Everything your business needs to know from the Sensis 2016 Social Media Report in under 5 minutes.

The 2016 Sensis Social Media Report is a rich smorgasbord of statistics. It’s full of fascinating insights, but at 71 pages long, let’s face it – it’s a little bit TL;DR (too long; didn’t read).

We’ve broken this bad boy down and pulled out the key insights for you to get the important info you need without having to wade through the whole report.

Why does social media matter for business?

• 59% of research on social media leads to a purchase
• 71% of the resulting purchases were made online
• 52% of social media users said they would trust a brand more if they interact with their customers in a positive way on social media
• 51% said they would trust a brand more if they regularly update their content
• 52% said they would trust a brand more if they find their content engaging and relevant to them
• 41% said they will inspect a brand’s social media presence before making an online purchase if they have not purchased from their website before

The numbers all point to the one thing: regular and relevant (emphasis on the relevant) content on social media builds trust.

Besides relevant content, what do users want from brands on social?

• 41% Discounts
• 30% Give-aways
• 31% Product information
• 25% Tips and advice

It’s a modern cliché, but social media is a two way street. To reap the benefits businesses need to be adding value to the relationship with their followers.

How do Australians use social media and what does this mean for businesses?

Social media is still part of a majority of Australian’s daily schedules. 57% of people check in at least once a day, 1 in 4 of us check our social media channels 5 times a day or more, and let’s face it, if you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them. The most popular time to check social media is in the evening, between work and dinner, which is something to factor into your social scheduling.

Users often complain about changes to Facebook and Instagram’s algorithm and user-interface, but the changes seem to have been effective.

The length of the average social media visit has grown dramatically over the last year. For Facebook the average session jumped from 18 to 24 minutes and for Instagram it more than doubled from 9 to 24 minutes. Increased session times are great news for businesses because they lead to more scrolling and therefore more ads being served.

When it comes to our social stalking weapons of choice not a great deal has changed. Facebook is still leading the way with 95% of Australian Internet users owning an account. The only real change in the landscape over the last 12 months has been Snapchat, which has moved from the 7^th most used platform to 4^th.  In fact, 60% of users aged 19-29 use Snapchat, making it the second most popular platform for that age range.

What do Australians use social media for?

It’s in the name, but the most common reason for using social media remains catching up with family and friends. 91% of users identified this as the main reason they check their socials.

The fresh new motivator on the block this year is watching video content. 28% of all users and 43% of users between 19-29 years old identified video as a key reason for logging on.

That number is expected to grow, so it’s important for brands to consider how their brand videos (such as television commercials) will translate on social media.

It gets even trickier when you consider 72% of people are using social media on mobile devices were videos are silent by default.

Reading the report it’s interesting to consider the things that haven’t changed as much as those that have. Social media is still considered a very personal experience for users and, if brands want to be part of that conversation they need to add to the experience. It takes time, but the reward is greater trust and rewarding relationships with key audiences.