The majority (71%) of social network users have two or more profiles on different sites and 26 percent have four or more profiles, according to new research from InsightExpress.
Among social network users who have created only one profile, 46 percent are on MySpace and 36 percent are on Facebook. Those who have two or three profiles can be found on MySpace (78%), Facebook (71%), Classmates (22%), and LinkedIn (11%).
Drew Lipner
Out of those with four or more profiles, 92 percent have Facebook, 89 percent have MySpace, 60 percent have Classmates, 40 percent have Reunion, 33 percent have LinkedIn, 11 percent have Flickr and 10 percent have Twitter.
Data across age groups revealed only small differences. Among social network users who have two or three profiles, most are 18 to 24 years old (25.6%) followed by 25 to 34 year olds (23.3%). The remaining age groups are also well represented with 14. 7 percent who are 35 to 44 years old, 15.6 percent are 45 to 54 years old and 18.4 percent are 55 to 64 years old.
Opt-in ads are favored by 40 percent of social network users, while behavior-based campaigns are preferred by only 20 percent of respondents. Response to randomly generated ads depended on the site. Only 23 percent of LinkedIn, Facebook, Classmates, MySpace and Reunion users say this approach is acceptable, while 43 percent of CafeMom, Twitter, and Flickr users find it acceptable.
“Recognizing the rapid growth of social networks and social networking audiences, advertisers have focused on creative engagement and how to apply their brands within a new environment,” said Drew Lipner, VP, Group Director of the Digital Media Measurement team at InsightExpress.
“The broad and exciting acceptance of social networking also reinforces the distinct need to develop targeted and relevant campaigns for this channel with the help of advanced measurement tools.”
