A recent report on social media research reinforces the effect of personal updates on social media have on purchasing decisions.

Sprout Social’s report, Moments & Milestones: UGC, Brands & Emotional Touchpoints on Social, included 1200+ respondents. They found that:

• 79% of people prefer using social media to share life milestones with family and friends.
• Facebook is by far the preferred platform for sharing personal updates, followed by Instagram and Snapchat.
• People are more likely to mention brands in celebration-related posts – specifically, those posts related to travel, personal achievements and family updates.
• Reasons why people share life milestones on social media include:
• Invite people in their network to celebrate
• Inform their network
• Share helpful information
• Acknowledgement
• Receive congratulations
• Answer questions about experience
• Increase social standing

How do these findings impact marketers? Three simple words: word of mouth. Social media has become a preferred method to connect with family and friends, and this amplifies recommendations for brands, products, services and more. For example, people like to mention places they stayed, places they visited and their travel mode when they travel. This is an opportunity for marketers to tie their message to events such as this, using the power of user-generated promotion to increase their reach.