The document summarizes key statistics about social media usage in Australia. It finds that Australians are among the most active social media users worldwide, with over 10 million using it to connect with others and brands. Facebook is the dominant platform, used by 97% of social media participants. The future of social media is predicted to be mobile, with growth in mobile usage and access predicted to surpass 50% by 2014. Most Australian businesses are beginning to engage with social media, though many are still figuring out best practices.

1. The beautiful things numbers can tell you about social media Beauty Directory Digital Seminar 26 July 2011

2. Australian’s love social media Most prolific users in the world Over 10 million tap into other consumers opinions Nearly 6 million connect with brands & organisation’s Roughly a third use social media every day* Social media brands are consistently amongst top 15 sites visited by Australians

3. Australiansocial media landscape is less complex Unique Audience Source : Nielsen NetView April 2011 Flickr YouTube R.I.P MySpace 20% ahead of nearest social platform Not on the radar Source : Nielsen NetView June 2011

4. 72% of people in their 20s use social media at least most days 70% teenagers use every day 64% people in their 30s use at least weekly The youngeryou are, the more frequentlyyou use social media Source: Sensis Social Media Report May 2011

5. It’s tough for brandsto stand out amongst the crowd of friends & family Social media users average 217 friends The younger you are the more friends you have Source: Sensis Social Media Report May 2011

6. The future of social media is mobile Social mobile has doubled, now at 42% of all online Australians and a whopping 74% of 16-24 yrolds Source: Nielsen Online Consumer Report , March 2011 Social Media Report 2011

7. Get ready for the Mobile web 18% of all Google searches in Australia are conducted on a mobiledevice It’s not just social that is going mobile Predictions that 50% of all access to the internet will be via mobile device: 2014 predicted by Commscore 2013 predicted by Google 2012 predicted by Morgan Stanley

8. 93% use social media to connect with family & friends Youth are most likely to connect with a brandor business Source: Sensis Social Media Report May 2011

9. You need to design experiences that deliver tangible value in return for your audiences time, attention, endorsement & sharing Source: Sensis Social Media Report May 2011

11. Stickiest member community with active reach of 67%

12. Average time per person 7hrs, 20 minutes p/monthSocial Media Report 2011

13. 6.6 million Australians check Facebook daily Source: Facebook’s head of Agency Relations, Sarah Personette

15. 32% in their 20s

16. 21% in their 30s

17. 14% in their 40s

18. 8% in their 50s

19. 4% 60 yrs +Data compiled by AmodiovalerioeVerde from Facebook Ad Platform

20. Bigger fan bases mean better results 501fans is the tipping point

21. Facebook News feed is the holy grail

23. Posts manuallyto get a higher EdgeRank score

24. Timing is key– monitor & learn to find your engagement sweet spot. You’ll get half the ‘Likes’ you’ll ever get in first 1hr 20 mins.

25. Balance your frequency. Post too often & you’ll annoy people. Post to infrequently & you are invisibleFor more info on Facebook NFO read my blogpost: http://www.bestof3.com.au/bestof3/2011/04/the-cutting-edge-of-facebook/

26. Reasons people unlike brands on Facebook ExactTarget | www.ExactTarget.com/sff

27. Over 60% of people under 50 read online reviews or blogs Males moreengaged with blogs But only 24% will ever post reviews or blogs People read an average of 6 blogs before making a purchase decision

28. Blogs are under-utlisedby Australian business Whilst 50% of large businesses have a social media presence, only 25% of them maintain a blog Source: Sensis Social Media Report May 2011

29. The more frequentlyyou blog, the more traffic& the more customersyou will get Businesses that post dailygenerate 5x more traffic than those that post weekly or less TIP: Post as frequently as feasible to outpace your competition & see great results.

30. I wonder how Australian businessis using social media?

31. Most of the budget is going towards advertisingon social sites & maintaining a Facebook page The portionof the marketing budget allocated to social media is growing During 2010 72% of participating businesses allocated 10% or more of their marketing budget 40% Allocated one fifth (20%) of their marketing budget to social media activities Neilsen | Community Engine Social Media Business Benchmarking Study 2011

32. Healthy level of effort into monitoring & participating in conversations Businesses are investing in integratingsocial elements into their own websites Neilsen | Community Engine Social Media Business Benchmarking Study 2011

33. Only 9% of businesses are optimising their content for mobile devices Businesses are starting to realise the importance of rich media Neilsen | Community Engine Social Media Business Benchmarking Study 2011

35. Remember that people are primarily using social media for social purposes – not to be marketed to.

36. Be mobile ready, your customers probably are.

37. Engagement is vital but you need volume to deliver better results.

39. Image credits Slide 1: Lustre-Creme Lotion Shampoo print ad Slide 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marfis75/3272079115/ Slide 4: Letting it all hang out. Picture by Megan Slade, Source: The Courier Mail http://www.couriermail.com.au/life/families/parents-quizzed-about-their-schoolies-fears-as-year-12-students-hit-the-beaches/story-e6frer7o-1225956805533 Slide 6:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcritz/4100000659/ Slide 7:http://www.flickr.com/photos/ljcybergal/42255990/sizes/o/in/photostream/ Slide 9: http://day1of1.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/gift.jpg Slide 11: http://photos.miravit.cz/albums/45_living_on_bondi-beach_summer_2006-07/bondi-beach_summer-2006-07_p1060048.jpg Slide 13: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjparnell/435465575/ Slide 15: Love Stinks, JG Geils Band album cover via http://www.flickr.com/photos/epiclectic/2643565118/in/photostream/ Slide 17: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lady-madonna/147066705/ Slide 18:http://drnaomi.blogspot.com/2011/04/so-what-could-patient-who-looks-like.html Slide 20: Actual Business Letters, Dictated at Various speeds., Keane Records. http://www.flickr.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/4006849801/sizes/o/in/photostream/ Slide 21:http://www.flickr.com/photos/benhosking/5076568979/ Slide 23: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dearsomeone/3336741009/ Slide 24: Beauty Shop Beat, The Clark Sisters (Album cover), Coral Records via http://www.flickr.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/4165475770/sizes/o/in/photostream/