Are Only Crazy People Commenting About Brands in Social Media?

We know who uses social media to comment about brands. They are crazy people who have nothing better to do with their time.  Really? Is this still true?

We know who uses social media to comment about brands. They are crazy people who have nothing better to do with their time.  Really? Is this still true?

We recently conducted an online survey (based on the e-Rewards survey panel) to determine who participates in social media. We talked to a census representative sample of 1000 Americans and 1000 Canadians and asked people about their social media usage.

Specifically, we asked them “Over the last month or so, have you written any comments or questions about a brand or company in social media?” I’m sure a lot of survey gurus will have fun pointing out alternate wordings of that question which would have generated far more accurate and precise results, but let’s take the answers for what they are: An indication of who is using social media to talk about brands.

22%. Let that number sink in.
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22% of people have knowingly written something about a brand in the social media space. Add to that even more people who don’t realize they occasionally chat about brands and we’re working with a lot of people. It’s not just men, it’s not just educated people, it’s not just people with kids, it’s not just employed people. The only demographic that skews a bit away from average are older folks, but even a good percentage of them share their voices online.

So what kinds of people comment about brands in the social media space? All kinds of people.