Social Media Brand Recommendations Are On The Rise

Americans are increasing their use of social media for discussions about favorite brands while slowing down on face-to-face and phone conversations about product likes and dislikes, according to a report by Colloquy, the research arm of LoyaltyOne, a global provider of loyalty and marketing programs.

Social media brand recommendations have grown 4 percent since Colloquy conducted survey research in 2011 on the word-of-mouth habits of U.S. consumers, while face-to-face recommendations have declined 4 percent in that time period.

In another key finding, nearly half of the general population believes social networks are an inappropriate way for brands to interact with customers, while 73 percent of the youth segment believes it is appropriate.