Social media marketing and blogs impact on women’s purchase decisions

Blogs and social media marketing are becoming increasingly important influencers in female purchase decisions, according to the BlogHer 2011 Social Media Matters study.

In the first instance, the report confirmed that social media use and blog consumption are both on the rise in the US. The number of Facebook users climbed from 80% of online Americans last year to 87% this year, closing the gap between Facebookers and consumers of offline television (93%). BlogHer also found that 40% of online Americans read blogs (up from 37% in 2010) and 22% use Twitter (up from 16% last year).

A striking trend revealed by the study is the impact that blogs now have on online shopping habits. Around half (53%) of respondents (88% of those who describe themselves as active blog readers) said that they trust the information supplied in blogs that they visit regularly, with nearly one-quarter of the US population (24%) indicating that they make purchases based on blog content – rising to 53% of active blog readers.

What’s more, women tend to respond better to endorsements by trusted bloggers than by well-known celebrities when it comes to learning more about a product or making a purchase.

It’s worth noting that blogs and Facebook combine to form a powerful media pairing for BlogHer’s respondents, who cited both as the media channels that they consume regularly and are ‘passionate’ about. Integrating a business blog into a multi-faceted social media strategy is one potentially effective method of reaching this audience where they are most engaged.

BlogHer’s fourth annual study into women’s social media use patterns compared two samples: one comprised of women from the general population (via partner Nielsen) and one gathered from the BlogHer community of active blog consumers.