Industry Statistics

Social Network Usage

Nearly one in five Internet users is tweeting on Twitter or using another service to share personal and business updates, or to see updates about others (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2009)

66% of LinkedIn users are decision makers or have influence in the purchase decisions at their companies (decision makers also tend to be more active on LinkedIn). (Anderson Analytics, 2008)

In 2010, 50+ Percent of Marketers Will Be Using Social Media (Center for Media Research, 2009)

52% of social networkers had friended or become a fan of at least one brand (Anderson Analytics, 2009)

Social Network ROI

69% of respondents report that their companies have gained measurable business benefits from social technologies, including more innovative products and services, more effective marketing, better access to knowledge, lower costs of doing business and higher revenues. (McKinsey Global Survey, 2009)

Security can’t just block the use of social networking sites anymore. The benefits, including low-cost ways to recruit employees, distribute marketing materials and enable employee networking, are simply to great. (Security for Business Innovation Council, 2009)

81% of all marketers who use social media said it generates more exposure for their business. (Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 2009)

Employees with the most extensive personal networks were 7% more productive than their colleagues. (MIT, 2009)

Mavens on average grew 18% in revenues over the last 12 months, compared to the least engaged companies who on average saw a decline of 6%. (Altimeter/Wetpaint, 2009)

52% of employees surveyed said that a company's use of technology was a major factor when they select an employer. (Accenture, 2009)

Brand Protection

74% of employed Americans surveyed believe it is easy to damage a brand’s reputation via sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. (Deloitte Ethics & Workplace Survey, 2009)

1/3rd of employed respondents say they never consider what their boss would think before posting materials online. (Deloitte Ethics & Workplace Survey, 2009)

61% of employees say that even if employers are monitoring their social networking profiles or activities, they won’t change what they are doing online. (Deloitte Ethics & Workplace Survey, 2009)

49% of employees say a company policy won’t change how they behave online (Deloitte Ethics & Workplace Survey, 2009)

Risk Management & Compliance

27% of executives regularly discuss how to best leverage social networks while mitigating risks. (Deloitte Ethics & Workplace Survey, 2009)

“You have to find a way to supervise this activity” (FINRA Social Networking Podcast, 2009)

54% of CIOs said their firms do not allow employees to visit social networking sites for any reason while at work. (Robert Half Technology, 2009)