WebProNews

More than half (54%) of consumers say that information from a brand representative is more valuable than what is usually found on a company Web site, according to new study, "The Impact of Social Media on Purchase Behavior" by research firm OTX on behalf of DEI Worldwide, a social media marketing agency.

They found that 63 percent of consumers would like to share their opinions about a brand or product with a representative, and 67 percent are likely to pass along information from a brand representative to other people.

More than half (57%) of consumers are likely to take action based on information from a brand representative, such as buying a product or shopping at the retailers.

"62% of consumers responded that information from a brand representative would be more valuable than advertisements or promotional materials," said Lou Cuming, chief operating officer of DEI Worldwide.

"These findings are particularly interesting because they support what we have been saying all along, that Word of Mouth is a valuable marketing tool that should be combined with traditional media to create an integrated marketing strategy."

People rely on social media Web sites as much as company Web sites for product information and 70 percent of consumers have visited a social media Web site such as a message board, social network, blog and video sharing site to get information on a company, brand or product.

The study also found that people who search for information only using social media sites are more likely to spread the word. More than one-third of consumers have passed along information found online and among those, six out of 10 used social media Web sites to share the information. Nearly three-quarters (74%) said most of the information the passed along was positive.