SM

I selected this piece by Steve Olenski  for Forbes because it's good for B2C marketers to see the results of their social media campaigns.

This article is specifically aimed at B2C marketers where their consumers want instant gratification - promotions, giveaways, etc. Having said that, part of the purchasing cycle can include content in some cases depending on what you're selling and who your audience is.

Here are findings of a survey recently conducted by Market Force - a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions.

12,000 consumers in the US and UK were asked how they engaged with varying industries via social media: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Google+

Here's what caught my attention:

**81% of US respondents indicated posts from their friends directly influenced their purchase decision

**80% of respondents “tried new things based on friends’ suggestions.”

**78% of respondents said the posts by companies they follow on social media impact their purchases.

**consumers are not all that interested in content but rather want something i.e. a promotion, giveaway, etc. when it comes to social media and their favorite brands.

Are Brands finally "getting it" when it comes to social media?

**They are getting more and more cognizant of the fact that what they post, share and so on can and will impact what the end user does – in this case, make a purchase decision.

**out of the 12,000 who participated 75% were women. This is incredibly significant given the fact that women account for 85% of all consumer purchases

Selected by Jan Gordon covering,  "Content Curation. Social Business and Beyond"

See full article here: [http://onforb.es/KQTqAR]