Just came across two nice articles on social marketing, both by Helen Leggatt, I thought I’d share here.

The first titled “User-generated product reviews increase conversion” notes that

User-generated product reviews are being recognized as a powerful tool in converting browsers into buyers. Around 40 percent of online shoppers are advocates, says Yahoo’s Diane Rinaldo, and they influence purchases two-to-one over non-advocates.

The second, titled “More marketers to use social networking tactics in 2007” notes that

The number of marketers using online social networking tactics could increase by around 10 percent in 2007, suggests a new report, and marketers need to learn how to get the best out of these environments. In 2006, around 38 percent of marketers used social marketing tactics and, according to a new report from JupiterResearch, 48 percent plan to utilise social marketing sites during 2007. eMarketer estimates that ad spending on social networks will hit $865 million this year.