It seems when it comes to trust, Facebook is holding all the cards. The social media network has been revealed as the most trusted platform when it comes to product and service recommendations.
A survey conducted by Social Media Link of over 10,300 active social media users found that when it comes to purchase recommendations, 68 per cent of participants trust Facebook the most, followed by blogs (63 per cent), retail websites (63 per cent), Pinterest (56 per cent), YouTube (51 per cent), Twitter (41 per cent), and Google+ (41 per cent).
Social Media Link marketing director Jordan Herrmann explains that Facebook has the biggest impact because the network is one of the most closed social media mediums and strongly values relationships.
According to the study, the biggest impact on product purchases come from reviews by friends and family (86 per cent), professionals (58 per cent), website reviews (54 per cent), acquaintances (42 per cent), bloggers (39 per cent), and celebrities (11 per cent).
The survey also discovered that 40 per cent find the most valuable reviews contain personal stories, with 34 per cent finding a list of product benefits is of most value. Only 15 per cent said star ratings are the most valuable in influencing purchases.
An examination into what was prompting people to share their recommendations online found 78 per cent shared their opinions based on their experience, 47 per cent were prompted to give a review following a negative experience, 46 per cent like to share their opinions with others, and 46 per cent shared their experience to help inform others. The survey also found that 77 per cent of those surveyed needed to see less than 10 reviews before making a purchase.
