Survey shows consumers addicted to social media

Business owners who are still looking for a reason to dive into the social media waters by setting up a page for their company on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest might now have a good enough reason.

According to a recent survey of more than 2,000 consumers sponsored by MyLife, out of the adults who are members of more than one social networking site, 62 percent pay close attention to their social media pages because they don't want to miss out on anything important. MyLife allows consumers to manage multiple social networks and email accounts at once.

With social media marketing becoming a necessity more than an option for businesses looking to expand, small business marketing has become more important than ever, with companies hiring workers just to run their social networking pages.

"Consumers are bombarded with so much information online - from status updates and photos to tweets and check-ins - that our anxiety around 'missing out' has shifted to our digital lives," said Jeff Tinsley, CEO of MyLife. "The fact that many people would rather run a marathon or spend a night in jail than give up their Facebook or Twitter account is proof positive."

According to BOLT Insurance, a small business insurer, 73 percent of small businesses are using social media sites to become more popular and expand their reach to consumers who are unaware of the company and their services.

The survey also found that younger consumers are logging on to social networks and checking in with their friends and followers online before fully waking up in the morning, revealing an addiction to social media among Americans.

The addiction to social media has become so serious that 40 percent of respondents agreed that they would rather wait in line at the DMV, do their taxes, spend a night in jail and give up their air conditioning or heaters instead of giving up their social networking profiles. Respondents also reported they would rather run a marathon, sit in traffic for four hours while listening to polka music and get a root canal.

With consumers being so addicted to social media, this avenue could be a prime tool for small business marketing for companies that are interested in reaching a different segment of the population.

According to a report from Forrester, more than 20 million senior citizens are online and nearly half are using Facebook, which makes it clear that social media marketing could be aimed at more than just younger generations.