Uploaders wield digital power

Agency.com recently researched a group of internet users who are driving social media and, they say, marketers would be wise to engage them.

by Helen Leggatt

Marketers should look to engage uploaders, that section of internet users who drive social media, according to new UK-based research by Agency.com.

Making up just 8 percent of UK internet users, around 2.3 million people, uploaders are active online informers and influencers. They are also more likely to be young, male, better off and well educated than the average internet user and are 20 percent more likely to be early adopters.

By using social media, and regularly uploading and sharing reviews and opinions, they voraciously broadcast to their communities via blogs, social networks and forums. They participate in many social networks and are members of more forums and online clubs than the average internet user.

So why do uploaders do what they do? Agency.com found that they don’t trust advertising, preferring instead to share real life experiences. They believe they are doing their various communities a service in doing so. However, they tend towards being brand advocates and Agency.com found that 83 percent actively recommend a product or service they like. Marketers should harness this passion, says Agency.com, and "work out how to engage them, rather than just jumping on the latest MySpace or YouTube bandwagon".

"The rise of social media has almost caught marketers out. There are millions of people on MySpace, so brands think they must advertise there. They're missing the point. People are on MySpace or Facebook to have conversations with other people, not to be talked at by advertisers," said James Clifton, european planning director at Agency.com.