UM dispels 10 myths about social media

Surveying 54 countries and 37,600 respondents, Universal McCann is in its fifth year of compiling its Wave report. This year, it has sought to dispel 10 social media myths specifically relating to Singapore.

Myth 1: Social networking sites are only for connecting with friends 

Research suggests that social media goes beyond just connecting with friends and is an aggregator of numerous online activities including expressing oneself, learn something new, seeking opinions and having fun or be entertained.

Myth 2: Social media sites are only for young people

Research suggests that those in the age bracket from 45-54 have seen the biggest increase over those in the 16-24 category.

Myth 3: Blogs are dying

According to Nielsen, traffic to Wordpress and Blogger, the two major blogging sites is stagnating while Facebook traffic grew by 66 per cent last year and Twitter’s by 47. UM’s research suggests that people are in fact moving away from personal blogs and diary sites to specialised topics such as music, science, sport, film and TV.

Myth 4: Brand websites are losing relevance 

Research reveals that eight out of 10 Singaporeans still visit brand websites and 74 per cent find them very influential.

Myth 5: Social media is just a fad and the bubble will burst

With 83 per cent saying that they will visit a friend’s social network page, 77 per cent stating that they will manage existing social network page and 75 per cent stating that they will visit online chat forums, it is amply clear that only the reverse is true.  

Myth 6: Singaporeans don’t want brands in social networks

On the contrary, people are willingly seeking forums to connect with brands with 53 per cent joining an online brand community and 38 per cent already a fan of a brand.

Myth 7: Singaporeans only connect with known brands on social networks

According to the research, 75 per cent say that they find recommendation from a friend on a social network page to be influential, 45 per cent have discovered new brands they like through social networking and 62 per cent found personalised advert on a social network page to be influential.

Myth 8: There is a ‘formula’ for all brands on social network

Different categories, different needs suggests the research. What may work for a health and pharmaceutical industry may not be the same for sports and lifestyle. Objectives of each campaign must be met with a good understanding of the online behaviour and interests of the respective audience base.

Myth 9: Buzz happens when brands go social

A common myth that brand messages go viral and create a buzz, is untrue according to the research. Instead it is the motivation to create content that determines the purpose of hosting content online and its respective goals that determine the reasons to create the necessary buzz.

Myth 10: Social media’s impact is superficial

As with any brand with an aim to earn the trust of its customer, social media too has to go beyond just creating content that will relay the right brand messages. Research suggests that a deeper understanding of consumer needs and motivations is the key to unlocking a real understanding of social media and its users and brands must make themselves seem credible.