%
65%
76%
40 to 49
72%
73%
76%
50 to 64
56%
57%
68%
65+
44%
73%
65%
Proportion who have read online reviews or blogs by location
100
90
80
70
74%
78%
70%
60
89%
83%
68%
72%
73%
72%
76%
64%
50
40
30
20
10
0
Total
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Metropolitan Regional
State/Territory
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
47
Use of online reviews or blogs
Number of reviews read before making a decision
How many
reviews would
you read before
you make a
purchase
descision
1%
66%
23%
4%
1%
1%
4%
None
Up to 5
6 to 10
11 to 20
21 to 50
Over 50
Don’t know
On average, social media
users read 4 reviews/blogs
before making a purchase
descision.
4
reviews/
blogs
Base: All social media users (502) Q Do you ever read online reviews or blogs to find out what other people think about products or services you might be interested in? Q. Approximately how many reviews
would you expect to read before you make a decision?
74% 73% 76%
of all social media
users have/do
read online blogs
of metropolitan social
media users read
blog/reviews
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
of regional social
media users read
blogs/reviews
48
Posting of online
reviews or blogs
In contrast to the 74% who read reviews, only 28% of social media users ever post reviews or blogs on the
Internet, although this has risen from 24% last year. Among those that do provide reviews, the average number
of reviews provided in the last year was 9. Reviews of hotels/motels, restaurants/bars, holiday destinations and
movies were most commonly reviewed. The majority of social media users would consider changing their opinion
if a business responded to a negative review or blog that they had posted. Only 46% said that they would not
consider changing their mind, down from 55% last year.
Proportion who post online reviews or blogs – Trends
Proportion who post online reviews or blogs
2011
2012
2013
Total
24%
24%
28%
Male
26%
31%
32%
Female
21%
17%
25%
14 to 19
23%
27%
10%
20 to 29
23%
23%
25%
30 to 39
29%
24%
32%
40 to 49
21%
19%
39%
50 to 64
25%
28%
30%
65+
21%
22%
34%
Proportion who post online reviews or blogs by location
50
40
43%
40%
30
28%
32%
30%
25%
20
22%
25%
24%
24%
22%
10
0
Total
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Metropolitan Regional
State/Territory
Base: All social media users (502) Q Have you ever posted an online review or blog, where you provide your thoughts or opinions on products, services, entertainment and so forth?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
49
Posting of online
reviews or blogs
Number of reviews provided last year
How
many online
reviews/blogs
did you
post?
3%
65%
11%
9%
7%
3%
2%
None
Up to 5
6 to 10
11 to 20
21 to 50
Over 50
Don’t know
On average, social
media users posted
9 reviews/blogs
9
reviews/
blogs
Base: Ever provide online reviews (209) Q. And, in the last year, how many times do you think you would have posted an online review or blog?
Products
and services
reviewed or
blogged about
by Australian
social media
users
Movies
Hotels/
Motels
Restaurants
Holiday
destinations
26% 15% 14%
Cars/
rental
12% 7%
Stores
Bands/
music
6%
6%
Books
Clothing/
fashion
Telecomms
Sports
Equipment
6%
6%
5%
5%
Base: Ever provide online reviews (209) Q. For what types of products or services have you provided online reviews or blogs? All other responses less than 5%.
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
50
Posting of online
reviews or blogs
Effect of business response to feedback in social media
Yes
No
Maybe
Total
27%
46%
27%
Male
29%
41%
30%
Female
25%
51%
23%
14 to 19
10%
67%
14%
20 to 29
19%
49%
32%
30 to 39
29%
40%
31%
40 to 49
36%
33%
31%
50 to 64
28%
51%
21%
65+
19%
61%
20%
If a business responds to you after a bad review, would your opinion change?
Base: All social media users (502) Q If a business gets back to you after you have posted a bad review, would that change your opinion?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 1: The general public and social media
TM
51
44% 18% 38% 35%
of retail SME’s use
social media for
business
of manufacturing
SME’s have a social
media presence
of large businesses
use social to
offer incentives to
customers
of regional SME’s
have a social media
presence
36% 66% 30% 22%
of large businesses
using social media pay
for advertising
29%
of small businesses
have no strategy to
drive traffic to their
social media presence
82%
of small business social
accounts are run by the
owner or manager of
the business
of corporate social
accounts are
managed by the
Marketing team
of Australian small
businesses use social
media
of small businesses
update their social
media daily
Section 2
Australian businesses
and social media
Copyright 2013 Sensis®.
Developed in association with the Australian Interactive Media Association (AIMIA)
39% 47% 60% 57%
of small businesses
using social don’t
invest any money in the
channel
of medium sized
Australian businesses
use social media
12% 36%
of small businesses
using social believe it will
help to increase sales in
the next 12 months.
of SMEs using social
media report an
increase in sales
of large businesses
update their social
media every day
of medium sized
businesses expect to spend
more on social media
in the next 12 months
The average investment
for a small business
using social is
79%
13.7%
of their
marketing budget
of large Australian
businesses use
social media
Business use of social media
(Summary)
Some 30% of small businesses, 47% of medium businesses and 79% of large businesses currently report having
a social media presence, with the prevalence of social media in businesses continuing to increase in the past
year. Facebook continues to dominate in all three categories with Twitter and LinkedIn also playing important parts.
Google+, YouTube and blogs are also used by some businesses, particularly YouTube by large businesses.
Proportion of businesses that have social media presence
Proportion of businesses that have social media presence
2011
2012
2013
Small
14%
27%
30%
Medium
25%
34%
47%
Large
50%
79%
79%
Base: Total sample (1416) / (393) / (150) Q. Does your business have a social media presence? This might include having a Facebook page, being active on Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn, having a blog, hosting
forums or having a social media based rating system?
Which social networks businesses are using
Social media presence includes:
Small
Medium
Large
Facebook
88%
85%
87%
Twitter
22%
39%
64%
LinkedIn
21%
27%
34%
Google+
10%
16%
9%
Blog
7%
4%
11%
YouTube
5%
10%
25%
Base: Have social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. What does your social media presence include?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
53
Business use of social
media by sector (SME)
The below chart analyses use of social media by business sector, showing the personal services and
accommodation/restaurant sectors to be most active and reflecting benefits for tourism and personal service
related businesses.
Proportion of SMEs that have a social media presence
60
60%
54%
50
44%
40
30
31%
32%
27%
20
25%
23%
18%
18%
Manufacturing
Finance and
insurance
10
0
Total
Cultural, rec
and personal
services
Accom,
cafes and
restaurants
Wholesale
trade
Retail
trade
Comms, property Building/
and business Construction
services
Health and
community
services
17%
Transport
and storage
Proportion of SMEs that have a social media presence
Base: Total sample (1809) Q. Does your business have a social media presence? This might include having a Facebook page, being active on Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn, having a blog, hosting forums or
having a social media based rating system?
Proportion of SMEs that have a social media presence – Trends
2011
2012
2013
Total
15%
41%
33%
13%
14%
14%
5%
4%
9%
10%
18%
27%
58%
47%
27%
30%
30%
10%
23%
16%
13%
23%
31%
60%
54%
44%
32%
27%
25%
23%
18%
18%
17%
Cultural, recreational and personal services
Accommodation, cafes and restaurants
Wholesale trade
Retail trade
Communication, property and business services
Building/construction
Health and community services
Manufacturing
Finance and insurance
Transport and storage
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
54
Business use of social
media by location (SME)
Social media usage by SME’s is strongest in Western Australia, with strong results also for Tasmania, New South
Wales, South Australia, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. Social media usage by SMEs in regional
areas has seen strong growth in the past year, with regional SMEs now more active than their metropolitan
counterparts.
Proportion of SMEs that have a social media presence
Proportion of SMEs that have a social media presence
2011
2012
2013
Total
15%
27%
30%
New South Wales
14%
30%
32%
Victoria
14%
23%
27%
Queensland
20%
28%
31%
South Australia
11%
25%
32%
Western Australia
14%
30%
34%
Tasmania
12%
28%
33%
Northern Territory
15%
30%
23%
Australian Capital Territory
20%
34%
31%
Metropolitan
15%
29%
29%
Regional
15%
25%
35%
Base: Total sample (1809) Q. Does your business have a social media presence? This might include having a Facebook page, being active on Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn, having a blog, hosting forums or
having a social media based rating system?
30% 35%
of Australian SME’s
have a social media
presence
of regional SME’s
have a social
presence
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
55
Uses of social media
Inviting online comments or ratings and reviews is the most common use of social by small businesses.
For medium and large businesses, using social media for two-way communication with clients or contacts
is the most common use.
Despite discounts and coupons being key reasons for consumers to connect with businesses on social, the
proportion of businesses that offered incentives to connect was comparatively lower. Some 28% of small, 33% of
medium, and 38% of large businesses who engage in social media offer incentives, with the proportion of small
businesses offering incentives actually falling in the past 12 months. The most common incentives offered by SMEs
are discounts, giveaways, service or coupons, while large businesses commonly offered competitions, discounts
and giveaways.
Common reasons for businesses to use social media
Invite online
comments, ratings
and reviews on
social media sites
2013
Use social media
for two-way
communication
with clients and
contacts
2013
Offer incentives to
consumers via
social media
2013
Small
2013
Medium
2013
Large
56% 58% 73%
Small
2013
Medium
2013
Large
54% 62% 75%
Small
2013
Medium
2013
Large
28% 33% 38%
Base: Have a social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. Do you use your social media channels to engage in two-way communication with your customers and contacts? Q. Do you offer incentives to
consumers via your social media presence? What sort of incentives do you offer? Q. Do you invite online comments, ratings or reviews on your business or products?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
56
Advertising on social media
The larger a business is, the more likely they are to pay to advertise on social media sites. While only just over
one in ten small businesses pay to advertise on social media sites, over one in three large businesses reported
doing this. For those businesses advertising on social media, most were advertising on Facebook. The majority of
businesses paying to advertise on social media channels found the advertising effective for their business.
Proportion of businesses that have paid to advertise on a social media channel
Proportion of
businesses that
have paid to
advertise on a
social media
channel
2013
Small
Medium
Large
11% 17% 36%
Base: Have a social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. Have you paid to advertise on a social media channel?
What channel did you pay to advertise on?
Small
Medium
Large
Facebook
41%
71%
86%
Google+
16%
5%
5%
Twitter
12%
20%
2%
LinkedIn
4%
10%
14%
Proportion that found paying to advertise on the channel effective
Small
Medium
Large
Facebook
47%
66%
84%
Twitter
54%
63%
0%
LinkedIn
64%
53%
50%
What channel did you pay to advertise on?
Base: Have paid to advertise on a social media channel (57) / (23) / (43) Q. Have you paid to advertise on a social media channel?
Effectiveness of paid social media
Base: Have paid to advertise on a social media channel (57) / (23) / (43) Q. Was that effective for your business?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
57
Who is responsible for a
business’ social media presence?
In small businesses, the owner or manager is almost invariably responsible for the social media presence,
however the dependence on the business owner has decreased since last year. In medium and large businesses,
this responsibility sits more often with the marketing department. However this dependence has decreased
in medium businesses with the past 12 months seeing an increased involvement from the business owner or
external firms. For large businesses the reliance on the marketing department for social media has increased
in the past year, with the use of external firms also increasing for managing social media.
For those businesses that use external firms to manage their social media presence, small businesses are most
likely to use a specialist social media agency, while medium businesses are most likely to use a communications/
PR firm and large firms split between digital agencies and communications/PR firms.
Small business
Medium business
Small business
2011
2012
2013
Medium business
2011
2012
2013
Marketing department
10%
10%
11%
Marketing department
52%
44%
43%
Business owner/manager
82%
79%
72%
Business owner/manager
36%
36%
40%
Communications department
2%
3%
4%
Communications department
0%
8%
8%
IT department
2%
5%
10%
IT department
6%
13%
7%
External firm
4%
3%
3%
External firm
6%
0%
3%
Large business
Large business
2011
2012
2013
Marketing department
74%
64%
66%
Business owner/manager
17%
10%
8%
Communications department
0%
17%
10%
IT department
0%
5%
3%
External firm
1%
0%
3%
Editor
0%
3%
0%
Human resources department
0%
0%
2%
Base: Have a social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. Which department has overall responsibility for your social media presence?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
58
Social media management
in large businesses
Many larger businesses have put in place structures and policies for social media. Over three-quarters of large
businesses have a social media policy for staff and 45% have invested in specific social media training, however
both of these indicators have decreased in the past year. The average number of social media employees
employed by large businesses is 16, however this is swayed by a few very large businesses with large numbers of
social media employees. The median number of employees for large businesses is three, dropping by one in the
past year. Two-thirds of large businesses thought that they had the right social media skills set in their organisation,
up from just over half last year. Large businesses also use their social media presence for customer service, with
two-thirds receiving complaints through social media, and almost all large businesses responding to them.
Social media skills in large business
Does the business
have the right
social media
skills set
How many people does your business have working
on your social media presence?
Yes
66%
2013
No
Partially
16% 18%
Social media development in large business
Proportion of
large businesses
that…
Have a social
media policy
Invested in social
media training
2013
2013
76% 45%
Base: Have a social media presence (119) Q. Do you have a social media policy to help your
employees understand what is/isn’t appropriate for them to do in terms of their personal use of
social media versus being a representative of the company/commenting on the company or brands?
Q. Does your company invest in any social media training for your employees? Q. How many people
does your organisation have working on your social media involvement? Q. Do you have the right
social media skills sets in your organisation?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
How many people does your
business have working on
your social media presence?
2012
2013
1 to 5
63%
70%
6 to 10
14%
13%
11 to 20
8%
6%
Over 20
8%
6%
Average
54
16
Median
4
3
Social media as a customer service channel
Using social
media as a
customer service
channel
Businesses
receiving
complaints in
social media
Businesses
responding
to them
66% 96%
Base: Have a social media presence (119) Q. Have you received complaints through your social
media channels from customers?
Base: Receives complaints through social media (78) Q. Do you respond?
59
How often businesses
update their social media
Large businesses were much more likely to update their social media at least on a daily basis, with the proportion
doing this increasing by five percentage points over the past year. The proportion of both small and medium
businesses that updated their social media daily has decreased slightly since last year, and while daily updates
were still the most popular for medium businesses, small businesses were most likely to update their social media
on a weekly basis.
How often small businesses update their social media
30
28%
20
22%
18%
10
15%
24%
17%
9%
0
2012
2013
Everyday
2012
2013
A few times a week
2012
2013
Once a week
2012
11%
2013
14%
13%
9%
9%
2012
A few times a month
2013
Once a month
2012
8%
2013
2012
A few times a year
4%
2013
Never
How often small businesses update their social media
How often medium businesses update their social media
40
39%
30
36%
20
24%
10
12%
0
2012
2013
Everyday
2012
15%
19%
7%
2013
A few times a week
2012
2013
Once a week
2012
4%
2013
12%
2012
A few times a month
6%
5%
2013
2012
Once a month
10%
2013
6%
6%
2012
2013
A few times a year
Never
How often medium businesses update their social media
How often large businesses update their social media
70
60
60%
50
65%
40
30
18%
20
10
0
2012
2013
Everyday
2012
11%
2013
A few times a week
10%
10%
2012
2013
Once a week
2%
5%
7%
2012
2013
2012
A few times a month
4%
2013
Once a month
3%
2012
1%
2%
2013
2012
A few times a year
4%
2013
Never
How often large businesses update their social media
Base: Have a social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. How often do you monitor or update your social media presence?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
60
How is traffic driven to a
business’ social media presence?
Over seven in ten small businesses have some form of strategy to drive people to their social media presence
– most often a link on their website. Over three-quarters of medium businesses have a strategy and, again,
website links play the most significant part. For large businesses, 91% have a strategy to drive traffic to their social
media site, with website links used by over half.
While some businesses don’t have a strategy to drive traffic to their social media presence, they are likely to have
social sharing buttons on their website. Almost half of small, seven in ten medium, and two-thirds of large businesses
actively facilitated the sharing of content from their websites by including social share buttons.
Means of driving traffic to social media presence
Means of driving traffic to social media presence
Small
Medium
Large
Have links on our website to our social media site
32%
36%
51%
Like/follow/subscribe to other’s social media sites
15%
13%
6%
Advertise our social media presence in traditional media
11%
15%
24%
Advertise on other websites/Facebook
9%
13%
17%
Competitions/promotions
6%
5%
5%
Include links in directories
6%
8%
3%
E-mail
5%
7%
4%
29%
24%
9%
None – no strategy to drive traffic
Base: Have social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. How do you drive traffic to your social media presence?
Social sharing buttons on websites
49% 70% 67%
of small
businesses use
social share buttons
on their website
of medium
businesses use
social share buttons
on their website
of large
businesses use
social share buttons
on their website
Base: Have social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. Do you include social media buttons on your website to help people share information about your business on their social media presence?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
61
Business investment
in social media
Overall, 61% of small businesses involved with social media have made some financial investment in it, down from
70% in 2012. While many are not sure what the investment is, most of those who do report an average of $1,970,
down from $3,410 in 2012.
A larger 82% of medium businesses with social have invested in the channel although, again, almost one in four
are unable to nominate an amount. Most of those who do give an answer report an average of $11,780, down
from $16,920 in 2012.
And 80% of large business social media users have invested financially, but a very high 46% can’t nominate the
amount. The average nominated expenditure in social media from those businesses that did know was $79,710,
down from $100,480 in 2012.
Annual social media budgets
Annual budget on social media
Small
Medium
Large
Nothing
39%
13%
8%
15%
4%
3%
0%
18%
18%
6%
7%
13%
14%
15%
3%
24%
20%
2%
2%
5%
7%
15%
8%
46%
Up to $500
$501 to $1000
$1001 to $5000
$5001 to $10000
$10001 to $50000
Over $50000
I don’t know how much I spend
Average social media budgets – trends
100K
90K
80K
70K
60K
2011
2012
2013
Medium
2011
$79750
2013
$11780
2012
Small
$100480
2011
$78750
0K
$6500
10K
$1970
20K
$3410
30K
$2050
40K
$16920
50K
2012
2013
Large
Average budget
Base: Have a social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. Approximately, what is your current investment in social media? What do you spend a year?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
62
Percentage of marketing
budget allocated to social media
While spends on social media have decreased in the past year, this is reflective of drops in overall marketing
budgets, with the proportion of marketing spent on social media remaining relatively stable. While there was a
1.6% fall in the proportion of marketing budget spent by small businesses on social media, there was an 0.3%
increase for medium and a 0.4% increase for large businesses. On average, small businesses using social
media allocate just under 14% of their budget to the channel, while medium businesses allocate 9.5% and large
businesses just under 5%.
Percentage of marketing budget allocated to social media
Percentage of marketing budget allocated to social media
Small
Medium
Large
Up to 10%
43%
53%
57%
11% to 20%
4%
6%
6%
21% to 50%
7%
5%
3%
Over 50%
3%
3%
0%
43%
34%
35%
Don’t know
Average proportion of marketing budget – Trends
20
15
15.3%
13.7%
10
9.2%
8.3%
5
0
9.5%
5.5%
2011
2012
2013
2011
Small
4.7%
2012
2013
Medium
2011
4.5%
4.9%
2012
2013
Large
Average proportion of marketing budget
Base: Have a social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. Approximately what percentage of your marketing budget is allocated to social media?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
63
How businesses measure the
success of social media investment
Just 26% of SMEs formally measure the return on their social media investment, compared to 51% of large
businesses. Those small businesses that do measure return on investment are most likely to do this by asking
customers how they found them, while medium and large businesses are most likely to measure their return
on investment by monitoring the number of responses on social media. Whilst the majority of businesses do not
measure ROI for social, most have an idea on whether or not it has been successful, most commonly measured
by the number of likes/followers or subscribers to their social media channels.
Proportion of
businesses that
measure return on
investment for
social media
Small
Medium
Large
2013
2013
2013
2012
25%
28%
2012
28%
24%
2012
51%
39%
Base: Have a social media presence (448) / (151) / (119)Q. Do you measure your return on investment into social media?
How businesses measure social media ROI
How businesses measure social media ROI
Small
Medium
Large
Asking customers how they found you
47%
22%
12%
Monitor number of responses on social media
37%
60%
65%
Third party statistics provider
12%
5%
16%
Online/automated/analytical tools
3%
5%
12%
In-house statistics/marketing department
1%
0%
8%
Volume of sales/customers/revenue/new sales
0%
3%
0%
Specific deals for social media customers
0%
5%
0%
Saving a customer
0%
0%
4%
New sales
0%
0%
8%
Base: Measures social media ROI (97) / (36) / (51) Q. How do you measure the return on investment into social media…?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
64
How businesses measure the
success of social media investments
(Measures)
Measures businesses use to report on social success
Small
Medium
Large
Number of likes/followers/subscribers
41%
36%
69%
Sales/revenue/profits
27%
32%
16%
Ask people how they get information from us
9%
8%
0%
Take up of incentives/offers
8%
4%
8%
Usage
0%
0%
6%
Brand sentiment
0%
0%
2%
Number of hits on our website
1%
6%
8%
Analytical tool
0%
0%
2%
Number of responses/enquiries/calls
4%
3%
0%
Don’t know/don’t measure
15%
0%
4%
How businesses measure the success of their social media
Base: Have a social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. How do you measure the success of your social media?
25% 69%
of small businesses
measure social
media ROI
of large businesses
use follower
numbers to measure
social media success
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
65
Expectations for
the next 12 months
There is a clear indication that those who currently have a social media presence are planning to increase their
expenditure in the year to come, with a 33% of small, 57% of medium, and 51% of large businesses expecting an
increase.
For those large businesses planning to increase their social media expenditure, some 47% are planning to spend
less on print advertising, however almost one in three are not planning to reduce budgets in other areas as a
consequence of their planned increase spend on social media.
Over two-thirds of all businesses with a social media presence expect that their social media investment will
contribute to an increase in sales over the next 12 months – with the average expectation for increase being
approximately 12% for SMEs and 9% for larger businesses.
Expectations for social media expenditure
60
60%
57%
50
51%
40
30
35%
33%
29%
20
10
12%
5%
0
Spend
more
Spend the
same
Spend
less
3%
2%
Don’t
know
Spend
more
Small
Spend the
same
Spend
less
8%
6%
Don’t
know
Medium
Spend
more
Spend the
same
Spend
less
Don’t
know
Large
Expectations for social media expenditure
Base: Have social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. Thinking about your total planned investment in social media for the next 12 months, are you planning to spend more/spend the same/spend less/
don’t know?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
66
Expectations for
the next 12 months
Which marketing activity will be cut as a consequence of increased social media spend? (Large businesses)
Which marketing activity will be cut as a consequence of increased social media spend? (Large businesses)
Large
Print advertising
47%
Nothing
32%
TV advertising
5%
Radio advertising
5%
Online advertising
5%
Sponsorships
5%
Don’t know
5%
Base: Large businesses planning to increase social media expenditure (19) Q. If you are planning on spending more in social media, what are you planning on spending less on?
Do businesses believe that social media investment will contribute to an increase in sales?
Do businesses believe that social media investment will contribute to an increase
in sales?
Small
Medium
Large
Yes
68%
73%
68%
No
32%
27%
32%
Average expected
increase in sales
due to social
media
Small
Medium
Large
2013
2013
2013
12.2% 11.7% 8.8%
Base: Have social media presence (448) / (151) / (119) Q. Do you believe that your social media investment will contribute to an increase in sales in the next 12 months?
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
67
Social media and business
performance in Australian SMEs
While SMEs have their own measures of success for social media, it is interesting to take a step back and see how
SMEs with social media performed on a wide range of economic indicators compared to businesses without a
social media presence. With the SME component of the survey undertaken in conjunction with the Sensis® Business
Index, it’s possible to see how firms with a social media presence performed compared to firms without a social
media presence.
The March 2013 Sensis® Business Index found an overall increase in SME confidence, sitting at net 28% on
average. SMEs with social media were more likely to report increased confidence (net 30%) compared to
SMEs without a social media presence (net 26%).
And for a broad range of economic indicators, SMEs with a social media presence reported higher performance.
Some 36% of SMEs that used Social media reported increased sales, compared to 27% of those that didn’t.
SMEs with social media were also more likely to report increases in profitability (33% compared to 20%) and
increasing employment (14% compared to 8%).
SMEs that used social media were also more likely to be actively seeking to grow their businesses (65% compared
to 43%).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
SME with a social media presence
Net proportion reporting confidence
SME without a social media presence
SME with a social media presence
Proportion reporting increased sales
SME without a social media presence
SME with a social media presence
Proportion reporting increased profitability
SME without a social media presence
SME with a social media presence
Proportion reporting increased employment
SME without a social media presence
Proportion seeking significant or moderate
growth in their business
SME with a social media presence
SME without a social media presence
30%
26%
36%
27%
33%
20%
14%
8%
65%
43%
Base: All SMEs
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
68
About
About Sensis
Sensis helps Australians find, buy and sell. Our integrated network of local search and digital marketing solutions
delivers real, measurable business leads to Australian businesses.
Sensis’ multichannel network includes Yellow Pages®,
White Pages®, the 1234 and 12456 Call Connect voice services,
Whereis® digital mapping solutions, the Sensis Digital Media™
advertising business, and request-for-quote service, Quotify. This
increasingly diverse network spans print, online, voice, mobile,
iPhone, iPad, Android, Telstra’s T-Hub and satellite navigation, and
information can also be shared from online to mobile and social
networking sites.
Sensis helps ensure our advertisers are found by more customers
than ever by managing their presence across a growing number
of advertising platforms including search engines such as Google,
Bing and Yahoo!
Sensis Pty Ltd
222 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: + 61 3 8653 5000 | Twitter: @Sensis_au
www.about.sensis.com.au
About AIMIA
The Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA) is the peak body for the digital industry in Australia.
It was founded in 1992.
AIMIA’s membership represents the full spectrum of the digital
industry. Our members range from Australia’s top digital media
powerhouses, including the ABC, Sensis, Yahoo!, Google, Bigpond,
Foxtel, Disney, ninemsn and Fairfax Digital, to the country’s best
know digital advertising, mobile content and applications, online
banking, e-commerce, web development and social media
companies.
AIMIA exists to:
Represent AIMIA members and the digital industry nationally and
internationally with government, education, media and the broader
business community.
AIMIA
L2, 295-301 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: + 61 2 9248 7900 | Twitter:@amianational | www.aimia.com.au
Deliver services and initiatives that help AIMIA members grow their
business and support the growth of the digital industry at large.
Develop and grow the markets for AIMIA members’ services and
products.
Identify and develop export opportunities for AIMIA members.
Registered trade mark of Telstra Corporation Limited (ABN 33 051 775 556). Sensis Pty Ltd (ABN 30 007 423 912) has responsibility for
production of the Yellow Pages® and White Pages® directories and related products on behalf of Telstra Corporation Limited.
®
Yellow Social Media Report | Section 2: Australian businesses and social media
TM
69
45% 42% 65% 20%
of Australian social
users access social at
least once a day
use social while
watching TV
of Australians
use social media
Share this report on your
preferred social media
platform and follow us at:
www.facebook.com/YellowBusinessAustralia
of Australian social
media users use
Facebook
258
pinterest.com/yellowpagesaus/
plus.google.com/+YellowPagesAustralia/
www.youtube.com/user/yellowpagesmarketing
fans or followers
35% 67% 7
The typical Australian
Facebooker spends
more than
of Australian social
users access social
sites on a smartphone
95%
Australians
have an average of
twitter.com/YellowBiz_au
of regional SME’s
have a social media
presence
use social media to
research products and
services
hours
25%
of social media users
follow brands
on site a week
82% 60% 30% 51%
of small business social
accounts are run by
the owner or manager
of the business
of large businesses
update their social
media every day
The average investment
for a small business
using social is
29%
13.7%
of their marketing
budget
of small businesses
have no strategy to
drive traffic to their
social media presence
of Australian small
businesses use social
media
of large businesses
measure social media
ROI
Copyright 2013 Sensis®.
Developed in association with the Australian Interactive Media Association (AIMIA)