In addition to being embraced by individuals looking to virtually connect and interact with each other on the Web, social media is becoming increasingly popular in the corporate world. More and more businesses are utilizing social media as a new avenue for audience interaction, from customer service to promotion. Print businesses are in a unique position to use social media as a tool for interacting with the online world, while also offering social media marketing services to their clients. To capture this opportunity, however, printers must show that they can effectively execute social media initiatives so clients will be comfortable entrusting them with the task. What is the reality of social media adoption and utilization in the print industry? Research data sets a baseline for how printers are getting social. 

In last week's article, I used some research from InfoTrends’ annual Software Investment Outlook study to highlight trends regarding the top information sources that printers use. In that same study, we asked printers a number of questions related to their use of social media to better understand industry-wide adoption. In general terms, 37% of respondents indicated that they currently used social media in their businesses, which is a significant base considering the relative infancy of the medium and its related technologies. Furthermore, nearly 34% of respondents indicated that although they currently don’t use social media, they are considering doing so in the future.

Figure 1: Social Media Usage by Print Service Providers