SumAll Statistics Show Instagram Is Most Effective Social Media Platform For Businesses In 2013

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- SumAll, the leading provider of connected data analytics, today announced the results of its first annual examination of the most effective social media platforms for businesses. After indexing data from SumAll business customers, unpaid, organic Instagram website traffic was shown to be the most effective platform in 2013 based on median increases in subscriber growth, user engagement, and sales effectiveness.

According to SumAll client customer data analyzed from January 1, 2013 to date, Instagram has demonstrated median increases of 7% in both subscribers per month and fan/follower engagements per month (engagements defined as direct follower interaction, e.g., likes, comments, etc.). Moreover, SumAll clients in the U.S. demonstrated 1.5% to 3.0% increases in revenue resulting from Instagram usage; interestingly, SumAll clients in the United Kingdom demonstrate Instagram-related increases of up to 3.6% of revenue—a 20% higher level than in the United States.

SumAll's analysis included all four of the most prominent social media networks worldwide—Instagram, Twitter, Google+ and Facebook. Only business users with datasets covering all four of the networks plus revenue for the year to date, and at least 25 fans/followers on all four networks as of January 1, 2013, were included in the study.

"With increases in fan/follower engagement nearly three times that of other networks studied, Instagram is the clear winner for 2013," said Dane Atkinson, SumAll Chief Executive Officer. "All four of the networks continue to show their value, with Facebook still established as the overall leader in sales ROI. But according to our results, if a company has a visual product to sell and it's currently not on Instagram, that company is missing out on significant brand awareness and revenue."

SumAll client customers experiencing a positive sales return from their Instagram efforts span a wide range of retailers and product manufacturers, including:

• In God We Trust, a boutique designer/manufacturer/retailer of men's and women's clothing, jewelry and accessories, credits 2.3% of its revenue to Instagram.
• Pure Fix Cycles, makers of fixed gear bicycles, states that each Instagram posting is worth roughly $100 towards its revenues.

SumAll's analysis also indicated that in social media outreach, more is not necessarily better for companies. In other words, large increases in outreach on a single platform tend to diminish the return on that platform.  Unfortunately, there isn't an optimal level that works for everyone.  The best advice is to experiment with different levels of activity and watch the data to see what's working and what is not.

"Evidence suggests that a modest, broad-based approach to social media is best," said Atkinson. "By engaging consumers on a mix of the top networks, companies can maximize their engagement and ROI."

For more information about SumAll's social media analysis, visit www.sumall.com.

About SumAll:
SumAll, now deployed in 30 countries, is a forward thinking, socially conscious company focused on harnessing the full power of real-time business intelligence for marketers. Today SumAll tracks more than $4bn in revenue, 290bn social actions and 190bn site visits for over 100,000 businesses. Companies connect with SumAll in less than 60 seconds to integrate multiple data sources including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Analytics, Google AdWords, eBay, PayPal, Shopify and Big Commerce into one intuitive, interactive chart. Leading VC investors, Battery Ventures, General Catalyst, Matrix Partners and Wellington Partners, back the company. For more information, visit https://sumall.com/.

SOURCE SumAll