The SUBSCRIBERS, FANS, & FOLLOWERS study was inspired by the three simple tenets of ExactTarget's SUBSCRIBERS RULE! philosophy:
In order to live by this philosophy, you have to understand who your customers are, what they're doing, and why they're doing those things. Social media is rapidly changing the ways consumers can engage with brands online. And although a lot of research has been conducted on what consumers are doing with social media, why they're doing those things has largely been a matter of speculation.
The SUBSCRIBERS, FANS, & FOLLOWERS study is an in-depth look at how consumers engage with brands through three of the most talked about online channels - Email, Facebook, and Twitter. The study addresses three core questions related to these channels:
To do this, we start with the premise that consumers should have the first say about which questions are most appropriate on a survey. Our studies consist of two distinct phases - a qualitative study in Phase I followed by a quantitative study in Phase II.
Phase I was conducted in March 2010, and we invited 44 people to participate in three different types of focus groups - a moderated 3-day online discussion board, 90-minute real-time chat room discussions, and 90-minute video focus groups using webcams. These sessions focused on the motivations consumers have for engaging with companies via Email, Facebook, and Twitter as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Phase II consisted of a survey fielded from April 9, 2010 through April 13, 2010. The survey addressed key themes heard during the focus groups in order to quantify the sentiments expressed therein. The survey was fielded through a MarketTools TrueSample™ online panel and completed by 1,506 U.S. respondents, aged 15 and older, and stratified by age so that each age bracket contained no less than 200 responses. Responses are weighted by age and gender according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates and Pew Internet Project's online activity data to reflect the online U.S. consumer population.
Phase I was conducted in October 2010 and we included 27 people to participate in two separate 3-day moderated online discussion boards. These sessions built on the focus groups conducted in March 2010 by again asking what motivates consumers to engaging with companies via Email, Facebook, and Twitter, and then focusing on the circumstances surrounding their decision to disengage with brands through each of these three channels. Focus group transcripts were then coded to identify key themes and representative quotes were selected to be included in the whitepaper.
Phase II consisted of a survey fielded from December 17 to January 10, 2011. The survey addressed key themes heard during the focus groups in order to quantify the sentiments expressed therein. Responses from 1,561 U.S. online consumers were collected using MarketTools TrueSample™ online panel. Respondents were 15 and older, and stratified by age. Responses are weighted by age and gender according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates and Pew Internet Project's online activity data to reflect the online U.S. consumer population.
Phase I (conducted in May 2011) included 45 individuals who participated in a three-day moderated online discussion board regarding various aspects of cross-channel marketing interactions. These sessions built on the focus groups conducted in March 2010 and October 2010. Focus group results gave direction to the nationwide survey by identifying the broad concepts that merit additional exploration. They also helped to eliminate any pre-existing biases or assumptions we might have as media-savvy marketing professionals, and instead focus our attention on the broader consumer experience.
Phase II consisted of an online survey conducted in June 2011. The survey addressed key themes heard during the focus groups in order to drill down and quantify the sentiments expressed. A total of 1,427 respondents completed the survey, including 207 teens (aged 15-17). Responses were weighted by age and gender according to US Census Bureau population estimates and Pew Internet Project's online activity data to reflect the online US consumer population.
The Digital Kingdom serves as the first SUBSCRIBERS, FANS, & FOLLOWERS research conducted exclusively in the UK. It parallels the process, methodology and aim of the US SFF research, but with a mind on UK consumers.
Phase I (conducted in August 2011) included 35 individuals across the UK, who participated in three-day moderated online discussion boards segmented into four age groups (15-17, 18-24, 25-35, and 36+). The principle emphasis of the discussion boards was to identify key trends, behaviors and attitudes regarding various aspects of cross-channel marketing interactions, particularly as they relate to email, Facebook and Twitter as three of the most popular communication channels presently. These online discussion boards served to direct the course and content of the nationwide survey by identifying the broad concepts that merit additional exploration. This approach guards our research from relying on any pre-existing biases or assumptions we might have from the US research and culture and as media-savvy marketing professionals. Instead, the focus groups narrowed our attention on the broader consumer experience within the UK specifically.
Phase II consisted of a nationwide online survey conducted in September 2011. The survey addressed key themes heard during the online discussion boards in order to quantify the sentiments expressed. A total of 1,508 respondents completed the survey. Responses were weighted by age and gender according to the UK's Office of National Statistics population estimates and internet users from Q2 2011 in order to reflect the online consumer population.
Data for the 2012 Channel Preferences Survey was collected through MarketTools TrueSample™ panel of consumers. A total of 1,481 respondents completed the survey between January 27, 2012 and February 1, 2012. The sample was stratified by age across seven age groups (15-17, 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, and 65+) to have a representative sample across each. Responses were then weighted by age and gender according to US Census Bureau population estimates and Pew Internet Project's online activity data to reflect the online US consumer population. For respondents 15-17 years of age, an invitation was sent to parents with teenage children living in the home asking them to have their teenage children respond.
In order to manage length and accommodate all of the questions included in this survey, two tracks were created. All 1,481 respondents answered questions about overall internet usage, devices owned, personal communication habits, permission, and purchase behavior related to marketing. The margin of error for these questions is +/- 3%. Track 1 (n=690) has a +/- 4% margin of error and addressed the general "acceptability" of different marketing tactics through various channels. Track 2 (n=791) respondents were asked to indicate which channel companies use to send them various types of information. The margin of error for these questions is also =/- 4%. Each of the two tracks addressed different scenarios presented in this paper.
Digital Down Under serves as the first SUBSCRIBERS, FANS, & FOLLOWERS research conducted exclusively in Australia. Catapulting from the first SUBSCRIBERS, FANS, & FOLLOWERS international study conducted in the UK (SFF #11 through SFF #13), ExactTarget set out to conduct research with a wider global reach that parallels the process, methodology, and aim of the existing UK and US research.
The SUBSCRIBERS, FANS, & FOLLOWERS Australia online survey launched nationwide in March 2012 in order to survey the landscape of consumers' online behaviors and sentiments. A total of 1,229 respondents, age 18 and older, completed the survey. Responses were weighted by age and gender in order to reflect the online Australia consumer population.
If you have additional questions about this study's methodology, email research@exacttarget.com.
