Infographic: Using Social Media to Build Brand Loyalty

A vast majority of Fortune 500 companies surveyed by the Center for Marketing at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth found the use of all forms of social media -- Facebook and Twitter, but also podcasting, blogging and more -- to be an effective use of time and resources. Socialcast built that survey into an infographic that more broadly examines the role social media can play in helping businesses to reach their customers and build brand loyalty.

"Social media is rapidly transforming the way organizations communicate with customers," according to the introduction to the infographic. "As a cost-effective way to engage online, social media gives companies broader reach beyond traditional communication methods like email. With a simple post or tweet, businesses can promote products and services, provide instant feedback or support, creating an online community of brand enthusiasts. Staying competitive in today's fast moving business landscape requires a solid social media strategy."

Infographics are always a bit of a hodgepodge of statistics culled from a variety of sources. Here, we sort through the clutter and pull out some of our favorite facts and figures:

• Using social media allows companies to engage customers in real-time dialogue and build brand loyalty. "At least half of Twitter and Facebook users said they had become more likely to talk about, recommend or purchase a company's products after they began following the company on social media," according to eMarketer.
• More social media applications today cost nothing and add tremendous value that's an attractive alternative for businesses looking to cut costs. And it takes practically no time to setup an account on social networking sites and applications.
• The Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth conducted a study from 2007 to 2009 on the use of social media in Fortune 500 companies. They found that about 80 percent or more of those surveyed found blogging, online video and podcasting to be successful uses of time and resources.
• Facebook, Twitter and Wordpress' simple design and broad appeal boast some of the largest social media mindshare on the Internet. Facebook sees about 50 percent of its members log in on a daily basis. That's more than 300 million users who interact in the social network every day and a reservoir of potential customers that businesses can reach with a few clicks.

Check out more Infographics on the Technology Channel.