source: creativo

source: Visual.ly

If you’re debating the power of social media for branding, here’s more proof that it matters: About 50% percent of consumers think a brand’s Facebook page is more useful than a brand’s website, a new study suggests.

Market research company Lab42 — which surveyed 1,000 social media users about how they interact with brands on Facebook — found that consumers are viewing a brand’s Facebook presence as more important than ever.

In fact, about 82% of respondents said Facebook page is a good place to interact with brands. But one of the top reasons to follow a brand on Facebook is to print coupons and discounts. The study revealed that 77% of those who “Like” a brand on Facebook have saved money as a result.

Consumers (73%) also noted that they have no issue with un-Liking a brand on the site if they post too often.

For a full look at how a brand’s Facebook presence is viewed and valued, check out the infographic from Lab42 below.

Personal social networks such as Facebook are used to waste time, and professional networks are used to invest time, according to LinkedIn. In a recent blog post, the career networking site discussed new research it commissioned into why people use different social media sites, and what that might mean for advertisers trying to reach them.

For example, LinkedIn says that professionals go to career sites to stay up to date with their career and expect to hear from brands 26% more than on non-professional sites. The research doesn’t mention any names, but it obviously refers to Facebook when it talks about “personal” sites. People use those sites for “distraction” and to “kill time,” LinkedIn says, whereas LinkedIn is for “achievement, success” and “aspiration.”

The research is collected into a new report, called “The Mindset Divide” written by TNS Global, analyzes the major differences between personal and professional social networking.

Here is the “Mindset Divide” infographic.

Read more: BusinessInsider