Added to the small level of influence that social networks have on consumer purchasing decisions there is also the ever latent danger posed by situations where communication can seriously damage the company's image.
According to a recent survey by Gallup Inc. published by The Wall Street Journal "... a clear majority of Americans say that social media has no effect on their purchasing decisions.
According to research by the consultancy Mintel, more than two thirds (66%) of social network users say they rarely pay attention to ads on these sites.
More than half (56%) say they dont like buying products they have seen advertised on social networking sites - suggesting that brands have to go beyond paid advertising to influence consumer purchasing decisions .
A Microsoft Advertising White Paper looks at changes in audience behavior regarding print and online media.
Advertisers must ensure the balance between print and online advertising reflects the changing role of public consumption habits, particularly the growing importance of online advertising in various stages of the purchase funnel.
It is estimated that by 2012, the number of Europeans who regularly use the Internet will overtake newspaper readers (in fact, it already has among those under 34 years). Equally rapid is the change in the roles which both channels play in the lives of readers. Europeans who read print and online use the Internet more frequently, allowing them access to more content and information and allows them to enjoy many of the main qualities of traditional newspapers and magazines.
People are migrating from television to the digital media, where they interact.
Advertising is changing rapidly, to respond to rapid changes in public behavior, which is increasingly spending more time in front of computers, connected to the Internet, at the expense of time devoted to traditional media like television and especially printed media.
The ability to interact with the public in digital media can learn preferences, habits and interests of people, which in turn allows advertising messages to develop more and more tailored to those preferences, habits and interests, making the content of information in advertising of high-value for individuals.