Brands Can Still Do More With Social Media

When it comes to social media, about 33 percent of consumers are not connecting with brands on social networks, according to a new report by interactive marketing firm Razorfish.

For the report, Razorfish surveyed 1,000 consumers who reported both social media and ecommerce activity with the goal to find out how social media influences purchasing decisions. Overall, 80 percent were members of at least one social network and 40 percent were active in two.

"Social media has quickly become one of the most talked-about topics in marketing. We didn’t want this report to just be more of the same, so instead we took a different, more scientific approach to evaluating this phenomena and measuring its effects," said Shiv Singh, VP and Global Social Media Lead at Razorfish.

"Today, a brand’s actions speak louder than its words and pushing out messages is no longer enough to excite and engage consumers."

The report indicates brands must identify who influences perception including offline peers, blogs and reviews. Consumers are more likely to engage with brands with credible voices. Brands using social media need to be personal and authentic and stay away from sounding like an advertisement.

Brands who provide value to consumers gain customer loyalty. Of those surveyed, 57 percent said they visited brand fan pages at least every few weeks or months, indicating consumers are not forgetting about them. If a brand provides current, relevant content, consumers will be more likely to engage with it.